Sorry if the question has been asked before just wanted to know peoples opinions of whether the big box lights that stand at the front of your set up are still what people want? or are led cloths preferred? my reason for asking i have had no complaints re the box lights but obviously if some of you can tell me if led cloths are favourite, then i can justify the change and free up some more space in my van

Up to you! Some venues prefer star cloths. Some clients prefer one or the other. If you have both, you could give the client the choice. I use a star cloth because I don't have any enough room to transport light boxes.

Personally I favour a starcloth over light boxes, I think the boxes are so dated now, plus the starcloths look better in the upmarket venues and the function managers seem to like them. My current project is building a folding (car transportable) booth with a RGB starcloth, I'll post pics when finished. I still have a retro 'time tunnel' box which I sometimes use at 70's events, when the booth's finished, I'll probably sell it though.

i think screens look so very tidy and the effect is so much better. Earlier this year we invested in the expensive Kam 1399 led front screens 2 of them and the effect is awsome and the amount of nice comments ( and further work ) has been amazing. have alook for your self www.devonmobile.co.uk/pandldisco.html and see what you think

I use the S+H booth and I do think its classy, however, I do have some of the rather tidy looking DAP Audio screens in grey carpet with kick proof fronts which I still like, I think the dated look is the tatty home made boxes with the old fashioned glowdex purspex fronts and made from chip board with painted joy blackboard paint. Of course its a matter of choice but don't let people put you off screens. Transporting screens can be an issue too. The NJD starcloths are rather nice and not too expensive.

why not both?

if you have the space to transport, both looks good.

If the setup needs to be smaller, use one or the other. However it makes the show look twice the size, people always comment on my Disco when i use screens AND starcloth, yet they dont when i just use the starcloth (yet exactly the same show, same venue etc)

I use a plain black cloth on a bungee cord to cover all wires and the back of the cases. If I run out of things to spend my money on then i might by a starcloth, though i understand that unless you are very careful with them, some the LED's stop worknig over time which I would find annoying having paid a couple hundred quid.

I don't have the space for screens.

Kike you bouncy i use both

I used light boxes for 20 years and changed to a star cloth. personally I prefer a good quality screen, but they are bulky and take up space in the vehicle. Lightcloths will give you an easier life.

Thanks for everyones advise on this, think i will try to get a led cloth when funds permit, and use both or give the customer the choice as so they say it pays to keep the customer happy!! suppose the next question is does anyone know of any led clothes to stay clear of faults/not a good effect.

I like lightboxes, but good quality ones... Maybe has something to do with that nostalgic feeling from 14 years ago, setting them up at the front.

My friend used to have 8 par36 pin-spots on a rotating dome. whatever happened to them? Also the 4 x pinspots that moved 90-odd degrees and each one was wired to a bugin pin, so would flash to the rest of the screens...

I'd love a pair, but as mentioned before, its all about the space (or lack of it)...

David

I use light screens, but they may be inappropriate in some 'posher' settings - I ensure the client knows what I use just in case they suffer from 'screen phobia'.

Fortunately the type of gig I go for generally works well with screens, and they are a definite benefit during the daylight hours of a Summer evening, and especially at kids' parties - they just seem to love the colours!

I find starcloths rather bland looking, but then I did most of my growing up during the 70s - maybe this has rubbed off a little...

Helicopters! I used to have two of them.

4 way scanners! I had a pair of those two.

Ahh, memory lane!

But whilst great effects at the time, they didn't do much - either on or off / moving or stationary - no DMX in those days - and they were very heavy.

A modern scanner or barrel DMX effect can do everything they did, as well also having gobos, control of colours, strobing, brighter beams, etc, for the same money (my Helicopters were around £200 each in the 80's) and less weight.

Getting back to the subject of the thread: I never had any light boxes, but it's hard to beat the classy look of an S&H Starcloth Booth.

O.K heres my view,if i'm doing a "normal" corporate job then it would be starcloth frontage and possibly backdrop as well.But if it was a retro night then a mixture of both would be my choice.
As for the retro lighting,I still think that run properly by an experienced light jockey the older 80's lights can look stunning.I am using for my retro show a U.F.O. astrodisco,2 twin rotation 12 lamp harvesters,Fal vetaglio scanners and a Cosmos ball.Ahh nostagia!!.
But I have to agree god they are heavy!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont use either, however both are acceptable. I think I would prefer light boxes, especially some nice new LED ones.

Depends on you choice and preference really. I've never known either a lightbox or starcloth upstage the guy or gal behind the gear actually doing the entertaining and hard work. Its just a cosmetic decision really.

There are pros and cons to both. Lightboxes tend to eat up current when used in multiples, they also eat in to your space in your transport and usually require an endless round of replacing bulbs due to delicate filaments and occasionally frozen triacs. Cracked perspex also tends to be expensive and difficult to replace and source locally if the worst should happen.

Lightbox users may also want to stock up on conventional lightbulbs now, as standard GLS bulbs which include coloured pygmy and golfball are rumoured to be being scrapped soon in favour of low energy standard and coloured types (which are not compatible with our controllers!) so you may eventually see the end of coloured bulbs in various conventional formats, within the coming few years.

Starcloths can be delicate and LED's easily crushed if you step on them when packing away / setting up. The wires also tend to be delicate too, and a broken wire woven and sewn inside the material usually cannot be reached to undertake a repair, and it usually results in the entire channel staying dead.

If I was going to go with lightboxes I think i'd be getting the best of both worlds, and investing in the breed of new style, thin, cool running, LED lightboxes.

Definatley cloths over boxes! ...Cloths are modern and look more professional in my opinion, plus they are easier to transport and setup! Boxes just look old fasioned now and a bit 80s!

I use a S + H booth, very classy ut at the same time very expensive... Be careful with some led cloths as the led can be very harsh on the on looking eye, as in that I mean very bright and piercing..

I've seen some of these LED light screens, and wasn't impressed - at all.
Maybe the pattern that had been programmed in was at fault, but to my mind there is way too much sudden flashing - the transition between on & off states happens too fast for visual comfort. You may have seen LED traffic lights, or LED car indicator lights - the same 'suddenness' applies to them too.

As for broken lamp filaments, fit a ballast resistance appropriate for the lamp wattage and their life will be extended a heck of a lot - I've been running a total of 60 lamps (not all on together!) for months now with ballast resistors, and have not needed to change a single lamp in that time.

Incidentally, I use plain domestic 40 watt lamps, with coloured gel to provide the colour in the panels.

The debate continues...

HI.
I have just joined and was contemplating changing my set up from screens and spot boxes to plain black front and top lighting. I did read some where more pro's and con's for both the jist being ...... light boxes/screens are great at the start of the evening when no one is up bopping (unless your up high) .
Giving them something to look at , but get masked by the dancers when they finaly get up. which is when the over heads come into there own.
A friend uses just over heads and a black cloth in my opinion its not great but thats his choice. Im deff still confused, I like the idea of something to look at in the beggining but then using over heads later in the night. But it all comes down to space in the car. Are the led screens a lot thinnner than the standard bulb screens?

PS. Does any one know where i can buy kick proof fronts for my screens ? PLEASE
PPS. I live in Oxfordshire

Oh you definitely need overhead projectors as well as light screens - as said the dancers (if you are lucky enough to get that many) block the front lights.

Best of both worlds I reckon, if you have the room to transport it all.

I play a slideshow of provided pictures on a couple of flat screens attached to my rig at the start of the evening and also put any mood / uplighting on. In 20 years they will make a roll down screen that can display pictures that I can put on the front of my rig. Or sooner hopefully.

My rig is covered by a very cheap and durable black cloth. I admit it doesn't look as good as a star booth / cloth though.