Need advice on uplighting. What to get and what to charge?

[carblekin]

I'm looking into getting into uplighting. I know there were a few threads in the last DJF, but can't find any here. Hoping to get some good advice. I got a call from a reception hall the other day, wondering if I had uplighting available. They already have a bunch of DJs that they often refer people to, but none have uplighting. I've worked at their location before, and things went well, this may be a great way to get on their preferred vendors list as well. They do a TON of weddings, and I was told they have a lot of brides looking for uplighting. I've never worked with DMX before though.

This is what I'm thinking, but not sure if it would work:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6854456944_9510e4d9f5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78015501@N07/6854456944/)
Chauvet Obey3. Looks like it'll do everything I need it to do, color choice, slow fade from color to color, and a sound active mode. Simple, easy to install in my DJ case. It says it works with 3 channels only (not sure exactly what that means though). It runs about 40 bucks on eBay


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/7000577255_1347abcddd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78015501@N07/7000577255/)
These are the LED lights I was looking to get. They're 13 watts, have a 35 degree beam angle, have86 LEDs, and are about 5" in diameter. They use a 7 channel DMX, can be used as master/slave, and also have a sound active mode. These run for about $40 each on eBay, like the Obey3.



Would these all work together? Would they be bright enough? How many should you get? How much cable would you make sure to have on hand? Would these particular lights work well without the DMX controller? Any other suggestions?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[DJRockinRob]

A $1 per light fixture is good.



God Bless

[Ampedproductions]

I recently bought RGBA from Eternal Lighting for $100/fixture. Lots of nice options, no dipswitchs, linkable power, and alot brightner then my last ones.

http://www.eternallighting.com/flatparpro-rgba.htm

[carblekin]

I was also wondering what you charge extra for uplights, and where to find temporary uplighting pictures to use on my website til I can get some of my own.

[DJRockinRob]

A $1 per fixture. No need to charge more than that.

[Ampedproductions]

A $1 per fixture. No need to charge more than that.

Sure... but then charge delivery and setup teardown, cable managment fee.

$250 for 12 for us.

[disbjohn]

Those lights will not be bright enough and aren't worth it. You will want to get something with a double yoke as well. Minimum I would get is something like a flat par LED using 144 x 10MM LEDs. Better option would be to go with high powered 3W tri-color LEDs.

[DJ Donnie Lewis]

DO NOT BUY THOSE UPLIGHTS! I wasted 800$ buying 15 of them. They are not bright enough for any uplighting. Ive used them in multipal venues and although color does grab the wall it isnt bright at all. I ended up buying 40 slimpar 56s. Got a great deal at 74$ a piece. Shop around...

The obey 3 is perfect for uplighting. My buddy uses it and its very simple to set the chases or colors. Good buy for uplighting

Check your market for pricing. Locally to me some companies charge 25-40$ per fixture. I charge 300 for 15 and 450 for 30+

[DJ Scotch]

Get Slimpar 56 that's what I have with Obey 3.

We charge $40 per light.

[DJ Donnie Lewis]

Scotch, Im moving down by you lol. Just need some help with unanswered tickets from 2002 in lower NJ

[carblekin]

All my current lights are Chauvet anyways, so the Simplar 56 lights sound great. How many do you keep on hand? How many do you use for an event? Spaced out every 10 feet? 20 feet? 30?

[Ampedproductions]

Depends on the Venue.

[DJ Donnie Lewis]

Depends on the Venue.

Definitely. I've used 30 on a smaller room and 15 on a larger if there are a lot of floor to ceiling windows. If you are planning on getting a lot of work from this venue just go scout out the floor and count your placemebts

[Synaxis]

All depends on the venue. If you have a 50 foot wall, and 5 uplights, every ten feet, but if it's a 25 foot wall, then every 5 feet.

Every Venue is different, and your going to need to plan and account for that, but I'd say try not to go over 15 feet in distance between lights.

You should probably be looking to get at least 20 uplights to start if your looking at going into uplighting.

I have 2 of those Chauvet lights. They are only good for uplighting a small bedroom.


And I've always liked this concept:

http://www.chauvetlighting.com/obey-3-cl.html

http://www.chauvetlighting.com/products/effects/obey3CLEffect1LG.jpg

[DJ Scotch]

Scotch, Im moving down by you lol. Just need some help with unanswered tickets from 2002 in lower NJ

You know I got you brother :) hit me up anytime. if you are in area let's catch up. :)

[DJ Donnie Lewis]

Lol definitely!

[Sween]

Those lights will not be bright enough and aren't worth it. You will want to get something with a double yoke as well. Minimum I would get is something like a flat par LED using 144 x 10MM LEDs. Better option would be to go with high powered 3W tri-color LEDs.

^^This. I have the Puck RGBA's which are 144x10mm... and are a little disappointing in larger rooms. The 3W LEDs are a good deal brighter. One thing to pay attention to is the the beam angle... as with uplighting you will want a wide beam so you can fill the wall better.

[Nick_EventPro]

I use Blizzard Puck Q6A for uplighting. Definitely more than you need to start, but I'd at least look into getting something nicely built with 10mm RGBA diodes. You'll thank us later for saving you some cash when you're disappointed with the smaller options. If you can swing it, as others have said, tri-color 3w diodes are going to be really nice.

[windspeed36]

I've got 96 of the PixelPar 90's which I absolutely love - they may be a little larger and a fair bit more expensive but at 90w output theyre pretty bright for uplighting. Not sure what the cost of them in the US is..

[carblekin]

I use Blizzard Puck Q6A for uplighting. Definitely more than you need to start, but I'd at least look into getting something nicely built with 10mm RGBA diodes. You'll thank us later for saving you some cash when you're disappointed with the smaller options. If you can swing it, as others have said, tri-color 3w diodes are going to be really nice.

I'm looking to keep it fairly cheap at first, at least for now. I like the idea of 3w tri color lights, any suggestions on what to get though? I found these on eBay for about a hundred bucks each:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7008952795_c306f91d73.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78015501@N07/7008952795/) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6862837368_3dd2e36579.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78015501@N07/6862837368/)

They're 30 watts, 3w x 9 LEDs. I'm assuming the pictures are showing the wrong power plug, don't think that particular plug would work in Michigan :D

[carblekin]

Just a little background info, I'm trying to keep everything I do simple and neat. My entire system was designed to set up quickly, and look clean, while taking up little room. I generally charge $500 for a 6 hour wedding, so when dealing with prices for uplighting, I'll probably have to keep it reasonable. Can't imagine charging $40 for each light, x 10, costing someone almost as much as me as a DJ alone. With this in mind, I need to keep things as reasonably priced as possible, getting lights that will work well enough to light most reception halls, not necessarily ones that have 50 foot tall walls. I'm looking for lights that would light a 15-20 foot wall with a reasonable amount of light (95% of the events I DJ for don't have walls that are taller than 20 feet tall)


My current setup:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6862863146_3137a2ca65_n.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78015501@N07/6862863146/)

[Nick_EventPro]

I'm looking to keep it fairly cheap at first, at least for now. I like the idea of 3w tri color lights, any suggestions on what to get though? I found these on eBay for about a hundred bucks each:


They're 30 watts, 3w x 9 LEDs. I'm assuming the pictures are showing the wrong power plug, don't think that particular plug would work in Michigan :D



That's an IEC plug. Some people call it a D plug. It works in Michigan. =) Most reputible manufacturers will supply an IEC cord with the light. Not sure about the knock-offs you found. You can buy IEC cords anywhere though.

I can get you a nice deal on the Puck3's. I'm a blizzard dealer. Email me at nick.eventproshop@gmail.com

[Synaxis]

I use Blizzard Puck Q6A for uplighting. Definitely more than you need to start, but I'd at least look into getting something nicely built with 10mm RGBA diodes. You'll thank us later for saving you some cash when you're disappointed with the smaller options. If you can swing it, as others have said, tri-color 3w diodes are going to be really nice.

Hey Nick,

How do you like the Q6A's? Especially over the Q6W's?

I was looking at getting a couple.

[Nick_EventPro]

Just a little background info, I'm trying to keep everything I do simple and neat. My entire system was designed to set up quickly, and look clean, while taking up little room. I generally charge $500 for a 6 hour wedding, so when dealing with prices for uplighting, I'll probably have to keep it reasonable. Can't imagine charging $40 for each light, x 10, costing someone almost as much as me as a DJ alone. With this in mind, I need to keep things as reasonably priced as possible, getting lights that will work well enough to light most reception halls, not necessarily ones that have 50 foot tall walls. I'm looking for lights that would light a 15-20 foot wall with a reasonable amount of light (95% of the events I DJ for don't have walls that are taller than 20 feet tall)



If that's the case, you don't need 3w LEDs. Most options with 10mm LEDs will do this just fine. The only real benefit of going with a light that color mixes behind the lens would then simply be that if you wanted pink for example, you wouldnt be looking at a bunch of red and blue diodes when looking directly at the fixture- the LEDs would look pink. I don't think your brides are going to care about that though. Puck RGBs would fit the bill nicely and keep you at that price point for a legit manufacturer with a warranty. Puck RGBA is another option if you want better color mixing.

[Nick_EventPro]

Hey Nick,

How do you like the Q6A's? Especially over the Q6W's?

I was looking at getting a couple.

I like them alot. Color mixing is fantastic, they are really bright, and I went for amber because it better fufills my color needs. I have a ton of brides who want a true amber. Before the Q6A, I always had to bring out the halogen pars with amber gel to get a good amber.
I know alot of people seem to like the Q6W, but I need warm colors over pastels pretty much all the time, and if I need a cooler white I just mix RGB. You really need to pick what's going to suit your needs better, but IMO you get much more out of the Q6A than the Q6W, unless you ONLY concerned with brightness, as full on the white will be a little brighter, but really its marginal. I hit high ballroom ceilings with authority all the time with my Q6As. Whenever you're ready to pull the trigger, let me know and I can get you a price on any blizzard products- I'm a dealer for them.

[Synaxis]

Whenever you're ready to pull the trigger, let me know and I can get you a price on any blizzard products- I'm a dealer for them.

Yep, I was thinking that amber would be more useful than white as well.

Alright then, thanks! +rep

I'll PM you when I'm ready to buy!

[Mike D]

http://www.all-stardjs.com/Uplighting.html

I charge $125 for 4 lights, $25 per additional light. Includes setup and whatever color scheme the client wants throughout the night. My lights are ADJ http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/64BLEDPro/ but it looks like you could get away with these for $100 less http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MegaParProf/

Personally I love the bigger can lights, because if I need to I can put them up with my regular lighting for larger events and they look normal. Plus they put out more light than most others.

[SummitAudioDJ]

i'm looking to keep it fairly cheap at first, at least for now. I like the idea of 3w tri color lights, any suggestions on what to get though? I found these on ebay for about a hundred bucks each:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7008952795_c306f91d73.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78015501@n07/7008952795/) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6862837368_3dd2e36579.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78015501@n07/6862837368/)

they're 30 watts, 3w x 9 leds. I'm assuming the pictures are showing the wrong power plug, don't think that particular plug would work in michigan :d




do not buy thes particular lights , they are no brighter than a 10mm rgb fixture.

[SummitAudioDJ]

Keep in mind that if you go with a RGBW or RGBA light you must buy an obey 4 controller.

Here is a comparison of a Puck 3 on left with 9 - 3watt tri LED's to a standard 144 - 10mm RGB LED puck on right both mixed to pink projecting about 7 feet away.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/hiker9/P3310257.jpg

For most gigs the 144 - 10mm led fixtures will work but the Puck 3's just look so much better with the extra output and better color mixing.

As far as what to charge , well that is relative to your area. Someone in LA , Atlanta or Philadelphia could charge $40-50 per fixture but in small rural areas you would be more appropriate to charge 10% of what you paid for each fixture. After 10 uses it will have paid for itself. I myself charge an extra $100 with my wedding package and have a total of 22 Puck 3 lights to use. Sometimes I only use 6 , sometimes I use all 22 . Nobody seems to gripe about the price while most on here will say it's way too cheap but in my area people are usually operating on a very fixed wedding budget and the DJ is the last place they plan on dropping extra cash. Yes the DJ makes the night but without a roof overhead and food there is no need for a DJ.


Here is another comparison of the regular pucks vs Puck 3 in the same venue. The Puck 3's in the second picture actually alternate from dark green to light green and is taken after dark but there were only 2 small windows in the place anyways. With the Puck 3's , no other lighting was needed at night. The guests could see perfectly to eat and mingle. These were tough walls to uplight in the first place due to the rust red colored paint and a 6" wooden shelf that went around the perimeter about 4 feet up from the floor.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/hiker9/P8060236.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/hiker9/PA140013.jpg