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does smoke/haze leave residue?


Alex D

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I want to get a haze machine but I'm worried that the haze machine will leave a film/residue of some sort. I use alot of electronic equipment(computers and synth's and others). I have a small studio (15x20 ft) and would like to start a light effect setup, but you need a haze machine to get any real use out of the scanners and tracers. So would I be running a risk of mucking up my equipment when running a haze in a smaller room? and as in all ways.....

 

peace be with us all,

alex d

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Originally posted by Alex D

I want to get a haze machine but I'm worried that the haze machine will leave a film/residue of some sort. I use alot of electronic equipment(computers and synth's and others). I have a small studio (15x20 ft) and would like to start a light effect setup, but you need a haze machine to get any real use out of the scanners and tracers. So would I be running a risk of mucking up my equipment when running a haze in a smaller room? and as in all ways.....


peace be with us all,

alex d

 

 

if it's in a studio environment you're talking about,,, I'd say keep it "non-smoking".....use lava lamps or projectors for mood.

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hello MoosBros,

 

I want to add a lighting to my stage set up, but I need to do it with a plan. So not to a poorly set up lighting system that has no direction with the music we are playing. So I wanted to rent some scanners and test them in the studio before any large $ purchases (clay paky astroscan). I would test them at somewhere else but I would still need to set up a sequence for the the lights, and that would have to be in the studio. So I would assume that the haze is bad for eletronic equipment? Or my wall, lol. If that is not the case please let me know.

 

I take so much time on my synth stuff for the band that being a lighting man for my own sound textures (and the other mates of course) would be the ideal. I gig in small places that allow little time to set up between bands. We aren't in so good with the owners (yet) to get them to let us in and test out ideas. So were stuck in the studio to figure out Ideas. Which is not bad (or good really) for music work, but for light sequences and color washes I need to use haze and have had worries about damage to the room (film on the walls) and much more important my/our equipment.

 

Any other comments or ideas about the above statements please let me know. and as in all ways....

 

peace be with us all,

alex d

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All smoke effects will leave a film over everything including the insides of any electrical equipment with a cooling fan. The main reason for this is that the fans in electronic equipment, including the scans, exhale air so that the inhaled air is from the environment and often not filtered.

 

I used to work for a lighting company in London as a technician for a number of years and often cleaned out everything from Cyberlites to Clay Paky HPE's. They always came back from nightclubs, internally covered in filth.

 

A problem arises with equipment that it is not opened and cleaned (fans mainly). The life is shortened heavily if you don't clean out regularly. I wouldn't put a smoke machine anywhere near my studio equipment.

 

Do as the other poster said, use projection and simple lighting colours (gelling existing fittings is the cheapest and most effective way) and make the most of the mood they create.

 

All people expect is something different and pretty. Over do it and it will fail.

 

Rimmer

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Originally posted by vltechmatt

hi there,

your equipment will get a coating of oil used in a haser but dont worry about it . this will only give you problems if you intend to use the haser all the time in close proximety to the haser machine.

 

 

Sorry that's not so.

 

If you use a hazer, it will cover everything in a film of slime. Equipment fans get it on them, gather the dust and then stop processing the air through properly, things overheat and fail. I've seen it a million times..

 

Rimmer

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It's a shame there's no readily available water-based method of doing a haze effect. This would in essence solve all problems except moisture, and if used in moderation, that probably wouldn't be a problem either (cover equipment in cloth if it's a major concern). A nice mist over the entire stage would not only feel good, it'd let the lights shine through perfect.

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I once read that Eucalyptus oil with possibly water could be used and was also good for the singer's throats. I'm sure the factory sold smoke machines would not recommend this through their equipment. Has anyone out there tried this and how did it work?

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Originally posted by Soundude

I once read that Eucalyptus oil with possibly water could be used and was also good for the singer's throats. I'm sure the factory sold smoke machines would not recommend this through their equipment. Has anyone out there tried this and how did it work?

 

 

There was a phase of Flavouring oils although I found most of the foul. You can buy machines that make scents by blowing through a rubbery mesh of scented moisture. I never much liked the smell of them other than chocolate.

 

The best machine I know for hazing is called a Water Cracker or a Cracked Oil machine.

 

Rimmer

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I've been playing around with DJ lighting for ages now and own about $4000 worth of lights and smoke machines ect... The thing most people never know about smoke machines is..

 

1. Every few tanks of smoke juice you need to empty them out and run a full/half tank of distilled water through them to help clean out the muck out of them. The juice even clogs up the machine after a while ! imagine what it does to your lungs LOL

 

2. You can get flavours/scents for the smoke. Most people use too much and it should hardly be smelt, its used to take the dryness out of the smoke and sweeten it up. I never use smoke without the smallest amount of a tuti fruit scent.

 

3. Using scents and oils in the machine is worse for both the machine and your lungs.

 

4. You can water down the fluid in a smoke machine like cordial if using the machine in a smaller venue and you want more of a haze. better for the machine and your lungs.

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Originally posted by Zeromus-X

Wouldn't mixing the juice and water cause the heater to burn out faster?

 

 

Not the heater but it may speed up the clogging of the copper tubes. The heaters are general kettle type elements set in a metal alloy, or high temperature plates and the tubes from the pumps and the fluid bottle are just piped through the heater block. Smoke fluid eventually blocks up the copper fluid tubes and the output reduces to nothing.

 

I think the worst thing you can do to a smoke machine is use the wrong fluid or cheap fluid. My friends father made it for a lighting company I worked at and all the machines died within a few months..

 

Rimmer

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Smoke fluid is WATER BASED, its basically water with a glucose solution (similar to sugar) added with some lubricants...

 

If you add DISTILLED WATER as I mentioned you will not reduce the life of the machine and if anything lengthen the life of the machine. Ask any hire company what you should do to look after a smoke machine and they tell you to run pure distilled water through the machine every few months. If you use tap water most countries add chemicals and fluride and clorine which will do damage. Just like a radiator on a car.

 

 

I'm just going by what other pros in the industry have told me and what I've learnt. My machines been running fine for over 2 years now with 50 - 50 water and juice with some non oil based scents. I've got a very low end machine with a IR remote trigger for triggering the smoke from the sound desk.

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