Wow, we are certainly in a golden era of affordable lighting options. In my cover band, We're not into fancy stage lighting at all, just a wash, but we do a lot of parties and weddings and do realize dance floor lights are a must. I can't believe where the prices have gone on these in just the last couple years. I throw a couple auto changing led par lights on the dance floor and We have a Chauvet vertigo led but I'm thinking about adding a few more options. Anyone want to share some modern laser/led products they are happy with? Btw I'm not really interested in the dmx and controls and all that hassle. More into simple options and just switching them on or off.
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So many simple led effect lighting options these days!
- Thread starter sm49341
- Start date
Make sure you keep the receipt. I've had a pretty bad failure rate with their DMX controllers, the DMX-4 specifically. The q-wash has been pretty good though. Not much issue there. I don't remember which of the quad pars we use, we have two different ones.
I know you said you weren't interested in DMX, but I wanted to get that out there. And you might wind up more involved with DMX than you think but I don't feel it's any worse than some of the effects boards I've seen around here.
I know you said you weren't interested in DMX, but I wanted to get that out there. And you might wind up more involved with DMX than you think but I don't feel it's any worse than some of the effects boards I've seen around here.
I own 2x Chauvet 4Bar Flex and 2x 64 Slim Pars, and my guitarist owns 2x 4Bar Mini. Most of the time I use either 1 or 2 of my 4Bar Flex, but for larger (outdoor) shows we use everything. I also have an Obey 40 to link everything together.
Here is my two cents. When I only need simple indoor lighting, I set up 1 or 2 4Bar flex and use the foot switch controller and one DMX cable to control everything.
When we do outdoor gigs, I set up the DMX to control the two front main lights (change colors every 3 sec, or just a color wash), the 4Bar Mini's from the back of the stage with solid color wash, and the 64 Slim Pars with a steady white wash on the main stage.
The reason why we keep white wash lights on for outdoor gigs is that the light changing programs in the Chauvet lights blacks out the stage for about 1/4 a second between light changes. It' probably shorter than that, but there is a distinct darkness between light changes. Having a white wash in front softens the light transition, and it looks much better.
You don't need DMX to do this, but it make it a lot easier to remember all the settings. I program all of my lights and settings into the DMX into 6 different scenes. Now all I do is plug in all the lights I need, and press one button, and I am ready to go.
Here is my two cents. When I only need simple indoor lighting, I set up 1 or 2 4Bar flex and use the foot switch controller and one DMX cable to control everything.
When we do outdoor gigs, I set up the DMX to control the two front main lights (change colors every 3 sec, or just a color wash), the 4Bar Mini's from the back of the stage with solid color wash, and the 64 Slim Pars with a steady white wash on the main stage.
The reason why we keep white wash lights on for outdoor gigs is that the light changing programs in the Chauvet lights blacks out the stage for about 1/4 a second between light changes. It' probably shorter than that, but there is a distinct darkness between light changes. Having a white wash in front softens the light transition, and it looks much better.
You don't need DMX to do this, but it make it a lot easier to remember all the settings. I program all of my lights and settings into the DMX into 6 different scenes. Now all I do is plug in all the lights I need, and press one button, and I am ready to go.
This is a good tip. One of my 4Bar lights motherboard has burnt out. These come with a 2 year warranty, and Chauvet customer service is sending me a new motherboard. Personally, I have had a good experience with their customer service, and I am happy with their equipment. BTW, the motherboard takes about 15 mins to swap out.
Here's a new one that looks good.
Then what I'd do is find the manufacturer on Alibaba and save half.
Then what I'd do is find the manufacturer on Alibaba and save half.
I own 3 Chauvet 4 Bar wash and one LED color bar. I run it all with a simple Venue Tetra controller footswitch. I can do solid wash, fades with different speeds, strobe and blackout. The Venue controller is actually for DJ's but has worked for us and has pretty simple programming to get working.
Venue Tetra Control | Lighting Controllers | Venue Lighting Effects
Venue Tetra Control | Lighting Controllers | Venue Lighting Effects
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We mount Chauvet color strips vertically on the PA poles and they really help flood out the stage. They have pole clamps available and are super easy to set up. We tie them master/slave and just let them pulse but they are controllable also. Not super expensive and a great addition to our light setup.
Similar, except it's a pair of wash panels - https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...et-dj-slimbank-h18-ils-rgbawuv-led-wash-light - and we mount them on top of the PA speakers instead of on the poles. A lot of PA speakers have a socket in the top handle you can attach them to. That way you get a higher angle, more face lighting rather than side lighting.