ADJ 64B VS. 46 VS. 38 LED Pros

Bryan, glad to see your picking a lot of our products. however most of your prices you posted are below our MAP price point. Also please do not post prices on the forums. We have a good dealer network in place throughout the US and in effort for them to sell gear at a low price we cannot allow prices posted on our forums. I do hope you understand.
Sincerely,

Also please no posting the same topic across multiple forum sections. This could result in you being suspended from the forums.
Sincerely,

Sorry about that. I will not make those mistakes again. I just realized that I had accidentally put the post in the intelligent lighting forum instead of the general lighting forum.

It's fine. I was just informing you. your post is fine in the intelligent forum because your asking about intelligent fixtures. The American DJ lights section is for no dmx effects.
Sincerely,

Bryan,
I don't think your question about which lights to buy can be answered in a way to assure you the results you desire. For example, when you ask, ". . . will they be bright enough?" the answer is it all depends on your situation and the tastes of the viewer. [It's also complicated by the fact that some human eyes are more sensitive to light than others, but that is something all "lighting guys" have to live with.]

To further the example, the Par 38s throw out a lot less light than the Par 64s. If you are trying to uplight the walls in a room with 8' ceilings, the Par 38s would add a nice touch. The par 64s would add a much more dramatic impact. Trying to uplight a school gym with 10 par 38s would be barely noticable (to me). You apparently like the effect of Par 64s in your space. Because he used 16, your last DJ obviously thought 10 par 64s would not get the impact he wanted. How much is enough for your tastes? No one else will know.

I'd suggest you buy one or two of each light (you can always use either of them to good advantage somewhere no matter what you ultimately decide to buy) and uplight a section of your wall and decide which is the best dollar to impact solution for you.

Any ADJ LED light you buy will last a long time. As long as they are not put in places they will be kicked or jostled, they will last a very long time. If jostling is an issue, then you might want to look at the much more durable Elation fixtures - but they are more expensive.

Whether they are "easy" is mostly a function of knowledge of the user. Lights with dip switches are probably a little more complicated than ones with displays, but it will take some study to figure out how to use either one.

As to controllers, what do you want to be able to do with the lights?

Thanks for the feedback Hobson. I like your idea about trying a couple of each light to compare. The downside is we could afford to buy 16 38 LED Pros now. We can't afford to buy that many P64s.

Do you think the P64s put out enough light to be used as spotlights for performances in a gym for a rally? I was thinking getting 4 of them for this purpose. Probably put two lights on a T bar on either side of the performance area. Any thoughts?

I would like a controller that would allow me to change the color, strobe, dim, and blackout the lights. The difficult part is the lights would be on opposite sides ofthe gym so that would require a lot of cable. I guess I could get 4 of each and try to of each on a T bar. They could be aimed in different angle to give more coverage on the gym floor.

I could buy a PROPAR 56 for not much more than the cost of one 38 and P64. Would the one brighter light be more beneficial or the two lights aimeed in different angles for more coverage be better?

Thanks Again,
Bryan

Bryan,

I've got 9 Propar 56s and like them very much. They are perfect for the spot lighting of my six member band. But the lights are all about 10' away from the performers and I can control the other lights in the room (with which they compete). I can't say they would be great for you because I have no idea what your situation will be like.

The problem is how much light you need to make an impact will vary depending on how much other light (call it ambient light) is in the gym, how far away the lights are from the thing you are trying to light, and the color of the the things you are trying to light.

For example, if you tried to use 4 Par 64s outdoors in full daylight to light up a black funk band wearing black clothing, it is unlikely that anyone could tell whether the lights were on or off. If you used them to light a white rock band wearing silver spangles in a room that otherwise had no lights but the exit signs, they would be amazingingly bright and effective.

My guess is that if your trusses in the gym are 10' - 15' away from your performers/subjects, there is little other lighting in the room, and your performers are about average in skin color and clothing, four Par 64s will do a fine job. The more your situation departs from that situation, the more or more powerful lights you will need.

I wish I could be more specific, but this is the reality with which you are dealing.

Using two or more lights to light your subject is better than one. One light tends to cause unflatering shadows on faces (below the nose, for example). But when you try to use more than one light, the multiple lights are usually farther away from the subject than one directed light. The intensity of the light fades exponetially the farther way from the subject. So the more coverage you try to achieve with a light, the less effective it will be. Consequently, it usually takes more than twice the number of light to achieve the same intensity as one light close and directed.

If your gym has windows that let in outdoor light, your results will vary depending on whether it is light or dark outside and the time of year. My guess is that there will be no substitute for trial and error.

Any controller will allow you to do what you described. The cheap controller, however, will require that you do everything manually every time you want to change the light settings. More expensive controllers will let you record different "Scenes" or "Shows" that will enable you to quickly and easily change from one situation to another by hitting a button.

Hope this is informative, even if not acutally helpful.