What’s the Best Moving Head for Me?
Moving heads are such incredibly popular stage lighting fixtures simply because they’re so enormously versatile. Since there are so many different variations on the moving head, it can get pretty confusing, pretty quickly. As such, we’ve put together this Buyer’s Guide to help answer all of your most frequent moving-head-themed questions. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us!
What is it? | Different Types | LED | DMX | Channels | Manual Control? | Endless Rotation? | Batteries | Chaining | Mounting | More
1. What is a Moving Head?
A moving head literally has a moving head. The lamp-fitted head can tilt up and down and pan left and right, and can be used as part of pretty much any lighting rig, including those at live music venues, theatres, conference centres, theme parks, and of course, clubs and dance floors. Moving heads are able to throw breathtaking patterns across the sky, project spectacular colours and stunning light beams. Some moving heads also use gobos. These are placed in front of the lens of the moving head to re-shape the light beam and cast specific shapes.
2. What Different Kinds of Moving Heads Are There?
There are three different kinds of moving heads: the wash, spot, and beam. A wash moving head usually delivers powerful light using an efficient optical design, and commonly has a colour mix function. Some wash moving heads have a larger lens diaphragm so they’re able to cover a larger surface area with coloured light, and many also have a zoom function. Spot moving heads tend to be used to project shapes via gobos, prisms, and animation wheels, and don’t always come with a colour mix function. A beam is similar to a spot but emits an extra small light bundle. There are also hybrid moving heads that combine the functions of a wash, beam and spot in one. Since every different model from every different manufacturer will come with its own features and specifications, it’s always a good idea to do some research.
3. What Kind of Bulbs Do Moving Heads Need?
Most moving heads use an LED bulb, but some still use traditional gas discharge lamps. The advantage of using a more modern and popular LED bulb is that they consume much less power and produce much less heat, so they last a lot longer than gas discharge lamps - the average LED bulb will last up to 50,000 hours. While the brightest fixtures available still tend to use gas discharge lamps, LED lighting is catching up.
4. Can You Control a Moving Head via DMX?
Yes. Actually, this is almost always the method used to control a moving head, which isn’t that strange, since most lighting techs want accurate control over the many functions of a moving head. If a number of moving heads have been set up, they can be linked together using the DMX input and output fitted to each fixture. This means you only need to use one cable to connect the fixtures to a DMX lighting controller. You can even use lighting software on a laptop to control all of the fixtures. This kind of software gives you all of the same control as a real, big lighting desk, but it’s a little more portable. Having said this, a lot of lighting technicians still prefer to use a physical lighting desk during live shows and events, so they have something real beneath their fingers and fast and easy access to every function.
5. How Many DMX Channels Do Moving Heads Have?
The more channels a moving head has, the more control options it has. Every DMX channel stands for a single function (pan, pan fine, tilt, tilt fine, gobo wheel, colour wheel, dimmer, shutter, etc), and each function can be independently controlled via DMX. Generally, a moving head will have somewhere between 8 and 60 DMX channels. Before picking out a moving head, it’s worth figuring out which functions you’re going to need and how many. A simple 8-channel moving head might be all you need. Also, it’s essential to check what your DMX controller will be able to handle. For example, it’s not unusual to control a moving head using fewer channels than it actually offers (so maybe using 8 channels, instead of the available 13), so that controlling the fixture is more simple and leaves you with more controller space.
6. Can You Manually Control a Moving Head?
Usually, a moving head will come fitted with an LCD screen and some control buttons. This is so that manual functions that are unnavailable via DMX can be set, or it can be used as an alternative to DMX. Using these built-in controls, you can also do things like select the DMX address, trigger a preprogrammed show or adjust the rotation range.
7. Can a Moving Head Rotate Endlessly?
Until very recently, this actually wasn’t possible. However, the newer generation moving heads are definitely able to endlessly rotate. Any moving head with this ability will be fitted with what’s referred to as an ‘infinity motor’. Since the rotation has no end-point, the head can repeatedly rotate by 360° to create more intense effects.
8. Can You Get Battery-Powered Moving Heads?
They do exist, but they tend to be designed for hobby lighting techs and small parties. Mobile Djs will definitely get a lot out of a battery-powered moving head, especially when playing sets at events where a lot of power points aren’t necessarily available. These kinds of moving heads also tend to be a lot more limited in terms of functionality.
9. Can You Link Up a Number of Moving Heads to Power Them?
Many moving heads come fitted with both a power input and a power output (IEC or powerCON). Using these sockets, a whole series of moving heads can be chained up and powered using just one power point, and much fewer cables. Setting up is a much quicker process since there’s no need to lead a cable from each fixture and your rig will look much neater.
10. How Can You Mount or Suspend a Moving Head?
Usually, a moving head will come including a compatible mounting bracket. More expensive moving heads will definitely come with a bracket, but if one doesn’t come included, then a bracket or set of hooks can be bought separately. This hardware is fitted to the underside of the fixture and the user manual will include clear instructions on how to mount or suspend the moving head. Always secure the fixture to a truss using a safety cable when suspending a moving head, and prevent any members of the audience from wandering beneath it.
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