Par selection

We probably could use a little more information but i think you should start out with some PAR56 lights. They should work fine for you!

jthtiger

I guess it could depend on how far back the truss (or whatever they'll be hung from) is from the stage. Our lights are about 14 ft from the stage, and about 14ft high. We have 6 par64's running off of a Stage Setter 8. We dont have any problems with it. I think a Par56 will do the job, but a 64 could do it better, lol.

-Chris-

56's are a good mid-size but we have 64's and I love them. It all comes down to the future. If your planning on increasing space or expanding your light rig by getting more then go ahead and get the 64's. It really just depends on your preference.

64's will produce more heat but of course more light and a wider angle.

56's wont produce as much heat.

You can also consider the bulbs you put in the light. If you use PAR 64's and put a 500 or even 300 watt bulb the you should be fine.

Just take into consideration all of these thing and choose the right one for you. OR give us some more specs on your situation and let us recommend the right thing for you. Your choice!?

Hope this helps!

jthtiger

I'm thinking about hanging the truss directly above the stage. It's about 15-16ft high. The stage is 33ft wide and 17ft deep.

I wonder is placing 1 truss horizontally across the stage is enough? And how many pars do I need to cover the whole stage?

Thanks!

quote:

jthtiger

Any recommendation? anyone?

Thanks!

I think Par 56's will suit your needs well. I've used Par 64's in an area similar to your stage and I was just not satisfied with the results. The cans were too big, too hot, and the light was too scattered (granted that could have been the lamps).

Anyway, you're probably looking at needing somewhere in the ballpark of 20 feet trussing for your back/upstage lighting (i.e. the main 'light show'). 16 cans should sufficiently get you off the ground. You'll probably want to put medium flood lamps in them.

Also, you should consider the use of front lighting in addition to your upstage lighting. This will provide light so you can see faces when people are on stage. This gives you the benefit of utilizing the upstage lights for desired effects rather than having the sole purpose of providing light for coverage's sake. Front lighting could be for 'wash' (pure coverage) or for 'spots' (individual places to accent with light from the front - i.e. a performer).

Hope something helps.

Thanks LightTech,

For the font lighting, what type of light fixtures is the best? I will have to put them on left front side and right front side of the stage since there's no place for me to put them in directly in front of the stage.

The distance to the stage is about 25-30 feets.

The simplest route would be to use Par 56's just like the ones on the upstage rig. The only exception would be that you might want to use 'narrow spot' lamps in the cans you want to use as spots, and an increased wattage in the cans you designate for 'wash' (namely because you want more coverage will fewer cans). Since the throw distance to the stage is 25 feet or so, the medium flood should work, as as long as the wattage is higher than the upstage rig.

I used 300W lamps in the main upstage rig cans, with 500W lamps in the front wash, and 500W spots. You can certainly use lower wattages, but you will probably lose the cutting power/overlap/'pop' of the lighting contrast coming from the front.

Thanks LighTech!