John_P

Hi, I'm trying to add mount some chauvet freedom pars that have bolt hole ready for a clamp, and that works great on my truss. But I also use some square T bars that sit on 35mm stands - the lights currently on the t bar have brackets that bolt to the bar. If I just bolt the freedom pars to the square section of the T bars I don't have any adjustment. Options I can see are: Replace the T bars with 35 or 50mm pipe so I can clamp the freedom pars. Something like the gravity LS TB 01 would work, or make a bracket that bolts to the bar and the par that is preshaped to the angle I want. Alternatively it would be great if someone out there manufactured an adjustable bracket/clamp that could be bolted onto the bar and the par. Any suggestions before I just order some of the gravity 35mm T-bars?

Hi, I'm looking for a simple one button footswitch for DMX - something simple that ideally can set one a channel and even better be set to toggle or flash. I've seen that thomann have a two button by stairville (Stairville DMX Foot 2 – Thomann UK) but a one button version would be better if anyone has come across any?

Yes that should work fine - I've mixed and matched the omni and direction sennheiser paddles with a couple of their splitters into g3 and ew-d receivers and signal strength, range and reliability has always been a noticeable improvement over the regular aerials.

Thank you! That's perfect. I see ss&l also have a 50mm t bar for 35mm stands that might work as well so I should be sorted.

I was looking to add a compact hazer or two for band gigs - mostly around 200-300 people indoors but I only need haze in the stage area, usually 6m by 4m or a little more. DMX control and the option to set it and leave it running through a show. I'm assuming the antari z350 is a more rugged, reliable unit than similar offering by adj etc like the entour faze, chauvet dx etc? Or should I look at something else? Thanks

Quick update / mini review. I've been using the wolfmix for band gigs and really like it. It is basically a hardware version of the lightrider .mydmx go app. Add the fixture into one of four groups, each of which can have the movement pattern, colour change pattern and intensity pattern chosen from a variety of presets with simple editing to choose things like the speed, size, fade rate etc It makes programming movers and pars really fast and easy. The options are probably way more suited to bands and dj's than theatre productionsbut you could program a batch of presets to flick between for different scenes. Rather than faff about programming a DMX desk I can rock up to a band gig, decide which lights I'm going to use and rig them and within minutes have pretty useable programs that I can edit on the fly during a show. Handy buttons are ready for strobing, blinder, blackout etc. I'm really impressed with it.

Hi, Most of my pars and movers are stored with the clamps fitted ready to hang from the truss. For some gig it isn't practical to put up a truss and I'd like to use my stands or 35mm and sit a small t bar on them with a mover either side. All the t bars I can see are 35mm and won't fit my clamps. I'm probably missing an obvious solution if anyone has suggestions?

^ this is the way - I've mounted a gigbar and similar fixtures to truss exactly like this.

Thanks, looks like he liked it. I can't see another quick and easy to use controller that compares, so I might give one a try.

Hi, Probably a bit too DJ oriented for most people here, but has anyone tried the wolfmix wm1 lighting controller? Looks like an interesting system without spending a fortune on a big lighting desk and avoid the need for a laptop but I’d like to read more about how people are finding it in practice.

A lot of brands are considering their product lines with the chip shortage. I see Shure have dropped the glxd range - I wasn’t a fan of them but the guitar packs were popular and I’m seeing huge delays in some active speakers when I tried but more hk linear cabs. Hopefully it’s not too long before things improve but I suspect it will be like this for a few years.

Thanks chaps. As I’m always working in different venues, I want to avoid anything that leaves a mess and I was hoping for quick cleanup when packing up. The noise levels aren’t an issue as it’ll be loud bands that get the most use. I might investigate other options for adding some “wow” moments to shows

I was looking at adding some wow effects for stage use with bands so I’d appreciate any feedback and ideas. The equinox (prolight) spark steam looks like it might be good but I think they’ve stopped making them. A couple of questions - how much dust and mess do they leave behind? Are they any other similar pyro type products where I don’t have to put big safety precautions in place beyond distance from acts and walls etc.

I’ve done two decent sized gigs this weekend - both functions 200 people and 400 with the singer going way out into the crowd. So far I haven’t seen anything less than maximum strength on the rf level with a2003’s and asp2 splitter so I’m very happy with the results. Thanks for all the advice and comments.

Quick update - I bought some a2003 directional paddle yesterday. The chap selling them also had an older asp2 splitter so we gave it a test and it appears to work perfectly and gave a good signal to two receivers. I'll do some more extensive tests before I use it on a show but it was worth a try for the price and I'll get the ew-d distributer when they are more readily available. Another question - what's the best practice for positioning the paddes? I was planning to put them on mic stands and have one at the side of the stage pointing across and one at the back aimed forward so I can cover most mic positions.

Thanks Simon. Someone local to me just offered me so a2003 paddles so I'll try them out - he also has the older asp2 passive splitter, that I might test while I'm looking for a supplier for the ew-d box. I agree in the longer term it makes sense to use the dedicated system though.

HI, I was only looking at buying one pair of paddles and using them with one receiver until I add in the distributor to connect to the others. I would be very interested to find out how the ew-d distributor differs from a regular g3/g4 unit as the paddles are the same, so I suspect I could use any brand of antenna and distributor so long as they cover the right frequency range. I very very rarely have any wireless issues but I just want to be sure I'm doing eveything practical to get the best performance - it will be diminishing returns and I suspect a pair of 1/2 wave antenna mounted up high with clear line of sight would do but I don't mind investing in something better, just getting the balance right.

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll order a pair of Sennheiser omni paddles this week and try them at the weekend with number one receiver. Then look at my options for adding a distribution box to complete the rack at a later date.

Hi, I'm looking to improve my wireless performance by adding some antennas. Currently using 3 EW-D receivers with the standard 1/4 wave in each. Correct me if I’m wrong but I should stick with passive antennas- either the omni a1031 or directional a2003 or newer adp by sennheiser but any similar paddle covering the frequency range should be fine. For simple less than 30m range with the paddles up high I suspect a pair of the cheaper a1031 omni antennas will be fine? The next part is distributing the input’s between the receivers - do I need to use the dedicated sennheiser asa or will other makes/models do the job? Although it’s active I came across this pack with everything in a set - what does anyone think or should I avoid it and stick to sennheiser passives? https://ultralightsound.co.uk/product/4-way-rado-mic-audio-distribution-aud-kit-complete-with-all-the-cables/ Thanks!

Thanks for that. There’s a chap that trades as discofix that claims he can work on them so I’ll ship it off to him. He has some good reviews on facebook. I tried polar but after asking me f it was a warranty repair I’d didn’t hear any more. So I’ll give discofix a try.

One of my hk subs - a linear 2000a died recently with a loss of power. I’ve checked the internal fuse but don’t have time to investigate further. a local tech had a look and they can’t fix it - too many surface mount components and switched mode supply they say it’s beyond them. Hmmm I see polar are the uk distributors but can anyone recommend a good tech to have a look? Thanks.

I have a pair of these for lighting when I don't want to use a tripod and they are great. They do a couple of variations - the SSP set with a smaller round base that might suit you and the LS 431 that has the option to fit the pole nearer the sides instead of the centre so you can get it closer to a wall.

Thanks for that - I'm happy to pay for the adj if I'll notice the difference but from what I can see they are all going to have a similar brightness be able to cut through the wash lights and throw across a room. I probably don't need features like replaceable gobos so I might be better just get the cheaper equinox and buying a spare fixture. Sadly the other local guys are either using way more upmarket big heads or don't use movers as hiring in extra's would have been very handy when needed, having said that from what I've read, it looks like four fusion 100's would be enough to make a pretty effective show.

Apologies if this should be obvious info that has been discussed before but I'd appreciate any tips. I usually do live bands in large function rooms - typically around 200 but occasionally bigger and looking to add in some moving lights at the back. I'm thinking something with a 75W ish led should be bright enough? I'm thinking 4 but if they are effective as a pair in small rooms that would be good. To speed up setup times and make life simple It would be great to find a built in program I can turn on at the start of a show - even better to stick to white or red light, but I suspect I'm quickly going to need control them via DMX. I'm looking at the the following models and there doesn't look to be much between them spec wise so any comments on build quality and control would really helpful. Equinox fusion 100 spot, Marq Gesture 500, Chauvet 260, ADJ Focus spot 2

Hi, Just about to add 6m of global truss f33. I'm not hanging anything heavy, just backdrops a few small pars cans and little movers. Apart from taking an extra few mins joining them and dismantling at gigs, is there any reason to get 2 x 3m lengths vs 3 x 2m lengths? Probably nothing in it but thought I might check in with experienced riggers.