LED lighting.

[Phil Starr]

19 hours ago, Sean said:

Which ones are these, Phil?

Do you have any photos or videos of them in action?

Hi Sean  I'm assuming that you mean the lights? I haven't really filmed the lightshow as such, I've got a couple of short clips of the 6 led bars I was talking about which I thought was on this thread. I'll look them out later.

 

I've had LED lighting for around 12 years now but I've only recently started to think about how to do it properly and this thread is about starting a conversation with people going the same route. £3-500 is probably a decent stab at how much a gigging pub band would need to spend to get something decent which would improve their 'look' and hopefully their marketability, ie bring in more/better gigs.

 

Having spent at least £500 and still not happy I'd say don't do what I did, have a plan based upon what is out there and what you want to achieve instead. I'm not too bothered, spare lights give me flexibility and I'll sell off all the lights I won't use once I'm happy. The good news is that a lot of the really cheap Chinese stuff is actually really effective and pretty reliable in use. I've only had one item dead on arrival and the UK supplier actually replaced the bulbs! I've got two laser lights that cost me £12 ea and fill the ceilings of venues with dancing green and red dots.

 

So, before spending a penny think about what you are trying to achieve:

• Lighting to make the band look good
• Lighting to allow the band to see what they are doing
• Lighting to improve the audience experience

 

You can probably achieve all of these with £500 but could spend thousands to do everythig well. You also need to think about convenience and set up times and this is my current issue with what I have.

 

Lighting to make the band look good

 

Any lighting will make the band look better, I even know one band who deliberately shine a light out of the windows to advertise that there is something going on inside the pub  You need these lights to be in the band area/stage and at least some of them pointing at the band. These can dazzle you if they are too powerful, some activity is useful too but would have to suit the band, A punk band is going to want more active lights than a Jazz trio. Most of the cheap lights are designed for disco's so that the chases are often too busy to be useful. Slow fades are rare. Just bathing the band in red/blue/straw or even white light can be effective here but think about what you want to do before you spend.

 

Lighting to allow the band to see what they are doing

 

Steady lighting is good here. You don't want the fretboard plunbged into darkness or a powerful strobe at the beginning of a difficult solo. You probably want diffuse light too I've had a lot of complaints from band members about being spotlighted (which is what I think) or dazzled (their interpretation  ) Most LED lights are pretty focussed so diffuse lighting is rare. Uplighting is usually effective but a trip hazard. 

 

Lighting to improve the audience experience

 

Dynamism and sound to light is the thing here. Some of the automatic chases and sound to light is fantastic. Some of my lights really follow the bass line and/or kick drum so keep the lights in tempo. Otheres have multiple led's and seem to rotate. You can also now buy lights that scan automatically for under £50 and some project moving patterns (gobos) through mirror systems.

 

Last warning, I always end up complicating things. All I'm saying is that if you have a picture in your head of what you are trying to achieve you'll spend more wisely. I started with a single bar with four PAR's like the Stairville one @Al Krow linked to. A couple of those ones would be brilliant if you wanted to keep it as simple as possible Two of the lamps can be set to white to illuminate the band and the rest will fill the dancefloor with light. The 40deg angle is ideall for a floodlight. Just putting two lights up controlled by a simple remote is about as easy and straightforward as you can get. I've had a beady eye on those for a while for the band where I do all the sound as well as the lights. My duo partner does the lights while I do sound so the lighting for the duo can be more complex. 

 

Gloucester is a bit of a drive but if you ever came over this way you'd be welcome to play with LED lighting over a coffee 

[Phil Starr]

On 27/08/2025 at 08:40, gazhowe said:

Here's a few clips we recorded pre-gig last year as a bit of a show reel. The while lights on guitar/vocal/bass work well with a reasonably bright stage wash. The one pointed at the drummer didn't cover the distance between t-bar and kit to illuminate the drummer well (I usually hide him with smoke anyway😄). You'll see from the clips with a dark (blue) stage you need to be reasonably disciplined where you stand as it's easy to move out of the white light. Hope this is useful info. 

 

This is a great illustration of flooding the stage with static colours and adding in some illumination of the instruments. Adding in a little up light/ flood of the drums would have solved the distance problem. I love the intense blue shots. No flashing lights means you concentrate on the band. 

[Stub Mandrel]

I bought two reall cheap 'par' lights that just turned out to be non-dmx with an ir controller identical to those used for light bulbs. One set to a warm yellow and the other to a magentaish colour either side of us are useful as some constant illumination. 

 

The lasers @Phil Starr  mentions are a great idea. A bit hit and miss about what you get, I have three and one is rather more powerful. I always aim them up at the ceiling. 

[Chienmortbb]

I think those Thomann lights are a bit expensive. IMO the best vendors for lighting are Stsge or DJ suppliers. 
 

Terralec do a good range Terralec Lighting and these are worth a look Equinox Light Cluster.

 

if you search DJ Suppliers , they will have more choice, both in price and range. I advise getting a set that has DMX control as you may want to get more lights later and you need to be able to control all of them. 

[gazhowe]

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

This is a great illustration of flooding the stage with static colours and adding in some illumination of the instruments. Adding in a little up light/ flood of the drums would have solved the distance problem. I love the intense blue shots. No flashing lights means you concentrate on the band. 

We have a couple of LEDJ 7Q5 pars that work well as uplights for the drums but stopped taking them to gigs due to grumblings within the band about the amount of gear we are taking to gigs (which is a fair comment 🙂).  I think we may need to revisit this.

 

Funnily enough, I've recently replaced everything in that lighting setup apart from the drum uplights (not in the video) and the lighting control (iPad / ADJ 4 stream bridge) with lights bought from AliExpress. I'm still applying the same principles;

 

1. Lights on stands pointing down where possible to avoid dazzling band members.

2. Static colour and slow fade colour change stage wash lights (it's not a disco 😉).

3. White lights on band members.

4. Moving heads to add effects/interest.

Edited 11 hours ago by gazhowe

[Phil Starr]

8 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

I think those Thomann lights are a bit expensive. IMO the best vendors for lighting are Stsge or DJ suppliers. 
 

Terralec do a good range Terralec Lighting and these are worth a look Equinox Light Cluster.

 

if you search DJ Suppliers , they will have more choice, both in price and range. I advise getting a set that has DMX control as you may want to get more lights later and you need to be able to control all of them. 

I think to an extent you get what you pay for. These are pretty powerful lights and the ability to isolate one light on each side and use it for lighting up the stage whilst the other three in each set light up the rest of the room are worth the extra money, but only if this is the way you use them. The 40deg lamps are also a desireable feature. I don't thnk they are expensive for what you get though not cheap either.,

 

DMX is interesting, most bands probably don't use it or just use it as a way of linking lamps in pairs/groups. Having a separate DMX controller is undoubtedly better in terms  of the final outcome but There's a steep learning curve and ultimately set up time. It's comparable in time and complexity with setting up a full PA system including monitors and subs and a similar learnig curve to operating the PA with a digital mixer (but slightly less intuitive). To date I've never used my controller at an actual gig.

 

I thought DMX needed at least a separate post.

[Phil Starr]

21 minutes ago, gazhowe said:

We have a couple of LEDJ 7Q5 pars that work well as uplights for the drums but stopped taking them to gigs due to grumblings within the band about the amount of gear we are taking to gigs (which is a fair comment 🙂).  I think we may need to revisit this.

 

Funnily enough, I've recently replaced everything in that lighting setup apart from the drum uplights (not in the video) and the lighting control (iPad / ADJ 4 stream bridge) with lights bought from AliExpress. I'm still applying the same principles;

 

1. Lights on stands pointing down where possible to avoid dazzling band members.

2. Static colour and slow fade colour change stage wash lights (it's not a disco 😉).

3. White lights on band members.

4. Moving heads to add effects/interest.

Great Post

 

I think this is the right way to look at things, I rushed in as an early adopter and will at some stage replace everything once I know exactly what I'm after.  I'm enjoying the experimentation and all of this stuff has decent used value but mine is not an approach I'd advise anyone else to follow, I'm just reporting the latest experiments

[gazhowe]

10 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

DMX is interesting, most bands probably don't use it or just use it as a way of linking lamps in pairs/groups. Having a separate DMX controller is undoubtedly better in terms  of the final outcome but There's a steep learning curve and ultimately set up time. It's comparable in time and complexity with setting up a full PA system including monitors and subs and a similar learnig curve to operating the PA with a digital mixer (but slightly less intuitive). To date I've never used my controller at an actual gig.

 

I thought DMX needed at least a separate post.

 

If I was getting my first lights and thinking about a cost effective and simple lighting setup I would go for two t-bars with four led par lights on each.  If you buy something like these (see link) which I've just bought they have in built programs that you can use without a DMX controller.  

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008004713042.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.25bbVKU1VKU1Rs&algo_pvid=1bc30bb9-c2b7-480c-be00-c870d3deadb0&algo_exp_id=1bc30bb9-c2b7-480c-be00-c870d3deadb0-2&pdp_ext_f={"order"%3A"46"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%2C"fromPage"%3A"search"}&pdp_npi=6%40dis!GBP!295.38!87.73!!!295.38!87.73!%40211b819117645836065426848eb613!12000043230307734!sea!UK!0!ABX!1!0!n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3A32eab0d4%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895%3BpisId%3A5000000194912328&curPageLogUid=rOphz0wl8iEz&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A|x_object_id%3A1005008004713042|_p_origin_prod%3A

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by gazhowe

[gazhowe]

2 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

Great Post

 

I think this is the right way to look at things, I rushed in as an early adopter and will at some stage replace everything once I know exactly what I'm after.  I'm enjoying the experimentation and all of this stuff has decent used value but mine is not an approach I'd advise anyone else to follow, I'm just reporting the latest experiments

All good advice @Phil Starr. I've been using lights with DMX control for years and I'm happy to chat with anyone to share some lessons I've learned.  For example; when thinking about DMX control it's a good idea to consider potential limitations of your controller as that can be expensive in the long run.  I've had to buy a different controller several times as the one I had wasn't capable of providing the number of DMX channels required to run or get the best out of new lights I'd bought.  I'm not an expert on software based DMX control but the software based system I'm using has eliminated that problem and extra expense.

[Phil Starr]

26 minutes ago, gazhowe said:

All good advice @Phil Starr. I've been using lights with DMX control for years and I'm happy to chat with anyone to share some lessons I've learned.  For example; when thinking about DMX control it's a good idea to consider potential limitations of your controller as that can be expensive in the long run.  I've had to buy a different controller several times as the one I had wasn't capable of providing the number of DMX channels required to run or get the best out of new lights I'd bought.  I'm not an expert on software based DMX control but the software based system I'm using has eliminated that problem and extra expense.

Yeah, I've had good experiences with U'King branded led's (like the PAR's you linked to)though the ratings are a bit wild with a lot of Chinese stuff. The bulbs are all coming from China though so even the name brands are using the same bulbs. I can't see any colour saturation difference between my ADJ brand name strips and the U'king ones. What you do get with the brands is a more useful set of built in programs and consistency between production runs. 

 

I'm going to start a separate thread about DMX, it might be good if you posted the first response. I'm still taking baby steps so I can't offer too much in the way of experience.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

The lasers @Phil Starr  mentions are a great idea. A bit hit and miss about what you get, I have three and one is rather more powerful. I always aim them up at the ceiling. 

 

They are great - just fill the ceiling with little red and green patterns for a fiver - whats not to like

[Al Krow]

I'm also taking the PA gear as well as the lights so, as Phil has touched on, getting something that that I could transport easily and be quick to set up was a key consideration for my crew.

 

Back in 2018 we got a pair of basic Chauvet DJ bank bar lights and a Chauvet GigBar2 all coming to around £450, when there wasn't so much choice as now and figuring it all out as a newbie without the benefit of this thread! But the GigBar2's relative bulk for transport meant it was only getting used at functions and the Stairville CLB5 is much more compact for transport, although I'm sure that @Stub Mandrel is correct that you can set up t-bar stands for less with separate pars (don't forget something decent to transport them in to avoid damage), but in my case, and the other two band leaders who bought this unit for their bands, getting something that was "plug and play" and in a convenient bespoke case was definitely a key factor with our limited technical abilities! It complements our pair of DJ bank bar lights, which we now mount on our PA poles, to give us a modest but decent lighting set up for most of our gigs.

 

I pulled together a short video clip to review some of the already-provided settings to share with the band - setting 12 got their vote!

 

Stairville CLB5 - Selected light settings

 

Edited 9 hours ago by Al Krow

[Sean]

All this has been very useful. Thank you, folks. 

Going to the "what", and taking @Phil Starr's advice

 

• Lighting to make the band look good - yes.
• Lighting to allow the band to see what they are doing - yes, definitely. 
• Lighting to improve the audience experience - yes. 

Plus

• Ease of use for total noewbie. 
• Ease of set-up.
• Expandable for the future. 
• Easily transportable.

 

The band I've just come out of had a t-bar with, I think,  6 PARs and they pointed in different directions, some flashing colour to sound changes, others just lighting the band. It’s amazing how little notice I took and now with the new band, I need to know all about it.

 

Here's a link to some video from Saturday night. It's a very typical venue layout, the stage area was generous for a 4-piece.

 

 

How would you go about lighting that if it was your band? 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Sean

[TimR]

I have

4 8" led Par Cans

4 mini Led spotlights

2 Moving head lights.

We have a laser with coloured lights in it as well.

 

I link the 4 mini Led lights together spread across the front to illuminate the band.

2 of the par Cans on stands either side.

The 2 moving heads linked together and they mimic each other in reflection.

It's ok but the sound to light just means random flashing lights all over the shop. 

 

I also have a Chauvet Obey 40 controller. I've played with the controller at home with everything connected but it's too many cables to connect. Next purchase will be WiFi DMX transmitter and rechargeable receivers. 

 

My plan is then to take everything off sound to light and program some simple chases where everything is a bit less manic. Will leave the moving heads in auto as programming sweeps with them is challenging using the Obey. 

[Stub Mandrel]

7 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

I think to an extent you get what you pay for. These are pretty powerful lights and the ability to isolate one light on each side and use it for lighting up the stage whilst the other three in each set light up the rest of the room are worth the extra money, but only if this is the way you use them. The 40deg lamps are also a desireable feature. I don't thnk they are expensive for what you get though not cheap either.,

 

DMX is interesting, most bands probably don't use it or just use it as a way of linking lamps in pairs/groups. Having a separate DMX controller is undoubtedly better in terms  of the final outcome but There's a steep learning curve and ultimately set up time. It's comparable in time and complexity with setting up a full PA system including monitors and subs and a similar learnig curve to operating the PA with a digital mixer (but slightly less intuitive). To date I've never used my controller at an actual gig.

 

I thought DMX needed at least a separate post.

 

Having played with dmx, it should make setup easier... just a couple of long cables to link the t-bars. No messing around setting up individual units as the controller will set them up.

 

I'm aiming for no more than choosing a preset or a bank and a speed between songs which should only take a few moments. I might do one or two chases later.

[gazhowe]

Our current lighting setup is as follows.  

• Two T-bars (gravity stands), each with 2 x pars (UKing ZQ01069) and 2 x moving heads (UKing ZQ02021)
• Two floor standing moving heads (UKing ZQO2356)
• Two floor standing pars (LEDJ 7Q5)
• ADJ 4 stream DMX with ADJ Airstream pro app on iPad
• Martin Magnum 800 smoke machine

 

The aims were as follows and I'm please to say that we've managed to achieve all three.  All of the UKing lights were bought from AliExpress and were cheaper than buying direct from UKing.

 

1. Get brighter stage lights than we previously had.

2. Make the light show more interesting.

3. Fund it all by selling our existing lights

[gazhowe]

10 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

Yeah, I've had good experiences with U'King branded led's (like the PAR's you linked to)though the ratings are a bit wild with a lot of Chinese stuff.

Many of the LED output ratings on AliExpress seem to be exaggerated so I've been careful to look for a UKing product code (e.g. ZQ02356) and check the spec on the UKing site before buying via AliExpress.  The prices fluctuate quite a bit and the ads can be quite misleading too (e.g. a picture of 4 lights but the price is for 1 light) so it pays to take care before you 'checkout'.

Edited 27 minutes ago by gazhowe