Replacing top color wash - LED PAR options?

jayvee

Well-Known Member
I've been tasked with creating a revised 5 year plan for my space. I'm shooting for the moon because I was told "pie in the sky". This bit will focus on lighting.

My current color was is 21 ChromaQ Color 100x fixtures. I love the color and but there are noticeable gaps between electrics and I'd like to find more even coverage with a new system. I'm considering ETC D60 and would like to try some alternatives as well. I tried to search the forum for Altman Hydras but can't find anything that wasn't a Marvel movie reference. The playing space is about 40'x36' and 3 electrics are usually trimmed around 17'. My cyc wash is 5 up and 5 floor ColorForce 72's, first gen, which I am also proposing to replace. My ellipsoidal stock is conventional S4 lamped at 750w. I have a couple of older Lustrs that I move around for specials and I plan to price swapping most of the conventional out to Lustr x8.

With all this in mind I have also started writing up a proposal to upgrade our dimming, beginning by replacing our Unison Heritage house light system, to move to a more constant power scenario.

Do you have a favorite wash fixture? Do you have opinions on Hydras? Do you have opinions in general?

Thanks!
 
Don't have a favorite wash, but with the LED washes we have.. both some Proparv12 from blizzard and some older elation opti tri pars we discovered the holographic diffusions from etc
Went from having discreet spots of color on the stage to a near continuous wash. Regular diffusion cuts LED light by a bunch, but these ETC filters are da bomb.

We have 12 elations.. 4 per bar on a 40 foot wide stage.. and I can walk across looking at the back of my hand and still cant believe the difference. We have a very low hang.. about 13 feet.
 
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I have D60s in three spaces and am very happy with them. You will need to figure out your lens options for your trim and desired coverage. One thing to note, we looked at the Lustrs for the two theatrical spaces and promptly went with Vivids. We found that for the we use the Vivids were able to hit more saturated colors but also could do the lighter ones also. The Lustrs just didn't cover as much ground to us. Our third space is a concert hall and we used Studio HD fixtures, their variable white is great and they cover the colors well enough when a conductor wants me to be be creative.

For reference our main stage is 41' by 30' plus apron and we cover it with 20 fixtures trimmed about 21' with medium round filters.
 
Do a comparison on D60s and Colorsource Pars. The D60s will have a better color range, and obviously more output per fixture. The colorsources may allow you to purchase more units, and even out your wash. Especially with the Deep Blue version, they have a very good color range and output.
 
Elation KL PAR FC will blow away anything ETC currently has. More output than even a D60. I have CS Pars and wish I could swap them for KL PAR's. They also ship with 4 lenses, so no need to purchase more.
 
I'd be thinking about a moving head wash instead at this point if you're shooting for the sky. Gives you much more flexibility.
 
Might be something to add to our list of fixtures for the next audition. Given they're billed as PAR equivalents, I wonder how well they barn compared with a fres.
 
I thoroughly recommend checking out the KL PAR FC that several others have recommended. The color gamut is amazing, the output is impressive, and the color rendering is theatrical grade. Incredibly good light, and the provided lensing options are great. The Elation guys brought that through our shop for a demo and I was blown away.
 
For anyone attending USITT this month, we will have a couple of the KL PAR FC fixtures on the floor. For anyone not attending, we are happy to send demo units so you can use them in your space.
 
Elation has the same gorgeous color mix in both 6" and 8" fresnels.
 
I'll always recommend a shootout. Make the colors you want to make and see how they turn out. See what it looks like on people, costumes, curtains, sets, etc. I will say though that for pastels and midtones I was very impressed with the KL PAR FC (same colormix as the KL Fresnels).

Side note, I do hope that Chauvet comes out with a new fresnel and/or PAR-style unit soon with the new LED engine from their Reve E-3, because that thing is a beast and makes incredible colors.
 

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