Hi guys,

Having seen the recent pics of DJ's using uplighters behind them, I think they add a real touch of class and would like to add these to my disco.

Ive had a look in the usual places, and it seems LED uplighters are the way to go - but which is best? PAR56 or PAR64? I know the 64's are more expensive, but are they better?

Also, having not seen them "inthe flesh" - how do they work? Do they simply fade from one colour to another automoatically, or do they work to the music, or do they need a controller?

Any advice much appreciated!

Cheers, Mark.

after lots of research (i am in the waiting for fund to buy myself) i think the american DJ par 64's are the best from what i can tell the ones with floor brackets

many use the thomann ones but there have been a few reports of faulty batches also most of them dont do master slave

CPC have started selling a competitor they have additional feature to the Thomann ones but the bracket isnt really long enough when you floor stand them for all the power and dmx (if your using them) cables.

the american DJ ones seem to have the edge on build quality and from the images i have seen they look very good indeed vokf uses them and his pictures are awesome.

yes the ADJ ones are more expensive i have seen them for £175 for a pair and the thomann ones are about £35-40 each but as anything i guess you get what you pay for having said that the thomann ones are excellent value

I was thinking of going for the cpc ones but they dont accept visa electron cards glad i didnt as the short bracket could be an issue

I have never owned any of these i'm just condensing what i have read .. but unless some one more in the know than me can convince me i will be buying the american DJ ones

hope any of this rambling helps

Rob
Having had the cheaper ledj and the american dj cans my vote goes for the american dj. I would avoid any cheap cans!!!!!

american dj do a par 46 version which is a lot smaller but £199 for a pair clicky

whats this price like ( i know the trader personally, he's reliable) led par 64's free delivery and pat testing

Dave

Hi Rob,

Thanks for that - very useful! Ive just googled the American DJ Par 64 LED cans, and they do look nice. Also, I found the manual online and it seems you can either set them to change colour automatically or work "sound to light", either on their own or master-slace, so they look quite flexible!

I recently bought 2 NJD Datamoon kits, however Ive realised that I only really need 1 kit for most venues so Im going to sell a kit and use the money to buy the uplighters, fingers crossed!

The thing I like is that they look great without smoke, and with more and more places banning hazers it will be nice to have something the audiance can see from their seats, rather than the invisible beams of the overhead lights.

This will leave me with 2 Datamoons, 1 Dynaroll (centrepiece), and the 2 par cans. Not much I know, but I think that will look quite simple and stylish - hopefully - and not break my back loading and unloading ;o)

Cheers,

Mark

Hi Dave,

Thanks for that - I might be being a bit thick, but I assumed Par 64 would be better than Par 46, but the 46 are more expensive - am I missing something? I guess the 46 is smaller, which is good, but is it not also less powerfull?

Again, probably a stupid question so thanks for humouring me!

Cheers, Mark.

Hi Mark,
the "Par" size is really the physical size of the ParCan.
The brightness is really determined by the output power of the LED's, and the qty of these LEDs.

I actually have ADJ Par38's, which side-by-side with the Par64 is not much difference, but are much smaller and lower cost.

Minty Dave also has the Par64s. They are large, but I have all my lights in bags/cases, so I'm using a Ariba bag which can hold 2 Par64s.
I've other bags that can hold 4 x Par38s.

What ever you use - try to keep to the same manufacturer. I've heard of poor quality on the very cheap ones, but have yet to actually hold one.

The ADJ lights are more expensive than others- but I'm impressed by the build quality and features;
-Master/Slave
-DMX (different modes from simple 3 channel RGB, onwards)
-Colour Fade with adjustable time
-Fixed colour selection (7 fixed colours - so red...white...red....white is very simple to set-up)
-Dual bracket, no need to purchase/make a stand.

I've a wedding on the 13th March, where they want uplighting (and also band/dancefloor lighting and DJ ) I'll be posting pictures of this soon after.


But yes - it really sets off the set-up. And for £100-£150, is fairly cheap (compared with another scanner)

Jason

I have this set and find them very good especially when I need the space as they are slimline version.
Might get another 3 sets in the future and get into the uplighting game!

Thanks Jason, I understand now.

I think I will go with the ADJ Par 64's, probably in black (so they are more low profile). Also, Im fairly sure the online manual I found said there was a 3 year warranty if you complete the registration card, so that is reassuring.

Ive seen them for £175 a pair, do you think that is the best price for them?

Hope the wedding goes well on 13th, would be great to see the pics.

Cheers, Mark.

Mark

a couple of things to consider with the american dj par 64's are

1 the brackets are big and they do hang low on a t'bar
2 the sound to light is a bit erratic and they are far better with a controller, you can set auto colour change/ colour fade and adjust the time easily if they are above you
3 they come with a 1.5 m flex and a euro plug with adapter so powering them can look a bit ugly. When i get round to it im cutting the plug off and fitting an iec plug

ok thats 3 things to consider

Dave

My weekend job - got 10 to do
Rock n Roll! lol

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the pointers. Im planning on having them on the floor, using the bracket as a floor stand so not too worried about hanging low - does the bracket make a good floor stand?

Im not keen on the euro plugs either, but I would probably do what you suggest and put a IEC plug instead.

Re; sound to light. Im not too keen on a separate DMX controller (mainly because I dont know much about DMX!), but as an uplighter would they look best with their "erratic" sound to light, or slowly fading from colour to colour on automatic?

Do you think the ADJ are the best of the bunch (for the price) or are there others you recomment?

Thanks again, really appreciate all the advice!

Mark

The brackets are perfect with pleanty of room for the lead and dmx cable.

I use mine mainly with an elation (american dj) led controller. Its not true dmx and is specifically for controlling the par cans. No programming involved - its plug and play with manul colour adjustment (3 colour faders + master dim). 8 colour preset buttons, 16 chase patterns, tap sync, blackout, manual speed adjust and strobe.

Clicky

if i dont use the controller i dmx the lights together in master slave and set the first light to do a colour fade which you can set the speed and leave it all night.

As i said i have had both the ledj versions and the american dj's and i had 10 ledj cans through my hands before i said enough was enough. they were cheaper but at a cost.

Thanks Guys,

While looking at the LED uplighters, I have seem the American DJ "Megabar 50", which seems a similar effect to the par cans, and is a similar price. Here are the specs:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50cm ultra bright, indoor LED Color Bar with 126, 10mm LEDs (42 Red, 42 Green, & 42 Blue LEDs)
7 DMX Channel modes: 1,2,3,4,5,6 & 7 channel modes
Operational modes: Built-in programs, Sound mode, Master/Slave mode & DMX mode
Very smooth field with rich palettes of color created by mixing the Red, Green and Blue LEDs
Great as an architectural wall wash or for performance stages where traditional stage lighting emit a lot of heat onto performers
Smooth RGB color mixing (fast or slow color change operation)
Color strobe effect
DMX-512 Protocol
Electronic Dimming: 0 - 100%
Beam angle: 40-degree
Linkable via 3-pin XLR cable
4-button LED display on rear panel
IEC AC outlet on rear to daisy chain power
Includes mounting brackets
Power Draw: 18W
Dimensions (LxWxH): 560 x 63 x 102mm
Weight: 1.5 kg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was thinking of maybe using 2 of these instead of the 2 par 64's. Has anyone got any thoughts about how that would look, or if there are any potential problems I have overlooked?

Cheers, Mark

IEC AC outlet on rear to daisy chain power

Wish more kit had this!

Hi mark

the only probelm i see is that the megabar would only be a benefit on larger flat walls as opposed to corners or wall features etc. Saying that they maybe more flexible - stood up facing sideways etc

without doing a direct a-b comparison i cant comment on brightness etc. IMO opinion they are two different animals.

Have a look at my pics in the photo area and try to imagine if the bars would have done the same job
regards
Dave

Hi Dave,

I think you're right - Ive just had a look at some of your pics, and your setups always look impressive, especially the uplighters! Rather than risk something I've not seen I think I will go with the same as yours. Onve I've sold my spare Datamoons I will be ordering a set ;o)

Thanks again,

Mark