Stock Start-up Gear

[TechGeek]

Hey all,
I am almost done with the planning of my company, but I'm not really sure of what equipment to get first. I'm going to be doing something along the lines of a rental company but instead all equipment is set-up, ran, and taken down by company staff but we will work with the clients staff as well. The company will be geared mostly toward low budget schools who can't afford the big rental costs other companies are asking, and our rates are by day and week so if you only need equipment you don't have to pay week long prices.
I'll list below the quantities and Items and what they will get used for. Should I skip buying convectional pars and just get LED instead since I will be upgrading to them in the future? Should I do the Chauvet Legend 412 or Blade QFX?

Qty - Item - Purpose
Lighting
10 - Leprecon UHD340HP - Dimmers for Lekos and Pars
12 - Altman Par64 - Down light
20 - ETC Source4 36deg 750w - Front Light
20 - Elation OPTI TRI Par - Down Light and Side Light
10 - Chauvet Legend 412 or Blizzard Blade QFX - Moving Wash and Audience wash
10 - Chauvet Q-Spot 360 - Moving Profile
2 - Lycian 1206 Midget Quartz Follow Spot

Please help!

 

[Footer]

Cases... power/data distro... truss/crank lifts/rigging/etc, truck to move it in... somewhere to store and fix it....

It is all low end gear that is not meant to be moved continuously. Traditional pars are great if that is what you can rent. Only you can answer that. You are going to need a pretty decent sized distro for that amount of tungsten fixtures, so it might save you a lot of cash to go LED there right now.

 

[Bubby4j]

The Legend will be slightly brighter (1,500 lux @ 5m, vs est. 1,360 lux for the Blade QFX @ 5m). So you might wanna consider that, plus that the Legend has a 12 degree beam angle instead of the 10 degree beam angle of the Blade (meaning the Legend has higher output).

Theoretically, at least in raw specifications, the Legend is a better fixture, but compare prices.

From what I see, MAP of Legend is $999.99, and MAP of the blade is $699.99.

From raw price & specs, Blade has better lux to dollar ratio, but I don't know about build quality.

 

[David Ashton]

Before you spend all this money get some work lined up, make a flyer and send it to potential customers and see what they want, the biggest mistake companies make is deciding what their customers need and supplying it when they should be finding out what their customers want and feeding that demand. You will also have an edge if you have spoken to your customers and provided what they asked for, until you do this you will not have a viable business model, the main thing a business needs is customers, start there, the gear can follow.

 

[microstar]

What are you going to control all of this with? Multiple consoles if the system is split up too.

 

[MikeJ]

The optipar tri is a pretty good fixture, I have seen them installed a few places and the output was very good.
I have not seen the q-spot, but the Q-wash is very well built, and I would consider it a pro-level fixture.

Leprecon dimmers are solid, but You could think about going LED saving power needs and cable.
I'm sure elation has a similar par that is rgba/aw to offer better front light.
Another that I have been impressed with is the Chauvet SlimPar pro Quad.

The 412 is a decent little wash, the only real downside is that the clamp installs with two large Hex cap bolts(I mean the bracket, you will need to buy clamps separate for most fixtures) so there is no quick release to go from the hanging to floor use. Its not a deal breaker, just keep a couple t-handle Allan wrenches around.

 

[soundlight]

I'll add more later, but first thought - I'd lean away from Tri-LED fixtures with RGBA, RGBW, and even RGBAW LED fixtures becoming the norm. The RGBA and RGBAW color spectrum is so much wider that it's not worth staying with just an RGB system.

 

[TechGeek]

What are you going to control all of this with? Multiple consoles if the system is split up too.

I currently have one console to control things from. It's a Compulite Animator MLC48, I have it in repair right now actually because the power switch went and you can't bypass it so I'm waiting on the part...

 

[TechGeek]

I'll add more later, but first thought - I'd lean away from Tri-LED fixtures with RGBA, RGBW, and even RGBAW LED fixtures becoming the norm. The RGBA and RGBAW color spectrum is so much wider that it's not worth staying with just an RGB system.

I know to do RGBA or W but they were looking pretty expensive... I know Elation has an OPTI QA Par which is RGBW but it runs at $800 and I want to be able to get a few to start off with.

 

[MikeJ]

RGB leds are generally fine for anything but front light where the color of the white light suffers. There is something to be said for the ease of having all the same fixtures, but cost is always a factor, and for uplighting and color side light, the amber and white often go unused anyway.

That OPTIpar TRI dose look good for an RGB fixture, I was impressed with the output, and I have used many different fixtures.
I don't remember, but are those tri-color leds? I think they were, but in any case I would not go for individual LEDs these days, the multi colors look much better IMO.

 

[Bubby4j]

RGB leds are generally fine for anything but front light where the color of the white light suffers. There is something to be said for the ease of having all the same fixtures, but cost is always a factor, and for uplighting and color side light, the amber and white often go unused anyway.

That OPTIpar TRI dose look good for an RGB fixture, I was impressed with the output, and I have used many different fixtures.
I don't remember, but are those tri-color leds? I think they were, but in any case I would not go for individual LEDs these days, the multi colors look much better IMO.

I really enjoy using amber for making better browns and generally other darker colors. Having white really helps with making pinks and other pastels.

 

[techieman33]

You could always buy a bunch of China LED lights on the cheap and upgrade later when you know you'll be making enough money to pay for them.

 

[MikeJ]

I have never been able to make brown with a light R99 chocolate is about as close as it gets for me, but Amber and white do help considerably in some cases, for decor lighting I don't find plain RGB fixtures to be a huge compromise for the price.
Like I mentioned earlier, I think the SlimPar Pro Quad(RGBA) is a really good bang for the buck fixture(and just a good fixture regardless of price).

 

[MarfaLights]

I have been real happy with the Blizzard Toughpar Fab5. Good output. RGBAW. No fans so completely quiet. Built like a tank. Some nice dimming curves. I also have the Puck Fab5 which is just as bright but loud and flimsy.

 

[Kelite]

Where is your proposed business to be located? (City)

 

[bishopthomas]

Hey, Tech Geek! Are you looking to start a business in South Jersey/Philly? What kind of market are you going after? You mentioned schools, does that mean you're leaning more toward the theatrical aspect or do you want to do concerts/music? Definitely go LED. Besides the obvious benefits, you'll find it difficult to tie in to a lot of schools. Most of the time you'll be searching for outlets on the wall. Having a general idea of electrical code and practices (plus a little common sense) helps quite a bit when you are trying to find multiple circuits.

What is your gear list based off of? It seems kind of random and I'm not sure what your goal is. If you're doing school theatre you may not have a use for moving lights. Most school budgets will not be able to accommodate them anyway, no matter how "budget" you go on the fixtures. A general rule of thumb on rental rates is 3-10% of the cost. So even your lower priced movers should really be going for around $50/day. Schools just don't have extra money for "toys" these days.

I'm also a business owner. I do more concerts and events rather than theatre. My shop's in Manalapan and if you ever want to come visit let me know. I'd be eager to trade some knowledge with you. Do you do (or interested in) any freelance work?

 

[TechGeek]

Where is your proposed business to be located? (City)

Cherry Hill, NJ

 

[TechGeek]

Hey, Tech Geek! Are you looking to start a business in South Jersey/Philly? What kind of market are you going after? You mentioned schools, does that mean you're leaning more toward the theatrical aspect or do you want to do concerts/music? Definitely go LED. Besides the obvious benefits, you'll find it difficult to tie in to a lot of schools. Most of the time you'll be searching for outlets on the wall. Having a general idea of electrical code and practices (plus a little common sense) helps quite a bit when you are trying to find multiple circuits.

What is your gear list based off of? It seems kind of random and I'm not sure what your goal is. If you're doing school theatre you may not have a use for moving lights. Most school budgets will not be able to accommodate them anyway, no matter how "budget" you go on the fixtures. A general rule of thumb on rental rates is 3-10% of the cost. So even your lower priced movers should really be going for around $50/day. Schools just don't have extra money for "toys" these days.

I'm also a business owner. I do more concerts and events rather than theatre. My shop's in Manalapan and if you ever want to come visit let me know. I'd be eager to trade some knowledge with you. Do you do (or interested in) any freelance work?

It would be in South Jersey. I would like to deal with schools, concerts, cooperate events, weddings and such which is why I was looking at movers... I do agree with you about outlet searching (which I hate more than anything). I have been reading on codes and all that great stuff little by little.

I did some freelance over the summer for a theater doing a few shows and enjoyed it and would be interested in doing more of it.

I will most certainly take you up on your offer to come visit your shop and see how you do things!