Today, mobile DJs are taking on more tasks that require more setup consideration.  One thing that most mobile DJ’s need to consider in their budget or future purchases is lighting.  How you are going to control them comes into consideration depending on what gigs you do and your budget.  First for your lighting setup, you need to decide if you want to go with DMX or non-DMX controlled lighting.  Depending on the size of your budget, you can start with non-DMX lighting and then upgrade to DMX lighting later on.  If you already can afford and want to go with DMX controlled lighting, it is a good choice for lighting.

Non-DMX controlled lighting systems include a controller, linkable relay pack(s), and control cable(s).  Multiple relay packs can be used by daisy chaining the packs together via control cables.  Non-DMX controllers can range from simple on/off control to on/off and chase control with built-in chase patterns. Some incorporate sound activation. They can also have built-in fog and strobe controls, and some controllers even have a timer controller built-in.  You can also put them on chases and other functions.  For convenience, there are foot controllers that can be use for the controller.

Chauvet Timer System

Chauvet Floor Master

Most non-DMX controlled lighting is very simple to set up.  The typical setup requires plugging the light fixture up to the relay pack (the relay pack controls the on/off of the AC power to the light fixture via the controller), connecting the controller to the relay via the control cable, and plugging the AC power to the relay pack and controller.  Then by using the on/off switches and timers on the controller, you are able to control the lights hooked to the relay pack.  The most common and basic light fixture is the PAR can.  PAR cans are good for general lighting and adding color to the stage or area to be illuminated.  The most common PAR cans are Par 64, Par 56, and Par 38. The larger the number, the larger physical size of the light fixture; the wattage capability also goes up.  Changing of the color on Par cans is done by using color gels.  They cannot be changed in mid show like DMX color washes can which will be covered later.  PAR fixtures can be used to create some really cool chase effects. 

Par 64

Par 56

Par 38

Also for non-DMX setups, you can use effect lighting like strobes, black lights, and motion lights that work off the relay packs.  Effect lighting is a good choice to add to your basic lighting and stay within your budget.  Effect lighting fixtures plug into the relay packs just like the PAR cans, and are controlled by the controller’s on/off switches.  There are many choices of effect lighting fixtures and that would go beyond the scope of this article.  So do some research and create a lighting sketch of what you have in mind for your lighting scheme to look like.  When your budget is ready for more in-depth lighting with more controllability, DMX controlled lighting is the way to go.
 
The other type of lighting control that we will cover is DMX controlled lighting which is becoming the most common and more widely used type.  I will not be able to fully cover DMX in this article but I will hit the high points. If you want a more in-depth understanding of implementing and setting up DMX lighting, start by going to Wikipedia:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMX512-A .  The internet is full of good information on DMX.

DMX512-A is a communications protocol and specifies that the connector is to be a 5-pin XLR connector.  DMX512-A was formally called DMX512 and this original standard did not specifically disallow the use of 3 pin connectors, so many manufacturers made units with 3 pin XLR connectors.  Each DMX data link or port can transmit up to 512 eight-bit values that range from 0 to 255 which can control 512 PAR cans or DMX device attributes.  Since DMX only supports a total of 512 channels per data link or port also know as DMX universe (a set of 512 DMX channels), the need for multiple DMX universes arose  Each DMX universe is made up of the data link or port from the console or DMX interface and all of the devices on that data link. More and more of today’s controller setups, whether console or computer based, do multiple universes.

The DMX signal that is transmitted contains a set of instructions that are used to tell the DMX fixtures what to do depending on how the fixture’s DMX channels are defined.  The DMX fixtures are daisy chained together using DMX cable.  Each DMX fixture is given a unique address either by dip switches or digital panel on the fixture; consult each individual fixture’s owner manual for addressing procedures.  You start addressing with the first fixture and assign an address of 1.  For example, say that the fixtures that you are using utilize 8 DMX channels each, then the second fixture’s address would be 9 and the third fixture’s address would be 17 and so on.  Use the owner’s manual as reference or control software when assigning DMX addresses.  Each fixture is assign as many channels as needed, then the next fixture start with the next unused DMX channel and the process is repeated.  This sounds challenging but it’s not really hard once you have programmed a few fixtures.

The DMX cable looks similar to XLR microphone cables, but that is the similar ends. The characteristics of the two types of cables are quite different.  Regular low impedance XLR microphone cable has enough difference in impedance and capacitance that the DMX512 data can be distorted which would affect operation and cause intermittent errors.  To end the daisy chain of fixtures, a terminator is used that can be bought or made by using a 120 ohms resistor soldered between pins 2 and 3 of a male XLR connector.  Some fixtures today can self terminate.

Once all fixtures are connected together and assigned the right addresses, its time to setup the controller.  Above are two basic controllers used in DMX lighting.  First is a hardware controller that is based on slider control of the fixtures functions or preset scenes.  Each controller is different in how to program, so be sure to read the manual when doing this.  Other controller that I have pictured above is an interface that connects to a laptop or desktop via USB cable.  The controller software is loaded and used on the laptop or desktop.  Controller Software has several windows, usually one window sets the DMX channels for each fixture, one for programming scenes and another for executing the scenes made.  Also some that come with hardware controllers allow for manual editing and on the fly control.

Now choosing the right controller depends on the application.  Hardware controllers tend to be less intuitive when programming fixtures and scenes.  For those doing their own light show while DJing makes it cumbersome and only easy control is using the scenes function.  Software is much better.  Programming is much easier and controlling the lights is a click of the mouse. A laptop comes into play and it’s worth while to use when using it for other applications.

Chauvet DMX-40B

Chauvet X Factor

Now for DMX fixtures, there is more of a variety compared to non-DMX.  First, are moving head lights. Depending on the fixture, they can range from doing a color, putting images or shapes on the wall, or strobes.  They are very versatile in where you want to position or range of motion you would like to do in your scene.  The second kinds are scanners.  They don’t have the widest range of motion and are ones that are more for the DJ market, but clubs still use them as well.  They are like moving heads in that they do color, image, shapes and some now come with projectors installed.  Their motion is much more sharp and random than moving heads which give different and added effects to your lighting setup.  Another type of lighting for DMX is color changers, which are stationary and DMX cousins to PAR can lights.  There are FX lighting, Lasers, and Spotlights that can be DMX as well.  Also, another great fact, for those that upgraded to DMX from relay pack based lighting, there are DMX controlled relay packs so no need of getting rid of old lights when switching.

Martin Mini Mac

Martin MX-1

Another thing to mention with recent improvements, LED has became the replacement for fixture lamps which tend to get hot and brittle and easily broken if not careful in transport.  They also create wonderful effects with the introduction of LED panels, tubes and other LED fixtures.  These are ones to look out for in future lighting as more come available and cheaper.
 Fog machines are not necessarily lighting but a definite necessity when putting a lighting setup together.  Fog enhances the light beam’s present and will set your light show apart. If your application allows for them, they add a lot of depth to your light show and cool effect to boot.  Fog machines can be controlled manually, by timer, or by DMX.  They are useful in adding fullness to the lights during a performance.

T Lightstand

Truss Lightstand

Now, one last thing and most importantly, how to hang all this up and get it in the air.  Again, you can be simple or complex on light tripods and truss systems.   For lighter and simple setups, a light stand with a T-bar or few extension bars do well for PAR cans, effect lighting or scanners.  For those that use more lighting, moving heads or want lighting over them, a truss system is more desirable and safer.  These come in all forms from two pole supports with safety pin and bar holder to tri-pole supports that have a crank lift for easier lifting of truss system.  Shop for ones made for your setup and get well made stands and clamps for these keep your lights suspended.

Lighting is definitely something to have for a DJ performance from simply lighting the stage you’re playing from, to adding color and effect or an all out show.  For those budget minded, I recommend Chauvet for non-DMX and DMX lighting; Chauvet has held up very good to me.  American DJ and Odyssey are decent too.  For upgrading, Martin Pro lighting is top notch, for inexpensive fixtures, the Mini Mac’s are very good.  From experience, hardware controllers are good, but software is the way to go.  It is much more intuitive and leaves room to focus on DJing during a set.  So far I’ve had good experiences with Chauvet’s ShowXpress and Innovate Show Controls BlueLite programs.  A good thing to consider is an operator for the lighting.  This person will aid in setup and breakdown of lighting and taking some stress off you.