Concert color combinations

[top-cat]

If one has a few LED PARs, one can do the same thing on did with the old parcans, and bring that movement back to the lighting. Its a bit more programming, but I think it looks "better", and it provides one with more options.

 

+1 to that. And in fact I wouldn't say it's a lot more programming... especially if your console has tracking. You set the colour once and then just program dims. I have about 130 LED sources in my rig and I try to do this where I can, I think it makes a nicer look with the movement, but also stops you inadvertedly fading 'through' colours... IE moving a single LED par from red to blue creates magenta in the middle, and whilst you do get that to some extent with 2 separate sources in close proximity, it's not as bad.

 

That said, at the same time, changing colours can also obviously create nice effects. One of my favourites - both with LED and with CMY fixtures, is to fade to the darkest shade of the colour currently in use, when dimming down. It gives it a bit more of a tungsten characteristic which obviously drops in colour temperature as it is dimmed down.

[swampman]

(dBuckley, Top-cat) On the issue of parcans or LEDcans nowadays: Part of needing so many in the old days was to be able to use different coloured beams from different angles (with haze/smoke) to make movement or dynamics for the show (in combinations or chases) before wiggly mirrors and moving heads took over.

That is why I stressed starting with White light: source, shape, location, angles and targets, fast flash, slow fades...  Later slow colour scrollers were available if there was a good budget and now of course all the colours are available from each LED fixture, instantly - we are spoilt.  

So getting back to the OP's problem: start simple with a few looks, get co-ordinated with the music and feel then build up to avoid getting muddled and making a mud pie out of it. If necessary first sketch the looks on paper/PC with pencils and figures then run through with a recording, have a coffee and look afresh.

Write the lyrics, riff, solos parts etc. on a card with desk preset/cue/chase numbers used.

 

An interesting exercise is what is the minimum number of LEDcans needed to light a band to provide an effective show?

 

Top-cat: fading LEDs without colours changing: should be solved using seperate RGB(A/W) dimmer channels mode on fixtures or the seperate Intensity channel when possible. Or ensure you use the Intensity of the HSI mode as HTP and the rest grouped seperately as LTP, but here is where human to desk comunication can break down as I mentioned in a another thread on desks. Or do your LED fixtures change colour balance as the levels vary?