Stage Lighting

Stage lighting divides into fixtures that move and fixtures that stay still. Moving heads cover beam, spot, wash and profile work and are controlled fixture by fixture; static LED effects, strobes, bars and blinders fill the stage picture and the audience area. This range covers both, along with lasers, follow spots and atmospheric effects. Power draw and DMX channel count are the two numbers that decide how many fixtures your rig can actually carry.

Compare the range

Specifications below are taken from the product data for each item in this collection. Rows with fewer than two published figures are omitted. Sorted by price.

How to choose stage lighting

Decide what each fixture is for before you compare specifications. A beam fixture throws a tight shaft of light into the air and reads as a visible column; a spot shapes light onto people and scenery with gobos and framing; a wash covers a wide area in colour. Buying three beams when the stage needs a wash leaves you with an impressive-looking rig that lights nobody.

Count DMX channels before you count fixtures. One DMX512 universe carries 512 channels. A fixture in a 24-channel mode uses 24 of them, so a single universe holds 21 of those fixtures. Many fixtures offer several modes; the smaller mode gives up fine control in exchange for more fixtures per universe. Art-Net and sACN carry multiple universes over a network when one is not enough.

Work out the power early. Add the published power consumption of every fixture on a circuit. A 16 A supply at 230 V carries about 3680 W, so twelve 300 W fixtures already fill it before you allow any headroom. Lighting is usually what trips a venue's supply, not audio.

Match ingress protection to the position. A fixture with no published IP rating belongs indoors or under cover. Outdoor stages and uncovered truss positions need a rated fixture, and the rating should be published for that model rather than inferred from the range.

Check the control protocol you already own. Almost everything here speaks DMX512 as defined in ANSI E1.11. If your console runs Art-Net or sACN, you will need a node to convert to DMX at the truss, and the node's universe count has to match your patch.

Frequently asked questions

How many moving heads do I need for a stage?
A common starting point for a small stage is four to six fixtures on the front truss for key light and four to six on the back truss for effect. Width matters more than area: plan roughly one fixture every 1.5 to 2 m across the truss.

How many fixtures fit in one DMX universe?
Divide 512 by the channel count of the fixture mode you are using. In a 24-channel mode that is 21 fixtures; in a 12-channel mode it is 42.

Do I need IP-rated fixtures outdoors?
If the fixture is uncovered, yes. A fixture with no published ingress protection rating should be treated as indoor or covered-position only.

What is the difference between beam, spot and wash?
Beam gives a narrow visible shaft of light for aerial effect, spot gives a shaped and focusable pool with gobos for lighting people and scenery, and wash gives wide soft coverage for colour.

What power supply does a lighting rig need?
Add the published consumption of every fixture on the circuit. A 16 A / 230 V circuit carries about 3680 W, so size the distribution from your total and leave headroom.