Stage Lights...HELP!

Uncle Neil

Hello all,
I was hoping some of you could give me some help with stage lighting. I have been gigging casually for a few years now and I'm ready for some actual stage lights (rather than being in a dark corner of a bar). I play in a two man guitar band, so we don't take up much space, and therefore don't need any elaborate lighting setups. I am looking for the simplest possible setup, just to cast some colored light on us. I could care less about flashing lights, or foot switches, or lights that flash with the beat of the music. I just want lights that turn on and stay on and look good, and take up minimal space...and most importantly are INEXPENSIVE! I can't believe how much some of this stuff costs...

This is an example of what I'm looking for. Any other suggestions? Thanks everyone.

http://www.amazon.com/MBT-Lighting-Mobi ... B001L8IJSA

Heisenberg

These are more expensive, but would be worth it since they are LED lights and will give off next to no heat.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... Color.html

RedMosquito22

http://www.amazon.com/American-DJ-LS-60A-4xPar38-Chaser/dp/B000SB1LO0/ref=pd_cp_MI_1

Uncle Neil

Heisenberg, I appreciate the suggestion, but $600 is just a touch out of my price range for lights (like, in another stratosphere). I may try making my own.

mccreadyisgod

I'd definitely agree that LEDs would be my first choice. One, they put out no heat (as Heisenberg suggested above); two, they are energy-efficient, so no popping power breakers; and three, they have their colors built-in, so no need for color gel.

That said, LED's are pretty expensive. For a two-man operation, I'd be looking for two to four PAR-56s. Ideally, they would be located on either side of the stage area, with the lights crossed to provide balance and eliminate shadows. General rule of thumb is to use a pink or red color on one side, and some shade of blue on the other; when the lights meet on the stage, it creates a vibrant white light with depth. If you want to be able to control how bright the lights are, you will need to buy what's called a "dimmer," either with an integrated controller, or with a separate controller (looks like a small audio mixer).

If you wanted to go the LED route, there are a ton of options out there now, including PAR-56 equivalents. You can use them as-is, or get a controller. Regardless, Musician's Friend sells a lot of prosumer lighting stuff, so skim through their catalog online and look at their packages.

gimmesometruth27

mccreadyisgod wrote:

I'd definitely agree that LEDs would be my first choice. One, they put out no heat (as Heisenberg suggested above); two, they are energy-efficient, so no popping power breakers; and three, they have their colors built-in, so no need for color gel.

That said, LED's are pretty expensive. For a two-man operation, I'd be looking for two to four PAR-56s. Ideally, they would be located on either side of the stage area, with the lights crossed to provide balance and eliminate shadows. General rule of thumb is to use a pink or red color on one side, and some shade of blue on the other; when the lights meet on the stage, it creates a vibrant white light with depth. If you want to be able to control how bright the lights are, you will need to buy what's called a "dimmer," either with an integrated controller, or with a separate controller (looks like a small audio mixer).

If you wanted to go the LED route, there are a ton of options out there now, including PAR-56 equivalents. You can use them as-is, or get a controller. Regardless, Musician's Friend sells a lot of prosumer lighting stuff, so skim through their catalog online and look at their packages.

i agree with everything stated here. if you can afford leds go that direction. god knows i have accidently poked my headstock through color gels a few times while changing guitars... :oops:

Uncle Neil

I appreciate the suggestions guys. However, I've decided that I'm too cheap to fork out a few hundred bucks for "official" lights, so I went to home depot and got something different for a fraction of the cost. I bought four of these lights in the link below, but got 5.5" so they are about the same as a PAR can. I also bought some colored CFL bulbs (2 blue, 1 red, 1 green)...and I'm going to simply clamp them on to the speaker stands. It works brilliantly! The CFL's put out little to no heat and use little electricity, and also put out a good amount of light (each bulb is a 60w equivalent). I set them up in my music room in my house (two on each PA speaker stand pointed inward to the "stage") and they really look pretty professional. Probably not a long term solution, but for under $50, I'm pretty happy with them. I might even get a couple more.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... ogId=10053

mccreadyisgod

Be careful with the CFL's; fluorescent light bulbs have a problem with noise induction. I know they are getting better and better with LED bulbs, but you may just need to use incandescent.

Also, if the light is too hard, you can get some sheets of gel diffusion and tape them around the front of those lights. Just be careful if you use incandescents and gel, since the light bulb will melt gel if it touches.

Good luck, let us know how it works at the gig!