Choosing Stage Lighting Systems
Stage lighting can serve many purposes. When you are putting on an amateur production for a local event, setting up the lighting for your band or as a DJ, exhibiting at a tradeshow, staging a grand performance for thousands or looking for lighting to set the mood in a bar or nightclub.
How Do I Know What Type of Lights I Need?
First of all, think about where you are going to be using your lighting.
- Will your lights be a permanent fixture? Will you be using permanent rigging or portable stands?
- Do you need lights that are portable and durable for traveling and setting up in different locations or will you always be using it in the same place?
- Do you need wireless or battery operated gear?
- If you already have a console, check your new gear is compatible.
Whatever your need, you will want everything to be lit and the light to wash across your stage to the ideal effect.
What Effects Do Different Types of Lights Give?
Chauvet produces equipment for any type of effect. They also release separate brands designed and developed for different sectors. In general, some of the different types include:
- LED Pars: LED work well for directing a single beam circle of light onto an object on a stage or as to backlight sets and wall coverings.
- LED Striplights and Bars: Because they feature multiple bulbs, these can function for putting up more than one light in one go. You can also work multi-colored LED lights on a strip or bar to create special effects, or feature walls and backdrops using uplighting.
- Floodlights: AKA: wash lights; depending on the lens, they disperse the lighting effect.
- Strobes: Strobes create regular flashes of light and often appear in bars and nightclubs.
- Moving Heads: Use moving lights to swing the illumination around your object of focus or your audience by pan and tilt. The Intimidator series by this brand is a range of moving lights available in single or multiple spotlights, beam, wash or hybrid models.
What Accessories Do I Need?
If you are looking for a full lighting system, such as one of the Chauvet DJ sets you may find all the accessories you need come in the one package. Other items that you may need for lighting systems include:
- Controllers: These are for when you have multiple lights, or want to adjust or program the sequencing.
- DMX splitters: These protect your equipment from power surges and electrical faults.
- Dimmers: These reduce the electrical current to adjust brightness and may be built-in to a console.
- Carry cases: Look for something sturdy that will protect your equipment from breakages and damage, and ideally with polystyrene inserts to absorb shocks and vibrations.
- Cables: Without these, you cannot connect everything, and it pays to have a few replacements on hand just in case.
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