Color LED Lighting Effects

Color LED lighting effects are becoming increasingly popular for stage and nightclub use. Energy efficiency, cool operating temperatures, and lightweight fixtures, are only a few of the advantages over incandescent bulb fixtures. Multi-color LED fixtures have the ability to change colors with built-in program settings, or via external control by a lighting engineer or computer, eliminating the use of lighting gel filters, and reducing the number of fixtures required to produce colors desired.

LED Versus Par Lighting

Standard PAR stage lights use incandescent bulbs of a sealed, pre-angled beam variety. Similar to residential spotlights, but much higher in wattage and light output, PAR lighting is the industry standard for rugged, reliable lighting. PAR and other stage light fixtures use colored "gel" filters to produce colors, requiring at least one fixture for each light color desired. PAR lighting produces heat, and each fixture draws 500 to 1,000 watts, depending on the bulb chosen.

Color LED fixtures use multiple high-power LED bulbs, producing light using the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) principal of visible light. The RGB concept is used to produce colors on television sets, computer screens, and other electronic devices, using varying amounts of each color to produce other colors. Explanation of the concept in basic terms, is similar to mixing paint colors, only using light as the medium. LED bulbs operate at much lower temperatures than standard incandescent bulbs, are lighter in weight, and use much less energy to produce the same amount of light. A 30-watt LED PAR 64 size unit produces approximately the same amount of light as a 500-watt incandescent PAR unit.

LED Digital Electronic Control

While traditional lighting can be controlled digitally, the digital signal must be converted to analog due to the high voltage required to operate the bulbs. While controlled digitally, analog controls operate electrically, and must be robust in construction in order to handle the wattage, resulting in extra weight and additional power consumption. LED bulbs operate on much lower voltage, allowing them to be operated electronically, and controlled digitally. Electrical relays and other devices are not needed, and control parameters and programs can be printed on microchips within the fixture.

Color LED Lighting Effects

LED strobe lights offer the same dizzying effect as their incandescent siblings, but offer all the benefits of LED durability, ruggedness, and low power draw.

Single-color purple UV black light fixtures which produce the same black light effects as their counterparts.

Color-mixing flood LED is designed to perform the same flood and wash lighting duties as PAR bulb fixtures, but with the added advantage of programmable and changeable color changes in the same fixture.

Color-mixing pin spots are small focused beam spots for use in accent lighting and projecting light onto mirror balls.

Mechanical lighting developed for incandescent use is also available with LED bulbs. Powerful magnifying lenses are used to focus and shape light to achieve the desired effect, and to increase light intensity. Numerous fixtures are available, from scanners to sirens and offer a myriad of shapes and built-in effects.

Flat panel LED lights can be suspended from ceilings or mounted on walls to provide wash lighting effects. Some units allow images and lettering to be programmed, to be used in conjunction with lighting effects.

LED Drawbacks

Despite the many advantages of LED lighting, there are drawbacks. They are limited to difficulty in bulb replacement, light beam focus, and the comparatively high cost of fixtures. LED bulbs last longer than their counterparts, and the cost savings in electricity will justify the initial cost of ownership over time. LED lights produce a different quality of light than PARs, producing a rather stark, clean light rather than the bright, warm glow of PAR bulbs, but this is a matter of preference rather than suitability.

The Future of LED

LED technology is constantly being improved, with new applications and product offerings being offered regularly. Color LED lighting effects are already viable for professional stage use, with many top touring artists using LED fixtures in tandem with traditional lights, while others have made the switch to LED entirely. With the growing concern over energy use, and LED lighting's ease of integration with computers and digital controllers, LED lighting has a bright future indeed.

References

• Remix Magazine
• Refraction
• On Stage Lighting

Resources

• Chauvet Lighting