Grateful Dead Music Forum

I was wondering what others are doing and using for lights and stage presentation, ie projectors, brands of lights that don't work well or break easy, programs to run projectors, how to do it, things that work and ones that don't.

We set up some "Disco" lighting last gig and it REALLY helped people to get up and dance. Many mentioned it was very entertaining and fun to watch. I think things like that really help. Just trolling for some ideas here... I am looking into a projector like PlayinDead uses, but don't know how one would go about setting one up. How far away, what strength, what projector blah blah.

Hey JB, timely as ever! We've just really gotten into this, and I seem to be the designated lighting designer (if for no other reason than I'm willing to actually do it). I was really turned on to the idea after sitting in with Fennario a couple of times, and they have an amazing light show great light show by Illuminati Illumination. We have started slow with a couple of Chauvet LED ColorStrips and a couple of ColorStrip Minis. We have a 6x9 tie-dye tapestry we hang behind the drummer and smaller one we hang to the side as well. I set the ColorStrips up so that one large and one mini each are focused on them and set to color-fade mode, which just cycles through all the colors gradually; the interplay of colors with the tye-dye is really very cool, even if not synched to the music. The other two fixtures I have set to the same with one out front hanging from the ceiling and one as a side-light. They're not really all that strong for a stage wash, so I plan to add maybe 4 Par56 LED cans and maybe a couple of moon effects along with a DMX controller that I can program and trigger with a foot pedal to really take things up a notch. Even with only the lights on the tie-dye hangings, we've gotten a lot of really positive feedback from folks, so I've gotten pretty geeked up about it all. Matter of fact, I'm heading out to Home Depot right now to buy the fixings for a home-made hazer (damned things are way too expensive, and a fogger is a little cheezy), which should be interesting... Don't know about projectors, but I really like the things you can do with the LEDs.

A guy over at the HarmonyCentral boards has written a basic primer on this stuff with some suggestions on rigs, etc. It's a bit outdated (he's working on a revision), but gives some good ideas:

http://www.box.net/shared/hl7oxy4bd6

Here's a link to the H-C lighting discussion board:
http://www.box.net/shared/hl7oxy4bd6

Most our shows we sub out our lighting, We are going to get a couple wash lights and i plan on picking up a few chauvet 4-bars for those gigs in between.

Nice light Set up. How long is that crossbar? Lights make a big difference in setting the mood.

I am thinking the projector (ie Playin Dead) may be useless for us, unless on a large stage with BIG high ceilings, which means big high walls behind you. The tapestry or Dye sounds the best, I have two Queen sized bed sheet dyes that would work great for that, I think I will give that a try. With the money we command at this point we really can't hire out a company to do this like stone has, that really looks pro... but we are moving up the ladder slowly but surely because dead heads are the best fans and support the music heavy. We have built up our "Band Fund" to a respectable level so its time to shop! We all agreed this would be best served. Maybe a lazer program? Our drummer has a DJ service and has some "Disco" lights that dance on the floor, but they are not Lazer. I saw some lazer stuff that blew my mind. Some of the LED technology ain't bad either!

fwiw, I really liked DSO's current light show when they were here earlier this month.
The ones I liked were the lights behind the band that casted different color oscilating triangular beams.

My band just ordered this on Tuesday with our gig money http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=801731. Then I'm going to do a huge black/purple tie dye banner, paint stars and planets on it, and write "Foldback Time" in big letters on it . I'll post some pictures once the lights get shipped, they look pretty cool!

That is exactly what we had to use too. It will totally start pulling people up and dancing. It really works. People really get worked up over it all it seems. I think the LAzer thing cuts through better and is much brighter. There are many different versions. Getting moving wash lights like phish is so cool too. use them to create the design on the wall. I dunno. I really have to look at this....

We have gotten slack in our old age - we used to have a friend who did some light work with Jerry Abrahms (Headlights from the Avalon Ballroom, Matrix, etc) and had a bunch of Jerry's film and liquid light stuff. Since he left, we just have some Par cans and another buddy brings some DJ light/laser toys bu that's about it.

Call me a Wookie...Im lucky if the bar pays us at all! In WI the deal is...play or else! I sure wish we had lights the best we get comes off our amps!!!

This is a great topic!

Like Chuck (who is a great guy to meet in person by the way), I had the pleasure of sitting in with Fennario (Mike also an amazing guy to meet in person) with the light show. It pretty much blew my mind. Having the lights changes the entire feel of the show and really sets the tone for a GRATE evening. Here in Massachusetts I am familiar with two different small production companies. Usually, I try to give them $100 at the end of the night. Typically it works out that we all just take an even cut of the earnings. I would be surprised if these smaller ligth show companies didn't exist out there?

Illuminati Illumination (Doc also does our show posters)





MFE productions (Music For Everyone)

Y'all have brought me to making an offer on this:
http://www.amazon.com/Chauvet-4-Bar-Lig ... roduct_top

Someone has a used one for sale locally.

Question - I saw a band a year ago have this multi-light globe that they put on the floor in-between monitors that spun with different colors. Anyone know what that is?

keirweir, that guitar is KILLIN EM!!! let us all enjoy some close ups plz!!

It's a blast playing with the pro-level stuff. Need a semi to haul it around, though.

This thread inspired me to get some lights:


We had more folks dancing for longer than we have in some time!!!

It's the Chauvet 5bar - the haul is the size of a bass case with a 3 button controller (chose color, beat sync, blackout). Perfect and simple!

Thank you all for the inspiration!