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REVIEWED
REVIEWED: Ibiza Light FXBar140
The new FXBAR140 is an affordable, compact and lightweight batten fixture from Lotronic's Ibiza Light brand. It combines warm white blinder LEDs with a unique RGB LED background effect to create a uniquely distinctive DJ lighting product.

When I chat to DJs at exhibitions, conferences and association meets, the conversation often gets around to the subject of gear. Particularly when it comes to lighting, there seems to be an overwhelming desire at the moment to move away from the one-size-fits-all ‘standard’ mobile DJ rig that has emerged over recent years and create something that simultaneously stands out from other setups and fits in to the rest of an event’s décor. There were some fantastically innovative and creative examples of this featured in the article I compiled earlier this year on ‘Rustic Rigs’ [Pro Mobile Issue 96 | July/August 2019]. Many DJs have either commissioned or created for themselves impressive wooden booths, plinths and set pieces that fit in perfectly with the shabby chic and barn wedding trends.

However, to a certain extent, this creativity is limited by the lighting fixtures that are available on the market. That is why I am always excited when I find out about a new product that offers something distinctly different, and that is certainly the case with the new FXBAR140. While taking the form of a conventional LED bar fixture, its effect is unlike anything else currently available from any other lighting brand.

At the heart of the unit is a line of 14 warm white 3W CREE ‘blinder’ LEDs, each of which can be controlled independently. What then makes this product unique is the set of four small RGB LEDs that surround each of the main warm white light-sources. These are mounted behind a textured front panel made from opaque plastic that causes the front of the bar to glow when the RGB LEDs behind are illuminated. By combining these two elements, the FXBAR140 is a versatile fixture capable of generating a variety of different effects, including colour chasing and strobing, as well as acting as a powerful audience blinder.

While an essential component of concert lightshows, you may be thinking that a blinder effect isn’t something particularly high on your list of mobile DJ lighting requirements. However, this fixture is so much more than just a blinder. Warm white lighting is extremely fashionable at the moment – just think of all of those filament-style lamps you see in trendy bars and restaurants! Dimming down the output and setting the warm white LEDs to chase gently will create a very ‘on trend’ lighting effect. If you then add in the RGB LEDs in the background, set to match the event’s colour scheme, you can very easily create an elegant lighting look that will please even the most visually-particular brides and event planners. Later on, when the dancefloor is in full flow, you can of course then also use the same fixtures to inject colour and energy by chasing the RGB LEDs and blasting the warm white LEDs on full power at peak moments for that high-energy blinder effect.

In terms of brightness, the warm white LEDs really are blinding if you look at them straight-on. They are each positioned within an individual reflector and behind a lens, which focuses the light into a fairly narrow beam. This means that they are very effective if you are lucky enough to be able to use haze, although they are also suitable for use in a smoke-free environment.

The coloured LEDs don’t really generate a wash per se, but are more of an ‘eye candy’ effect akin to the lightscreens of old (for those of us who have been around long enough to remember them!). They are, however, nice and bright, and their glowing effect is clearly visible even with houselights on or with daylight streaming through windows. Then, when the sun descends and the lights go out, they really pop in a darkened room creating bold solid colours or eye-catching chase patterns as required.

For simple standalone operation the FXBAR140 comes pre-programmed with 60 internal chase patterns. These can be easily selected from the 4-character LED display menu on the rear of the fixture and can be set to either run at a constant speed (with 9 options to choose from) or sound activated from the internal microphone (with variable sensitivity between 0 and 99). In both of these modes multiple units can be linked together to run in a master/slave configuration.

The unit also features 15 colour macros, which can also be easily selected from the menu interface. Fully customised static looks can also be created without the need for a DMX controller using the Manual mode that is also accessible from the menu. This allows independent dimming of the warm white blinders as well as each of the three primary LED colours and is ideal for creating a static ‘warmer’ effect for the early part of an evening before switching to the sound-activated mode later on.

Of course, as is the case with most lighting fixtures, and particularly a unit of this nature, DMX control is needed to fully realise its potential. The unit offers a choice of four DMX channel modes (6, 8, 12 or 60), with the latter offering full individual dimming control of each of the 14 warm white LEDs as well as full colour mixing for each of the fourteen sets of RGB LEDs.

The batten is 1m long and remarkably thin for most of its length, widening out in the middle where the control panel is located. The power input and output connections (in the form of the now increasingly-common twist-lock sockets) are located on one side of this thicker section, while the 3-pin DMX input and output sockets are on the other. While this layout does make for neater cable runs than if the sockets had been positioned on the back panel, I think the designers of this product have missed a trick by not grouping the input sockets (both power and DMX) on one side and the output sockets on the other.

Weighing in at just 2.66kg, the FXBAR140 is extremely convenient to carry, transport and rig. A variable angle bracket is fitted to the back of the unit, which can be locked securely into place using thumb-tightening screws on either side. This could be attached directly to a tripod top hat adapter or fitted to clamps for rigging either in a landscape orientation hanging from a goalpost rig or in a portrait orientation attached to the side of a truss podium. Each unit is also supplied with a quarter-turn locking mechanism that can be used to link together the ends of two neighbouring units. This allows two or more units to be easily combined in order to create one continuous run of LEDs.

Distinctly different from anything else currently on the market, I think the Ibiza Light FXBAR140 offers mobile DJs a lot of creative potential. Whether attached to truss podiums, hung from a lighting rig or integrated into a custom booth, it has the potential to create everything from subtle looks to high impact strobe and blinder effects. Add in the fact that it is both affordable and lightweight, and I’d say – from a mobile DJ perspective – Ibiza Light are onto a winner!
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 98, Pages 72-74.
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