quiet moving heads

David Ashton

Well-Known Member
Are Martin the only makers of "studio quiet" movers or are there cheaper alternatives?
 
IIRC Varilite are really quiet, but aren't cheaper than Martin. Depending on the show and the rig, you might be able to use a less expensive product if you just keep the pan and tilt movements slow and slow the fan speed down. Won't be a perfect solution, but nothing is ever perfact.
 
The VL1K and the ETC Revolution are relatively quiet fixtures. I don't know if they compare to the "studio quiet" level of the Martin TW1, but let me tell you, the Mac2K is not a quiet fixture, my Elation fixtures run quieter than that. Most of the time the most noise comes from the fans in the fixture, many fixtures have variable or automatic fan speeds which help a lot.
 
High End's studio spots and studio beam are fan free and pan and tilt fairly quietly. We own two studio spots 575 cmys and they work well in our black box space, except when there is a quick color bump they are unnoticeable.
 
I'll second soundman's post, they are prettty quiet what being fanless. You do definitely notice when they move, though, there's a high pitched "zzzzzzzp!" which is a bit noticeable unless you slow down the movement.
 
StudioSpots, at least the 250, won't hit a mark consistently. If you set a specific spot, then go to another cue, and return to the first, it will be off a little. Console doesn't seem to matter. Not a fixture I would use if I could avoid it. And not very bright, either.
 
Are Martin the only makers of "studio quiet" movers or are there cheaper alternatives?

What attributes/duties are you wishing these prospective movers to do?

Since there are so many features anymore, what can you absolutely NOT live without?
 
methinks I know what Kelite's driving at....
 
I have never had a problem with a studio spot 250 hitting its mark. The logic in the studio spot 250 is the same as the studio beam. The components in a studio spot (minus the logic board itself) is the same as the studio spot 250. I have had problems with ETC revolutions hitting their spot (ETC should stay with making conventional lights). Also studio spot 575's and studio colors are fanless and they are quiet. The studio spot 575 cmy's are noiser than the regular studio spots, due to the color mixing system, yet they are quiet. Studio beams do have fans in the fixture, same with the studio spot 250's and studio color 250's.
 
My client is a country venue which has nearly all one night stands, so for music/dance they want full ML function but for theatre/conference events they just want focusable spots which are quiet.
 
Thanks for the additional info, David. The suggestions of the Studio Spot 250/575, along with the VL1000 would certainly fit the need for quiet fixtures, but may be priced higher than your client wants to commit. These fixtures certainly are of good quality, and would more than likely 'earn their keep' in an environment when breaking down is not an option.
Yes, there are other moving lights on the market that may work just fine but bear in mind the reliability factor.
 
but bear in mind the reliability factor.
My advice, stay as far away from Chauvet movers as possible. I had to send in a Q-Spot 575 in four times before it finally worked properly. As soon as I got it back, one of the Q-Washes that the theatre I work for owns stopped tilting. Ergo, stay away from them.
 
I'm gonna jump on the High End band wagon here. In a theatre I worked at for years we had Techno Beam 575's and Studio Spot 575's. The Techno's were old but they worked fine and were quiet even if put on the box's. The Studio's were a dream to work with and I never noticed any noise from them really. Also with the 575 variety I never had a problem with the light not being bright enough i had full washes up and still if I wanted to see the light from the 575's it was there. One word to the wise though make sure you terminate the line. Maybe it was just the fixtures I had but if I even thought of not terminating the line the fixtures (especially the Techno's) started to twitch like someone that just drank 14 cups of coffee.
 
The HES Showgun is surprisingly quiet, and you probably wouldn't need any other fixtures.:lol:
 
Sorry HES fans but they do not have any active agents here in W Australia unlike Martin who have good back up and the HES price range looks way over the available budget, but thanks for your replies.
 
The HES Showgun is surprisingly quiet, and you probably wouldn't need any other fixtures.:lol:

I'm not so sure about that Derek. I have one borrowed for the week just behind my office, and the three fans certainly remind me the unit is on... Granted, it's a 2,000 Watt lamp and needs plenty of air for cooling- but it's far from quiet. (In my opinion, that is...)
 

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