Your Disco - dmx or non-dmx lighting?



Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2005

by
Satellite Entertainment Services

Most DJs working in the mobile Disco field seem content to use second-rate, completely out-dated and occasionally even dangerous light shows. Club lighting technology continues to progress at an alarming rate, and so customers and clients expect more even at mobile events. A lighting upgrade need not be an expensive affair, and can soon add extra value to your show, and ultimately your charge out-rate. A DJ friend of mine expresses the typical attitude 'I'm a great DJ so who cares about the light show!' this may be true, indeed he is probably one of the best party DJs I know, but it has got to be better to be the best show rather than just the best DJ! So baring this in mine, this article looks at some of the options for upgrade.

Non-DMX lighting so called 'sound to light' where the fixture moves automatically in-time to the music is the starting point for those who previously have used only pin-spots and light screens. They vary dramatically in price, but many good deals can be found online at ebay, for both new and used fixtures. Moving mirror lights, such as the Wild Blaze from Geni, are particularly effective and can have a great improvement effect on a show also the wild blaze seems to possess a bulb that never blows - I had two of these in the trunk of my car during a rear-end smash and both continue to work perfectly without changing the bulb. Watch out for other fixtures that have a very short bulb life, around 300 hours, and often fail to last even that length of time.

DMX lighting is the way forward, allowing all fixtures to be synchronised together to create a spectacular show, although a controller, many XLR cables, and a good deal of patience is required to get the rig programmed together. Not for the faint heart, but spectacular results can be achieved. The other bonus is that nearly all DMX fixtures will function un sound-light mode as well, and indeed pairs of DMX lights will operate in a master-slave configuration without the use of a controller. This means a rig can be developed slowly, without the need for any programming, with a controller being added at a later date. A win-win situation.

Conclusion - buy DMX lighting! Although sound-light only seems cheaper, cheap DMX can be found on ebay, and allow the maximum level of sophistication later on, whilst retaining simplicity early on.

DJ Collis is a club and mobile DJ based in Kent, England - blog http://collism.blogspot.com

He is CEO of Satellite Entertainment - http://www.satellite-entertainment.co.uk - which is both an entertainment, DJ, Disco, Wedding, and sound/light hire company in south-east England, and a listing site for similar entertainment services throughout the UK and the world.

 

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