good ideas needed (pros only please)

Jscan,
Try some cross at low levels. Start the cross at one end of the gobo wheel and have the lights sweep back out in opposite directions ending up at the other side of the gobo wheel. Set another scene starting at the other side of the gobo wheel or color wheel depending on whether or not your fixture has separate wheels.

Hi,

1) I really dont think you are doing justice to the MAC 250s by using a DMX operator... MHO...Get something nicer like an SD or a Compuware (limiting recommendations to ADJ/Elation)...

anyways, Depending on how many you have available (from your post I kind of understood you would only be using 1?! DO try to get more, at least 2 or even 4/6 depending on the room - although you mention it is small)

I would set the room up like this:

P P P

P F P
F F
P F P

P P P

Where P is the parcans around the room at a really dim intensity, and F are 4 macs (have you got MiniMacs available? they might look nicer in a small setup than 250s)

Anyways, work with the lights moving away from each other, this is always a nice effect... A pan sweep also looks nice, strobing on any chase sequence looks really good too.

Finally, an effect that is pretty nice depending on the type of music is blackout, with the lights still moving, and then in parts of the song giving just one burst of light (like to the beat)... (Remember this "blackout-burst" thing is best if you only use it a few times and during a small period...

Good luck!

damn, the room plan came out all f'd up...

It is basically, pars along the sides, and the fixtures in a diamond position in the dead center, or 2 of them in the center. Just remember to put them looking away from each other for best effect (IMHO)... like < > as opposed to > >

Working with one Mac 250 is going to make it hard to give a good effect. Like roy said, you'd probably be better off with 4 mini macs or somthing as opposed to one mac 250. Maybe an autospot even.

.....the beauty of moving heads are slow smooth arcs and circles. if you have a mac 250 sell it and get smaller multiple units. also go with a higher end amdj controller or another brand

Well, I can ony get a DMX Operator and 1 Mac 250. The DMX O. can work for now, so I'm not worried bout that. I'm renting the Mac, so only 1 is available. Bursts I like the sound of, and the archs and circles I already have encourperated. need more if possible dealing with 1.

dont ren't one Mac250, because thats stupid. No offence, but rent some MiniMacs like everyone else is saying, or get some scanners. One Mac250 wont do for anything. It wont even look good. Go for scanners. so you can quickly move the lights from their ariel effects, to the floor.

Can you only get 1 mac because of price or because that is all that is available?

Really, if you can really only get one available get at least a powerful dmx strobe to join.....

I recently LJ'd at a cousins party with only 1 mighty and a 750w adj dmx strobe... it didnt look good, but it wasnt ****py...

people were impressed, but that was partly due to the compuware, that creates wonderful effects....

fat chance trying to run a mac250 from the operator. you may as well just get a bright colored light and move it around the room with your hands. the mac250 has many dmx traits, som which can be dropped to take up less faders, however you really should check into either a m-a-r-t-i-n controller since it will work better with the mac or finding a smaller less complex light, for that matter as everyone else has said, get more than one light whatever you do. I have never seen a mac250 or for that matter any other higher end intel used alone. 2 looks better 4 looks best. go for a par setup if money is a problem. Or if you really are stuck on having a moving head, get one with an iris and a zoom like highend's x-spot (i believe) then you could pulse the beam from narrow to wide and zoom gobos in and out.

One Mac 250 will not really be enough for even a small venue. One idea I did not see, is to rent several other lights. Almost all major cities have these rental companies. Even if you just rented two small Pocket Scans to run on opposite sides of the Mac, it would greatly increase the creative resource available for programming. Most of these rental places also rent out small confetti canons. Even just a one time shot of "slow falling" confetti with scanners racing through it while changing colors would be a great effect gauranteed to be a memorable crowd pleaser. Another inexpensive "momentary" effect can be achieved by rigging "Trilene flourescent Fishing Line" acrossed the ceiling and then blacking out your other lights and cueing a black light acrossed it. Wherever the line is run will look just like a laser beam. I kid you not! The key is to use it briefly before the eye has a chance to adjust and see what is really up there. It is an optical illusion that will be unpredictable. Few people if anyone, will ever notice the line strung in the air before you light it up. In any case scenario, your success for creating a memorable light show will be based on your programming, yes programming. Do not just "audio chase" your lighting around the room. Even with a dozen good looking lights, this gets boring very quickly. You want to be able to raise and lower the excitement in the room at your bidding. Most DJs rely entirley on their mixing to accomplish this. This is a great error of resource incorporation and an done with a lack of understanding of how strongly what you "see" effects your mood, even more than what you "hear." But when the two are combined intelligently, you gain strong control over the emotional state of your audience. Success in the theatre world has an incredable amount of focus on these elements, and so should the DJ that wants to be rememorable! Good luck!

Sorry no selling on this forum

Ok man, i know where your coming from, let me tell ya, FAULTLINE has got you the anwser. I started out with only one DJ SCAN ha! and one dmx op. Yea but i was 11 and it was all good then. But anywas, back and forth motions are best. Also, fliping out of control is only good if its strobing. If your do like aerobatic movements with the light (moving it to the limits of rotation) ONLY DO IT WHILE STROBING, otherwise, it willl look like ****. Slow color changing. NOw with the par cans. As you sweep the floor from one side to the other, have each indivitually get brighter and dimmer as the beam from the MAC passes in front of it. That sounds like a great but "newbie" show to me! FUN! cute

First... I hate to say but I am far from a rookie... I just haven't logged onto this account for a while... To help you out with your problem... I have worked with the Mac250 and if you have only one unit... Hang the sonofa***** on your truss... get that 3rd dimension... the rental company should've included that... the floor is a great way to show off the beam(s) as well as the beautiful gobos this light has... also... The dmx operator, if used properly should be able to handle some basic scans for the Mac... I would definitely run it in manual mode though... better control... more options... etc... If you have just one... be creative w/ the par cans... remember... you always have the blackout feature as well... enough of my rambling... I'm sure that someone is going to critique what i'm saying so, ponder on, my friend...