How do you control all them purdy lights, anyway?

OK, seriously....

About a year ago, I asked for some help for effects lighting for my 60s era classic rock band...(better known as "Geezer Rock" by the younger generation). Just so you know, we are "week end warriors" in that we average performing about 20 times each year.

We already had 12 Par 38B cans, and a 7-10 year old ADJ DMX controller with a pair of dimmer packs. So we wanted something "mo' purdy".

I posted on this site and provided some models that I thought I liked based on the research I had done, but without being able to see the lights in person, I was not sure what to get for effects lights for the audience, as we had plenty on stage.

I ended up purchasing a pair of "new old stock" ADJ Wildflower II's. And I also purchased a pair of ADJ Simple Scans. Very bluntly, we love these lights. They have worked well for us the "few" times we have been able to use them.

Well, we have used these lights for around 9 or 10 performances. (Due to the various venues, we cannot always take them due to space in the vans or stage space, or other lighting already at the venue...and, about four of our gigs so far this year have been daylight shows.)

The way we currently control the lights is thus....

The Wildflower IIs are controlled together with one fader on the DMX controller. We use tht fader as "all on" or "all off". I was told that should prevent "Brown Out" on the motors and bulbs.

The Simple Scans are run with the tethered push button control that came with the lights when new.

Since everyone needs their hands free to play keyboards, guitars, drums, bass or congas....we would prefer to run the Simple Scans via another option.

I would like to pick up a pair of ADJ Aggressor or ADJ Vertigo lights eventually. (Or maybe a set of Fab 4 lights?) But I need the control resolved first.

Anyway, the real question right now is how to best control these "on" and "off" effect lighting models and not take up the available jacks on the dimmer packs.

Or is that what I really want to do?

Keeping in mind that I have not used any kind of lights since the early 1970s, I remember using a foot switch controller in those days that simply had "on/off" buttons.

I am thinking I would prefer something like that, so we can control these lights from "on stage" while the Soundman concentrates on the mixer along with running the DMX controls for the Par cans.

So....what is the brand and model that I need to accomplish what I want to do? Or is there a cheaper and better way to do that?

Feel free to post your reply or e-mail me.

Tony...the man, the myth, the legend. Or at least my wife thinks so.