Noise-light, anyone?

[Bjornlala]

Hello and sorry if this question is weirdly worded - I am a sound technician..

Is there a way to have audio-noise (as in some kind of musical noise - not white/pink noise) adjusting the dimmer of a par can/LED light? So that it gives a flickering effect. Preferrably the longterm increase in level of the noise/sound will also increase the dimmerlevel to full level over time - all the time with the flickering effect.

 

Hope this makes sense - and is doable at some not-to-expensive level.

Kind regards,Bjørn

Norway

 

 

 

[Don Allen]

Some lighting desks have a Sound To Light feature that will achieve this for you. There is a post on the Blue Room lighting forum called Lights that reliably work off sound that may give you more information.

[Bjornlala]

Thanks, I will check that post! I am aware the audio-in on some light consoles, but seems to me that it is mostly used for changing fixtures and that it (mostly) reacts to beats like a bassdrum? I atleast cannot find anything about a way to increase the dimmer from 0 to full with the intensity of sound. Let alone add the flickering effect. I found one page that writes about using fluorescent tube starters together with normal lightbulbs to get a "fire-flickery effect" - so far the closest I come to what I have in mind :) But I will check the post you mention, maybe all my answers are there!

[timsabre]

I don't think you will find the feature you want on a desk/console.

Such a gadget could be created quickly using an Arduino with DMX shield, if you are not familiar yourself with Arduino you can probably find someone on the forums who'd do it for you.

 

[Shez]

I can't speak for other desks but on Chamsys, it's really easy to use an audio input to control fader level / lamp intensity. That functionality sadly isn't available on the free software-only version though - you'd need some of their blue hardware to enable it.

[Bjornlala]

I don't think you will find the feature you want on a desk/console.

Such a gadget could be created quickly using an Arduino with DMX shield, if you are not familiar yourself with Arduino you can probably find someone on the forums who'd do it for you.

 

 

Interesting! I dont know much about this, but it seems software-dependant? Meaning computer-dependant, and I am preferrably looking for a way around this.

 

I can't speak for other desks but on Chamsys, it's really easy to use an audio input to control fader level / lamp intensity. That functionality sadly isn't available on the free software-only version though - you'd need some of their blue hardware to enable it.

 

Ok, so a hardware mixer would be able to follow the intensity of any sound and not just a bassdrum? I guess that is what you are writing anyways :) I guess what I am looking for is a highly sensitive light-trigger, so that it can give a flickering effect if the music is "flickery".

 

[themadhippy]

wire the par cans on the output of an amp,just need something thats happy pumping a kilowatt into 60'ish ohms

[Brian]

Hmmm, put your audio through a graphic equaliser and then into a small amplifier rated at 15W into 4R. Take the output of the amp into an analogue dimmer with a 0-10V input. Job done.

[Don Allen]

Light factory is one of many computer based lighting programs that may do the job for you. It has a free demo mode but you will need to purchase a usb to DMX interface dongle.

 

In the manual "Line in The PC Line-in triggers can use any audio source to control LightFactory. An audio event can trigger a cue GO, fire a shortcut, flash a submaster or run a command.

The “Line in” tab provides the ability to set the audio source and then create multiple events. Each event is determined by the frequency range, trigger level, level type and minimum time between events.

For LightFactory to listen to the selected audio source you must enable it by clicking on “Enable Audio Triggers”. See LightFactory . There is a Lightning effect in the FX library that varies the intensity of the light to produce a flickering pattern.

[DrV]

How about taking an LED parcan and replacing the existing control board with an audio amp (or even 3 of them!). A diode and resistor in series with the LEDS so you don't reverse bias or over drive them. Maybe a low pass filter on the input(s). You'd need either a fixture that used 12volts internally or an amp which was capable of driving enough voltage to get over the 31volt forward drop (which is more common). But you wouldn't need much power.

You'd end up with the modern equivalent of the old 3 channel disco light we used to know and love in a 70s youth club.

[Bjornlala]

Hmmm, put your audio through a graphic equaliser and then into a small amplifier rated at 15W into 4R. Take the output of the amp into an analogue dimmer with a 0-10V input. Job done.

Now this sounds interesting! "4R" - what do you mean by this?

 

 

Light factory is one of many computer based lighting programs that may do the job for you. It has a free demo mode but you will need to purchase a usb to DMX interface dongle.

 

In the manual "Line in The PC Line-in triggers can use any audio source to control LightFactory. An audio event can trigger a cue GO, fire a shortcut, flash a submaster or run a command.

The "Line in" tab provides the ability to set the audio source and then create multiple events. Each event is determined by the frequency range, trigger level, level type and minimum time between events.

For LightFactory to listen to the selected audio source you must enable it by clicking on "Enable Audio Triggers". See LightFactory . There is a Lightning effect in the FX library that varies the intensity of the light to produce a flickering pattern.

Interesting! I will check it.

 

 

Hmmm, put your audio through a graphic equaliser and then into a small amplifier rated at 15W into 4R. Take the output of the amp into an analogue dimmer with a 0-10V input. Job done.

 

Ah, resistance I assume :) This sounds like it - at least on a cheap DIY level. Thanks!

 

 

Hmmm, put your audio through a graphic equaliser and then into a small amplifier rated at 15W into 4R. Take the output of the amp into an analogue dimmer with a 0-10V input. Job done.

 

...but the dimmer requires DC voltage?? Because the voltage from the amp is AC, or am I wrong?

 

[kitlane]

At the risk of repeating myself from another thread, and sounding like I am on commision (I am not) take a look at Lightjams

[Bjornlala]

At the risk of repeating myself from another thread, and sounding like I am on commision (I am not) take a look at Lightjams

Yes, lightjams seems to do it - but preferrably I will find a way to do this without use of computer. Looks like running an amp into an analog dimmer in some way is what I am looking for.