benweblight Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 got about £100-150 to spend looking to expand my small events rig, which at the moment it: 6x par 56s various other odd lanterns (pinspots, moonflower etc.) 1x multidim 4ch dimmer 1x behringer 6ch dimmer behringer 12ch light desk 2x stands various leads/adaptors I dont know whether I should get another pair of pars (2x p64s or 2xp56s and some money left over?) a cheap scan from thomann, a proper flood for cycs, a second hand fresnel or profile, another dimmer pack, or whether to spend the money on upgrading to 15a/16a(currently iec), what should my priority be? or is there something I havent thought of? its for mixed events (mainly concerts but other events aswell), the way it works at the minute is I have 3 pars on a stand and have the dimmer under one stand with a cable runnining to the other and the multidim for floor lights etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I can't tell you what to get but www.usedlighting.co.uk has got par 64's for £25 each. A few dents but in a par its not going to be to much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amillar Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Think I would get another couple of Par56s at least - I've always thought that 3 lights on a T-bar don't look right. After I had bought myself enough Pars, I went for a some Fresnels - one of my better investments - great for Choirs, speakers etc and small/light to transport - but it depends what sort of events you do. Don't forget that your Behringer desk is actually 24 channels in wide mode (assuming its the MA copy) so you can always add more dimmers or some v.cheap scans. Do you have a smoke machine? If not then surely it is a must - You can get the cheap Antari one from CPC with a radio remote for about £70 (inc VAT) Have Fun Choosing. Andrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.henderson Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Unless you want to turn into/ or are a mobile disco stay well away from cheap scans. No good at all for theatre lighting and not that great for lighting concerts etc. The only thing they are good for are for DJ's who just want to turn something on at the beggining of the night and leave it to run for the night with the sound!! Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I'd stay away from movers altogether and hire them in as and when the client has the budget. The pace of innovation is moving very quickly nowadays and today's latest kit is tomorrow's bargain basement gear, with "tomorrow" coming round faster than ever. Also, movers come with far higher running costs. I'd spend the money on general maintenance: cables and the like, building a solid "industry standard" type system, to provide a solid, professional base for future expansion. Boring I know, but necessary IMHO. Just my £0.02 :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mush Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 got about £100-150 to spend looking to expand my small events rig, which at the moment it: 6x par 56s various other odd lanterns (pinspots, moonflower etc.) 1x multidim 4ch dimmer 1x behringer 6ch dimmer behringer 12ch light desk 2x stands various leads/adaptors I dont know whether I should get another pair of pars (2x p64s or 2xp56s and some money left over?) a cheap scan from thomann, a proper flood for cycs, a second hand fresnel or profile, another dimmer pack, or whether to spend the money on upgrading to 15a/16a(currently iec), what should my priority be? or is there something I havent thought of? its for mixed events (mainly concerts but other events aswell), the way it works at the minute is I have 3 pars on a stand and have the dimmer under one stand with a cable runnining to the other and the multidim for floor lights etc.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1K par 64s are going to have a power consumption catch and wipe out 300W par 56 at same range, 64 has higher colour tempertaure as well , think. Cheap scan is going to get wiped out in brightness from 56s. Cyc floods have few uses and cheap to re-lamp. Fresnels or profiles probably in your budget but spare lamps might stretch it a bit. Another dimmer also means plus cable and connectors and something to plug in to them so... Where can you hire or borrow gear from, what sort of connectors do they use?You got enough DMX cable,mains cable, including spares?Gel,fuses, spare lamps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benweblight Posted February 24, 2005 Author Share Posted February 24, 2005 seems like being a pair of 56s then, and the rest on cables etc. I think you misundertood about the scans, im talking about the cheap DMX ones from thomann not a stand alone only unit I dont really hire from any particular, but I see what your getting at and I am making up lots of iec-15a so I can run the schools lights of DMX but it isnt much good without multicore etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfinn Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Hi, Im no expert at all but I can see that it isnt really much of a rig (no offence meant at all). If you are thinking of going into the lighting buisness full time being a travelling lighting company where you require your own kit then would it not be an idea to take out a loan? If this is possible it would mean you could get a half decent rig with say 8 pars, fresnels a few profiles and a good lighting desk plus rigging. This owuld mean you could also get all your spares and get miles of leads cuz you will need them. Also I belive you need to have all your equipment PAT tested and insured and also isnt PLI required. If so your loan can cover this for a while whilst you build the buisness. Also the loan will help you get some transport for your kit. Maybe I am going down the wrong route but if you are planning on becoming a lighitng tech full time this is one way to go about it. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.henderson Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Don't forget not just cables: Grelcos (or there IEC equiv. whatever that is), loads of different Gel, PVC, Gaffa and yes 2 more Pa56's. I'd keep going- you have got a good solid base of a rig ('specially once you get these extras). Slowly but surely is the key!! Sam :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meady Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Hi, Im no expert at all but I can see that it isnt really much of a rig (no offence meant at all). If you are thinking of going into the lighting buisness full time being a travelling lighting company where you require your own kit then would it not be an idea to take out a loan? If this is possible it would mean you could get a half decent rig with say 8 pars, fresnels a few profiles and a good lighting desk plus rigging. This owuld mean you could also get all your spares and get miles of leads cuz you will need them. Also I belive you need to have all your equipment PAT tested and insured and also isnt PLI required. If so your loan can cover this for a while whilst you build the buisness. Also the loan will help you get some transport for your kit. Maybe I am going down the wrong route but if you are planning on becoming a lighitng tech full time this is one way to go about it. Daniel <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You have to be carfull taking out a loan when just about to start a small company, for a start you need to garantee that you have enough events/productions! Frist thing is to get your name around, and a spot of advertising, then you are safe. I was debateing taking out a loan, but at the moment havent got enough events a month to stay in the Green (so to speak). Summer time is fine! I prob don't make no ssense but thought id have a go! :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 KISS - well known business advise(Keep it simple stoopid) Think it applies here. This is personal choise, but I don't like having dozens of different 'bits'. I think its much better to have more of the same. You need to cover all the basic 'requirements' but if your work is usually pretty similar I'd watch out for having a few of these, a couple of those..... etc. One key reason is you're always going to need more.... at least if you focus in one direction you'll only need more or those things. Secondly, I think it looks neater if all you kit matches, as aposed to turning up with a hotch potch of bits. ....My personal opion T.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Our "small events" lighting setup consists of 2x 4-bars of PAR56's, expanded if neccesary to 4x 4-bars. This keeps the current consumption to 10 (20) amps total, within the realms of a normal power point here. Either just plugged straight into the wall (bad for the bulbs, I know...), controlled via a couple of 4-way switched powerboards, or dimming hired as and when required. Often we also use a few 'floor lights' I.e floods with 200w lamps in them. For an upgrade to an existing rig, I would suggest working in pairs or fours of lights, bearing in mind current consumption, and that if you wish to use darker colours (i.e. blues) then you may wish to have two cans with that colour, for a bit more punch. Also consider a symmetrical setup, I.e a stand with a T-bar at the back, and one either side at the front of the stage. Don't forget that whatever you don't have, may be able to be hired/borrowed in on a per-gig basis. Set yourself up with basic infrastructure, such as cabling, adaptors and the like, and take it from there.:huh:David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benweblight Posted February 25, 2005 Author Share Posted February 25, 2005 in reply to dfinn:I would do that if I could but I'm only 14! and as others have said I wouldn't start a business in too much debt without guaranteed income, the rig you outline there is what I plan to slowly build this one into. in reply to lxdeptnz:that is my tried and tested rig for small events (plus a pair of profiles)most of the venues I work with the rig are 13a so I always try and have 2x 6way packs rather than a 12way to balance it out I always try and make rigs symmetrical as it is imho the simplest way to make a design work what I do at the moment for concerts is 2 coloured pairs and a pair open for general illumination I am building up cable/gel etc. but am finding it quite expensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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