Monthly Archives: July 2012

The Inside Scoop on Wireless Fixtures

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by Nick Airriess, CHAUVET® DJ Product Specialist

Wireless DMX provides mobile entertainers with a simple and convenient DMX solution without the hassle, time and expense of DMX cables. The best way to enhance a fixture with built-in wireless DMX is adding battery power and an infrared remote control (IRC) — imagine the possibilities with a 100% TRUE wireless fixture. Need to setup uplighting in a historic building or location with limited sources of power? Not a problem. Have a limited amount of time to setup/breakdown and don’t want the added cost of extra labor? It doesn’t matter, because you won’t need the extra help. Need to instantly change the color of all your fixtures? You can easily make the switch with the press of a button. Investing in fixtures with wireless DMX not only saves time and money, it is worth its weight in gold just for the convenience of easily controlling your lights. Read on.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET® DJ.

CHAUVET® DJ ShowXpress™ FAQ

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by John Dominguez, assistant service manager for CHAUVET® DJ

ShowXpress™ is one of the hottest DMX software on the market today. For those of you who don’t know, ShowXpress™ can turn any laptop or smartphone into a lighting console. Plus, it’s a free download from the CHAUVET® site.

If you’re new to the software or merely need a refresher, I’ve put together a few frequently asked questions that we in Customer Service have received. It’s our continuing goal to give help to anyone who needs it and if this inspires additional questions, we are happy to assist.

Without further ado, here are the FAQs :

Can I get shortcuts to access on the screen?
You sure can! Try the keyboard for easy access  on several commands. For example, CRTL/APPLE + N: Create New profile.
For more information try page 55 of your ShowXpress™ manual.

Can I use a wireless remote to trigger my show?
Yes! CHAUVET® DJ provides our own proprietary IR Remote the Xpress™ Remote. (An alternative is to use a standard Philips® universal remote code.) This will work with up to 10 scenes, access page 57 in your ShowXpress™ manual.

How do I update my software?
It’s easy! Software updates are available on our website.  Keep checking in for regular updates on this page or our Facebook page. See page 56 in your ShowXpress™ manual.

What’s included in the ShowXpress™ interface?
Each ShowXpress™ interface ships with an 8 cm disk containing the software and hardware drivers.

  • 1 x Interface
  • 1 x ShowXpress™ Software Program
  • 1 x USB Cable

See page 8 in your ShowXpress™ manual. 

My driver failed to install. What should I do?
We have you covered!  If the driver installation fails or you need to reinstall the driver for any reason, the driver can be installed manually. Please follow the instructions below:

1. Click [START>CONTROL PANEL>SYSTEM >HARDWARE>DEVICE MANAGER] to access the hardware devices on your computer.

2. Extend the “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” section by clicking on the small square to the left.
See page 15 in your ShowXpress™ manual.

You can always contact us at 800.762.1084 (press 4) or customercare [at] chauvetlighting [dot] com.

Off the Hookah is Smokin’ Hot with CHAUVET®

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Located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale, Off the Hookah features world-ranked flair bartenders, belly dancers and a hypnotizing light show made up of more than 200 CHAUVET® fixtures. To create the one-of-a-kind atmosphere, lighting designers installed 32 Epix™ Strip pixel-mapping strip light, 28 Q-Wash™ 260-LED and four Q-Spot™ 560-LED moving heads, four Impulse™ 648 strobe lights and more than 100 COLORstrip™ wash lights. Check out the eye-candy below and stay tuned for the complete installation story and On the Road video story.


An Examination of Intimidator™ Spot LED 150

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Kenneth Merenda, aka DJ K-Rock, of Houston, Texas considers himself a DJ hobbyist. Though DJing is not his primary source of income, he frequently DJs for promotional events like in-store fashion shows for clothing boutiques, the Simon Fashion Show held at the Houston Galleria and an annual winter hair fashion show for Visible Changes salon. Merenda just added an Intimidator™ Spot LED 150 to his setup — read on as he reviews his latest addition.

1. Why did you select a CHAUVET® DJ fixture?
I did quite a bit of product research for fixtures in my price range, and CHAUVET® was always the most popular. That information, coupled with my past experience with CHAUVET® fixtures, made it an easy call.

2. Why did you decide to purchase the Intimidator™ Spot LED 150?
I knew I wanted a moving yoke, but I wasn’t going to commit to anything until I saw it in action. When I arrived at Guitar Center and saw all of the display fixtures they had running, there was one that stood out brighter than the rest – Intimidator™ Spot LED 150. I had to get a sales representative to verify that the fixture I saw really was the one I was thinking of. I couldn’t believe the output. I bought this fixture the same day I bought the new iPad, and I had a lot more fun playing with the fixture than I did with the iPad.

3. What specific features were you looking for?
Fixture quality and brightness were the most important. Whatever I decided on had to be very bright and I didn’t want an ugly or cheap looking fixture because most of my events are done at fashion shows where house lighting stays on.

4. What do you like best about the Intimidator™ Spot LED 150?
The output is, by far, the best.  It exceeds the brightness I expected from an LED fixture and creates nice crisp edges with the gobos. For the price of this fixture, there isn’t too much not to like. A prism or rotating gobos would have knocked it out of the park, but I’m still happy.

5. Do you feel it’s easy to operate?
Incredibly easy. Setting up DMX is just as simple as switching to sound-active mode or using fast/slow macros.

6. Would you recommend this fixture, why or why not?
I would absolutely recommend it.  I plan to get at least one more myself. I DJ for two reasons:  the music and the toys.  I hate cheap DJ light shows where you can tell they bought the “party lighting package” box.” Intimidator™ Spot LED 150 lets me put on a nightclub-quality light show without spending thousands of dollars.

You Should Be Dancing on COLORrail™

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Check out this unique take on a custom dance floor. New Zealand-based MDR Sound and Lighting created this floor using 12 CHAUVET® DJ COLORrail™ IRC linear wash lights placed inside 12 custom squares painted a reflective white paint. Afterwards, a “thick piece of sandblasted Perspex™” is placed on top “to diffuse the light.” Brodie Noon, general manager and director for MDR, went on to say the lights are “controlled by CHAUVET® DJ ShowXpress™ using CHAUVET® DJ Xpress™ 512 Plus with a remote control for the owner to select different programs easily.” They also added in a CHAUVET® DJ Rotosphere™ LED for effects.

Here are some behind-the-scenes shots of the project as it was built.

Here is the finished floor:
And video:

4BAR™ Lights BlackJade

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BlackJade, a classic and alternative rock band, typically plays at clubs, private events, waterfront bars and restaurants in the tri-state area of Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts about six to eight nights per month. Band member Tim Sullivan uses a number of CHAUVET ® DJ 4BAR™ wash lighting systems to effectively wash the stage with color. Read on and see how Sullivan utilizes the fixture to light his band.

“We searched for LED fixtures capable of providing good stage coverage. Out of the many CHAUVET® DJ fixtures we implemented into our rig, we use one 4BAR™ system behind the drums to hit the stage and provide reflective lighting, while two more fixtures (one on each side of the stage) create a complete mid-center stage wash.

The 4BAR™ solution is compact, lightweight and has great features. This fixture replaced our conventional PAR64 and PAR56 cans and eliminated issues relating to weight, transportation, space, heat and wattage.

The long, foot-pedal wire is a key feature in the 4BAR™ because there are times when we run all of our fixtures from it. If you send the 4BAR™ DMX out to other LED systems, you can control the other lights’ color as long as those lights have a three-channel RGB mode. When the 4BAR™ changes color, the entire stage lighting system follows along keeping the stage active and interesting.

The fixture meets my expectations, but I would like to see improvements to the firmware programming inside the 4BAR™, 4PLAY™ and 6SPOT™.

I tried many brands over the last 10 years and finally realized CHAUVET® products seem to last longer and provide the best value.”

 

Wedding is COMPLETE with CHAUVET® DJ

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COMPLETE Music, Video and Photo lit this wedding using all CHAUVET® DJ fixtures. In this photo, 12 COLORpalette™ wash lights utilizing Satellite™ D-Fi wireless DMX control created a perfect rose-colored wash.

Basic Tips for Easy Mounting

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by Allan Reiss, CHAUVET® DJ product manager

Once you establish a lighting collection, you will need to decide how you want to display your fixtures during gigs. Depending on the look you’re trying to achieve, you can choose to mount them to speakers, tripods or truss (check out TRUSST®, the new trussing system backed by CHAUVET®), or set them up on the floor or place them on tables. Read on and explore your options.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET® DJ.

Detonate Blows Up with CHAUVET®

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The recent Detonate Indoor Festival featured loads of CHAUVET® gear and the hottest drum and bass acts around. Sub Focus, David Rodigan, Skream and more performed under (or in front of) CHAUVET® Professional MVP™ 18 modular video panels, CHAUVET® Professional Q-Spot™ 260-LED and CHAUVET® Professional Q-Wash™ 260-LED moving heads, CHAUVET® DJ Intimidator™ Scan LED 300 scanners, CHAUVET® Professional COLORdash™ Accent, CHAUVET® Professional COLORado™ 1 Tour, CHAUVET® Professional COLORdash™ Par Tri, CHAUVET® DJ SlimPAR™ 56, CHAUVET® DJ COLORband™ Pix, CHAUVET® DJ COLORband™ Tri wash lights, and CHAUVET® DJ Hemisphere™ 5 effect lights. Check out these photos from The Forum (one of eight stages in four venues at the festival).

CHAUVET® DJ sets the mood at Martin Estate

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Luxe Productions created this magnificent uplighting display for a wedding held at Martin Estate in Rockford, Ill. Nearly 150 guests attended the elaborate celebration lit by 26 CHAUVET® DJ fixtures. Fifteen SlimPAR™ Pro RGBA wash lights uplit the reception room, DJ area and dance floor, while five more lit the trees surrounding the venue. For additional effects, four LED Pinspot™ fixtures highlighted the plant arrangements and two Vue™ 2.1 effect lights created movement on the dance floor.