Blinders and strobe: less is more
Strobe and blinders are the exclamation marks of a show. An exclamation mark works because it's rare. Used briefly and on purpose, they deliver the biggest moment of a song. Left running, they get on people's nerves.
When to flash
- Yes: on the one of a drop, on big entries, on hard hits from the band. One or two hits are enough, then effects on the beat take over.
- No: in verses, ballads, couple dances, speeches and breakdowns.
Don't automatically reach for the fastest setting, and try flashing in color now and then. Constant strobe tires a crowd quickly. Without haze in the room, a strobe just dazzles, see Fog and haze.
How fast is my strobe?
Here's the math: flashes per second = BPM ÷ 60 × flashes per beat.
- One flash per beat (quarter notes): 2 flashes per second at 120 BPM.
- Two flashes per beat (eighth notes): 3 at 90 BPM, 4 at 120 BPM.
- Four flashes per beat (sixteenth notes): 8 at 120 BPM.
The rules for accessible content (WCAG) name a limit of 3 flashes per second. Quarter notes stay below that at any danceable tempo. Eighth notes reach the limit at 90 BPM, and sixteenths are far above it. The same goes for fast chases and brightness effects: anything that snaps hard on and off works like a strobe.
Consideration for guests
Some people react strongly to fast flashing. A wedding or company party isn't a club. There will be kids, older guests and people who aren't expecting strobe. Agree on heavier strobe use with the host beforehand, because they know their guests.
The same rules call out red flashing as especially critical, so avoid fast sequences in saturated red.
No switch or number can make a show risk-free. Strobe you trigger live on a controller remains your responsibility.
Using blinders well
Blinders are very bright. Tilt them onto the dance floor instead of aiming them straight at guests. They can also run very low as warm house light, for example during a sing-along chorus, and only flash at full power on big hits.
A dark moment before the hit is part of the effect, but total darkness should be very short. Leave a dim base light on so nobody trips.
Step by step
- Leave “Family party safety” on. It limits strobe and pulse to three flashes per second at most. If “Active now: …” appears below it, it has slowed something down, see Family party safety.
- For less strobe in drops, lower “Energy”.
- Set “Special moments” to “Subtle” or “Hits as” to “Color”, see Special moments.
- For blinders: under Limits in the show rules, set Maximum brightness for the group and tap Flashes stay full.
- Limits is also where you set Strobe at most and Never darker than.
- Keep in mind that the safety doesn't cover Static Looks or strobe buttons on a controller.
More from “Lighting know-how”
- Colors that work togetherGood shows get by with few colors. Two main colors plus white as an accent cover most of a song. What matters is which two you pick and where they land.free to read
- Why variety mattersA show works through contrast. If every light runs all the time, everything ends up looking the same and the big moment gets lost. Dark, calm stretches are what make a peak feel big.free to read
- Building a song show: from intro to dropA good song show retells the song: it starts small, opens up in the chorus, takes a breath in the middle and saves the brightest moment for the end. Droplit builds this arc by itself. Once you know how it works, you can fix things with more purpose.free to read
- Lead your moving heads, don't just wave themMoving heads get noticed right away. If they circle all the time, the show looks restless. Well-led heads often stand still, change position with purpose and move when the music calls for it.free to read
- Using gobos, rotation and prism wellA gobo is a small stencil inside a moving head that shapes the beam into a pattern. Add rotation and a prism and one head can give you many different pictures, as long as you use the three tools on purpose.free to read