Members Vito Corleone Posted December 29, 2013 Members Share Posted December 29, 2013 While I know that a lot of this stuff falls into the realms of "it depends" and other subjectivities, I'm interested in knowing what to look for and what to avoid when purchasing them.We're looking into getting two to mount on top of a pair of trusses we will be standing on end. We're a wedding/pvt event band that mostly plays small-to-medium sized convention rooms. Often on the floor or a slightly-elevated stage. (The standard platform-risers convention rooms typically roll out). Rooms are usually not completely-dark, and the use of fog/haze is kept to a minimum.We don't want the Blinding Light Show and don't want to annoy the guests with the effect (we play for a lot of all-age audiences not specifically there to see a rock concert), but we do want enough power and versatility for the lighting to be effective under these conditions. The lights will most likely be mounted on trusses set on either end of the stage near the front. We're typically looking at covering an area that is about 12ft to the back of the stage and 24ft across and a dancefloor that's probably another 24ft in front the stage. I see that these units run anywhere from $100 for a 15W light (that must be cheap Chinese junk) to well over $10,000 for the top-of-the-line pro stuff. (And what, exactly, is a "gobo"?) Is there stuff worth taking a look at for what we're doing under $1000? Or is that stuff all junk we'd be looking to replace with "real" gear a few gigs down the road?Thanks in advance to all willing to take the time to answer these 'newbie' type questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted December 29, 2013 Members Share Posted December 29, 2013 It's tough without haze. All you're going to get is dots on the floor. I have a bunch of loving heads and without haze or smoke it's simply not worth the effort. Here's my DJ setup, with haze: And without. So I don't know. Unless you'd aim them at the ceiling instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted December 29, 2013 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2013 Which lights are you using? We almost always use SOME haze (unless we've been given strict instructions not to. Some venues freak out when they see it come on) just not a ton of it usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted December 30, 2013 Members Share Posted December 30, 2013 Hi. I control everything, via DMX. Pretty simple, 11 blizzard 3NX ($200ish each)4 Martin Minimac Profiles ($350 - $500 each, used)4 Chauvet Intimidator Spot Duos ($500ish each) I use DMXIS to control it. There's an additional program called Showbuddy which lets you sequence things and run it to a click. But that makes you slave to a click then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted December 30, 2013 Author Members Share Posted December 30, 2013 I'm looking at the Chauvet Intimidator FX 350s. They run about $900 a piece. Is there better stuff out there for the same money or comparable stuff for less? Any reason to specifically avoid these units? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted December 31, 2013 Members Share Posted December 31, 2013 Wow the FX version just seems really "spazzy" have you seen the non FX version? It seems more traditional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted December 31, 2013 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2013 StratGuy22 wrote: Wow the FX version just seems really "spazzy" have you seen the non FX version? It seems more traditional. No, but I'll definately be running them through the paces at the showroom before I buy one. I was reading on another thread somebody comparing the Martin Mini Macs to the 250s. I might be able to pick up some used Martins. Do you ever find that the output on the Martins isn't enough for bigger rooms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted December 31, 2013 Members Share Posted December 31, 2013 Hmmm I went with the martins because of the price. I had some intimidator 1.0 scanners. When I bought the 3NX's I found they washed out the scanners. I was thinking of the intimidator scan LED 300's, with LED, prisms, etc. I'm not sure where I found out about the mini macs. But I do like them. They are good for all the places I've done, typical bars or halls. The price was right, $500ish compare to $1000ish for others. I might upgrade from them someday but I'm definite not in a hurry. I like the gobos, the colors etc. I found a couple typical rolling trunks, and all 4 will fit in one trunk, with some foam of course. As far as I know they don't have a "sound" option, I program them anyway with DMXIS, it's made by the same company as that ShowBuddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltage55 Posted December 31, 2013 Members Share Posted December 31, 2013 Take a look at the Chauvet Intimidator Spot LED 350s. I love mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JV90 Posted January 2, 2014 Members Share Posted January 2, 2014 What about the mini moving heads? I understand that they don't have any prism, adjustable beam angle, and so on, they are Chinese like everything is at this moment, Chauvet and adj used to sell them with their brand, but? How do they compare to a dual spot? Obviously putting 2 Mini moving heads side by side with a dual spot one? This comes with a 15 watt led, but I've been reading that it only makes 5 watts on one color, is that right? I understand that comparing this mmh with a real one is just day and night, but? You can buy 4 with the same price as one and you'll have a good move lighting show? What about getting 8 of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted January 2, 2014 Members Share Posted January 2, 2014 For small heads I went with the Intimidator Spot Duos. Brand name so there's some peace of mind. 10W per head. Each head has 8 colors and 10 non moving gobos. I believe they have a 6 degree beam which is really tight. They can be programmed independently or together. $500ish per fixture, and that's for 2 heads per fixture. I really like them, they are a nice tight contrast to my mini macs. 4 fixtures = 8 heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 2, 2014 Author Members Share Posted January 2, 2014 There's a guy selling 4 used Martin mini macs for under $2K on ebay right now. I'm wondering if I'd be better off getting 4 of these as opposed to 2 new Intimidators for the same price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted January 2, 2014 Members Share Posted January 2, 2014 That was my thinking. They don't have the prisms, but other than that I've been happy with them. It gets you into the game. You can always upgrade them later on. I'm happy with mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted January 4, 2014 Members Share Posted January 4, 2014 The mini moving heads are just about worthless IMHO. Any other light in the room and you won't see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JV90 Posted January 20, 2014 Members Share Posted January 20, 2014 Interesting response over my enquire regarding the mini moving head Billesc, what about the new ones that comes with the big LEDs and most of them have 18 led 3 watts? Do you know something regarding them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted January 21, 2014 Members Share Posted January 21, 2014 A moving head having 18 diodes with be a beam fixture, not a spot which allows for gobo projection. What are you looking to do? That will dictate the fixture I'd recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted January 21, 2014 Members Share Posted January 21, 2014 MiniMacs are discharge lights, no? They will pull a lot of current that may not be available in dubious places.--------------------------------------------------------------------I run 4 minimacs and 11 blizzard 3NX off one typical household 15A plug. I run the 4 spot duos off another circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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