New to Lighting, What are the essentials?

500 aint much

1 Quik scan system-420$ http://www.americandj.com/product.asp?ProductIDNumber=1507&cat=Hightech

1 Tripod stand- 100$ http://www.americandj.com/product.asp?ProductIDNumber=442&cat=Stands

4 Clamps to mount the lights 20-40$ depending on what clamps you get

Those are retail prices, if you go through pssl you could prolly get them cheaper than that.

If u wana spend the extra money u should get a fog machine to make the lights look better.

2 cents from me
kc

Really basic, covers medium sized area, easily expandable:

AMDJ Basic I truss System $100
4 Par 38's with lamps and gel $100
12" mirror ball, motor and pin spot $60
Vertigo/Mushroom light for $60
AMDJ Co Pilot Controller $150 (chases your pars and controls your effects)

Small, basic, cheap for $470

This system will get you by for a while. Chase your pars with the first four channels of the co pilot and control your effects with the last four. You can also use the system without the truss. Make some cash, buy some more effects or save up to buy some intels.

Have fun, shop around, check ebay. Keep us posted.

How would this look?

-Two sets of C*h*a*u*v*e*t par 38 rigs from musiciansfriend.com. (I will be using these for live coffee house type shows),
-two vertigos,
-one mirror and pin-spot.
-one strobe.

my questions:
do the chase controllers that come with the par 38s work for everything. I have read that all eight cans can run from one Chase, and then have the other effects on the unused cChase. to me it makes sense. and this would also be some nice lighting for some smaller concerts that I put on (two rather than one set of 4 par 38s)

If you are doing mobile wedding-type work, a Starball-II is really a good investment. Gives you a nice mirror ball effect for slow songs. I am also a fan of the Mystic which has a terrific spread. If you go with these types of effects lighting, you should have a means for cycling them to prolong lamp life, as well keep some variety on the dance floor - a simple power center can do this for you. I also think the oil-type units like the Trance Wheel are pretty interesting.

My fogger hasn't got much use as most banquet halls around here seem to prohibit them. A hazer might do you well, but last I checked, they were a bit pricier.

Any light show basic or not should start with some sort of color fill.
I leanred the hard way that effect lights by themselves due to the duty cycles required can make a light show look kind of week and weird.
By having a color fill with par cans that are either left on or run off a controller of sorts will have a huge impact in the long run because then the special effects are just that special becuase they are doing what they are designed to do and that is add atmosphere to an event but not provide basic lighting to fill the whole floor with.

I would definately at least start with 4 - 8 par 38s depending on the budget as it will give you a ton of color fill and not leve the floor dark between FX lights while they cool and run from the duty cycles.

Good advice by our new member Jammin. 5 stars for you

Just to encounter some of the importance to have a good budget for lighting alone. I have spent about $225 alone just on Par-38's and this is only on 8 of them. I don't mobile dj. But If i were you I would if you can try to get a bigger budget for the lighting too. If you spend this much just on the par's you will only have about 175 left on stands and special effects, think hard before you purchase anything!

Par cans.... allways good for many events,i say start with that, then add some effect lights.

...Or just go all out and get intells...lol

I'd have to recommend par cans for starters. You just can't go wrong with them.

I see par cans as creating the atmosphere in a show, and everything else is relative to them. Here's what I mean...

Any intelligent fixture or effect will depend on the atmosphere created by the par cans. The easiest way to see this is to run the same intelligent chase or effect with two completely different par scenes. The result is interesting. Although it is the same chase by itself, when mixed with two completely different scenes, the flavor and feeling is completely different. You'll find this desireable as well as undesireable at times. A number of healthy scenes are possible with as few as say 4 color options in an 8 can rig. Establishing this mood for the music is key in how people may respond.

Intelligent fixtures and effects leave more darkness in places than par cans because they focus the light much more. Par cans can wash an area nicely with color, and with some degree of evenness compared to a more focused effect or intelligent.

But please do not get me wrong. I love intelligent fixtures. They add a whole new dimension to my shows. I'm just trying to describe my view of their position in an average show. I can understand trimming back the number of par cans in a rig, but will never eliminate them altogether in favor of intelligent fixtures. There is a balance to strike.

Par cans make the difference between healthy-looking shows and the thinned-out, weaker ones.

Just remember, you can't go wrong with par cans.

That's my take on it.

Best,
-Tech

Righty-O LighTech. Basics first, bells & whistles later. Par cans will always be used, no matter what else you may aquire. They are a solid investment. For small gigs, they are all you need. Add mirror ball & stir with good tunes.