CHAUVET® DJ and TRUSST® Prove to Be a Saving Grace for S.H.E.A.R., Inc.

Posted on May 16, 2013 by CHAUVET

CHAUVET® DJ and TRUSST® are teaming together to support S.H.E.A.R., Inc., Sharing Hope Empowerment and Reaction, in their effort to help at-risk youth in Miami. The dynamic duo is lending a hand by sponsoring the Holy Ghost -N- Da Hood gospel concert held on June 15 at the Miami Rescue Mission. To enhance live performances by renowned gospel artists, including Malcolm Hawkins, Mark Samuel and Scum of the Earth, the stage is set to feature 26 CHAUVET® DJ fixtures and a 24-piece TRUSST® trussing system.

Anthony Durden, quality control technician for Chauvet and president of S.H.E.A.R., Inc., partnered with Raglan Jones, product coordinator for Chauvet, to create a design that complemented the event. For a prominent focal point on stage, Jones designed a TRUSST®-built cross illuminated with four SlimPAR™ Quad 6 IRC wash lights and crafted from one 2.5-meter and three 1-meter sticks of truss, one 6-way corner block and one 30-inch base plate. To add dimension, he incorporated six Intimidator™ Spot LED 350 moving heads mounted atop two 1-meter, two 1.5-meter and two 2-meter sticks of TRUSST® warmed with six SlimPAR™ Quad 6 IRC wash lights into the design. Additionally, two 4BAR™ Tri wash lights will add front lighting to performers, while two Geyser™ RGB fixtures, two Impulse™ 648 strobe lights and a Nimbus™ dry-ice machine emit impressive, eye-catching effects. To enhance beams and tie the light show together, two Hurricane™ Haze 2D haze machines will be placed at the rear of the stage. For more information about this event, please click here.

Take a sneak peek of the design and stay tuned for post-event photos!

DJ Profile: DJ Dennis J

Posted on June 14, 2012 by CHAUVET

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DJ Dennis “Dennis J” Jones, owner of The Creative Music DJ, has been entertaining since 1987. Located in San Diego, his full service, turntable-based entertainment company provides entertainment for weddings, corporate events and upscale birthday celebrations.

1. How and when did you get started as a DJ?
I have always been into music, and have a great deal of respect for the art of “turntablism.” When I was old enough, I got a job and saved up enough money to buy my first set of turntables. My neighbors can attest to the nightly sounds coming from the garage as I learned to mix by ear with vinyl. I didn’t have any DJ friends so I taught myself the basics and bought VHS tapes to learn more.

2. Is this a full-time job or something you do on the side?
This is my full-time career. I did the collegiate thing in the past and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Business. Working Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., meeting couples every night to discuss weddings plans and DJing once or twice every weekend got tiring. I was laid off in 2008 and decided to pursue DJing full time. I have been fortunate enough to earn a decent living off of it.

3. What CHAUVET® fixtures are included in your setup?
4BAR™ Tri is my staple lighting fixture. I’m actually thinking about purchasing another one to illuminate the other side of the room. I also have a decent amount of CHAUVET® LED PARS for uplighting.

4. What is your favorite fixture and why?
My favorite fixture is the 4BAR™ Tri — it gives opportunity for great dance floor photos. I see a lot of photos and the dance floor is always so dark — not my events. Here is a photo of a dance floor with just one 4BAR™ Tri:

5. Best advice you can give someone just getting started in the DJ industry?
Practice your craft. There are a lot of people making money who just ‘play music’ who have no respect for the art of DJing. If you want to stand out, don’t be one of those people. Also, embrace working with other professionals. A good, professional vendor makes DJing a lot easier and much more enjoyable.

6. What are your top three most requested songs?
“Party Rock Anthem,” “Cha-Cha Slide” and “Cupid Shuffle” are my most requested songs. I’m guessing those will be replaced by another Top 40 hit in the near future. Nowadays, songs that come out don’t stick around for very long.

Band Profile: Bad Habitz

Posted on June 6, 2012 by CHAUVET

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Bad Habitz, a youth rock band based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, jams out under the light of CHAUVET® DJ fixtures. Jon-Paul LeClair runs the light show for this little group of rockers and incorporates 23 CHAUVET® DJ fixtures in their setup. Read on and get to know more about the band.

1. How did you come up with the name of the band?
The founder’s last name is Abitz, so they thought Bad Habitz would be a cool name.

2. How many members are there?
The band is comprised of four members: Zakk Abitz, 13 (lead vocals, lead guitar), Chloe Abitz, 10 (drums, vocals), Parker-Jon LeClair, 13 (bass, vocals) and Tanner Lardinois, 14 (rhythm, lead guitar and vocals).

3. What type of music do you play?
Bad Habitz plays 70’s and 80’s hard rock, as well as anything from Tesla, FireHouse, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Soundgarden and Metallica.

4. What CHAUVET® DJ fixtures are included in your setup?
I use two 4BAR™ Tri wash lights for uplighting, six SlimPAR™ Tri-12 IRC to wash the stage and highlight performers and eight SlimPAR™ 64 for highlighting the drummer and downlighting. Two 4Play™ effect lights create a nice beam effect, while two Intimidator™ Scan LED 300 scanners add movement and excitement. The fixtures are controlled using an Obey™ 40 controller and a Data Stream™ 4 allows me to run lines to each section of the stage instead of daisy chaining everything. To enhance the beams and make the lights pop, I use a Hurricane™ 1100 fog machine.

5. Are they permanently installed somewhere or do you set them up for each performance?
The band performs in local bars throughout Fox Valley, at festivals and other events. My rig is completely portable and has to be to accommodate the band. It probably takes about an hour, sometimes a little bit longer, to set everything up.

6. Complete this thought: A show without lights is like…..
A show without lights is like steak without A1 Steak Sauce. It’s that important.

6 Questions for Arc Thames

Posted on May 1, 2012 by CHAUVET

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Congratulations to our May Facebook Fan of the Month, Arc Thames. Thames lives in Pace, Fla. and works full time as a network engineer. He also volunteers as the lead front of house engineer for Pace Assembly of God church and as the sergeant for the local police department’s auxiliary. He is passionate about lighting and anything and everything media related. Read on and get to know more about our loyal fan!

1. Favorite CHAUVET® light/product:
My favorite CHAUVET® fixture is the 4Bar™ Tri wash light. At that price, you can’t beat the light output and all inclusive package. It’s a very useful and versatile fixture.

2. Favorite CHAUVET® YouTube video:
Any of the product demo videos. I watch them anytime I am looking for a new fixture.

3. Favorite DJ:
Karl Detken. He’s one cool guy and he works for CHAUVET®.

4. Favorite event/nightclub with lights:
In terms of lighting, I think the most impressive event I’ve been to would be either a Third Day or Michael Bublé concert. Both had massive amounts of lighting.

5. Favorite tip for new CHAUVET® DJs:
Do your research. Lighting is changing all the time and you want to get the right to meet your needs. I use the CHAUVET® DJ Facebook page religiously to find out what others are doing.

6. Complete this sentence: A show without lights is like…
A church without Jesus, or Disney World without Mickey Mouse.

DJ Profile: DJ Dave

Posted on April 17, 2012 by CHAUVET

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Dave Petry, aka DJ Dave, owns DJ Dave Productions in Houston and specializes in providing DJ & entertainment services for weddings, corporate events and birthday parties. He started playing the guitar at age 7 and his love and passion for music led him down a natural path to becoming a DJ. Read on and get to know more about your fellow DJ.

1. How and when did you get started as a DJ?
After playing in bands and recording several albums (“Behind the Scene” and “Colourful Freedom” by The Rafters currently on iTunes), I finally decided to become a professional DJ. I had experience entertaining and DJing for family and friends so the transition was a natural for me because I already knew sound equipment and lighting gear. My wife and I started DJ Dave Productions about six years ago and together we make a dynamic team for our clients.

2. Is this a full-time job or something you do on the side?
This is a full-time job for me.

3. What fixtures are included in your setup?
We use a multitude of fixtures including Intimidator™ Spot LED 250 moving heads, Scorpion™ Storm lasers, LED Followspot 75, COLORpalette™ wash lights, and 4BAR™ Tri and 4Play CL™ effect lights. We’re looking into truss to bring the added “wow” factor to our events.

4. What is your favorite fixture and why?
My favorite fixtures are the 4BAR™ Tri and 4Play CL™ effect lights. These are just right for most wedding receptions we do.

5. Best advice you can give someone just getting started in the DJ industry?
Be patient, invest in a professional website, join a professional DJ association like the American Disc Jockey Association, and attend trade shows and seminars to become a better DJ. Your income and future depends solely on this. Raise your rates so you can make a good living in this awesome and fantastic profession. Be proud to be a professional DJ and always set high standards and a great example for the industry.

6. What are your top three most requested songs?
“Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO
“Cupid Shuffle” by Cupid
“I Gotta Feeling’” by The Black Eyed Peas

CHAUVET® DJ INfects MBLV16

Posted on February 20, 2012 by CHAUVET

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Team CHAUVET® DJ traveled to Las Vegas to introduce MBLV16 attendees to our new world standard of INfectious lighting. During the show, we handed out “Lighting is INfectious” swag, gave a ShowXpress™ tutorial, rubbed elbows with some staples in the DJ community, spread the word about the $4K Social and illuminated celebrity DJs on the main stage.

To show off our latest products, we mounted more than 100 fixtures in our 20-by-20-foot booth. The most popular fixtures included the Nimbus™ dry-ice machine, the pixel-mapping PiX™ series, the battery-operated, 100% TRUE wireless Freedom™ series and the new Intimidator™ scanners and moving heads. The main stage featured celebrity artists, including Young MC, illuminated by 4Bar™ Tri wash lights and Q-Spot™ 260-LED moving heads. Check out some of the photos we took while we were on the road!

CHAUVET® is Pretty in Pink

Posted on January 18, 2012 by CHAUVET

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Arc Thames of Santa Rosa Sound and Lighting Production sent us this photo from a wedding at FIrst Pentecostal Church in Pensacola, Fla. The setup included eight COLORdash™ Batten wash lights and two 4BAR™ Tri effect lights. He also used a Gobo Zoom™ LED to project the gobo featuring the newlywed’s names.

Dealer Trip: Minnesota

Posted on December 9, 2011 by CHAUVET

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Central Territory/Key Accounts Manager, Jeremy Pace

Central Territory/Key Accounts Manager Jeremy Pace was in Minneapolis at EMI Audio for a CHAUVET® Demo Day to showcase these awesome effect lights: Fallout™, Swarm™, Circus™, Orb™, Sweeper™ LED, plus the new gobo projector, Gobo Zoom™ LED 2.0. For more on our awesome lights, stay INformed and check out these two LED drapes that are perfect for your DJ booths or for any back drop: SparkleDrape™ LED, MotionDrape™ LED. Find out more about the complete wash lighting solution 4BAR™ Tri or color-changer system 6SPOT™. And if that’s not enough, feast your eyes and get INspired from these photos and by watching the amazing video we posted here for the COLORrail™ IRC linear wash (with optional remote!).

South9 in South Florida

Posted on November 11, 2011 by CHAUVET

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Dave Patten and David Ricks of South9 Entertainment took a tour of CHAUVET® HQ to learn more about lights, ShowXpress™ and how to use both in their video and film work. South9 has since incorporated 4BAR™ Tri wash lights in at least two of their music videos. One for the Wale (f. Meek Mill) song “100 Hunnit” (which has nearly two million hits on YouTube!) and one for the Dave Patten song “Think!”. Watch the behind the scenes short about the latter video, as well as the entire video, below. Also, while they were here, they shot a video of their experience, check it out.