As a mobile DJ, I especially love lighting, and I also have a bit of a thing for controlling it via DMX. Then I discovered Ape Labs. My initial research into the brand revealed that everything they sell is high quality, but that they aren’t the cheapest. But then how long have us DJs been saying that you only get what you pay for?

My first purchase with Ape Labs were the Maxi Plus lights. I immediately loved them and questioned why it took me so long to buy them. I didn’t really have any need for the Maxi’s little brother, the Mini, until the company released a brand-new product – the Mini Tube Kit. Made specifically for the Mini, they suddenly made them relevant. I had to have a set of both the lights and the tubes, so I bought eight of the Minis with a dedicated charging case, as well as eight tubes, which arrived in their own padded casing.

The Ape Labs Mini 2.0 IP features a single 15W LED and is very powerful for such a small light, plus with the Tubes add-on you’re actually getting two different lights for the price of one. The adaptive thread on top of the unit allows you to screw on the tube attachment – a simple process that takes seconds to do. Within no time, you’ve transformed your uplight into a tube light, giving you the flexibility to adapt to different situations and venues.

The Ape Labs Mini Tubes are 1m long and made of a 50mm polycarbonate material that’s break-resistant. Should you wish to go even taller, there is also an extender fitting that lets you attach a second 1m tube, for a total length of 2m. The tubes come complete with their own nylon bag for protection and easy transportation. With the Mini Tube attached, the Ape Labs Mini will run for up to 10 hours.

The lights are all rated IP65, ideal for use either indoors or outdoors. You can also set up the lights free-standing, or use the bracket to easily attach them to trussing or a T-bar.

Controlling the lights is simple using DMX, but you will lose some of the effects and unique features that Ape Labs offers. I already own and use the company’s Connect product – a wireless hub that allows me to connect all my Ape Labs lights via Wi-Fi and then control them using the Ape Labs app (available for Android and Apple).

Connection to the app takes seconds and the app has a range of features to help get the best out of your lights. You can control black out and strobe as well as selecting colours using the intuitive colour picker. There’s also the option to add profiles for your lights and split them into different groups (up to four groups), allowing you to mix and match your lights. You can also use the app to update firmware and check battery levels.

Ape Labs supplies a remote, which is ideal for controlling basic functions. Although, to get the best out of these lights, I do feel the app is the way to go. If you do opt for the remote, you’ll be able to control the Minis in terms of powering on and off, adjusting brightness (in increments of 20% from zero to full brightness), triggering strobe effects, and setting basic static colours, as well as some more exotic options like pastels, jade, and blush pink, along with the intriguingly named ‘candlelight classic’ and ‘seafoam’ – to mention a few. You can also use the remote to trigger Musicmode.

Musicmode is Ape Labs’ version of sound-to-light mode, but better. When you select Musicmode and the ’lights‘ tab, your lights will dim to 15% (a new update allows this to be changed to 0%) and will pulse and flash whenever they pick up sound on their internal microphone.

What I love about Musicmode is that if you place the lights at varying distances from the speakers, they will react differently, so not all your lights will be doing exactly the same thing at any one time. On the other hand, if you do want the lights to be co-ordinated, you can do this using Ape Labs Connect and the app. Simply change the receiving microphone to that of the Ape Labs Connect box and use the settings in the app to connect all your lights. They will then react in unison.
The Connect box is approximately the same size as the Minis and comes in white or grey, along with two antennas and a power supply. Connect offers a battery life of about 50 hours and will control any Ape Lab lights. Simply turn on, connect using an Android or Apple device with Bluetooth, and you’re up and running. It’s also worth noting that Connect has DMX in and through, but in DMX you will lose the built-in Musicmode feature.

Overall, the Ape Labs Mini Tubes are a fantastic way to get more out of your Mini lights, turning uplighters into tube lights and giving you two very different eye-catching effects from a single solution. Furthermore, with the tube extension option, you can easily double the size of your tube lighting for maximum results and in venues where additional height is needed.

The Ape Labs Connect box and accompanying app are must-haves, making your Ape Labs lights a lot of fun to use. I also love the fact that the lights are IP65-rated, giving you the versatility of outdoor use when needed. Ape Labs have come through once again with another great product for mobile DJs.