Stage Lighting???

[Canucker]

Has anybody rigged up they're own stage lighting system? I kinda wanna do something simple controlled by foot switches...just so it looks like I have two massive pedal boards!!! 

[NazzTazz]

I did. Your best bet is: midi foot controller, connected to a PC running any lighting software accepting MIDI as event trigger. Prepare your show on the computer, then trigger steps with your foot controller.

Depending how many fixtures (and their type...) you want to control, programming a show can take 2 hours or 2 months.

Dont forget you'll be playin teh guitar too (maybe singing too !), so keep it simple.

Do you already have lighting equipment ? If yes, gimme the list, otherwise I can give you a few tips.

[artifus]

i've often toyed with the idea of piezo triggers on the kit, a kick drum triggered strobe for example, but never got round to trying it. should be pretty simple to implement with minimum parts.

[Canucker]

I don't currently have any kind of lighting set up and as of about a month I don't even have a band (for the first time in 12 years)...I was just trying to think of some other projects to my so called skills....I know nothing about midi and don't even have a lap top to take to a show...realistically I'd probably just do the easy oldschool version and dig up a hippie with an overhead projector.  If my budget changes by the time I have a new line up for the band I might do some serious exploration into this.

[Johan]

the hellacopters..



....oh, you said lighting...not lightning...

[bluebunny]

I have a bunch of LED fixtures - spots and washes - that are pretty reasonable cost-wise these days.  They will all do sound-to-light, which can perhaps be a bit cheesy at times, but it's requires no real-time intervention by you (and our function-band audiences are suitably impressed by the flashing lights).  And further down the line, it's all DMX-controllable.  DMX is your friend.  Hook everything up to a controller (or a PC) and the world is your lobster.