On Stage LS7730 DJ Lighting Stand With Truss Review

Aloha!

As time goes on, most DJs (and some bands) start to add lighting elements to their stage set-up. My lighting has grown from a single Chauvet 4-Bar to two 4-Bars, some pin spots and other effects. When it was requested that I bring a disco ball to a recent school dance I decided it was time to step up to a lighting truss, and I went with the On Stage LS7730.

The LS7730 is just about as cheap as it comes for a truss system. This set includes two tripod base lighting stands with three section shafts and T-bars. The T-bars have mounts to hold four par cans each. There are also two five-foot truss sections that can also accept four par cans each. It can be set up tall, up to a touch over 10 feet and it is rated for 200 pounds (110 for each stand, and 80 for the truss). It should be noted that the manufacturer recommends that only static lights be mounted to this assembly.

When I got my new truss home and took it out of the box, I found that a few of the plastic set screw handles were broken. As there is no packing materials in the box and it came from China, I counted myself lucky and did not return it. God know how much stuff could have been broken or bent…

Looking over the components, it is obviously a budget set-up. It is made of black powder-coated aluminum, and the tubing is very thin. There is not a single weld anywhere on it, and the truss sections are screwed together with plastic connectors. But, when it is all put together it is surprisingly rigid. The American DJ O-clamps work great on this truss as they come with plastic spacers that fit this tubing perfectly.

I was able to figure out how to put it together without the instructions, and it took about 10 minutes to get it together. There is a bit of fiddling needed with the pins as it is tricky to get the holes lined up, but it was not an insurmountable hurdle. Mounting the lights took a bit longer, and it took two people to get it everything where it needed to be. If this thing had cranks it would have been a way easier job as the light could have been attached when it was closer to floor level, but that feature would have doubled the price.

Once it was together it looked really sharp, and as I said, it was sturdy. I mounted the pin spots for the mirror ball to one of the T-bars and to the stands, and it was a neat effect. Tear-down at the end of the event was simple, but I always had to keep in mind that this thing is fragile, and I was super careful when loading it back up into the van. On Stage sells a carry bag (LSB6500, list $85.99/street $45.99) for this system and I will look into it. There are a lot of parts, and it would make load-in quicker if everything was kept together in a single bundle (the total weight is around 40 pounds).

By the way, this would also be a great stand for hanging a projection screen, if you are into that sort of thing.

The On Stage LS7730 lighting stand with truss has a list price of $367.99, but of course you will not have to pay that much. The MAP on these is $199.99, but they sell all day long for $179.99. If you can handle that this product is just good enough for the job, it really is a pretty good value.

Mahalo!

DMX512 Lighting System Protocol

Hello!

I have mentioned the DMX512 light control protocol a few times on Rex and the Bass, and thought a brief explanation might be in order.

If you have ever been to a concert and seen the huge arrays of stage lights and effects, you may have noticed that they are usually independently controlled. But there are not separate controls and wiring going to each one, as they are on a multiplex network. This means that there is only one communication line that goes from component to component, and they can all be controlled from a single panel.

This makes for a more simple set-up, and reduces the number of costly cables that have to be purchased.

The DMX512 digital communication standard was introduced in 1986 to provide a single protocol for stage lighting, thus allowing compatibility of equipment from different manufacturers. It was designed to control light dimmers, but has also proven to be a godsend for effects, such as lasers, spot lights, moving lights and fog machines. I have even seen people using these networks for their Christmas lighting displays.

If you purchase DMX-compatible components, you can assign discrete addresses for each one, and use a single controller to operate them. There will be DMX IN and DMX OUT ports on each device.

DMX512 is able to control 512 dimmable channels and up to 32 devices with just one cable. The cable can be up to 1200 to 1500 meters long, which is pretty far if you think about it.

These communication cables are standardized, sort of. DMX512 systems are supposed to use 5-pin XLR connectors. These have the following pins: Signal Common, Data 1-, Data 1+, Data 2-, and Data 2+. The Data 2 circuits are optional; so many times regular 3-pin XLR microphone cables are substituted. Some manufacturers have dropped the 5-pin requirement altogether and just use 3-pin XLR connectors. So much for standardization, huh?

Some people discourage the use of microphone cables, as they are not the best choice for data transmission, but for the short runs I do I’ve not had any problems. And always be careful not to accidentally plug a lighting 3-pin XLR into your audio mixing board, as 48 volts of phantom power through the data circuits can wreck your lights.

There is a lot more to the DMX512 story of course, and it can get really confusing if you are running a lot of effects over long distances. But if you are running small shows, or are looking for lights and effects to enhance your band or DJ service, it is easy enough to get started.

If you have just a few lights, a cheap light controller running DMX controls will provide a lot more versatility and more professional transitions and fades. Just make sure that as you collect new effects and lights that they are DMX512 compatible, as some manufacturers still use proprietary communication protocols. You will be able to find them easily, as major music retailers carry a lot of this gear.

Mahalo!

Chauvet Obey 3 LED DMX Controller

As I dipped my toe into the pool of stage lighting and DMX-512 multiplex controls, I was looking for a cheap light controller to experiment with. I picked up a Chauvet Obey 3 for slim money, and it has been nothing but ice cream and rainbows ever since.

I use a couple of Chauvet 4-Bar LED light systems, which are great, but the controls are very basic. They have built-in color and chase patterns, but they have to be scrolled through, which is a pain if you want to go straight from one color to another or if you want to do a fade.

This is where having a light controller comes in handy. You can select specific colors, and the speeds at which they fade. DMX-512 is a lighting protocol that allows a mind-boggling amount of customization, and I will cover it in another post, as it is not too important with this controller.

The Obey 3 is a 3-channel controller (red, green, and blue) so it is compatible with many of the RGB LED fixtures out there. It has a little something for everybody, with automated, sound-activated or manual RGB mixing.

Looking at the front of the unit, in the lower left corner there are three switches: Preset, Chases and Macro. Selecting Preset allows you to choose from the nine switches above, which include the popular colors. Chase will give you the automated programs, including sound-activated with adjustable sensitivity. And Macro scrolls though various colors, which is kind of a useless feature when you consider how many other ways there are to select colors with this unit. If you combine Macro with Chases, it will automatically scroll through different colors.

Over on the right side there are the switches for sound activation (and a pot for its sensitivity adjustment), RGB control, blackout and strobe.

All this leaves us with are the three faders. Depending on the modes they can control the individual color channels, strobe timing (2Hz to 33Hz), master dimming and fade times.

These features come in a 2 pound box that measures 5.5” by 8.3” by 2.1”. It has rack ears that would allow it to be mounted in the same sized spot as a DJ mixer. It includes a 12V power adapter, which plugs into the side near the power switch and the DMX output.

It all works pretty neatly, too. Set up your lights, and run a DMX cable (or even a microphone cable) from the controller to the lights, and start experimenting. There is minimal instructions that come with the unit, but it is simple enough to figure it out on your own.

Like everything in life it is not perfect. I hate the locations of the power switch and DMX output. If I actually had this unit mounted in a rack they would be impossible to reach. Also, when it is in chase or sound-activated mode, there can be a lengthy blackout between changes if a slower fade speed is selected.

Plus, as I use it more, I wish it had more features like being able to stagger the colors on my par cans, but for the money this thing is awesome.

And the money part of this equation is really sweet. The Chauvet Obey 3 is dirt-cheap, making it perfect for the hobbyist or beginner. It has a list price of $74.99 and a street price of $49.99, and it comes with at least a one-year warranty (their policies are befuddling). If you are experimenting with LED lighting, this would be a great place to start.

Mahalo!