light help part 2

I'm considering that your pars have color gels... I would point the pars at the guitar players, drummers, vocalists etc... Put them on a chase controller... And use the intels to light up the ground, with gobos... Use fog for a extra punch. It's pretty much up to you, with what you want to do though. Try different combinations, and program what suits you the best.

Its all about your budget. How much are you willing to spend, that way i can set you in the right direction.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ_RAY:
[qb]I'm considering that your pars have color gels... I would point the pars at the guitar players, drummers, vocalists etc... Put them on a chase controller... And use the intels to light up the ground, with gobos... Use fog for a extra punch. It's pretty much up to you, with what you want to do though. Try different combinations, and program what suits you the best.[/qb]

ray is right about that. my idea is stack up your Par-cans and then have you're intels on top in the middle then some wash lights at the bottom with a low lying fog efect.

I appreciate your replys. Our pars do have color gels on them, and the low lying fog effect is a good idea. Thanks! Another question that comes to mind is this, should the wattage on the pars and intels be the same or should one be higher than the other, if so which one should be higher. The stages we play aren't huge, and the 300 watt p-56 lamps are as close to perfect for our situation as we can get.I tried 500 watters but they were to bright in some cases and made a bigger diffrence in amp draw than my math suggested. I'm also going to get some rainbow 250's to complement the pars. As for budget I've been working a-lot of over time and saving every penny i could for the last 2 years so after sound system improvements and a new bass rig I should have about 3000.00 left.Iwant to try and stay under that figure but still buy new. Lastly I was thinking of mighty scans but if you can recomend a better AMDJ intell for band lighting please do. Also does anybody here have the Elation ( I can mention Elation can't I?) computer control system. Since I already have a laptop this might be the way to go for me.

Thanks
P-Bass

Do you have email or AIM? Id like to help you out. Even if you dont have much to spend now, i recommend you buy a few nice lights now and build up.

quote:

Originally posted by pbassfunk:
[qb]Also does anybody here have the Elation ( I can mention Elation can't I?) computer control system. Since I already have a laptop this might be the way to go for me.
[/qb]

Yes.. I have it. In my opinion, it is and excellent controller. I use it to program my Mighty Scans and par cans. Right now though, I'm just using the Easy Stand Alone software that comes with it because I have not mastered the actual software. One pretty cool thing about the Elation software is that you can choose to use your intels in "live mode." This way, when you move the mouse, you can use your lights as a follow spot. As for now, the Easy Stand Alone just about does it for me. You can program scenes with steps and then save them to the USB-DMX adapter box so you don't have to use the computer to run your lights.

So what I'm trying to say is... I really reccomend this controller!

For low lying fog you will need dry ice which is always an awesome effect. I use it a lot. The idea of the pars pointed towardsd the drummer guitar player, soloist etc is a very good idea. As for color on the floor through the fog look into the color 150 DMX . I reccommend 4 of them. My suggestion is get 10-20 feet of square trussing and 2 crank stands to put the whole setup behind the band. Put the 12 par cans on top of the trussing and get 4 autospot 150's to hang upside down on the bottom of the trussing. Or you hang 2 autospots on the bottom of the truss and put the other 2 on the floor behind the band sitting upright. Remember that the color 150's are also on the floor behind the band. If you need a visual diagram shoot me an e-mail at Drewmeistr6@yahoo.com

-DJ-AMProduuctions

I'm in a band and am working the lighting too. I also play bass AND design/run the lights. I am deep into midi and am using it to control my Show Designer (although 'we' are having issues right now!). One thing others haven't mentioned is getting intels that can be dimmed. If you can dim your intels you can use them more effectively as follow spots and for stage effect lighting. As far as I'm concerned, dimming is a MUST. Also you may want changeable gobos. It is a great effect to have a custom gobo of your band name which is projected above the band, on the floor in front, or out on the dance floor. I have two Ultra Scans on the way just because they have these features (and rotating gobos - just for fun!) I'm running 8 par cans and the two Ultras and with a little smart programming I have solo spots, beatiful fades, nice effects (strobing during solos, etc), great movement during the fast tunes, and great mood lighting during the slow stuff.

Thanks again for your advice. Sorry I havent e-mailed thoes of you who had info, my computer took on a mind of it's own. I can get on the internet now but I still cant send e-mail as of today. As soon as ican i'll e-mail you.

Anyhow this weekend we played our largest gig yet,about 4500 people give or take, and the promoter for the band we were opening for supplied the light rig. It had 48 p-64 cans on 24" truss with drop bars for the cans and all, 16 top of the line (Read 9860.00 EACH.)moving head fixtures, rack mount dimmer packs, 25' towers, powered raise and lower, and enough capacity to not only support the lights but to also fly the speaker arrays. And oh yeah the board probably cost more than a new truck. I'm thinking of investing in a droule bucket for times like this.

Gb it's nice to know I'm not alone in my multitude of band duties. Why is it that bass players always carry the big loads, but if we make one mistake the whole band acts like it's the end of the world. Mabey it's because were so important!!!!!!! I have a question for you gb.
Is midi as complicated as it's made out to be or is that just an over exageration? Iv'e thought about going that route but just dont have the experience to make an educated decision. How steep is the learning curve with it?

Iv'e said enough for now. Thanks again.

quote:

Gb it's nice to know I'm not alone in my multitude of band duties. Why is it that bass players always carry the big loads

its because bass players have the easiest setup they need more work our bass player is my runner and also our web designer

Us bass players have less set up (not including the whole light rig that I also set up!) because, unlike the guitar players, we don't have 36 effect pedals (of which they only use three!!!!) to connect! Face it, you want the job done, get the bass man to do it!!!!!

Anyway, midi isn't that bad to pick up. Get a copy of Cakewalk and a cheap synth module (and a midi interface for your computer if you don't have one) and play away. As for lighting and midi, basically you can only do scene/show selection using midi (either using a sequencer or a midi pedal). The key is that many controllers only allow limited scene/show recording and VERY few controllers allow programmed fade times. I'm VERY happy with my Show Designer (except I can't get it to respond to midi right now!!!!! ) It has programmable fades, presets that make program changes/show adjustments a snap, and records over 1000 scenes (enough for even me!). We use sequenced drums/effects so I am just programming a midi light track on every tune to run the lights. You could do much the same using a midi foot pedal too (I used to do that back when we put up with a real drummer in the band )