Hey all! I've been reading and loving this site and all of the wonderfully helpful people/hints on here over the years, but this is my first post on here, so please be kind
I'm in the wonderful (albeit sadly uncommon) position of having some new money roll into my theatre for the purpose of upgrading the lighting rig. We currently use a mixture of Capitol (yes, Capitol) 6" fresnels, some wonderful old 1kw 10" Kliegl Fresnels, various PAR cans, and a whole slew of very weather worn Altman 6x9s and 6x12s.
I'm interested in looking into some LED solutions for my smaller studio space. It's essentially a thrust configuration, roughly 15' across and 15' deep, and because it is a found space (it's an old grade school band room that we've converted into a small 75 seat black box) the throw distance is very short (the ceiling is only 10' from the deck, and the current hanging positions are a maximum of 20' from the stage and sometimes as short as 14'). We've had great luck using the old Capitol Fresnels barndoor-ed, but because of how small the space is, those suckers heat that place up like an oven. Dimming in there consists of 6 4x600watt portable DJ dimmers (purchased before I started there) and control is a very cumbersome DJ scene setter (also purchased before I started there).
I know for LEDs to be viable in there we'll need clean undimmed power (which I've already got worked out) as well as a better means of controlling the multiple channel needs of an LED (I've already got a solution to that as well), but I'm lacking in knowledge base and experience when it comes to LED instruments.
I'm essentially looking for any feedback / experience that folks here might have with LED instruments that would work in smaller spaces like this for front light, side light, etc... Because i'm in rural Iowa, the possibility of getting demo stuff is pretty slim (I'm a solid 15 minutes from the nearest grocery store, let alone a lighting vendor ). For the sake of research, keep in mind that I'm working for a non-profit so money is a bit tight, but for the right products, I can usually convince my Tech Director and Artistic Director that the long term benefits, and short term artistic benefits are worth the money. My baseline budget for all intents and purposes is in the neighborhood of 30k.
There may already be a thread on here to the effect of this question, but it seems like what I've found so far is a few years old, but if I've missed something, if someone can point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any and all help/feedback, and thanks to everyone on here for all the helpful advice that I see get passed around here. It's reassuring to see that there's a place where people can ask "dumb" questions and not get belittled, but instead get solid advice/support from legitimate professionals.
I'm in the wonderful (albeit sadly uncommon) position of having some new money roll into my theatre for the purpose of upgrading the lighting rig. We currently use a mixture of Capitol (yes, Capitol) 6" fresnels, some wonderful old 1kw 10" Kliegl Fresnels, various PAR cans, and a whole slew of very weather worn Altman 6x9s and 6x12s.
I'm interested in looking into some LED solutions for my smaller studio space. It's essentially a thrust configuration, roughly 15' across and 15' deep, and because it is a found space (it's an old grade school band room that we've converted into a small 75 seat black box) the throw distance is very short (the ceiling is only 10' from the deck, and the current hanging positions are a maximum of 20' from the stage and sometimes as short as 14'). We've had great luck using the old Capitol Fresnels barndoor-ed, but because of how small the space is, those suckers heat that place up like an oven. Dimming in there consists of 6 4x600watt portable DJ dimmers (purchased before I started there) and control is a very cumbersome DJ scene setter (also purchased before I started there).
I know for LEDs to be viable in there we'll need clean undimmed power (which I've already got worked out) as well as a better means of controlling the multiple channel needs of an LED (I've already got a solution to that as well), but I'm lacking in knowledge base and experience when it comes to LED instruments.
I'm essentially looking for any feedback / experience that folks here might have with LED instruments that would work in smaller spaces like this for front light, side light, etc... Because i'm in rural Iowa, the possibility of getting demo stuff is pretty slim (I'm a solid 15 minutes from the nearest grocery store, let alone a lighting vendor ). For the sake of research, keep in mind that I'm working for a non-profit so money is a bit tight, but for the right products, I can usually convince my Tech Director and Artistic Director that the long term benefits, and short term artistic benefits are worth the money. My baseline budget for all intents and purposes is in the neighborhood of 30k.
There may already be a thread on here to the effect of this question, but it seems like what I've found so far is a few years old, but if I've missed something, if someone can point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any and all help/feedback, and thanks to everyone on here for all the helpful advice that I see get passed around here. It's reassuring to see that there's a place where people can ask "dumb" questions and not get belittled, but instead get solid advice/support from legitimate professionals.