We’ve now got an account with lighting juggernauts American DJ!
They’re the biggest manufacturer of the flashy things, and mobile DJs absolutely love them. We’ve now got all their best-sellers on the website, so we thought we’d better introduce you to a few of them.
A good lighting set-up has 3 elements:
– A Wash: Wash, or Par lights (sometimes called up-lighters) have a wide, even coverage, and are usually colour customisable. Think the big lights that light up the stage in a theatre. In times of old, these were huge things with massive bulbs and a pack of coloured acetates was needed to change the colour. Since LEDs came along, Par lights have become more and more compact. These are perfect for mood lighting a dance-floor or up-lighting a venue by shining them up the walls.
Here are some of ADJ’s best offerings:
Mega TRIPAR Plus – Perfect for the DJ on a budget, this compact Par provides 3 colours (Red, green and Blue), which can, in theory, create any colour using the in-built display or DMX control to mix. These are very popular with people wanting to provide a lot of up-lighting, because you can buy 4 of them for the same price as 1 more expensive par. In the world of up-lighting, more is usually better! The “Plus” in the name comes from the small UV LED hidden on the face, just because, why not?
Mega HEX Par – Much like the TRIPAR PLUS, except this light has 6 colours available to mix. The extra 3 colours (Amber, White and UV) mean smoother, deeper colours. Think standard definition TV vs ultra HD!
Element HEX – A mobile DJ’s second worst enemy is cables (the guest that requests “something we can dance to” being the first, obviously). They are messy, time consuming and bulky. That’s what makes the Element HEX worth every penny. Not only is it battery powered for up to 9 hours, you can also control this bad-boy via WiFLY (that’s wireless DMX). If you want to use yours in the rain, check out the Element QAIP, which is IP54 rated. BOOOOOOM!
– An Automated Mover: These are lights which can direct beams, spots or washes using a mechanical moving element. These are most commonly moving heads, scanners or rolls.
The following 3 products, from the Pocket range, are ADJs most compact, low cost and therefore most popular fixtures in the category.
Inno Pocket Scan – A scanner directs its beam of light by bouncing it off a mirror that is able to pan and tilt using a motor. You can control this using a DMX controller, or you can just let it do its own thing. This particular scanner is one of the smallest you can get, and when lugging gear in and out of venues, smaller is most definitely better!
Inno Pocket Roll – Much like the Scan but with a barrel-shaped mirror. This will shoot multiple beams of light instead of just 1! If you have some scanners and some rolls you can link them via DMX cable to ensure they compliment each-other’s colour and movement.
Pocket Pro – The daddy of the automated movers is the moving head, and this one has to be one of the best value options out there. £265 for a decent moving head is a steal! The Gobos (those oftentimes cheesy patterns lights tend to shine onto the floor and walls) are totally swappable and removable in this. You could even make your own. That’s really cool.
– A Centrepiece: A lighting centrepiece provides the *WOW* factor in a lightshow. It sits in the middle of a lighting rig and does something cool. Popular choices for a centrepiece are a moonflower effect or laser.
There are hundreds of these kind of lights, but for now, here’s a couple of best-sellers:
Quad Phase – A moonflower effect shoots loads of small beams and can move them about really fast. This unit does that really well. The beams are very sharp and it has a really high output, and it’s pretty cheap to boot. A really popular centrepiece!
Stinger II – This is what a personality crisis looks like in lighting form. It’s not only a moonflower, it’s also a UV strobe and a laser! This opens up a bunch of possibilities when hooked up to DMX, and could make a really exciting centrepiece. Just look at that price!
“But hold on a minute”, I hear you cry, “3 elements? I’m not made of money you know, and I want my lighting show NOW!”.
Fear not.
BOOM BOX FX1/BOOM BOX FX2 has you covered. With not just 3, but 5 effects contained within it, and at a price a fraction of the sum of its parts, these should please even the most thrifty of aspiring mobile jocks.
