in my opinion lighting is a BIG part of parties. Having even a little bit of lighting can set a "party" mood when no lights woudln't. If you are just starting out with lights I suggest you don't go crazy money wise or with DMX. That will come in time. Go out and get some LED lighting for $200-$300. The AMDJ Revo series are supposed to be very good. I don't have them but I've heard great things about them. Start from there and work your way up. But 100% you should offer lighting.

Go Chauvet, not AMDJ...

as for your decision, you're wrong.

Wrong how so?

Think he's saying bigmark's decision to not buy lights is wrong. I agree with these guys...either Chauvet or AMDJ...get the LED lights...(Revo series for AMDJ or VUE series for Chauvet)

Inexpensive, no bulbs to replace...move to the music so no dmx needed if you wanna get in without it...and the amdj revo 4 that's about to come out in early november is absolutely incredible.

Watchwww.youtube.com

ok so you guys are suggesting non dmx lighting all LED to start and then add on lights later. sounds good

Yea exactly. Lighting can be very complicated at times especially when you get into intelligent lighting and DMX. I use it but probably only like 10% of its full capabilities. You should be good to go with the stuff mentioned and it will only be a small investment.

wow, that revo 4 is incredible. sold.

yeah that revo 4 is getting added to my collection next month. But lighting is a big must to any mobile gig. Corporate events, Weddings, house / backyard gigs. Also adds more money to you're event.

IMO if your a mobile DJ and you dont have any lights your doing something wrong. Think about it this way peoplr are more Apt to dance when the lights are dim and or off and you have special effect lighting IE old school lights like halogen lights like the minni gressor ,Lotus , vertigo and so on. i run with LED lights now just because they last longer and they consume less power. i would never show up to a gig that was an actual party for dancing without some kind of lighting.

That Revo is sick!! It is like a one light, light show!!

ok I just got 2 led flat panel color pallates, 2 intimidators 1.0 and a led dual gem. All DMX ...so do I need a DMX controller and if so which one should I get. Does it need to have a joystick on it. I saw the the chauvet controllers andthey look nice.

^^ lol really? I sell lighting at about 80-90% of my events. The ones that don't get it are during the day! lol

I just saw the Dual Gem Pulse, and I think that's one of my next lights. I'm picturing 2 of those plus my quad gem as a basic light package that would look great. The Quad Gem doing aerial lighting and hitting the back wall, with the 2 Dual Gem Pulse lights hitting the dance floor.

There is something about the strobe they added that takes the light to another level.

True true

AMDJ's new stuff is even worse than their old stuff.. I didn't think that was possible...

ok i sold off the Intimidators and replaced them with chauvet min spot LED... now I have all LED lights.

even the revo 4? that thing looks pretty sick. what similar product can you recommend for that price?

dont trust anything made by them.. just tryin to save u money.. go chauvet, very simmilar effects for the same price range

I've been doin mobile for about 3 yrs now and did the whole "party pack" cheap lights. At first a client can't tell the diff between intelligent and old school vertigos & agressors but after about 3-4 hrs into your set, they same movement by the same lights gets old. You don't need a DMX controller to controll the intelligent lights but if you do decide to go DMX later, you can always get a $150-$250 controller or computer program to controll your scenes/shows.

My current set-up: Elan, Mystic, Galaxian (++), 2 x 64LED Par Cans & a strobe. I am adding a Revo 4, soon as it hits the store and that will be my whole set-up. I use to have the big truss w/ all the bells & whistles, but in the end, a single tree placed discretely is just as useful; and much quicker to set-up.

I know there are some very classy set-ups out there (CQE) but I've never had a customer come up worried about the looks of the set-up. When the lights go down and you're lighting up the entire hall, they can't see how many lights you have nor what you're hanging them on.

This is so sick, another one sold here too. thanks man. Question for mobiles tho with no TRUSS, how would you hang this for gigs?

you don't need a truss, something like a lighting stand "tree" will work

www.google.com

Perfect, that is kinda what i pictured thanks man!

The only improvement that the Revo 4 is missing is Tri-LED, I like it better when there's some yellow and orange in lighting.

is anything equal or better than the Revo 4 on the market? im looking hard! (no homo)

yo Hes, I'm a big proponent of LED effects and centerpieces, too....and for the price and patterns you get from that Revo4, it's gotta be one of the better lights out there. I'm sure Chauvet or Eliminator will come out with a similar model...but I've never had problems with American DJ for my lights.

Light Trees are nice but make sure to get them with a crank..Lights get very heavy when your by yourself. Crank Stands are the way to go. I have 2 crank stands by onstage and i place 1 behind each speaker left and right so my lights fill up the room..sometimes i put the satnd in back of my dj set, it all depends on the layout of the room. I still have a box truss 12' feet across for bigger gigs all LED lights.

I got my eyes locked on the Revo 4 then, thanks man, now I just need to convince the wife its a legit purchase...

When we do Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebrations and High School Proms, Lighting is expected. If we didn’t bring lighting to those events, people would think something is missing.
We hardly ever use lighting in weddings.
I think that lighting can look tacky in some venues but lighting the walls (Up-lighting) can look amazing.

I have DJ friends from Long Island who told me that every mobile DJ in their area uses lighting for weddings.

I used to tell people (this was years ago) that certian DJs use lighting to try to cover up their lack of talent.

This was my viewpoint and why i still havent bought lights yet. I have done about 17 weddings in 2 yrs now with no lights, but i cant help to think "what if lighting set the mood better?" I guess i will never know. I offer lighting but no one has wanted to put up an extra $100 for lights.

My wife thinks uplights are tacky, and doesnt want me to waste $ on lighting for weddings, but i like the revo4, but again, she thinks it would be tacky for a wedding.

^^ I guess it depends where you are.

Im in NY (long island) and unless you do a daytime wedding, there is NO WAY you can do a wedding without lighting. Many catering halls are actually investing in uplighting themselves. The room where I am getting married next year is completly uplit.

jerichoterrace.com
If you click on Tours and go to the Penthouse room. That is the room I am having for my wedding. About halfway through the video is when the lighting kicks in.

That place looks dope! that cant be cheap to get married there. I personally like uplights, just havent invested yet

I love uplighting too...its very big where I am.

Believe it or not, that place is actually very reasonable. I mean, its not cheap, but I was expecting it to be a lot more. I've DJ'ed there a buch of times but never priced anything. When me and my fiance were looking around at places we decided to go there b/c I know the staff and know they do a good job and the food is really good. The guy was giving us the tour and was like...OK, you get this this this this and that...yea that's included, no charge for this. We can do this and its included, you get that, the other thing is in, i can give you this no charge...bla bla bla.

We were like holy shit we can't afford this place...he throws out a number and we turn to each other like "holy shit" we can actually do this! lol

I just booked a wedding for March and the bride asked specifically about uplighting. She didn't care what other lights I had for the dance floor, just the uplighting. Brian S Redd has a gig log video (youtube) out right now where he shows his uplighting and how he lights up his table. Pretty nice actually...

I do my own lighting too. I have mostly all LED lights some that are DMX controlled. I have used the DMX controller but I find it too tedious when I do sound and dj. So right now I have 2 ADJ vertigo LED's and a Chauvet Scorpion laser. The key is FOG! I get so many compliments on the laser because some people aren't used to seeing a green laser sky. I like the Vertigo LED's because they do not get hot nor do they have a duty cycle (unlike the original vertigo). The only downside is that the LED vertigo is a lil less brighter than the original. As for the DMX lights, I have the chaubet RGB techno strobe that I use with a DMX controller.

I just got 2 of these and they are nice, very bright a little noisy but for the price $118 on ebay they are woth it.

Color Wash RGB

Irradiant Mini Move LED Moving Head Wash Light

Watchwww.youtube.com

looks cool.

yea..those are nice
im gonna look into that companey that makes them. heard/saw on youtube they got some nice stuff coming out.

It is difficult sometimes to sell a lighting package, especially now that everyones getting cheep. I upped my package price by $100-$200 and just included one or two lights like the Revo III. I did this cause i believe lighting is key to getting people on the floor, it makes a huge difference. People know it's a party when the lights kick on. The people booking the gig, however, don't always understand that. Even after the video I show them they don't always get it so I just raised my prices, put lights in the package and tell them they get lights for free. This also gives you something to barter with, they want you for cheeper, you cut out a light and $100.

Up lighting is the shit! Your guests will love it. Throw one Revo III on the ceiling and watch your guests stair in amazement. Then put a Revo 4 or chauvet Vue 4.1 on the crowed and you're good to go. The only other thing you may want to add is a Light bar for a wash during slow dances or just to mellow out the other lights. I have had a problem with the Revo 4 or chauvet vue 4.1 on the ceiling causing people to be dizzy cause it spins so I stick to the Revo III. It is nice, however, to have a moving light on the crowed.

Go LED only. The low power consumption will save you at some gigs. No moving parts in the lights means less to break. They don't heat up and no duty cycle. Grab a couple of UC3 controllers so you can black out the light and change programs.

As for me, I've had no problems with the ADJ lights, their LED's seem to be more bright to me. Accept for the Reflex which is a piece of shit.

Um...you got some kinda hookup with ADJ Zuck? The Revo 4 isn't shipping yet.

What does that mean? "Isn't Shipping yet." I bought one at Sam Ash yesterday...

PSSL: REVO 4 in stock ready to ship

I also used to try to add lighting as an upgrade to the package. I found it easier just to make a few packages with lighting and change the price like Zuck. When they want to bargain I just show them a different package with minimal lights, or a third package with no lights. They usually go for the first or second one.

No kidding...everywhere I looked said november 5th was the ship date.

Ok i got a question i have all these LED lights and i have a controller. Do I need a dimmer pack and what is a dimmer pack used for. I have no par cans only 4 min spots, 2 Led color panels and 2 wash lights moving heads.. I plug everything togather into a strip.

Very sound advice... you know what you speak. I've been thinking about a moving head light but they are super expensive and super big (<- no misquote). I'm now thinking a couple of Martin SCX 600 or 700s instead and a Revo 3 or 4.

After doing a Sorority "Barn Dance" this last weekend, i wish i would have bough the Revo 4 ahead of time for sure. Lighting is pretty much a need for these type of gigs. I will be getting one revo 4 this week since i have some more frat/sorority gigs this month.

i copped some venue led par can 56 (i think its american dj since they have the same specs/manual). i did purchase the 3 yr warranty just to be safe. and after doin a test run, 1 is not working. demanded for a replacement in gc.

i cant figure out the master/slave mode. im not using any dmx controller. so... run blue color all night, lol. no reply from the venue/american dj support so.. we'll see.

setup in gig, its ok. works well. you can see the light action in photos too.

www.guitarcenter.com

check this photo from the 1st gen iphone.. yes, thats "everybody clap your hands!" (cha cha slide)
photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net

it would be dope to have a LED light that threw out color in sync with the colors on the Serato waveforms. not exact but a color per frequency kind thing.

red when the bass hits
blue on the highs

and so on

Those Irradiant Mini Move LED are the shits, I copped them myself and they do the job just dont have them on when there is no music, very noisy but worth it. You cant get a moving head led cheaper so i consider them "bang for the buck". 2 of them with 2 min spots make a nice show.

Just got new box truss. added DJ Screen for my projector

Watchwww.youtube.com

How did you mount the light to your truss? did you make a bracket.

the ADJ Revo 4 is pretty nice for $300... I was going to go with the Chauvet Scorpion for about the same price but now I am not so sure...

scorpion kills, when you throw that on in the middle of a night right when everyone is drunk and going crazy they blow up!

Which one are you talking about, there's five different Scorpions?

obviously this one NSFW www.xtoysusa.com

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!



That really makes this quote have a whole new meaning.

YUP LOL!!!!! :) sometimes you guys set it up so niceley its hard to believe it wasnt planned lol

AHhh Duck....

That was a good one, I was actually talking about this Scorpion: www.chauvetlighting.com

Yup. It definitely is... is for sale now... right? I gotta get me one.

This is the first Youtube video that I've posted. It's just a test.
The video shows my lighting setup. Basic but effective.
My (Home made) Dance platforms light up as well.
Watchwww.youtube.com

this video is private?

Posting in Youtube is new to me. How do I change it?

It shouldn't be private now.
Let me know if it is.
Watchwww.youtube.com

you know how to throw a party Kenny Q.

Nice set up.

yeah i wanna pick up 2 revo 4's and a nucleus

i tried to order mine (revo 4) online in the states, they are sold out everywhere. even on ebay, they are presale stuff. im so mad, i needed this by this friday. looks like they are back ordered for a couple weeks. get yours while you can.

My local Sam Ash has about 3 in stock.

Where is that at Gaffle? damn it. they dont even have them at GC yet.

that's where I got mine - Sam Ash

Atlanta, Ga. location (770) 818-0042

same here

I ended up getting a couple lights to tide me over until i can get my hands on a revo 4:

Chauvet Swarm
Watchwww.youtube.com

2 Rain 56 pars
Watchwww.youtube.com

So i got my lights today. and 1 of my rain 56 par cans doesnt react to sound, and is all sorts of f-ed up, and the Swarm only does 2 colors... not 4.....WTF.

I should have gone with American DJ.... i need the damn Revo 4

send them back and get what you really want. you will thank yourself later.