starting from a blank sheet .......

[Pbassred]

Many of the posts here go along the lines of "light my entertainment for the price of a doughnut". Lets take a longer term view.

And the challenge is:

You have a band - it probably doesn't matter what kind. You start with nothing brighter than a jostick.

 

Lets assume that it will grow in terms of venue size, but grow slowly - so will the budget. Everything you add needs to be usable now but also fit into your future plan. For instance:- you don't buy a big DMX controller if you only have 2 light bulbs, but you might decide to buy lights that are DMXable later.

 

Cost is important but so is reliability, simplicity in use, ease of transport. You don't have a crew because you can't afford one. At the point that you can afford a crew, you start hiring a pro company anyway.

 

In stages over a period of months/ years, what would your lightng plan be?

[Ynot]

Probably the length of a piece of string...............

 

Not helpful?

OK - a little humour tacked on there, but this is one of those questions that HAS no answer.

It depends so much on a myriad of different things, and could just be the start of a lengthy topic where different people express wildly differing opinions, and few will agree.

[boatman]

Just a hint, but if you use the search function and look for "Band Lighting", you'll get 299 hits in the BR alone. It would be a good idea to read some of those first.

[bosun963]

Many of the posts here go along the lines of "light my entertainment for the price of a doughnut".

 

Where's my doughnut?

 

As Ynot said - how long is your string? and the start of a long winding topic. You really ought to look at what other bands are doing; use their good ideas and laugh at their bad ones but don't make the same errors as them. Much better than asking Blue Room for a wish list.

[Pbassred]

It depends so much on a myriad of different things,

 

A new band. That's 4 or five guys grouped together probably not on a stage at first. More likely in the corner of a pub. What are the dependent variables? (Life IS complicated) Whatever they are, the solution needs to be flexible enough to cope. If there WAS a stage, chance are it would be lit.

 

Boatman, yes, There are many snipets of information,. Lots of pieces of gear. I'm not asking "how do you light a band?" Yeah pop down the lighting shop with a couple of grand because you know which venue you're playing. That's relatively easy. This challenge is to PLAN. That is:- In what sequence would you buy things so that each piece adds to a coherent system but not in ridiculus leaps that it is out of place at a likely venure. You would need to pick and mix, gig by gig. 500 chan controller? nice! In the corner of a pub?

 

EDIT:- the string gets a little longer gig by gig. It starts tight. The doughnut budget was redirected into condom aquisition.

[Ynot]

Horses for courses.

Diff'rent strokes.

And of course that piece of string.

[Andrew C]

A helpful reply at last.

 

I'd get a couple of stands and a few (4-6) LED PAR 56s, along with a cheap controller.

 

Oh, some mains cable, control cable, and a piece of string

[smalljoshua]

I'd go for similar to Andrew but I'll give you a timeline of what I'd buy and when.

 

First couple of gigs.

Hire in completely different systems.

Rig 1:- Bog Standard Par56s, 2 Stands worth, inc manual controller (Put Levels up and Set). Don't forget about power requirements of 8x300w=2400w = 10.5a.

 

Rig 2:- Same Number of Par Cans but the Led Variant. Get a slightly better controller that you can use to set different colours for recall at some time during the set.

 

Decide what route to go down.

 

I'd Personally buy 8 LED Parcans, 2 Good Quality T-Bar Stands, A controller that you can set scenes on somehow and Decent Quality Cables that will last a good few years.

 

Josh

 

I'll add another post when I have seen what others have suggested as to where to go after this.

[Pbassred]

A helpful reply at last.

 

I'd get a couple of stands and a few (4-6) LED PAR 56s, along with a cheap controller.

 

Oh, some mains cable, control cable, and a piece of string

 

Nearly, But the challenge was:- a plan

What do you do when the string gets a little longer and the girls bring their own condoms and doughnuts?

[smalljoshua]

Once you have got the LED Parcans use them to their full potential, hiring in extra stuff when needed (see below), do this until at least 30-50% of your gigs are in places where you need to hire in equipment.

 

When you are hiring in equipment never hire in the same stuff twice. Different Controllers, Different Lights and combinations of the above.

 

Once you have a winning combination for the bigger venues you are working in, you can then buy what you know works for you.

 

By the time you are ready to buy you should have a good relationship with your local hire/sales company. Be Loyal to them and you might even get a bit of money off the purchase.

 

Josh

[Trunker]

Probably the length of a piece of string...............

 

Not helpful?

OK - a little humour tacked on there, but this is one of those questions that HAS no answer.

 

A piece of string is twice the distance from the centre to either end!

[The Gaffa]

I'd use what was in the venue first, then gradually add bits 'n' bobs, not forgetting the string, doughnuts & condoms.

[Jamtastic3]

I think it also depends on where you play. You could go to one venue that just has a small patch of floor dedicated to bands when they play, with maybe a few pars just so people can 'see' the band. Or, you could be going to another venue and they've got movers all over their raised stage with pars and haze. If you're a local band who just gigs around pubs and bars then is there much point in having vasts amount of equipment in such a small space?

 

I'd definetely check the venue specs first as well as the space, location and popularity of the venue.

[Pbassred]

"Venue specs". ** laughs out loud **. I never heard of a pub that had venue specs.

 

Edit:- Ok,I'll help . In a small bar situation distance is not a problem. It might be only be 30 feet to the back of the house. Space on the other hand, can be an issue. You might be lucky to get one stand up and that off to the side. So LEDs are do able,but not 8 PAR cans.

[Pete McCrea]

A helpful reply at last.

 

I'd get a couple of stands and a few (4-6) LED PAR 56s, along with a cheap controller.

 

Oh, some mains cable, control cable, and a piece of string

 

I'd take this, and add a 6 way bar of par36 ACL's in open white and a Mirror ball for a special to be used in one or two places in the set. Set on the back of stage hitting up through the band for that silhouette look.

 

<Is this meant to be one of those threads were the spec gets better as we go a bit like Chinese whispers, or have I missed the point?>