I have to upgrade the electric and lighting in the Grand Hall in our Opera House. I am pretty comfortable with the lighting we have been using, I would like to move us to LED. I have no idea where to start. This will be a clean build as we are just using a dimmer pack and long extension cords and will upgrade everything. Where do I start?
Learning about LED Lighting
- Thread startergmff
- Start date
I can't really suggest too much on the LED end of things because I haven't worked with them extensively, but I can tell you that you should be wary of the way that LEDs look on people. Personally I wouldn't have an all LED system, but I think if that is the direction you want to go, definitely color correct your light, otherwise it will look really funky. I've never used LED ellipsoidals, but the Source Four LED Series 2 Tungsten might be worth looking into, as it is made to emulate conventional fixtures. Best of luck.
Start with a BIG budget. Infra-structure. Console capable and cognizant of multi-parameter fixtures. DMX512 (or Ethernet) and switched (non-dimmable) power at every potential lighting location. New fixtures come to market daily; that should be the last decision.
If you'd like to make a more gradual transition,
idio1tg3niou5
Member
I would say in a addition to what has already been suggested to take a look at ETC Seledors, especially the Lustr or Vivid Fire and ICE. They have a good beam spread, changeable lenses and great dimming control. The Fires concentrate on the warm colors, and the ICE on the cool. The Lustr is a combination of the two. Those will run from 1,174-1,300. (Price might drop on your bulk deal). Other than that I would say look at the D40, but its a few hundred more per fixture. The Palletta 11s are fun as well
JD
Well-Known Member
LEDs are almost there, but unless you have a Disney budget, it's probably not the way to go for total stage lighting. Having a solid DMX distribution at all lighting positions and lots of true non-dim circuits will position yourself for future integration, but I think we are a couple of years away from doing a theater cold-start all LED.
techieman33
Well-Known Member
I tend to agree, I would also run cat 6 cable anywhere you run DMX, or just run cat 6 and use nodes. All dry lines terminating in a patch panel so you can do whatever you need to with them. You might need DMX one day, to turn it into an audio snake the next day, a video feed for a projector after that, and just a plain old internet connection at other times.
