djwiltsh Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Hi All I am doing a show this week where I want to use a couple of strobes. This is the first time I have used strobes - they will be Data Flash units. I have downladed the manual. Does anyone have any hints re setup, warning signs, best practice, what not to do etc? Many thanks Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niclights Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 erm? Depends why it is you want to use them. Presumably there is a specific reason, rather than just wanting to? Make sure licence permits use. Always display warnings at the entrance. Avoid pointing directly in audience eyes unless this is the intention (ie. high-impact effect). Avoid flash rates above 5hz. Do not use for long sustained periods. Minimise use (both for safety and to make the effect special). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frag_Me Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Yes, a strobe is only effective as a surprise light. Overuse it, and the audience will become bored of it and irritated. Try combining it with colour heavy effects so that in between the flashes you can see a different effect. One interesting thing to try is to (unsure if this will work with yours, but worth considering) use 2 strobes on the same area but ideally from different angles, and colour each one as an extremely different colour - I find red and blue work well - then flash them alternately, so that the colour swaps rapidly between the two. I've been able to do this in the past but it does take a good strobe unit/good timing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianl Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 One interesting thing to try is to (unsure if this will work with yours, but worth considering) use 2 strobes on the same area but ideally from different angles, and colour each one as an extremely different colour - I find red and blue work well - then flash them alternately, so that the colour swaps rapidly between the two. I've been able to do this in the past but it does take a good strobe unit/good timing. possibly the worst thing you could do for people who are sensitive to strobes apart from hitting them over the head with the strobe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frag_Me Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 One interesting thing to try is to (unsure if this will work with yours, but worth considering) use 2 strobes on the same area but ideally from different angles, and colour each one as an extremely different colour - I find red and blue work well - then flash them alternately, so that the colour swaps rapidly between the two. I've been able to do this in the past but it does take a good strobe unit/good timing. possibly the worst thing you could do for people who are sensitive to strobes apart from hitting them over the head with the strobe Sorry, I don't remember him saying that he was running a dinner for epileptics. I was just suggesting an effect I have used before which looks effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Hints... If there the same type of data flash I was rigging the other week make sure you set the DMX values before their hung, as the dip switches were inside the clear plastic cover. :) Rig goes up! Rig goes down! Rig goes up! Rig goes down! me and the rest of the crew were thrilled ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djwiltsh Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share Posted August 14, 2006 I'm going to have them mounted on 2 vertical trusses either side of the stage, about half way up so should avoid the rigging problem! In reply to niclights, it's for a youth event at my church with a couple of rocky bands. Thanks for the advice all, I will make sure we get plenty of warning signs!! Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Sorry, I don't remember him saying that he was running a dinner for epileptics.Not all epileptics suffer from PSE. Epilepsy runs at about 1 per 200 of population, rising to 1 per 125 in 5-14 year olds. PSE appears in about 2-5% of the general epileptic population but has been reported as rising to up to 17% in younger age groups. All of which means that in a room full of 1,000 children there is a very good chance that at least one of them will suffer from PSE. And they may well not be aware of it. ...it's for a youth event......I will make sure we get plenty of warning signs!!See my comment above about people, especially younger people, not being aware that they suffer from PSE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I was very impressed at a concert I went to a while ago where the strobes were only used for 2 or 3 flashes at a time. The surprise effect mentioned above. I doubt there were than a couple of dozen flashes all evening, but as part of a well planned and executed light system, highly effective. ... I want to use a couple of strobes. ... Does anyone have any hints re ... warning signs We did warning signs just a couple of weeks ago... http://www.digitalinjection.co.uk/files/strobe.jpg Sorry, I better get my coat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frag_Me Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Sorry, I better get my coat... If you actually put those signs up, I will kill you. With hugs ¬_¬ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niclights Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 To add to Brian's comment about photo sensitivity, it is my understanding (one of my monitor engineers is affected!) that red/blue flashing is about the worst thing you can do. So I would avoid this in strobe at all costs. Keep to minimum. Slow flash rates. That's how I approach all shows & clubs and personally I find it most effective. Fast rates and/or using all the way through an event is horrible and one for the pretend LD's. Mini rant :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maeterlinck Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Sorry, I don't remember him saying that he was running a dinner for epileptics. I was just suggesting an effect I have used before which looks effective.See: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/epilepsy...ity20060306.cfm. Search for "red and blue". It's from the US based Epilepsy Foundation. I hadn't known about red/blue being worse, or indeed any colour so worth knowing.Also good general info here: http://www.epilepsynse.org.uk/pages/info/leaflets/photo.cfm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lxhipster Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Well, In my country, no one actually cares about using Strobe. They overuse it and no one suffers from it. I don't know why but, It doesn't seem to happen. I've told lots of people about this and they replied, "Don't Worry,It won't do any harm. I have twenty years of experience". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMC Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Really? I've done a gig before where someone had a fit as a direct result of strobes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambone Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 I use 4 strobes as special effects. I rarely strobe them 'club-stylee'. They're sequenced and controlled in Ableton Live, and all strobe patterns stay synched and beat-matched, irregardless of the music tempo. I like to fire a single flash on downbeats, do synched left-right single-flash sweeps, give a quick 1-beat burst when the blinders fire, and they're my lightning for 'It's Raining Men', synched to subwoofer thunder and a thunderstorm on the projector screens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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