The LED Revolution
LED fixtures have been around for many years as support fixtures. But they are now taking centre stage and we are increasingly finding that installs are LED only.
What are the advantages of using LED lighting?
Highly energy efficient
LED lights use a fraction of the energy of conventional stage and event lighting. This makes them much cheaper to use as it saves on electricity. In addition, it also means that LEDs are the perfect solution in small venues where power loading has to be taken into consideration.
No need to replace lamps
Most LED lights are rated for over 100,000 hours of use without the need to ever replace a lamp! With regular usage this will significantly reduce the maintenance costs of looking after your fixtures.
Low heat radiation
LED lights emit very low amounts of heat. Unlike old conventional lighting that burn at 1000 watts or more, LEDs are low wattage. The benefits of low heat emission include increased safety, cooler venues, and the superior comfort for those on stage or in front of the lights.
Highly saturated colour
Unlike conventional lights that use a colour filter, LED lights can display a variety of LED colours such as Red, Green, Blue, White, Amber and UV. By doing so an almost endless mix of these colours can create stunning colours from a single fixture.
High brightness
LED lights are super bright. This brightness makes for stunning and dramatic colours and stage effects. It also means LED lights can be installed as house lighting in large venues.
Improved effects and gobos
With crisp, bright optics, gobo’s and effects take on a whole new level with LED. No longer do you need to worry about washing out your effects.
No dimmer rack required
If only using LED lights, no dimmer rack is required. This makes LEDs easier to run, more portable, and much more energy efficient. Just plug them via DMX into a controller and they are ready for operation.
Rigging
LED lights can smoothly fade between colours. With the vast improvement in moving head fixtures, you can significantly decrease the amount of lighting that needs to be rigged. Where you previously needed one fixture of each colour, you can now substitute them all for one LED fixture. Moving head fixtures are especially useful in educational setups, as it minimises the need to access the equipment, which is often not possible for students.
Old Barn Audio Recommends:
There are many LED fixtures available to suit almost any application, but here are some of our favourites:
Chauvet Intimidator 375 Zoom
Intimidator Spot 375Z IRC is an exceptionally bright, 150W LED moving head spot designed for large events. It features motorised zoom for short-throw or long-throw applications. Dual rotating prisms splits the beam for great effects and to cover a larger area. The motorised focus ensures crisp projections at almost any distance and the built-in Totem mode keeps the beams exactly where you want them. Intimidator Spot 375Z IRC includes built-in, automated and sound-activated programs or it can be controlled in DMX or Master/Slave mode. The powerCON®-compatible power input/output connections for power linking are also onboard.
Martin MH1 Profile Plus
This super bright LED profile moving head is even brighter than its predecessor RUSH MH 1 Profile with 50% more output. Efficient optics with an increased beam angle from 13 degrees to 16 degrees punches out a variety of effects and colours from two gobo wheels and two color wheels. For added versatility and effect, it also houses an electronic dimmer and strobe, iris and 3-facet prism and an improved cooling system for quieter operation.
Martin MH6 Wash
The RUSH MH 6 Wash is an exciting adaption of the hugely popular RUSH PAR 2 RGBW Zoom, using the same LED engine and zoom system, but additionally featuring moving head capability. The RUSH MH 6 Wash offers a fully pre-mixed color system from 12 x 10 W RGBW LEDs with a spectacular 10°–60° zoom. It also offers full electronic dimming, strobe effects and temperature-controlled fan cooling for quiet operation.
Chauvet Ovation Profile:
Ovation E-910FC is a high-performance ERS-style fixture with full RGBA-Lime colour mixing and colour temperature presets of 2800 to 6500 K that match the output of a tungsten source to perfection. Control options include full 16-bit dimming (per colour and master), selectable PWM, RDM and onboard dimming curve selection. Also accessible is our Virtual Colour Wheel which matches popular gel colours.