Members B Money Posted March 22, 2007 Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 what is "better", having more (but smaller) lights or fewer (but larger) lights. Basically I am trying to decide between buying several Colorsplash JR LEDs or just a couple 200Bs. This is for a 4 peice bar band playing small stages (or more likely) "set up in the corner behind the pool tables". I plan on using a pair of JR's and a pair of pin spots on a stand behind the drummer, and 2 stands in front of the stage with either more JR's or the aformentioned 200Bs. I'm leaning towards the 200B considering the greater beam angle and power. your input please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members burdizzos Posted March 22, 2007 Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 I like the more approach. I'm going to have 6 CS Jrs setup on stands at the front of the stage, each on their own DMX channel section. I may add more depending on how my experimentation goes. The upside is that I can program more colors and if one unit fails or gets broken, it isn't a big deal. The downside is that I've got to have more cables and more opportunites for things to go wrong. When my band plays the Electric 6's "Gay Bar" the stage will be pink through the verses and Rainbow during the chorus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jwlussow Posted March 22, 2007 Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 We just set up 10 CS 196s on a truss across the front of the stage and I felt that the lights were not bright enough...even for my basement. We used to use 4 300 watt lights that seemed to be much brighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members B Money Posted March 22, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 my only concern is that the CS JRs really don't put out much light, and what they do is focused in a narrow beam angle, so even by adding more I'm not sure they will provide a lot of usable light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members B Money Posted March 22, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 wow, 10 CS 196's weren't bright enough? that's a lot of money (10x$150) for not a lot of light! I suspect we have different expectations though. My band is accustomed to playing gigs with only a single tree of 4 PAR 38's ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members burdizzos Posted March 22, 2007 Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 Damn, I guess it really does depend on what you're used to. I plan on adding more CS JRs as time goes by and just plugging them in with the pre programmed DMX channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jwlussow Posted March 22, 2007 Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 I guess I was comparing them to my oldest system (8 300 Watt floods) and my older system (6 Omega 250Cs). The light is adequate but I was expecting more for 10 cans in front. I am sticking with the Colorsplashes but I am also trying to see if I can move the guts into a black can and do the lens thing I saw here a while back. The energy used (or not used) by the CSs makes them well worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members timmcallister Posted March 22, 2007 Members Share Posted March 22, 2007 wow, 10 CS 196's weren't bright enough? that's a lot of money (10x$150) for not a lot of light!I suspect we have different expectations though. My band is accustomed to playing gigs with only a single tree of 4 PAR 38's ! I've owned the CS 196's, and IN MY OPINION, it takes almost TWO CS196's to equal a SINGLE Par 38 with a 100 watt halogen bulb. I have heard quite well respected people on this board state otherwise, but I humbly disagree. I now use one Elation opti-LED per side for front lighting and consider this to be minimum light output I would use. If I recall my comparisions correctly, it took about 4 CS196s to match the opti-LED. The two opti-LEDs do a good job of providing rich colors on smaller sized stages. Of course, as with any light (LED or not), with only a single fixture per side I have some undesireable shadows, but the color is rich, and I am happy for the moment. I am hoping the new ADJ "PRO" version of their LED provides acceptable output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rich4Once Posted March 23, 2007 Members Share Posted March 23, 2007 We've got 4 200Bs, and we're about to use them "in public" for the first time this weekend. We used them for a small party we played, and they were fine. We also used them as supplemental lighting at the last bar we played, since it had house lights, but not much up front. I'll report back after we've used them in a club, as our only lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I_fikus Posted March 23, 2007 Members Share Posted March 23, 2007 Have you given any thought to using a LED panel instead of a can? Chauvet has a LED panel that can be run with 6,9,15,27 DMX channels. http://chauvetlighting.com/fixtures/ledpallet_fix.shtml That would give you the ability to get alot of function out of one panel almost equivalent to 2 LED par cans, for close to the same price. They have a 31 degree beam angle and 288 LED bulbs. 4 of em could light a stage nicely and would offer many interesting chases and strobes as well as lighting the entire stage uniformly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rich4Once Posted March 24, 2007 Members Share Posted March 24, 2007 Our 4 ColorSplash 200Bs did a fine job for us last night. The stage was well-lit, and we were spread across an area almost 30 feet wide. I know that because we have a 33ft DMX cable stretching across from one bar to the next, and it was barely reaching! We got some curious looks when we put up only 4 lights, and I'm sure they thought we were nuts, in lighting an area that large with so few fixtures. In the end everyone agreed that they did a great job, and we're thrilled with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members burdizzos Posted March 24, 2007 Members Share Posted March 24, 2007 Good to know. I'm setting up all of my newly acquired stuff tonight to do some programming. Right now, I've got 6 CS JRs, two pin spots for the disco ball and a few baby strobes. I'm probably going to add at least two more CS JRs per side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted March 24, 2007 Members Share Posted March 24, 2007 The question of fewer bigger fixtures vs. more smaller fixtures depends on your design parameters. While fewer big fixtures get the job done and can set up faster you do lose a level of interest than multiple fixtures give you. While one Elation Opti RBG over the drummer will effectively light the stage with backwash, 4 Colorsplash 196's will provide the same intensity and allow for more "looks." Red on the outsides with blue in the middle, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members timmcallister Posted March 25, 2007 Members Share Posted March 25, 2007 The question of fewer bigger fixtures vs. more smaller fixtures depends on your design parameters. Bill. no question. I agree. Assuming TWO fixtures of type A, which equal the same light output of EIGHT fixtures of type B, - Front lighting: Spreading the eight fixtures B's around, you will end up with fewer shadows. - Back lights: eight fixtures give much more eye candy than two for the audience. - BUT, this all comes at the expense of four times the fixtures to hang, wire and set up. As you said Bill: design parameters. I PERSONALLY choose few fixtures for easier setup. Others WILL have different goals in mind. I am looking forward to the evolution of LEDs. I expect in a few years, we'll be able to get great performance out of sub $200 LED fixtures. I am really hoping the recently announced LED P64 PRO from ADJ will be a big step forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mississippi Posted March 28, 2007 Members Share Posted March 28, 2007 From my experience, it's really a question of how much distance between the lights and the performers. We've played clubs where it was so tight that even a ADJ PD64 LED was too much, especially when it went to all white (all LED's at 100%). The ADJ P38 worked better. The Chauvet's are slightly brighter than the ADJ's, but not a whole lot. If the working distance is less than a yard/meter, I just go with the smaller LED's. More than that, the larger ones. Another consideration is how high you can put the lights. The higher, the better, in general. It's always nice when you can see the audience while playing! Personally, I prefer lots of fixtures over fewer, very bright fixtures in general. Especially if the performer likes to move around a lot (like me). More even coverage, and less glare in the performer's eyes. But it does make setup longer.... Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rich4Once Posted March 31, 2007 Members Share Posted March 31, 2007 We played a show last night...shared the stage with another band..it was weird, since as a cover band we don't normally do this. The place had house lights, but they were lame. 3 colored floodlights, suspended in the rafters shining straight down on the band. As soon as I saw the lighting situation at the club, I went home and got our 200B rig. When it was our turn to play we set them up, and *what a difference* they made! By all accounts we looked and sounded great! We took them down along with our stage gear, and left the band that followed with the house system. I guess the difference was noted by the magagement, too. The clubowner came and talked to me afterwards, full of compliments for us, and the lights, too...asking me all kinds of questions about them. If I'd had a set for sale, I probably could have sold them to him right there and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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