For some time now, automated lighting has become more common in the house of worship market. Fixture technology, coupled with newer lamp technology, has improved to deliver more punch with lower wattage lamps. Fixtures have more features and flexibility, while still providing churches the quality of light many are looking for. Prices are coming down, so the entry point isn’t as high as it used to be, making automated lighting an option for more than just the largest churches.
Last year, I looked at the considerations of using automated lighting in the HOW market [CPM March 2008: Core Considerations] from the designer’s and consultant’s perspective. I wanted to follow up, taking a look at some entry-level moving lights. Once you have made the design and facility choices to get automated lighting, what should you consider when looking at the different fixtures themselves? I spoke with a number of manufacturers about what’s new and which lights they see best suited for church production. For this article, I drew a price-point line of $5,000. There are cheaper units—as well as much more expensive ones—but most felt that this is the cost range where you can get the core features, some extra flexibility, and have a reliable, useful light to fill a range of your lighting requirements.
Automated Lighting Exposed
“In terms of lighting worship spaces, automated lighting is both the present and future,” says Daryl Sutton, house of worship market manager with Martin Professional Inc. in Sunrise, Fla. “Moving lights have long been incorporated into large-scale, concert-style worship environments. What is new is the trend of incorporating these lights into weekend worship services to be used as effective general stage lighting. This is the flexibility of automated lighting.”
Tom Littrell, fixtures product manager with Electronic Theatre Controls Inc. (ETC) of Middleton, Wis., sees the expanding market uses as well, “We have had good success with the Source Four Revolution fixture in the HOW market,” he says, “because of the combination of quietness, the warm, incandescent source, and beam-control options. It is important to understand and find the type of features the church designer needs in a unit.”
Eric Loader, director of sales with Elation Professional, Los Angeles, sees the punch of the lower wattage units as a benefit for churches. “Starting at 300W is where our moving lights are finding their way into church applications. Smaller moving heads have become a more realistic option for churches. In the past, you couldn’t go with anything smaller than 575W because the fixtures have to throw beyond 20 feet, which meant 575W fixtures. We worked closely with Philips a few years ago to launch a brighter 250W lamp that would give the output needed for larger applications but still be economical and fit [into] a smaller fixture housing. What came out of this was the MSR300/2 Fast Fit lamp technology, which we use in units we have been shipping for almost a year.”
The manufacturers offer some tips of things to consider when you are researching entry-level moving lights for your church. “Purpose,” says Sutton. “Consumers must be purposeful and knowledgeable. Identifying the ‘why’ of purchasing lighting will help with all of the other aspects. It’s also important to look at all technical data for a specific product. Not all fixtures are created equal. Quality is a factor. Many companies use less expensive parts, which force users to consume more power just to achieve similar light output. That is why Martin’s MAC 250 product has glass reflectors and lenses that we use to achieve higher lumen output and a higher efficiency with consumed power. Lesser parts, in the end, can equal higher costs for long-term ownership.”
A benefit of moving lights is the flexibility they offer, but as Sutton points out, you also should know the purpose of those functions. Look for a moving light that can do as many of the functions you want as possible. This will help eliminate the need for large quantities of fixtures. “If you can find a moving light that offers color mixing, gobo projection, frost for wash effects, iris and any other effects—that is the direction to look for,” comments Loader.
“There are basic moving lights without color mixing or multiple gobo wheels or effects, but you will find yourself too limited in the use of these fixtures in the long term. If you have a short throw 20-30 feet or a very long throw 60-100 feet for your fixtures, you should consider a fixture with ‘zoom’ capability, as well, so you can cover as much area as possible and have more beam control. We added our new Design Spot 300 Pro with zoom and wireless DMX receiver into our line just to fill this need.”
Littrell’s suggested considerations include “reliability, the service reputation of the manufacturer, and looking at the feature set for your church’s particular uses—high-energy concerts or more subdued productions? Some fixtures color crossfade—seamlessly blending from one color to another—while others can only snap to the next color. You pay more for color crossfading, but it may be a must for your application. Most moving lights use one or more dichroic glass color-changing methods, and some are better than others in the ability of that glass-based mechanism to produce subtle tints and tones, as well as saturated color. Some of the less expensive fixtures have a more limited repertoire of [somewhat] garish colors—okay for the high-volume praise band; not so okay for the Easter pageant.”
A Litany of Considerations
When researching moving lights for your church, beyond the important feature comparisons, you need to consider the initial cost and the ongoing maintenance, such as lamp replacement and service. Training is an important consideration—is it included with the purchase? Does your supplier or lighting dealer have someone who can come in for refresher courses or offer training when new staff comes in? This can be important if your crews consist of volunteers. Features are great, but if no one knows how to use them, they are not worth the purchase. This means looking past the lights themselves to ask: How will the lights be operated? Do you have a console that can handle the units you are purchasing? Do you have the staff trained to handle the programming needed to use the lights effectively? The technical data for each unit is also important in understanding the basic system requirements for the type and quantity of moving lights you want to purchase.
Sutton feels that identifying the purpose and need will help dictate the type and range of automated lighting you should consider. He suggests answering the following questions to narrow down the details:
1. What is the primary purpose for purchasing automated lighting?
2. Where will the units be located (trim height, coverage area, etc.)?
3. What is the desired lumen output required?
4. What is the desired color temperature for “white light” operation?
5. What features are top priorities (i.e., color mixing, gobo rotation, zoom, etc.)?
6. What possible power and structural upgrades will I need to consider to support this purchase?
7. Which manufacturer is reliable and carries the product I am looking for?
8. What is my budget? This should always be your last question, as you need to make sure that you are allowing your “purpose” to drive your fixture type decision. You can make adjustments later, but don’t start with an unrealistically low budget or you won’t get anything you want and the purchase is pointless.
Littrell points out, “More money means more brightness and beam-control options. Rotating this and pulsing that. An automated framing shutter capability will add significant cost to a moving light, but the ability to shutter the beam makes a moving spotlight a true automated stage-lighting fixture. But just as importantly, more expensive moving fixtures provide [greater] subtlety in their different parameters—smooth, slow-timed movement as well as snappy fast movement in pan and tilt, for instance.”
Less expensive moving fixtures snap from a large beam size to a smaller beam size. More expensive fixtures have a true zoom that can gracefully cross-fade from a large wash beam to a small spot beam. The ability to do subtle changes is what separates the full-featured automated stage light from the lesser effects light. Littrell also agrees that church techs need to get enough console for the number of fixtures, ensure that there is access to the units for servicing, and get training for the operators.
Loader believes that you should have a realistic idea of all the costs. “In round numbers, moving lights cost a church anywhere from $3,000 to more than $10,000 each, depending on output, size and features,” he says. “However, even the best lights should be supported by programming if you want to get the results you expect. Some churches don’t see the full potential of their lighting system because they don’t work with a lighting designer to program and/or teach them how to program. You can pretty much teach anyone how to push buttons and turn on a system, but there is really an art to ‘programming’ a light show to create a mood or impact that you want—this is one element that is often missed. Put aside some budget to hire an accomplished programmer to come in and give you a base of programs and spend time teaching your volunteers who have the passion for it.”
Loader adds that the “warranty is very important on an investment like this, and most manufacturers offer a two-year parts/labor warranty.” But keep in mind, this is only at the manufacturer’s facility or authorized service center. Just like a car, onsite service costs extra, so if your fixture goes down, a dealer will charge for onsite service whether in warranty or not. Have money in the budget for service and maintenance. “Where your fixtures are mounted and how easy they are to access are key to making your experience easy or hard with any moving lights. They will all break down at some point, and all need service, so make them as easy to access as possible,” he adds.
“Lamp life is, of course, a consideration. But most moving lights today offer from 1,000- to 3,000-hour life lamps, which are often more than enough to get a church through one season of use,” continues Loader. Cleaning/maintenance of the fixtures from any manufacturer is vital, as all moving lights have fans and, when in use—even in the most clean environments—will need cleaning. “Lamps cost anywhere from $150 to $300 each, so this is something to put in your annual budget along with a regular cleaning procedure of the fixtures every 90 to 120 days,” he adds.
Smaller, brighter, more efficient, and most importantly, lower price-point units are coming out. The entry point is getting easier for many small- to mid-sized churches to consider adding automated lighting to their lighting toolbox. Used with a purpose, automated lighting will enhance the design and help engage audience and congregation. Try some units out and find what you are looking for, because the choices are increasing in every price range.
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New Spring Church, Anderson, SC. Photo courtesy of Joel Yates.
If you are reading this magazine you already know that there are a lot of ways to enhance your church's activities using technology. Lighting is one of the most visually effective means of transforming a space and helps create focus and emphasis. Over the next few issues, I am going to be taking a detailed look at lighting systems for churches. I am starting with installed dimming systems. In upcoming issues, I will look at controls, lighting networks, lighting fixtures, and all of the components that go into a state-of-the-art lighting system for a church.
Why Use a Dimmer?
To many people, a dimmer is the slider on the wall in their home that brightens or dims the overhead lighting. At its simplest, that's what dimmers do-vary the intensity of a light. I am going to be discussing installed, professional-grade dimming systems as they apply to worship facilities. Many of these dimming systems come from the entertainment technology world where they are used in theatres, theme parks, restaurants, and increasingly today in churches. By varying the lighting levels, you can create different looks and moods for the space. You can set up a "Sunday Service" look; one for "Weddings"; a look for a "Concert," etc. If you use the worship space for performances of the choir or a pageant, you can create the lighting that suits the mood of the pieces. If the service is smaller, you can dim out the sides and back of the nave, so the empty pews are not seen. During a sermon, the lighting can highlight the lectern to give the congregation focus and dim down when you want their focus elsewhere.
Dimming can also lengthen the life of lamps. By trimming a lamp down to 90%, you will lengthen the life of that lamp up to 50% of its rated life. Remember that dimmers are typically used to control incandescent and halogen lamps. If you want to dim fluorescent lamps, you will need a dimming ballast and possibly a fluorescent dimming module specially designed for dimming this lamp type.
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Figure 1: Centralized dimming places all the dimmers together in a rack system, such at this ETC Sensor dimming rack. Photo courtesy ETC. |
What are my Dimmer Options?
When you look at dimming options, you have two main choices in style: centralized dimming, and distributed dimming. Both options have pros and cons depending on your facility. Centralized dimming means that all your power and your dimmers are placed into a specific location like a mechanical room, and then all the circuits are run from here out to your lighting fixture locations (Figure 1). The dominant centralized dimmer used today is the SCR dimmer which uses a pair of silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs). SCR dimmers allow the dimmers to be located remote from the controller, which can be located in the rear of the church or in the balcony with a view of the altar. SCR dimmers can be remotely controlled via a control signal, with the industry norm being DMX-a digital multiplex signal that allows dimmers, controllers, and lighting accessories (independent of manufacturer) to work together.
Since the way SCR dimmers cycle power for dimming control does produce noise on the power line when chopping the AC waveform (see Figure 2), a choke is built in to quiet this noise. A choke is a metal core that looks like a donut and wrapped with copper wire. The more copper windings, the quieter the dimmer. This is measured in microsecond rise-time. Normal dimmers are in the 350-500 microsecond rise-time going up to 800-1,200 microseconds for much quieter applications. The trade off is as you go higher in rise-time, more heat is generated and there is some voltage lost. The SCR dimmers installed most often in the church market are in the 350-500 microsecond range.
The other option is distributed dimming, where the dimmer packages are built into compact units of one to six dimmers and are placed directly in the lighting fixture locations. You run power to various lighting locations and then you can plug in the dimmers so they are now distributed near your lighting fixtures (Figure 3). The most popular distributed dimmers use Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) dimmers, but some are still SCR-based. IGBT semiconductors effectively replace both the SCR and the choke. IGBT dimmers come in both dimmer bars or boxes and you plug the lights in to them directly at the hanging locations.
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Figure 2: SCR Dimmers achieve dimming by "chopping" off part of the voltage wave form. Graphic courtesy ETC. |
Sinewave Dimming is the latest technology in centralized dimmers and it also uses IGBTs. Sinewave offers near silent dimming and the ability to dim almost any load except fluorescents. The downside of sinewave dimming is its high cost, but hopefully as it gains popularity it will become more cost effective.
Weighing the Options
So how do you pick the right option for your church? What are some of the considerations that you need to think about when looking at installing a dimming system in your church? I spoke with consultants, designers, and systems integrators who do a lot of work in church facilities to get their suggestion on things that you should think about when planning for a lighting system.
Everyone agrees that the first question you need to answer is 'how you will be using the space?' Bill Price, director of systems for Barbizon Lighting, believes you must fully answer this question. "Whenever I am going to design a space, it all starts with determining what your needs are, and coming up with the appropriate list for now and in the future. They have to try to answer, 'What do you want to do? What are you trying to accomplish? Do you want to broadcast? liturgical drama? Just the Sunday sermon?' Each one of those has its own specific demands. If you want to do drama, 'to what extent do you want to do drama? Are you going to do dance? What level of commitment are your productions going to have?' Then sculpting that list back to your core values that translate into the money that gives you where you need to be now and where you want to be eventually. Then all the other pieces fall into place." Bridget Williams, principal and owner of Bridget Williams Lighting Design based in Southern California, adds further considerations to the main question, "Who is going to use the system? You really want to pick a system that has the most comprehensive use for your needs and also the easiest use. How hard is it to use and will it do everything I need?"
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Figure 3: A Leprecon six-channel stick dimmer is used for distributed dimmer, and would be installed near the lighting fixtures that it would power. Photo courtesy Leprecon. |
Flexibility is one of the starting points for C. Andrew Dunning, owner of Nashville, Tennessee-based Landru Designs. "How much flexibility do you want? Are they going to be a church that wants to set things up one way and are only concerned about that way? Are they a fellowship that sets it up one way for a few months and then wants to change it around again? That kind of use in terms of flexibility is important to answer."
David Stephens, senior consultant for Acoustic Dimensions talks about the different dimming systems in terms of accessibility. "Distributed systems can be appealing in the right church. Depending on their usage, they may not need to own as much dimming if they can access and move around the distributed dimming. But the fact that you have to move it around is the major consideration. That works best if you have access like a catwalk. If you have to move everything around with a lift, that can have all kinds of other issues. Centralized dimming lets you have one room where you can access all your dimming. When you do a centralized system you have to consider the power, the cooling, and the room. You want to try and minimize your secondary runs-the runs from the dimmers to the circuits; copper is costly. Arguably there is a little less infrastructure cost in a distributed system, but the cost of the dimmer bars is still more expense than the unit cost of a centralized dimming system. You also have far more control signal cable to distribute in a distributed system than in a centralized system." Dunning agrees that access must be thought through with distributed dimming. "The pro for distributed dimming is that they can be extremely cost effective, but the big con is that if there is a problem with one you have to be able to get to them; sometimes that can be challenging for a quick fix." Paul Wonsek, president of Paul Wonsek Associates, Inc., based in Marietta, Georgia, is a fan of centralized systems. "I have very mixed feelings about distributed dimming. I am one that prefers to have the system all at one location; you always have access."
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A D20 dimmer module, containing two dimming circuits, for an ETC dimming rack. Note the two large chokes that take up most of the module. Photo courtesy ETC. |
Planning ahead for problems is also important to Dunning. "The two things that come to mind are dependability and modularity. I am not interested in specifying equipment where the dimmers are not on their own modules (Figure 4). If one goes bad, do I lose 12 circuits at once, or do I only lose one? Also, how quickly can I replace it? These are basic-but big-considerations for the dimmers themselves. In terms of infrastructure for a centralized system, you have to have enough power to run the entire dimmer rack at full, and the air circulation around the rack and your potential air conditioning for the space are really big deals. Often I have seen people put a rack in a space that is too small and the dimmers end up overheating." Dimmers do produce heat, so your dimmer room or mechanical space needs to have the proper amount of cooling to keep the electronics in the dimmers working properly. This space also needs to be kept clean, since rack-based dimmers have fans that pull air across the dimmers and electronics. If the filters get clogged with too much dust, the dimmers may overheat or shutdown to protect themselves.
Wonsek echoes some of these same thoughts on dependability. "Service and dependability are the high points I would worry about. Who is going to be around to service it? If there is an emergency, what sort of support is available? You can't just go by cost; service and dependability will make up for the higher original cost. Electronic equipment can break-anybody's equipment can break-and you need to know that the company has the parts and the knowledge to get you back up and running as quickly as possible. Will the company communicate with you 24 hours a day during a problem? Can the dimmers be fixed? Can someone at the church learn how to reset the breakers, and who will be the service technician when I have a problem?" Williams cautions against cutting budgetary corners that affect dependability. "You can get a cheaper dimming system, but is that system going to be useful to their needs? Ask, 'If something happens to my power, what will happen to my dimming system?' Also, 'If something goes wrong, how do I get it working again as soon as possible?'"
Expandability should be another key consideration. Williams points out, "I like church dimming systems to have the ability to add more to it. Even if they say 'I only want to do this and this,' quite often they will find that they want to do more. You want a system that will grow with the church. I always suggest that you think about the long-term and put the infrastructure in that gives you some place to grow later." Dunning agrees about thinking towards the future. "Planning on room for expansion is a big deal. If you don't think ahead, you have to go back in to pull new power and find more space to expand. It will cost you more in both time and money later."
All agree the best way to understand your options is to investigate what other churches are doing for dimming systems. See them in operation, and ask them about what they like and don't like about the systems. Ask lots of questions of other churches, the manufacturers, the designers and the installers. Dimmers are the core of your lighting system, and have the price tag to prove it. They should last you for years and need to work consistently. The time you spend making an informed choice now will translate into time not spent reinstalling dimmers later.
Michael S. Eddy is a freelance writer who covers design and technology. He can be reached at mseddy2900@hotmail.com.
