I've got a Martin Acrobat effects light and I'm not very impressed with the Martin MC-Showtime DMX controller that I got for it. Can anyone recommend a reasonably-priced replacement that will allow the Acrobat to do it's thing effectively to the sound and style of the music, while still being controllable?

I'd like it to be 19" rackmount and no bigger than 3U.

Well I use a Martin 2518 Controller and it works well.

I am selling a skytec that would work well

BUMP

you should really be useing the mc1 controller for the acrobat

chris

topnotch

I dont know what makes you have available to you over in New Zealand but I use the Chauvet DMX 50 which is brilliant, 3U and is rackmountable. Has a joystick and loads of great functions, 16 channels per fixture and 12 fixtures.

Daniel

Hi Daniel,
I've just spoken with the NZ Chauvet dealer yesterday about the DMX40 & DMX50. Which effects lights are you using it with?

Chauvet ?

I currently use 2 ACME Spot kngiht moving heads and 2 Constella Chameleon 4 moonflowers. Any make of dmx light will work though.

I highly recommend the DMX 50 as a budget desk

Daniel

Bringing this topic back up to give Rendezvous a tip on his lighting rig.

If you did get the controller for your acrobat then surely if funds allowed it would make more sense ot get another acrobat.

I would suggest making the mini moons and other moonflower redundant and getting yourself a rig like this.

2x Martin acrobat
2x colour changers.

As I can seeyou are a very professional dj and do your very best to make your clients wedding night special. Well to add to your talents as a dj and entertainer why not add some ambients to the night.

With a dmx desk simple states can be programmed for different moods like slow dances, general dancing, strobe patterns, also make a program to light the room up before and during meals and buffets instead of horrid florecent house lighting. maybe point the colour changer to the roof and set them ot a subtle pink or pale yellow and have your acrobats slowly rotating and changing gobo and colour for this.

It just seems that you have put so much effort into aming the rig tidy yet seem to have neglected the capabilities that you could have if you invested in some better lighting.

This isnt meant to say your show is rubbish at all it is simply a suggeston ot enhance your setup and make it that little bit better/

Thanks

Daniel

Daniel I agree with much of what you've said and getting rid of the sound-to-light effects (known affectionately as spin-and-pukes in USA!) is a priority.

I don't want to add another Acrobat as that's just way too many moving gobos for the sorts of events I'm entertaining at, but I do plan to replace the 3 moonflower-type effects with one other DMX effect. The Abstract Twister 4 would be a good example of the sort of light I'm looking at. I'd use that focussed on the dancefloor and the Acrobat for room fill. Both need to be fully controllable and I'm just not that happy with the way the way that the Martin MC-Showtime controller works sound-to-light. It's OK for the price, but that's all.

Hi,

Surely it would be better to go with something with a more ambient touch. Having thought about it 1 acrobat would be fine for filling a room with but why not get a pair of colour changers dmx for ambient effect. then get a dmx controller like the Chauvet DMX 50 to control and program the lot?

Daniel

It's certainly something to consider, but colourwash isn't really what I feel I need. I'm looking to energise the dancefloor specifically, rather than alter the feel of the rest of the room. I'm going to give that some more thought though. As for the controller, the DMX40 looks to be a better choice, but I think you're on the right track.

Thanks for your thoughts.

What's the point in changing his light rig? He's getting the bookings, no one complains (or cares) so why change?

TO be honest gear will not make a night...

Digital Discos, it's about making my whole show just a few percent better. It's good now, but I can make it even better. In business, even if you are lucky enough to be the very best, you have to keep moving forwards, because if you stand still, your competition will catch up and run right over you.

Daniel was thinking down the same path as me with regards to setting the scene for various parts of the evening, especially the first dance. Slow, soft, romantic is what I want for that part of the night and it's usually the first time in the night I turn any of my effects lights on.

Hi,

Digital as Rich says its all about getting the best out of your show, a sinchronised controled show is much better than a s2l uncrontrolled show.

Rich yup the dmx 40 would be good for you as you dont need a joystick. In the UK the dmx 40 isnt available so i suggested the 50 but in NZ if you can get the 40 get it.

I would always look at making it symetrical and controllable. Would just two acrobats be too wacky. I feel just the two would be fine. very neat but very powerful and filling.

Daniel

Meh, people go on and on about 'OOh gotta get this gear that, blah blah...'

He might be the best but please tell me this isn't down to his gear?

Gear doesn't make a night and never will. Adaquate yes, which he has..

If he really wants to progress maybe it would be time to invest in some more music, try learn some new styles to broaden his market? Maybe invest in a starcloth front.

Just little things.........................

Dan- Maybe go back and read some of your posts as you suggested getting another acrobat.....which was pointless.. or any other ligthing for that matter.


DMX- DMX-----Last year I worked in a restuarant with two lights...and a fairly small sound system (just enough) no one cared.........I got tips at the end of the night, saying thanks for playing some really good music,, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening..

Sorry to be blunt but punters don't give a flying whatnot about lighting.........

Face the Facts, I can appreciate you might be biased towards another of your specialists areas- technical theatre work but djing is totally different, and theatre productions bare little relevance.

wow that pa kit is well................small.

Yup 2 dmx effects would be good. the thing is an acrobat is really powerful and agains one dmx moonflower it seem a bit pointless to even have the moonflower. Why not go for something a bit different. The ACME falcon is an iris type effect which looks really good as the gobos retract.

If I were you I would get another acrobat. Gives you loads of coverage, balances the T bar out, makes the rig symetrical and gives maximum effect for very little space.

They arent that heavy!

Daniel

I'd suggest the EVL Pro Controller, works with any light and can be programmed to achieve some very good shows and store's 1Mb of non-volotile memory for programs and shows.

It's a clone of the Lite-Puter CX-5, which normally retails around £550 mark, the EVL version is about £300 new.

Also uses MIDI, so can be connected to a PC or keyboard.

DFINN- Have you tried the acrobats out? I mean I have hired 2 acrobats out in the past, yes they are nice lights, in Richard's case there is not really much point, as wild beams spreading everywhere can be a pain to any audience...

I still don't see what the point of upgrading is? If the equipment is geting dated, and the effects are looking retro maybe, but i would consider those effects as modern lighting even by my standards

And Richard- you say you don't want your console to stand out, but surely there must be something illuminating you..

IF you're talking over the mic making announcements, people actually want to see your face, I mean not just the resemblence of a human entity

Oh and btw why do all upmarket balls have starcloth draped as backdrops....etc

Whats the ratings of that Bose system in terms of watts rms?

Also digital there is a point upgrading. people might think they dont care but I recon if they saw the same show 1st with S2L effects and then with a dmx show I think they would see the difference if it has been programmed well.

DMX also allows Richard to change the mood of the party at the touch of a button to either calm people down for slow dances or excite them to get them up and onto the dancefloor.

Daniel

Or if you've got a laptop with you, get the enttec usb -> dmx dongle box (bout £30) and use freestyler (which is free!)

You would need to run that on a standalone laptop though, not one with music software on it too

USB INTERFACE

Freestyler DMX Software


It really annoys me when people go on about lights and how they have to upgrade...not aiming at Richard or Dan....

To a punter the light is on or off............it's a flashing light (if that)...............Some people get obssesive about having full dmx rigs....more lights...thisthat

Hi,

I said RMS so that I wasnt emphasising on the total wattage power. I didnt say peak I said RMS which is what the speakers run best at and is what generally sound systems are rated at. I was asking because I dont know the rating of the system. For all I know it could be 100w rms or 2kw rms?

Daniel

Digital Discos, thanks for the links. That is an option I'm going to look at extremely closely I think.

Well Said Rich the lighting is just a small part of a show but improving it makes the show look much more professional. As most of us dont know what manufacturers are available in Nz as you may not have access to some uk ones or you may have some that we dont know about.

Richard have you ever considered a dmx abyss/ water effect?

Daniel

If lighting is important to your clients- why do you only have 4 lights?

Contradictory or what

I mean a dmx controller and one more dmx effect ain't exactly going to alter much.... And 4 lights isn't going to alter the mood of room...

Just all depends what you are after.. If you've got 4 of the same lights say, spins running off a microcontroller then they're gonna work together. Even if you link them up without the controller. But if you got more than 1 kind of light then they gonna run their own thing and to me having them work together is a nicer way of them running..

Discoing is about the music and people enjoying themselves, but if you can improve something ie the lights then why not do it? It doesn't have to be a huge outlay for something that can make it all look pwettty..

Not totally sure why you seem against someone dmxing up their rig and using a controller to do it?

It's a waste of time- quite simply.......

I mean for a mobile disco, master/slave config or same make off a pre programmed controller is fine..

For a nightclub fine, but for a mobile disco it's just another thing to setup, worry about for no real benefit..

For example I ran 4 spins, 2 acrobats, 2 Gladiator Revolutions, Strobe, for one gig that's 9 lights...where as I normally take out 4/5....

No one noticed? No one commented even though I had spend ages into planning the rig, aligning the fixtures...

I would be far more inclined to put money into the presentation of my rig....and new ways of making my business more professional....eg proper email account? holding a 24 hour email return? Updating my site?

Investing..in some proper flightcases, cable ties......


My rig is not big:

4 evl spins running off a pre programmed controller
HK Lucas 1000 + Gemini 300w active cabs (if need be)

I have never had one thing bad thing said about that rig, and people who book me tend to request less lighting, as they don't want big flashy lights everywhere.......


P.S It's funny how people a few months ago were willing to shoot me down for mentioning dmx but now none of them are able to back me up

I know whats on your rig

It might seem a waste of time to you, and that's your opinion. Personally I think it is a good idea. Take for example a first dance at a wedding. Being able to program in a standard "first dance" sequence that washes the floor with pinks, reds the odd white etc. Having the lights compliment what's going on in the dancefloor. Instead of having the lights do whatever they want. With a controller you can lose that big flashy lights worry

Maybe no one will compliment them, but I like to know I've put a bit of extra effort in.. Do you not think your lights are also presentation of your rig? Maybe no one does pay any attention to them, hell they're just flashy lights, but at least my flashy lights are flashing in a way that compliments (my opinion) each other. Too many things do random stuff to me looks messy..

Just another way (as I said in an earlier post) of taking control of your rig and at the end of the day, I pretty much know what they are going to do next..

As for other people backing you up, do you need it? Mebbe they've all changed their minds?

ramble ramble

Yes to you it might look messy me to you that's the whole point..........I mean even my controller allows me to select and hold a gobo..

So for the first dance- maybe an all open white, or a pink loveheart gobo?

What sets you apart is yourself, and your ability, a few lights doesn't make you a good dj.......

As long as you gear is adaquate who really gives a cr*p?

The only time I can see benificial is say if you hosting a club night for teens or older adults...Then they might expect to see a WOW FACTOR..

But for any other event it's a total false economy (setting up/buying loadsa gear that is)

For some people it gets like an obsession 'oh got have this bit next,and this bit of cable, to make them do XYZ.

Guess I just like to try and get everything working together properly..

It's also partly neatness. If I use my lights and they aren't all linked I have a shed load of long cables. Whereas if I link them all up, I can get away with 30cm dmx cables between the lights and just 1 dmx lead running up to the lights.. Quick, easy and looks good

Fair enough............do you think two lights will be adaqaute in lighting your dancefloor? I don't see what's wrong with what you have. To be fair 2 dmx lights won't give you that much flexibility.

I now understand what you're trying to acheive Richard, I thought you were just buying more lights..for the sake of it

YAY, hes accepted it. well done Andrew.

Its all about making the show that bit better.

Daniel