I’m learning all about stage lighting now.
It’s corny, but I really AM a “lifelong learner.” When it comes to music, there’s very little I’m NOT interested in. And what I’m doing on a very small scale is what big artists do – practicing, writing, recording, producing, engineering, mastering, marketing, advertising, building a web site, using social media, selling music, licensing, booking performances, being a roadie, being a live sound engineer, being a lighting engineer, being the performer, being the agent. And I do this stuff as a HOBBY!!!
But this is 2020. And it’s not uncommon for people to do everything themselves these days. OK, yes, there are plenty of local performers who own an acoustic guitar, a microphone, and two powered speakers, and that’s their rig. Nothing wrong with that.
But there are more and more people gigging with laptops. The line between DJ and Performer with Backing Tracks is blurring. I’ve learned a lot from the DJ world. And for about $600, you can have a computer-controlled light show for yourself. For a computer nerd like me, it’s just too much fun to ignore. I’m having a blast learning about it.
But there is a learning curve. As a web developer, I’ve had to learn basic color theory, and that’s made the world of lighting a little easier, but it’s still not easy. People dedicate entire careers to lighting. I’m dedicating a couple of hours per week.
So you’d think there’d be a ton of people doing what I’m doing. A lot of DJ’s carry their own lights now. There’s more info online than a year ago, but it’s still a challenge to find stuff. Most lighting advice is for bands. I can’t do three lighting trees (one on each side and one in back) – I’m lucky to be able to do one.
I’m noticing that analog synthesis is huge right now – I studied analog synthesis back in 1986, for real. It was old technology on its way out in 86. It’s funny to see it come back again. It’s just “one more thing” to know, if you’re a keyboard player…
See, there’s soooo much stuff out there. Literally everything has gotten more complicated. I’d argue it’s complicated in a good way, but it’s definitely more complicated. I think about some dude who isn’t very good with computers trying to do all of this stuff, and he’d be hopelessly lost. That’s too bad, because there’s so much power at our fingertips now.
So here I am, doing research about what colors you should use for a sad song, or a happy song, or a fast or slow song. And then I’m programming my own light show. This is nuts! But it’s also a lot of fun.
