Studio Lighting

[studiomaster]

Would you guys recommend halogen bulb or reflector bulb spotlights for my studio? I'm not sure how to distinguish between those two.

[ridgeback]

Need a little more info man. There are halo reflectors and most are. I do quite a bit of lighting design. What are you looking to gain or lose? I will tell you dimming LV halos is a bitch on RF noise. Maybe I could help a little more if I knew what you were going for.

[studiomaster]

I basically want lights that can concentrate on specific areas in a room. I know most studios have these sort of lighting systems. Will clear halogen bulbs do the job?

[ridgeback]

Originally Posted by studiomaster

I basically want lights that can concentrate on specific areas in a room. I know most studios have these sort of lighting systems. Will clear halogen bulbs do the job?

So we talking track lighting then? Depending on how high they're hanging I'd stick with 75par16 or 50par20's. Both are halogen and the nicer ones are available in different spreads.

[Innovations]

Yeah I know a lot of places use halogens, but honestly they give off a lot of heat and aren't energy efficient. Fluorescents used to be off limits because of transformer hum but Compact Fluorescents do not have that problem.

[studiomaster]

It's just that my studio's lighting feels dark and unfocused on my desk. Since i live in a house, i gotta worry about energy efficiency! Will 35 watts halogen bulbs produce a lotta heat and eat out electricity?

[SonicClang]

Originally Posted by Innovations

Yeah I know a lot of places use halogens, but honestly they give off a lot of heat and aren't energy efficient. Fluorescents used to be off limits because of transformer hum but Compact Fluorescents do not have that problem.

I agree about the heat with the halogens, for their wattage they get very hot.

But... unfortunately the compact fluorescents I put in my studio definitely give off an electrical hum. I had a bass player over here a couple months ago and he had a HORRIBLE hum and we couldn't figure it out. So I turned off all the lights and it totally went away.

Actually... come to think of it, it may have just been his bass.

But the way I have my lighting is working out great. I put track lights around the parimeter of all the rooms. If I want more light I aim them in. If I want less light, I point them all towards the walls. If I want less still, I just take some off the tracks. It's like having a dimmer, without the problems dimmers cause.

[Dani Pace]

I got a couple of overhead fixtures with 3 adjustable pots, put 50 watt mini spots in and this works for me. This allows light to be focused on certain areas and enough reflected light to be able to see in the rest of my room. I guess it is my alternative to track lighting. Room size, celing height, color of walls and flooring all play a part in finding the right lighting.