Lighting for a small band???

[Plan-B]

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys!!! While I like your thinking on the 1w LED's Hyper they all seem a little out of our price range. Panels were also something I considered Bonzo but mounting them looked like an issue and I'm not sure I like the idea of just up lighting.

 

I bit the bullet a found a good deal on 2 of the Chauvet 4bars. They should be here in a few weeks. I also used a credit at a local store and picked up 4 colorsplash 200b's. I finally got my custom front stands build and had a chance to set it all up. Unfortunately one of the CS 200B's has striped threads on both sides where the yoke attaches. Has anyone else had similar problems with striped threads on these lights? I think I'll be taking it back for yet another replacement.

 

With the front end all set up I was able to test it all out and see where we stand. I'm really happy with the wash these lights produce and think it will be sufficient for our needs. One problem we did have is that the sound active mode is a little too sensitive and our volume levels have the lights changing erratically and far to frequently. Auto mode fixes the erratic changes but they still switch color too frequently and not in time with the music. I think the best way to correct this will be to run them with a DMX controller.

 

I'm looking for some advice on the best controlled to fit our needs. I really like the features and price on the Obey controllers but worry that without a direct audio in I might run into the same problem I'm having with the sound active mode on the CS 200B's. A direct input from our drummers kick would fix this problem.

 

I'd like the controller to have a wide range of midi accessible functions, have lots of channels for future expansion (The 4 bars I'm still waiting on have 15 channels each), be priced under $300 and be fairly easy to program. If someone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

 

Cheers and thanks,

Chris

[KidRay]

I'd like the controller to have a wide range of midi accessible functions, have lots of channels for future expansion (The 4 bars I'm still waiting on have 15 channels each), be priced under $300 and be fairly easy to program. If someone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

 

The Enttec DMXIS software mentioned by revbobuk above looks very interesting, there is no option for a sound input at the moment, but it is highly MIDI compatible, and the ability to use any simple footswitch and edit what the footswitch does looks promising. The price is not bad, 189 Euros for the software and DMX interface. The software is aimed at the small scale show and looks as if it has the ability to create a much more interesting light show than our current controller (Stairville DMX Master).

 

It does necessitate the use of a computer/laptop which may be an issue for some, but I am seriously considering a purchase!

[andrewg112]

ive just got some £30 thomann DMX led par cans and the starville DMX master 1 to control them. It all works together perfectly, im sure foot controls could be baught, though.

[Plan-B]

Hi again all,

 

I figured I'd post an update on our lighting endeavors for anyone who may be interested. I decided on and ordered an Elation DMX operator 192 controller. The midi functions of this controller seem to be perfect for our needs and it has an audio in which should solve some syncing problems for us. I'm still looking for an alternative midi footswitch to the FCB1010 but it's really starting to look like dispite it's size it's the best option out there.

 

One of the 4Bars I ordered finally showed up and I got a chance to play with it the other night. I'm happy with the product but did notice a few shortcomings. In sound mode our stage volume is overwhelming for them and they tend to change erratically and to quickly like the 200b's. I'm thinking once I get our controller hooked up to the kick or snare channel this should be fixed. The plastic front housing of the lights is very thin and like another poster on this site I've noticed small cracks from the screw holes to the outside of the housing. I'm gonna have to find that post and see what he did for a fix. Lastly, when in color fade mode (the last setting using the first pedal on the included footswitch), I've noticed that the fourth light from the left will not sync perfectly with the other lights. Sometimes it's late, sometimes early and sometimes it will flicker when the other lights are not. In other settings the light seems to react fine. I'm hoping this is an issue with the programming and not the hardware and will not be an issue once controlled by DMX. Has anyone else here seen this issue?

 

I think my next and final step for now, other then the midi footswitch, will be a couple of scanners. I'd like them to be light enough to hang vertically on the 4bar stands. I'd also like them to be bright enough to cut through the light of the 4bars. Lastly and almost most important is I'd like them to be cheap as I've pretty much blown the lighting budget. I'm currently strongly considering the Chauvet Intimidator 1.0 due to it's price and output.

 

If anyone has any comments or suggestions regarding scanners, midi footswitches or anything else I'd love to hear them. This site has been very helpful in setting up our lighting package and I truly appreciate it.

 

Cheers,

Chris

[revbobuk]

I'd like the controller to have a wide range of midi accessible functions, have lots of channels for future expansion (The 4 bars I'm still waiting on have 15 channels each), be priced under $300 and be fairly easy to program. If someone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

 

The Enttec DMXIS software mentioned by revbobuk above looks very interesting, there is no option for a sound input at the moment, but it is highly MIDI compatible, and the ability to use any simple footswitch and edit what the footswitch does looks promising. The price is not bad, 189 Euros for the software and DMX interface. The software is aimed at the small scale show and looks as if it has the ability to create a much more interesting light show than our current controller (Stairville DMX Master).

 

It does necessitate the use of a computer/laptop which may be an issue for some, but I am seriously considering a purchase!

 

It doesn't have a sound input, but the program does use audio playing on the same computer as the software as an input - which means if you are playing audio from that computer you are fine; if not, just run a mic into that computer, and choose that as the audio input for the program.