Monthly Archives: September 2011

6 Questions for Matt Holmes

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Congratulations to our October facebook Fan of the Month! Matt is originally from Minneapolis, MN and currently resides in Newport, MN. He was a league bowler when cosmic bowling was invented and felt the lights and fog made the sport more fun and exciting. He’s a huge fan of lighting and thinks that lighting is necessary and evolving.

1. Favorite CHAUVET® light/product: CHAUVET® 4Play

2. Favorite CHAUVET® YouTube video: Chauvet Lighting Launches Over 30 New Products At NAMM 2011
 
3. Favorite DJ: DJ Doboy
 
4. Favorite event/nightclub with lights: Any and all concerts
 
5. Favorite tip for new CHAUVET® DJs: Use LED fixtures because they won’t trip circuit breakers, you can daisy chain multiple units, the fixtures run cooler and you won’t have to continuously replace bulbs.
 
6. Complete this sentence, “A show without lights is like:” dancing in the dark.

CHAUVET® Joins DJ Video Network

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DJ Video Network is a video-sharing community featuring an ever-expanding library of industry-related shows that can be viewed for free on a computer, mobile device or television. Basically, it’s “Internet TV for DJs, by DJs” and mobile and club disc jockeys of every variety are quickly becoming loyal viewers.

DJ Video Network is a one-stop destination for DJs who are interested in content such as: gear reviews, tutorials, entertainment, news, music mixing, contests, and a variety of other topics. Membership is free and members have access to groups which allow them to share opinions, ideas and questions with each other.

Visit the CHAUVET® page and watch new product videos, take part in contests and so much more. You can also sign up to be our fan on facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Fancy Footwork

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One of our customers was having a tough time trying to figure out DMX controllers. As a mobile DJ and proud owner of COLORstrip™ and COLORstrip™ Mini wash lights, he was in search of an easy way to control his fixtures that didn’t involve a DMX controller.

“No one seemed to want to recommend or give much information on the LED-FS1 foot controller made for the COLORstrip™, so I decided to buy one anyway. Bamm!!! This is a great pedal that works exactly the way you want and controls the blackout, static colors, chase programs and strobe speed functions of the COLORstrip™. I have since sold off my DMX controllers for the easy-to-use foot controller. I hope that someday CHAUVET® will add a screen to the pedal so you can see what program you are on. This feature would be well worth it! I pride myself on offering the best in sound and lighting and CHAUVET® is a big part of that. Thanks for the great products!“

Mike Bembenek
A Sound Business

Interview with CHAUVET® Product Manager, Allan Reiss

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Our very own Product Development Manager, Allan Reiss, was recently interviewed on “That DJ Podcast.” Tune in as DJ Rockin’ Rob, host of “That DJ Podcast,” gets one-on-one with Reiss as they discuss CHAUVET®, gobos, downloadable apps that will control your fixtures, the DJ world and more. Click the image below to download the interview.

Obey™ 70: Absolute Control in the DMX Lighting Zone

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-written by DJ Nate
SoundPros-Iowa, professional sound, lighting and event company in Marshalltown, Iowa

I have been doing quite a few weddings lately, and have been using PC-based software for programming my lights. As I was doing my monthly gear check the other day, I found tucked away in a road case with my backup mixer my CHAUVET® Obey™ 70 controller. I decided that I would fire it up and make sure it was in working order. I hooked up a few CHAUVET® SlimPAR™ 56 fixtures, an Intimidator 1.0™, and some COLORstrip™ Mini lights, and right away I remembered how easy this controller was to use and operate.

From the joystick control of the pan and tilt functions for my scanners to programming scenes and chase sequences, I was in the DMX lighting zone. Before I knew it, I had two full banks of scenes and three chase sequences programmed and ready to go!

Getting back to DMX basics was good for my brain as well. I had become accustomed to the computer doing all the work for me and telling me which address I had to give to certain fixtures, and how dip switches needed to be configured. Also, it was a good exercise since a few of my lights do not have digital displays.

With the Obey™ 70, flexibility is not a problem. The Obey™ 70 can accommodate up to 12 fixtures, and each fixture can have up to 32 channels of DMX control. Up to 240 separate scenes can be stored in 30 different banks, and recalling them is a breeze with the easy to read digital display. The Obey™ 70 fits in a standard 19-inch rack and is an extremely versatile controller for club and mobile applications. It can handle any moving head or scanner on the market today such as the Intimidator™ Scan LED 300, or the Q-Spot™ 260 LED.

Like the rest of the Obey™ family of controllers, it is a great value for the money! My Obey™ 70 just got called up from the bullpen and will be put into the starting lineup at my next event!

Top 10 Items to Bring to a Gig

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by Allan Reiss, Product Manager for CHAUVET® Club/DJ

It has happened to the best of us: you arrive at your gig and start unpacking all your equipment when you realize you forgot something crucial in order to run your light show. It’s almost a guarantee that the hotel where you’re DJing the wedding doesn’t sell DMX cables in their gift shop and there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do. Before you leave for any gig, run through this checklist to ensure you have everything you need to run your show flawlessly.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ / mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.  Look for more helpful posts like this one to come.

3 reasons to go beyond effect lighting

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by Allan Reiss, Product Manager for CHAUVET® Club/DJ and Karl Detken, Director of Brand Management

If you feel you got comfortable using your fun and simple plug-and-play fixtures, it’s time you step out of your comfort zone and consider an upgrade—especially if the events you usually book are weddings, corporate functions, high school parties or bar mitzvahs.
Don’t misunderstand me, effect lighting is definitely worth it. But is it enough? What if you bring in some uplighting? Or some laser beams? What if you could upsell these options? Click here to find out the benefits of going beyond basic effect lighting.

DJ Profile: DJ Joey Inez

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DJ Joey Inez of Mixterious Force DJs has been a DJ for the past 27 years. He specializes in weddings, but has been known to get any type of party started. He lives in California and caters to the Orange County area. Let’s get to know a little bit about our fellow DJ!

1. How and when did you get started as a DJ? What types of events do you do?
I actually started Djing when I was 14 years old.  I wanted to be like my friends and have a job delivering newspapers to homes, but my parents wouldn’t let me because they thought it was too dangerous.  During that time, my older sister was in high school and had friends that were DJs, so I began to hang around them and learned to “beat-mix” and “scratch” because that was the in thing back in 1984.  As I started Djing, my parents used to drive me to a gig, help me set up, and later return to pick me up.  That’s how it went until I was able to drive myself to gigs.  My passion for music and entertaining crowds has kept me Djing for close to 27 years now.  We specialize in weddings and occasionally do parties.

2. Is this a full-time job or something you do on the side? If it’s a side job, please let us know what you do full time.
Being a Dj is only a part-time job for me.  I work full time as a firefighter.

3. What fixtures (types and how many) are included in your setup? Why did you choose the fixtures you did? What are you looking to add?
We have had so many compliments on our light show. Our set up includes the following CHAUVET® fixtures: four Intimidator™ 1.0 scanners, two Intimidator™ 2.0 scanners, two LEDrain™ 38C wash lights used to uplight our light stands and 16 SlimPAR™ 56  wash lights to provide uplighting at different venues. We selected these fixtures because of the price point as well as the quality in construction. The next item that I’d like to add to our collection is a centerpiece fixture.

4. What is your favorite fixture and why?
I’d have to say that the SlimPAR™ 56 wash lights are my favorite.  I was blown away with the brightness of these fixtures and they are incredibly easy to set up. Also, they’re very compact which makes transportation simple.

5. Best advice you can give someone just getting started in the DJ industry?
Listen to your client’s needs.  Once you gain experience, you can help suggest different ideas to make their function more memorable.  Recommend things that you’ve seen “work well” and those things that “haven’t worked quite as well.”

6. What are your top three most requested songs?
My three most requested songs are: “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO , “I’ve Gotta Feelin” by the Black Eyed Peas  and “Shout” by The Isley Brothers.

Embrace your inner control freak: Boards vs. Software

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by Allan Reiss, product manager for CHAUVET®

DJs have options when it comes to controlling lighting gear. Traditional control boards give you the feel of hardware as you slide the faders up and down to control the features of your fixtures, while modern software programs let you control your fixtures from your computer or smart phone (it may sound crazy but it’s totally possible). Click here to read the pros and cons of both types of control and decide which is best for your needs.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ / mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.  Look for more helpful posts like this one to come.

ShowXpress™ in control at Performer’s Edge Dance Center

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For the past three years, Jim Hollborn has been controlling the lights at Performer’s Edge Dance Center’s annual recital with ShowXpress™. The software has simplified the once daunting task of having to create schemes for over 80 different dance pieces which take place during two, three-hour shows.

Prior to ShowXpress™, Hollborn hired an in-house lighting technician who controlled the lights with an ETC-Expression X2 control board. He used to spend an extra $1,500 in theatre rental fees for the additional day needed for programming. Saving money on rental fees aside, Hollborn can create more interesting and elaborate schemes and add more light changes per dance. 

“The timeline feature is the main reason why I chose ShowXpress™,” Hollborn said. “I used to run the music and verbally cue the light tech (who wasn’t familiar with the dances) and the timing was always off. Now, I can create the lighting shows I want and since I’m saving money, I can add more LED lighting to my shows.”