Much obliged for the tips and techniques for bench focusing. I'll be giving it a shot this weekend I think.
Ship, as to what we'll be using the instruments for, we're a "rock & roll" church (though lately with a slant towards Coldplay/Emo type music). Rich, broad color washes via a dozen or so 1kW PAR64s loaded with WFL's, and 2 Mac 600's. Punctuated with 3 (4 if I can get one back from the shop) Coemar
LX 250's, and blinders on occasion.
I'll be using the 360's for face light on musicians on stage. Fairly short throws, I think 12-14 feet to the ceiling. I currently have only 5
ERS's, for the lead singer, background vox, bass, keys, and drummer. [If and when the lead stands on their spot. If they don't/won't, maybe I'll move the light, or maybe they stand in the dark. It depends how much time I have before service. They've been known to rehearse in one spot and perform in another. (I've been known to turn the F-100 all the way up!)
] So, I'd like to add 2 to 4 more 360's to the mix, to cover all the positions the lead may stand.
Ship, you asked what
dimmer percentage I run our current ERS's at. I have two different types: a pair of 360's, and 3 of another type that I honestly don't know what they are.
(I'm still learning! Maybe they're Shakespeares?) The maybe-Shakespeare on the lead, without
gel or diffusion, is run around 60% at most, with a very short throw. The maybe-Shakespeares on the drummer and keys, with lavender gel, are at 80%. The 360's on the background vox and bassist, with lavender gel, are at 100%, and the output is still lacking.
The fresnels will be to add additional color washes. I'm barely getting the coverage I want from the PARs, with only two color scenes, though I think I can stretch a third from it with some repositioning. Thus far, all the dimmer circuits are in use, save one that needs repair. But, we have dimmer boxes in this new/used package also. Leprecons, I think. So I'll add those in the mix, steal some power somewhere, and have new toys.
As to the
safety of the new instruments, certainly they will be hung and cabled properly. My question is the lights themselves. How likely am I to come across asbestos? How will I recognize it? There is no budget to have these instruments rehabbed by a pro. (There is no budget for lamps and gel!) So I need to know what to look for before these are hung. One positive is that these are recent purchases from a reputable local supplier. I'll check with the fellas that used them last month and get the a rundown on general condition, and find out if they were rehabbed prior to us purchasing them.