Stage Lights recommendation

hotpickups

I'm sure this has been covered before here but can someone recommend me a place where I can get some stage lights? My Bassist has a 4 lights on a T bar but it isn't really enough and I was thinking of a couple of up lighters / floor cans to be placed at the back of the stage behind the drummer to colour wash the wall. 

Maplins do some but I'm not sure of the quality or durability of them

mike257

Maplins stuff is cheap and cheerful and equivalent products can probably be bought elsewhere without as much mark up on the prices.  I'd normally suggest Thomann but Brexit has screwed us there and everything is now far less cheap than it was from our German friends.

I've got a few of CPC's "Pulse" branded generic LED cans and they're fine. If you're looking to wash a wall behind you, might be worth looking at the strip/bar type fixtures rather than individual cans though. You'll cover more stage width with less units and they'll take a up a little less depth at the back of the stage too.

hotpickups

mike257 said:

Maplins stuff is cheap and cheerful and equivalent products can probably be bought elsewhere without as much mark up on the prices.  I'd normally suggest Thomann but Brexit has screwed us there and everything is now far less cheap than it was from our German friends.

I've got a few of CPC's "Pulse" branded generic LED cans and they're fine. If you're looking to wash a wall behind you, might be worth looking at the strip/bar type fixtures rather than individual cans though. You'll cover more stage width with less units and they'll take a up a little less depth at the back of the stage too.

Great thanks I'll check those out. Where did you get yours from @mike257 ;

mike257

I got mine second hand, but they're originally from CPC, who are a big online electronics dealer. They've got a massive range of stuff but their website can be a bit of a ballache to find anything on, because it's so vast.

hotpickups

Hmmm I see what you mean @mike257  I've been on the website myself and can't find the wash lights you mentioned 

mike257

The LED bar type fixtures I was referring to would be something like this: http://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/ledbar-320/led-bar-320-led-rgb/dp/DP32638

A couple of those or similar along the rear of the stage would serve well to uplight a wall behind you if that's what you're after.

These are the LED PAR56 cans that I have a few of, this particular model is discontinued but there's plenty alternatives available on their site: http://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/led-56-eco-black/par-can-dmx-5mm-led-par56-black/dp/DP30505

Thomann is worth a look despite the fact that the exchange rate has busted the prices compared to this time last year, even if its just to get a feel for what's available before looking for a UK supplier, as it's much easier to find your way around the products on their site.

hotpickups

mike257 said:

The LED bar type fixtures I was referring to would be something like this: http://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/ledbar-320/led-bar-320-led-rgb/dp/DP32638

A couple of those or similar along the rear of the stage would serve well to uplight a wall behind you if that's what you're after.

These are the LED PAR56 cans that I have a few of, this particular model is discontinued but there's plenty alternatives available on their site: http://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/led-56-eco-black/par-can-dmx-5mm-led-par56-black/dp/DP30505

Thomann is worth a look despite the fact that the exchange rate has busted the prices compared to this time last year, even if its just to get a feel for what's available before looking for a UK supplier, as it's much easier to find your way around the products on their site.

Thanks @mike257 . Much appreciated 

RocknRollDave

Make sure you have a few, judiciously placed lights facing the band, so that you are not playing in darkness. The don't need to be flashy, spinny things, just a fixed, coloured LED (flashing may put you off anyway). Save the spinning, flashing lights for the dancefloor

hotpickups

RocknRollDave said:

Make sure you have a few, judiciously placed lights facing the band, so that you are not playing in darkness. The don't need to be flashy, spinny things, just a fixed, coloured LED (flashing may put you off anyway). Save the spinning, flashing lights for the dancefloor

Good point. This is going to be more expensive than I originally thought. I think I'm going to have to find a used set to buy

Jalapeno

If you just want to flood the back wall - a couple of LED builder's lights.

If you want colour, then a couple of Par Can racks and a DMX controller.  We have a pair of iColor 4 units and DMX controller - don't know if they've got an LED version (it is fecking hot under 2kw per iColor unit)

hotpickups

Jalapeno said:

If you just want to flood the back wall - a couple of LED builder's lights.

If you want colour, then a couple of Par Can racks and a DMX controller.  We have a pair of iColor 4 units and DMX controller - don't know if they've got an LED version (it is fecking hot under 2kw per iColor unit)

Definately want LEDs. I get hot and sweaty enough when playing so less heat the better. Thanks @Jalapeno ;

hotpickups

Ok I've been looking at these and may even get a t bar of lights too..... eventually What else would I need to get with these purchases i.e. cables, DMX etc? 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_flood_panel_150_40.htm?ref=prod_rel_377666_1

https://www.thomann.de/gb/fun_generation_led_pot_12x1w_rgbw.htm

I have never gone down this route and really stumped at what to get. It's all pretty lights to me but what do I really need but on a budget?

Roland

The Internet has lots of sales blurb, but very little user information about lighting. This is the best article I've found: https://m.box.com/shared_item/https://www.box.net/shared/hl7oxy4bd6

hotpickups

Roland said:

The Internet has lots of sales blurb, but very little user information about lighting. This is the best article I've found: https://m.box.com/shared_item/https://www.box.net/shared/hl7oxy4bd6

Thanks @Roland . Albeit a lot of the terminology is lost on me still. Think I just get another set of t bars

Roland

We find that the KAM Partybar works well. (Other brands exist). We've got two, one either side of the playing area, using the sound activated setting. They're linked with a DMX cable so that they act together. We then have static PARs from the front to keep light on the singers' faces.

John_P

Those kam light bars look good for the money - I could be tempted to grab a couple for small gigs - how do they compare to par cans for brightness?       Do they feel reasonably solid?

hotpickups

They do look good indeed and in my price range. So is the DMX cable you mention included @Roland?

I guess for them to work together they'll have to be the same make etc. My bass player already owns a T Bar that we use (but isn't enough) but I am not sure it'll be the same brand. Or does it matter?

Roland

John_P said:

Those kam light bars look good for the money - I could be tempted to grab a couple for small gigs - how do they compare to par cans for brightness?       Do they feel reasonably solid?

KAMs are solid, the stand is OK, and goes up to about 8 feet. Normally we use them combined with PARcans from the front, and some sort of back display, and they balance well.

This is a pair of KAMs, with PARcans out front, and a rotating mirror lights providing the backdrop. Video is a proper camera, and sound is a desk feed. 


For comparison this gig was lit only by the KAMs only. We were told the venue had lights, but when we turned up they didn't. We always carry the KAMs for emergencies. So no lighting display on the backdrop, and no front lights on the singer or myself, so it's a bit strobe like. The video is from an iPhone inside the pa line, so you're hearing a lo fi, bassless, over compressed version of what we hear on stage. 

Roland

hotpickups said:

They do look good indeed and in my price range. So is the DMX cable you mention included @Roland?

I guess for them to work together they'll have to be the same make etc. My bass player already owns a T Bar that we use (but isn't enough) but I am not sure it'll be the same brand. Or does it matter?

We bought a long DMX lead, which is basically the same as a mic cable, so that we can join two KAM party bars, one either side of the "stage". I would have made a cable myself, but my bass player has a friend who does it for a living. One KAM is set to Master, and uses the sound-to-light setting with the volume sensitivity turned right down. The other is set to Slave, driven by the first.

Is your bass player's T bar DMX capable? If so then you can probably make then work together. 

John_P

Thanks - I'll grab one of those kam bars.     

Fez

The American DJ stuff from GAK is good quality we just bought some Vpar and a Megapar LED Par cans they are flat and have loads of functions.