All About Lighting: Intelligent Lighting

If you’re looking to deck out your next party with some insanely cool lasers and lights, it’s worth getting your head around ‘intelligent lighting’.
In this article, we cover the various types out there, while getting you to grips with what exactly you’re shelling out good money for.

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What is intelligent lighting?

Intelligent lighting is a term used to describe a range of advanced lighting options commonly used for parties and stage events. They utilize LED technology, a rapidly moving technology that has by far, surpassed its regular bulb counterparts.
You’ll often find intelligent lighting like moving heads and scanners in venues of all sizes – from small house parties, to clubs, to even stadium events at Sydney Olympic Park. They’re becoming increasingly popular for the large scope of atmospheric control that they offer the user.

What’s the big deal about LED?

LED lights completely revolutionized the party lighting industry, offering better colours and a stunning array of effects and beams. What makes them even more impressive is that they wield a smaller energy draw, meaning faster cool-down times and less chance of blowouts.
Intelligent lighting can be 100% operator controlled using communication methods such as DMX, and provides you with tons of parameters to tweak to perfection.

What types of intelligent lighting are there?

Moving Heads

Moving Heads are fantastic little bits of kits that can change colours and patterns. They have a wide range of mobility options, including circular, pan and tilt, with some able to rotate a full 360 degrees. They feature jaw-dropping effects and a beautiful angle of beam that can add immense amounts of vibe to a party.

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Scanners

Scanners are the next best thing after moving heads. They also have the ability to change colours and patterns however limited by their movement (this doesn’t mean they don’t have a special place at the party though!). Scanners are quicker than moving heads, making them ideal for adding energy to a party. They also have an in-built moving mirror that allows them to project patterns and colours across the room.

The low-down: What you’re paying for

Intelligent lighting offers the advantage of controlling your lights remotely, allowing you to tailor your lighting exactly to the needs of your party. This has become the standard for large-scale events, where visuals are considered to be half the experience. This doesn’t mean that a small party won’t absolutely love it, though.
You can also combine your lights and have them communicate with each other via a controller, allowing you to simultaneously wire a signal across multiple devices. This gives you the freedom to program your lights and have them automated for the entirety of a show, or alternatively you could have a VJ operate them live for a truly immersive experience. The power is yours!