Pixel lighting rental

What pixel lighting is

Pixel lighting is lighting in which you can control each individual point of light separately. With an ordinary fixture you regulate the colour and the brightness of the whole, but with pixel lighting a single fixture consists of many small, individually adjustable points. This lets you make effects move within the fixture itself: a colour running across a tube, a pattern jumping from point to point, or a wave travelling from left to right. That movement makes pixel lighting the most dynamic layer of a lighting design.

The effect is fundamentally different from static lighting. Where an ordinary fixture sets a surface in an even colour, pixel lighting can make that same surface come alive, with fades, chases and patterns that change continuously. You can make a surface pulse on the beat, glide a rainbow across it or build up a clean geometric pattern. The precision with which you control each point opens up an enormous range of possibilities.

Pixel lighting comes in various forms, such as tubes, bars and panels. Vertical tubes behind a DJ or stage give a recognisable, energetic look, bars along a truss draw long lines of light, and panels form a grid on which you run flat effects. The form determines which effects work well, and we match that choice to your setup and the character of your event.

Where you use pixel lighting

Pixel lighting belongs at events where dynamism and experience come first. At a party or company celebration it is the engine behind the energy on the dance floor. Vertical tubes behind the DJ, bars above the floor or a grid behind the stage run effects along with the music, so the picture changes continuously and the room stays in motion.

At a corporate event or a product launch you use pixel lighting to create a modern, premium look. A grid behind the stage that colours in the brand identity and moves subtly gives a polished, contemporary feel that comes across well on camera. For a spectacular reveal you let the effects build towards the moment of the reveal.

Pixel lighting is also valuable at shows and live performances, because the light can breathe along with the build-up of a track or an act. And at a wedding you use it calmly during dinner, with slow fades and soft colours, only to let it burst loose once the dance floor opens. That versatility, from subtle to exuberant, makes pixel lighting suitable for a range of moments within the same evening.

The technology behind pixel lighting

Individual control and pixel mapping

The core of pixel lighting is that each point of light has its own address and is therefore controlled separately. To run effects across it, we use pixel mapping: we record the physical position of each point in the control system, so we can make an effect move across the whole setup as if it were one continuous surface. This way a wave travels neatly from one fixture to the next, instead of each fixture doing something on its own.

Programming of effects

We programme the effects themselves in advance and match them to the flow of your evening. We build up scenes, from calm colour fades for a dinner to fast chases for the dance floor, and link them to the different phases of your programme. In doing so we determine the speed, the direction and the colours of each movement, so the picture gets exactly the feeling that suits the moment.

Link with the music

The power of pixel lighting only really comes into its own in interplay with the sound. We run the effects along with the rhythm and the accents of the music, or we have a technician control them live during the show. When the movement of the light coincides with what you hear, an experience emerges that is far greater than the separate parts. In a broader design we combine pixel lighting with the rest of the lighting, so the dynamic layer and the base atmosphere reinforce each other.

Design and layout

A good result begins with the layout. We look at the space and the stage and determine where the tubes, bars or panels give the most effect. Vertical tubes behind a DJ create depth, bars along a truss draw the eye across the width, and a grid behind the stage forms a surface on which you run fuller effects. We match the spacing and the height to the sightlines, so the audience sees the movement well and the setup reads as a coherent whole.

At the same time we think ahead about how the effects relate to the rest of the production. Pixel lighting is defining and can quickly dominate, so we dose the dynamism so calm and busy moments alternate. That balance between movement and calm determines whether a show stays exciting or becomes tiring. We discuss with you beforehand what feeling you want at each phase of the evening, and translate that into the layout and the programming.

Setup, programming and testing on site

On the day itself we build the setup, hang or place the fixtures and record the pixel mapping in the control system. Then we programme and test the effects in the space itself, because a chase that is right on the drawing board sometimes looks slightly different in the actual setup. We adjust the speeds, colours and transitions until the picture runs cleanly and the scenes blend seamlessly into each other.

During the event a technician runs the effects along with the music and the show, or we let the programmed scenes automatically follow the phases of your evening. What fits best depends on the scale and the flow of your production.

If you only want to collect and control a few pixel fixtures yourself, individual rental without support is available through SpeakerVerhuur.nl, the webshop of Speaker Verhuur Amsterdam. If you are after a managed result with effects that match the music tightly, HuurAV takes the design, the setup, the programming, the testing and the operation entirely off your hands. Request a no-obligation quote.