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Cover the front!

Front lighting in a band or other performance setting should be your first priority.  And when you are lighting performers, having a broad color palatte and warm white capability is a must.  Here's 5 Fixtures that can fit that bill from top of the line down to very affordable.

Propar Quadra

These fixtures employ 12, 4 way high power LEDs.  They are similar to Tri LEDs, but have a white element for a wider color palate to create pastels and can create warm white.  They are extremely bright, but massively versatile for front lighting applications.  The Pro par has a heavy duty form factor suitable for professional touring and installation use.

Propar Quadra MAP: $699.99

Rocklite Quadra

This fixture has the same quad LEDs for red green blue and white, but adds another 6 to make it even brighter than the Propar version.  The rolled aluminum case is still very durable, and it makes the fixture a little more lightweight.

Rocklite Quadra MAP: $549.99

Rocker Panel

The rocker panel gets a mention because of its combination of red green blue and amber diodes.  This make it a great front light for producing warmer colors, including a warm white.  It also has a wider coverage angle for washing the front of the stage or dance floor.

Rocker Panel MAP: $249.99

Puck 3

This is a tri led fixture, which can produce a good white for the front.  It has a great compact form factor that really helps portability in mobile DJ or band lighting systems.  Super bright with 9 3 watt tri LEDs, a dual yoke for mounting versatility and a great price.

Puck 3 MAP: $199.99

Puck RGBA

Very similar to the Rockerpanel, this also has red green blue and amber diodes, but has a great flat and compact form factor.  This makes it extremely portable and packable in the truck or trailer.  Great brightness for the money, and is likely the most affordable RGBA LED fixture on the market today.

Puck RGBA MAP: $169.99

Performance LED lighting carries the fixtures you need for a amazing light show. If you need assistance with selecting a system or fixtures, drop us a line and we would be more than happy to help. Send us an email on your LED Lighting needs.

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You've got the basics covered, what is your next step in your LED lighting rig?

Brighter and Better

One of the first things you might consider is making your system capable of brighter output.  If your basic LED lighting system is using quarter watt LEDs, the next step up would be to get some fixtures that use 1 or 3 watt diodes.  These are much brighter and the color ends up being more pure.  You can also get greater brightness from fewer fixtures.  The latest technology that is getting more and more affordable are Tri Led fixtures, like the Propar Tri.

Moving Heads

Another upgrade is to purchase some moving head type fixtures.  They can have massive visual interest in both projecting light on surfaces or performers as well as aerial effects.  Most have projectable images called gobos that create patterns both in the air and on objects.  An example of this is the new G60 moving head.

Ambers and Whites

If your basic system just has RGB lights, a great upgrade is to get some fixtures with Amber or White diodes, or both.  This provides much more color mixing capability, as well as the ability to provide a warm white for lighting up performers from the front.  Examples of these lights include the Puck RGBA, Rockerpanel and Rocklite RGBAW.

Movin' On Up

One of the great things about LED lighting is that it is scalable and expandable easily.  You can start out with the basics and move up as your budget allows.  Upgrading over time can allow your system to produce more and more interesting looks for you band or DJ setup.

What are the key takeaways from this article:

• Upgrading can add brightness and more capabilities with same number of fixtures
• Add amber and white fixtures to increase color pallete
• Upgrade to get more visual interest

Performance LED lighting carries the fixtures you need for a amazing light show. If you need assistance with selecting a system or fixtures, drop us a line and we would be more than happy to help. Send us an email on your LED Lighting needs.

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Sometimes the best way to save money is by doing it yourself.  Let's look at this approach to DMX 512 cabling for your DJ lighting or band lighting system.

The Options

There are many options for off the shelf DMX 512 cables for lighting systems.  Cables usually come in lengths from 3 feet to 100 feet and sometimes longer.  If you are outfitting a larger system, purchasing a large number of cables gets pricey pretty quick. One of the advantages to making your own is since you are supplying the labor, cost can be reduced substantially.

Making Cables

To make cables, first you will need what is called bulk cable. It is usually sold in reels of 250, 500 or 1000 feet.  Then you will need your connectors.  Most DJ level DMX 512 gear uses 3 pin XLR connectors, and higher end fixtures almost always employ 5 pin XLRs.  You next step is to grab a soldering iron and solder suitable for making cables.  We will not go into detail on cable construction here, but it can take a little practice to get right, but the time spent will be worth it in the long run due to the cost savings of making your own.

Custom Lengths - Another Advantage

Another advantage to doing it yourself is you can customize lengths to suit the installation or application at hand.  Fixture to fixture jumps on a truss seldom get over 2 feet.  The reduced amount of cable can add up to weight savings and a cleaner look.

Time Vs Money

The only disadvantage is time.  If you have a busy schedule, and have the budget, off the shelf can make sense to save precious time.  As with many aspects of life, it comes down to a trade off between money and time!

What are the key takeaways from this article:

• Making your own DMX 512 Cables can save money
• Takes practice, but worth it in long run
• Customizable to save weight and maintain a cleaner look

Performance LED lighting carries the fixtures you need for a amazing light show. If you need assistance with selecting a system or fixtures, drop us a line and we would be more than happy to help. Send us an email on your LED Lighting needs.

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You've got some killer LED lighting.  How should I make sure my investment is protected from damage when being transported?

There are many options when considering protection for your lighting fixtures.  They range from light duty and cheap, all the way up to ultra heavy duty and quite expensive.

Here are a few options to consider:

Plastic Totes
One option is to use plastic totes with foam padding or other soft material.  The advantage here is that it is very inexpensive and easy to get a hold of.  Home Depot, Target and a multitude of other stores carry these totes in different sizes and strengths.  The disadvantage is that they don't really offer a lot of protection, and it is harder to customize them to the exact dimensions of the LED lights you are trying to pack in them.

Gig Bags

Soft sided “gig bags” are custom made for many sized fixtures.  They have padding built in to cushion the lights from sliding around.  They are fairly inexpensive, but most are made for 1 or 2 fixtures only, so you will need to buy one for each or every 2 lights.  The disadvantage is they will eventually wear from repeated use, and they might not offer enough shock protection from drops or impacts.

Road Cases
Hard or Road Cases.  These can offer the most protection, and of course they are the most expensive.  They usually include internal foam that can be customized to exactly fit each light with no movement while inside the case.  They can be bumped around a bunch without causing any damage to the fixtures inside, a definite plus when employing roadies who don't necessarily know what's inside the cases.  Many cases can fit a higher number of fixtures, and can be order with casters (wheels) for ease of transport.

Any kind of moving head fixture should really be protected well, as most of these represent a significant investment and can easily be damaged in transport or loading.  In any “case” it is a good idea to get some protection for your lights!

What are the takeaways from this article:

• Many options available for protecting lights
• Better protection = more money invested
• Good cases will minimize or eliminate damage from transport

Performance LED lighting carries the fixtures you need for a amazing light show. If you need assistance with selecting a system or fixtures, drop us a line and we would be more than happy to help. Send us an email on your LED Lighting needs.

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