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REVIEWED
Abstract DigiBlox Pro Pack
Aimed at providing DJs with a cost effective and easy to use solution for adding ‘on-trend’ pixel mapping effects to their mobile lightshows, the DigiBlox 25 is the latest product from UK equipment manufacturer Abstract. Joining other pixel LED products in Abstract’s DigiSeries, the DigiBlox 25 is a compact panel fitted with 25 LEDs, arranged in a 5x5 matrix configuration.
LED matrix panels are a popular and easy way to add ‘wow’ factor to any light show. They’re colourful, fun and also incredibly versatile, allowing for eye-catching pixel-mapped effects and unique colour-changing displays. Well, fitted with RGB LEDs, the new DigiBlox 25 certainly isn’t lacking in colour; aside from the basics, pre-programed hues include cyan, purple, yellow and a striking bright white. Exciting patterns and colour-changing effects can be created too, easily accessible via a range of built-in programs.
But before we delve into the creative possibilities that the DigiBlox 25 offers, it’s worth looking at what you get inside Abstract’s DigiBlox Pro Pack. It’s a neat all-in-one kit that includes six DigiBlox 25 panels, a DigiDrive control unit and a DigiPad remote control, giving you everything you need to create pixel-mapped effects straight out of the box. With a slender slim-line design, the panels are incredibly compact (you can easily grasp one in each hand) and, as far as power packs/control boxes go, the DigiDrive is remarkably lightweight, while still managing to house connections for six panels, as well as DMX in/out connections and a power socket.
Setup is simple enough. The power lead is included and the panels are pre-wired, with the loose ends of the six panels simply plugging into the DigiDrive. You can then either connect your own DMX 512 controller or use the included DigiPad remote, a palm-sized 5-button controller that connects to the DigiDrive via the DMX input XLR socket. Once everything is set up, it’s just a case of mounting your DigiBlox panels in a way that suits your rig and the event you’re working.
Abstact leaves it up to us to choose how we set up these six (or more) panels. Some of you may have checked out the Abstract lightshow at BPM 2015 – if you did, you’ll have seen how these DigiBlox panels were spread out up and down the stand’s various truss pillars, performing a combination of pixel-mapped patterns and blinding strobe effects. So, using two sets of three panels mounted to truss on either side of your DJ booth could work really well. Or you could mount them along the top bar of your goal-post to achieve downward-facing effects above the dance-floor. The only aspect that could limit you here is the size of the panels’ standard cables: measuring approximately two metres in length, by the time you’ve run them down the inside of your truss pillar you may not have much left to play with. However, the Abstract team have assured us that extension cables will be available and they're even happy to provide DigiBlox with custom cable lengths.
While mounting the panels individually can look great, you may wish to ‘interlock’ the panels to form a larger panel, which can look really effective as a back-drop for your DJ booth. This is possible, but it isn’t exactly like slotting Lego bricks together and you definitely can’t do it on the fly! You’ll need a screwdriver handy and you’ll need to leave enough time, pre-gig, to unscrew and reposition the brackets so that they ‘lock’ together, holding the panels in place. Once you have created this larger single ‘screen’, you could always consider leaving the panels joined together, transporting the screen by laying it flat in the van, but obviously this does take away the compactness that makes these portable DigiBlox panels so likable in the first place!
When it comes to controlling the DigiBlox panels, you can use the four-button LED display menu on top of the DigiDrive unit to select control modes, choose static colours and select from built-in programs. Alternatively, the DigiPad gives you the same breadth of selection, plus the bonus of being able to instantly trigger strobing effects and black out the panels, without having to access the DigiDrive unit itself.
This package can just as easily be a plug-n-play lighting solution as it can be a customised, DMX-controlled one – so how you control your DigiBlox panels really depends on how in-depth you want to go with your programing. With a built-in menu as well as compatibility with DMX and the DigiPad, the options to stay flexible are there.
LED matrix panels are a popular and easy way to add ‘wow’ factor to any light show. They’re colourful, fun and also incredibly versatile, allowing for eye-catching pixel-mapped effects and unique colour-changing displays. Well, fitted with RGB LEDs, the new DigiBlox 25 certainly isn’t lacking in colour; aside from the basics, pre-programed hues include cyan, purple, yellow and a striking bright white. Exciting patterns and colour-changing effects can be created too, easily accessible via a range of built-in programs.
But before we delve into the creative possibilities that the DigiBlox 25 offers, it’s worth looking at what you get inside Abstract’s DigiBlox Pro Pack. It’s a neat all-in-one kit that includes six DigiBlox 25 panels, a DigiDrive control unit and a DigiPad remote control, giving you everything you need to create pixel-mapped effects straight out of the box. With a slender slim-line design, the panels are incredibly compact (you can easily grasp one in each hand) and, as far as power packs/control boxes go, the DigiDrive is remarkably lightweight, while still managing to house connections for six panels, as well as DMX in/out connections and a power socket.
Setup is simple enough. The power lead is included and the panels are pre-wired, with the loose ends of the six panels simply plugging into the DigiDrive. You can then either connect your own DMX 512 controller or use the included DigiPad remote, a palm-sized 5-button controller that connects to the DigiDrive via the DMX input XLR socket. Once everything is set up, it’s just a case of mounting your DigiBlox panels in a way that suits your rig and the event you’re working.
Abstact leaves it up to us to choose how we set up these six (or more) panels. Some of you may have checked out the Abstract lightshow at BPM 2015 – if you did, you’ll have seen how these DigiBlox panels were spread out up and down the stand’s various truss pillars, performing a combination of pixel-mapped patterns and blinding strobe effects. So, using two sets of three panels mounted to truss on either side of your DJ booth could work really well. Or you could mount them along the top bar of your goal-post to achieve downward-facing effects above the dance-floor. The only aspect that could limit you here is the size of the panels’ standard cables: measuring approximately two metres in length, by the time you’ve run them down the inside of your truss pillar you may not have much left to play with. However, the Abstract team have assured us that extension cables will be available and they're even happy to provide DigiBlox with custom cable lengths.
While mounting the panels individually can look great, you may wish to ‘interlock’ the panels to form a larger panel, which can look really effective as a back-drop for your DJ booth. This is possible, but it isn’t exactly like slotting Lego bricks together and you definitely can’t do it on the fly! You’ll need a screwdriver handy and you’ll need to leave enough time, pre-gig, to unscrew and reposition the brackets so that they ‘lock’ together, holding the panels in place. Once you have created this larger single ‘screen’, you could always consider leaving the panels joined together, transporting the screen by laying it flat in the van, but obviously this does take away the compactness that makes these portable DigiBlox panels so likable in the first place!
When it comes to controlling the DigiBlox panels, you can use the four-button LED display menu on top of the DigiDrive unit to select control modes, choose static colours and select from built-in programs. Alternatively, the DigiPad gives you the same breadth of selection, plus the bonus of being able to instantly trigger strobing effects and black out the panels, without having to access the DigiDrive unit itself.
This package can just as easily be a plug-n-play lighting solution as it can be a customised, DMX-controlled one – so how you control your DigiBlox panels really depends on how in-depth you want to go with your programing. With a built-in menu as well as compatibility with DMX and the DigiPad, the options to stay flexible are there.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 75, Pages 78 - 80.
