Help meeting a lighting spec - profiles vs led pars

[John_P]

I mainly do sound work for local bands but often supply lighting for gigs as well - eurolite par 64s and equinox powerpars on a light bridge and adj uplighter pars.

 

I have a gig in a few months with the tech spec requesting uplighters and 3 profile lights with Lee gel 153 and shuttering down to upper half body and dimming.

 

So that’s a little different to my usual setup and either more theatre than gig style (or possibly old style as the sound spec is very analog)

 

Any advice would be great - I’m trying to keep the costs down for the promoter so if there a way to add barn doors to my lights and make it work that would save hiring in. Or if I’m wasting my time then any recommendations for what to look for if I buy or hire extra lights.

[timsabre]

For a band where the musos stay in one place, lighting them with tightly focused profiles like that can look amazing. You have to be able to get the profiles rigged in a reasonably front-on place too.

Barn doors on LED pars don't do much.

If they really need you to meet the spec (often it's an old spec and they don't care, or it's just a wish list) you will need to hire some profiles e.g. Source 4 jnr, and stands or something. That spec sounds familiar... who's the band?

Edited October 8, 2019 by timsabre

[John_P]

Thanks Tim appreciate the reply. The gig is in a village near Beverley.

 

I’ll have a look at those profiles - as my leds are all DMX I’d have the extra hire of controllers to factor in as well - I suspect hpss or one of the other local bigger firms would sort it but with the associated costs that could be reduced if I could focus the beams from some of my leds.

[alistermorton]

An alphapack-3 would do to control 3 S4 jr and won't add much to the hire cost. Really, as Tim says, trying to barn PARs, especially led pars, will be frustrating to say the least. The profiles will give you nice, bright, clearly defined beams.

[timsabre]

I'll have a look at those profiles - as my leds are all DMX I'd have the extra hire of controllers to factor in as well - I suspect hpss or one of the other local bigger firms would sort it but with the associated costs that could be reduced if I could focus the beams from some of my leds.

 

You can't do what they are asking for with your led pars. So you need to find out how much they want the profile spots or if it's just a wish in an ideal world.

HPSS has some little DMX dimmer packs that can just hang up with the profiles so you should be able to run them from whatever controller you normally use. I am not sure where you'd be able to hire something suitable from round here other than them.

 

 

[Ynot]

This is a key statement.

I'm trying to keep the costs down for the promoter

It will be a balancing act between trying to accommodate the band's wishes/actual needs vs additional costs involved in providing for those.

I would say that if the BAND are the ones who want the specific lighting states, then it's the BAND who should be offered the choice of having the kit and paying for it, or simply going with what you have available at the price you're willing to charge the venue for it all.

 

As has been said, riders are seldom met 100% and in my limited experience they're often completely out of date with items that have changed or been dropped, or the band actually tour with some kit themselves etc etc.

Strike up a conversation with whoever looks after the band's tech (not usually the promoter) and talk direct with them about what they NEED vs what they'd LIKE.

[paulears]

Most bands that have been touring to my kind of venue have that spec as standard. the basic idea is that most theatres DO have profiles FOH, so lighting the band members glued to mic stands so the audience can see faces means the rest of the lighting can be practically anything - in the bigger and better equipped venues you get flash-flash with perhaps movers and beams, but in lesser equipped for staff places, a 3 colour ash that will be static, and might come from overhead, making face light essential. Put the lights low on stands and the people on stage can't see anything - face lights from stands out front will be low - and horrible.

 

I don't think these demands are wish lists, as face lights from profiles and colour washes is probably the least complex thing that could be asked for. for venues of maybe 150 upwards.