Hey, yo!
I am new to the MDJ business and want to know what you'd recommmed for a good, basic lighting setup.
What controller/relaly, effects, pars, mirrorball, strobe, etc., would you suggest?
Thanks in advance.
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if you can afford it go intel, you'll be happy down the road that you did, otherwise you'll end up switching to intel down the road somewhere lol.
I agree. The best part is, you don't have to spend nearly as much money as you might think. Intels give you the greatest flexibility and the most options.
Personally I love the Mighty Scans. They are absolutely fantastic fixtures. I've put mine up side by side against Tr@ckSpots and the Mightys look clearer, are more vibrant, the same if not brighter, and much much more compact (not to mention, they cost about 1/3 the price of the other fixtures).
Some moving heads for wash effects may not be a bad investment either.
Just my two cents.
-Tech
Personally I love the Mighty Scans. They are absolutely fantastic fixtures. I've put mine up side by side against Tr@ckSpots and the Mightys look clearer, are more vibrant, the same if not brighter, and much much more compact (not to mention, they cost about 1/3 the price of the other fixtures).
Some moving heads for wash effects may not be a bad investment either.
Just my two cents.
-Tech
What is your long term goal with your lighting setup?
Do you want to stay with the basic lighting package or do you want to grow?
How much are you willing to spend?
What is the bulk of your events? (schools, weddings, bars, etc)
Intels have gone down in price. You can get a basic four scanner setup with controller for less than $1500ish. Add a set of crank-1 stands and a fogger or hazer and you are done.
Good basic (really basic)
>One 12" mirror ball with a couple of pin spots mounted on a T-Bar stand. Add a random cheap effect light or two (Like a vertigo)and you are done. Easy cheezy for basic events. For less than $200ish
If you want a system that will grow then forget the "basic" package I just talked about and buy some scanners. Your initial cost will be much greater but long term, it is a great investment.
Start small, you can do a lot with two intels (like mighty scans or scan trons, nova scans), a mirror ball, medium sized fogger and a DMX operator controller mounted on a little truss system for around $950 Save some more cash and buy two more scanners and maybe a DMX barrel light or moonflower and you will be rockin.
Check ebay, lots of new and used intels. Some names to look out for:
>Mighty Scan (great fixtures for the price, they are discontinued, I die a little more each day.)
>Nova Scan (good intel for less than $200)
>Scan Tron (AMDJ's new scanner)
Good luck I hope this helps. Please keep us posted, give us some more info.
Do you want to stay with the basic lighting package or do you want to grow?
How much are you willing to spend?
What is the bulk of your events? (schools, weddings, bars, etc)
Intels have gone down in price. You can get a basic four scanner setup with controller for less than $1500ish. Add a set of crank-1 stands and a fogger or hazer and you are done.
Good basic (really basic)
>One 12" mirror ball with a couple of pin spots mounted on a T-Bar stand. Add a random cheap effect light or two (Like a vertigo)and you are done. Easy cheezy for basic events. For less than $200ish
If you want a system that will grow then forget the "basic" package I just talked about and buy some scanners. Your initial cost will be much greater but long term, it is a great investment.
Start small, you can do a lot with two intels (like mighty scans or scan trons, nova scans), a mirror ball, medium sized fogger and a DMX operator controller mounted on a little truss system for around $950 Save some more cash and buy two more scanners and maybe a DMX barrel light or moonflower and you will be rockin.
Check ebay, lots of new and used intels. Some names to look out for:
>Mighty Scan (great fixtures for the price, they are discontinued, I die a little more each day.)
>Nova Scan (good intel for less than $200)
>Scan Tron (AMDJ's new scanner)
Good luck I hope this helps. Please keep us posted, give us some more info.
If you are new to the business you should start off with a basic system til you see if you want to stay with it. You can always buy that more expensive and elaborate stuff after your business is well established.
Start with a Sunray II or a Starball II (mirror ball effect without the hassle of having to hang pinspots) and two T-bars (LTS-6) with four Par 38 cans with gels(Par 38 BL)on each one and a simple control box, such as a pair of T-16F's. If you have a few extra bucks, buy two extra Par 38's with gels and two c clamps & mount them on the lower legs of the LTS-6's. Leave them lit solid for footlights, so if both trees go dark for a second you still have some light on the floor.
After you have been at it for a year and it looks like you are going to stay with it, you can upgrade to more elaborate & expensive lighting and still have the above described system for backup, secondary, and supplemental lighting.
Another thing to keep in mind, especially if it looks like you are going to do a lot of small gigs : The system that I have described here uses minimum electrical current. This can be critical when you show up at an unfamiliar venue where they stick you off in a corner with only one 110 electrical outlet. It happens.
All the fancy lighting in the world won't do you any good if you keep blowing circuit breakers, or even worse, if it is a fused outlet.
The system I have described can be had for around $600.00 (six hundred dollars).
Good Luck. M*A*R*T*I*N M.
Start with a Sunray II or a Starball II (mirror ball effect without the hassle of having to hang pinspots) and two T-bars (LTS-6) with four Par 38 cans with gels(Par 38 BL)on each one and a simple control box, such as a pair of T-16F's. If you have a few extra bucks, buy two extra Par 38's with gels and two c clamps & mount them on the lower legs of the LTS-6's. Leave them lit solid for footlights, so if both trees go dark for a second you still have some light on the floor.
After you have been at it for a year and it looks like you are going to stay with it, you can upgrade to more elaborate & expensive lighting and still have the above described system for backup, secondary, and supplemental lighting.
Another thing to keep in mind, especially if it looks like you are going to do a lot of small gigs : The system that I have described here uses minimum electrical current. This can be critical when you show up at an unfamiliar venue where they stick you off in a corner with only one 110 electrical outlet. It happens.
All the fancy lighting in the world won't do you any good if you keep blowing circuit breakers, or even worse, if it is a fused outlet.
The system I have described can be had for around $600.00 (six hundred dollars).
Good Luck. M*A*R*T*I*N M.