Members zuul777 Posted July 5, 2003 Members Share Posted July 5, 2003 i do sound for local bands, am in a band myself, and own all the equipment. we haven't done outdoor shows at night, but want to... so i guess i'll need a lighting setup! so i need your experienced help.first of all, number one priority is pretty much financial. this needs to happen with as little cost as possible (i already own building supplies, wire, etc).the stage is about a 14' square. something simple is good... not automated or anything. i guess another issue we have is what i need for power. right now, we use a 12 or 14 gauge extention cable that our soundbooth runs on, then a smaller extention to go up to the stage for amps and monitors.the sound system consists of a large rack of sound processing gear that doesnt take much power, then a 1400 watt power amp, 400 watt mixer, and a 350 watt computer. right now, our way of routing power has worked perfectly. so with a new small lighting system, am I going to need to change this much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meegaleedo Posted July 7, 2003 Members Share Posted July 7, 2003 Originally posted by zuul777 i do sound for local bands, am in a band myself, and own all the equipment. we haven't done outdoor shows at night, but want to... so i guess i'll need a lighting setup! so i need your experienced help.first of all, number one priority is pretty much financial. this needs to happen with as little cost as possible (i already own building supplies, wire, etc).the stage is about a 14' square. something simple is good... not automated or anything.i guess another issue we have is what i need for power. right now, we use a 12 or 14 gauge extention cable that our soundbooth runs on, then a smaller extention to go up to the stage for amps and monitors.the sound system consists of a large rack of sound processing gear that doesnt take much power, then a 1400 watt power amp, 400 watt mixer, and a 350 watt computer. right now, our way of routing power has worked perfectly. so with a new small lighting system, am I going to need to change this much? Last ? First. By all rights, lighting should have it's own power source. Depending on the type of lighting fixtures you get will determine the power you will need. My suggestion that will be very flexible will be 8 PAR 56 fixtures, divided on to 2 light trees with 4 each. Par 56 cans can go as low as 300W per. At 1200W per side that is 10 amps per tree, 20 amps total. Now you see why they need their own electrical circuit. (assuming USA power at 120 V) Expect PAR 56 cans to go about $60 each. You can get small dimmer packs for about +300. Those will be 4x600W You will need two with the set up described above. A controller which will go about 300+. You wiull need communication cables to go between the dimmers and the controler. I would suggest at least 12 gauge extension cables. Expect to pay about 1500 for a basic set up, new out of the box. Also, lighting fixtures do not alway come with the lamp (bulb) They are specialized lamps and can run upwards to $50/each depending on what you get. Try looking on ebay and theatrical supply houses. Thgey will often sell off their old used rental equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grimaila Posted July 7, 2003 Members Share Posted July 7, 2003 I recently did just what you are looking to do. I settled on 2 American DJ Stage System B's (one for each side) from Musicians Friend ($399/each with Free Shipping). Each one has four short Par 56 cans w/ 300W lamps (300Wx4=1200W which is approximately 10Amps) on a light tree controlled by a DMX dimmer pack. We use a single 20Amp outlet to drive both sides of the stage (I know... I am pushing the limit of a 20Amp breaker). I found a used Operator II DMX light board on EBay for about $100 to control the lights. As has been said before, keep you lights on a separate circuit than your PA and backline equipment. You could probably do better (cheaper) if you are patient and look around. I was in a hurry. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeromus-X Posted July 8, 2003 Members Share Posted July 8, 2003 Originally posted by zuul777 i guess another issue we have is what i need for power. right now, we use a 12 or 14 gauge extention cable that our soundbooth runs on, then a smaller extention to go up to the stage for amps and monitors. How long is that extension cord, and I hope it is not hot out...!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zuul777 Posted July 8, 2003 Author Members Share Posted July 8, 2003 the coords are 100 feet and 50 feet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fenfer air conditioner Posted July 12, 2003 Members Share Posted July 12, 2003 I would not do runs of that length with smaller extensions than 12 AWG. In fact, almost all my extensions are 12/3 SO I got my dimmers and controller used this winter. $300 for a 6 ch Leprecon controller and a 1.2kx6 dimmer pack in a rack case. Took me a few years of hard looking but I did what I was looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rimmer Posted July 26, 2003 Members Share Posted July 26, 2003 Like meegaleedo mentioned, you should ideally have a seperate power supply for the lighting. Running power long distances will result in a voltage drop although this isn't so much an issue unless you are talking a really long way to dimmers or other electronic equipment. DMX is the standard digital control protocol and can be run long distances. 100 meter dmx drums are standard issue from desk to dimmers and then to moving lights or other DMX fixtures. Run the dimmers onstage, run the desk from front of house and run a data link to the dimmers first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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