Music Equipment

TOMMYB1
TOMMYB1 Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
Our band is doing a lot of out door gigs and I was wondering what size solar panel would I need to be able to use our equipment? I'm a total newbie at this.
But we keep having to many problems with the generators that we have and I was hoping solar system might work. Any help would be appreciated .

TOMMYB1
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  • john p
    john p Solar Expert Posts: 814 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Music Equipment

    well to start with what equipment are you using/?
    guitar amp? s ?
    bass guitar amp?
    keyboards?
    electronic drums?
    foldback amps ?rated output
    foldback mixer?channels?
    FOH mixer ?channels?
    FOH amps? rated output?
    Drum sidefill amps?

    Lighting? type? par 64s?
    Laser light?

    Duration of one show?
    time of show. midday start ? late afternoon start?
    aprox budget for solar panels, batteries ,charger . inverters??
    trucK capacity for carrying batteries. batteries are HEAVY
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Music Equipment

    Before I start quoting The Who ...:p

    Forget it. If your band uses amps they will eat up more power than you can imagine. Lights? Another huge power drain.

    If you want to get specific, get a Kill-A-Watt meter (or similar) and plug an amp into it. Play for an hour and see how many Watts run up. I used to have a 300 Watt, four-channel amp. If I tried to run that off my solar electric system today it would kill the batteries in a couple of hours.

    I'm not saying it can't be done, but the cost involved would be enormous.
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  • TOMMYB1
    TOMMYB1 Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭
    #4
    Re: Music Equipment

    OK! Thanks for the info. I knew there was a lot of power needed . Was hoping for the best . thanks again . TOMMYB1
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  • TOMMYB1
    TOMMYB1 Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭
    #5
    Re: Music Equipment

    Yeah we're using most of that equipment and more . Thanks, TOMMYB1
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  • dwh
    dwh Solar Expert Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Music Equipment

    Yea, forget solar for a band. Even a small jazz trio working a wedding would require enough solar panels to cover a garage roof.

    Figure out how much amps (as in amperage) you need, then get a good quiet generator like a Honda EU3000 or a EU6500 (for a rock band, even bigger).
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  • GreenPowerManiac
    GreenPowerManiac Solar Expert Posts: 453 ✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Music Equipment

    There's no reason why you couldn't run the simple things from Solar. Lighting and laser lights may not take much power. If for some reason people know you're a "Green" band, might gain those popular votes.
    Nature's Design & Green Energy on FaceBook : Stop by and "Like" us anytime.. Many up-to-date articles about Renewables every day.
    WWW.GreenAnything.Net    Ad free website.
    Lots of DIY Renewable Energy Projects on ETSY : Solar Panel builds, Wind Turbine builds, Rain Barrel build,etc.  
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  • john p
    john p Solar Expert Posts: 814 ✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: Music Equipment

    Lighting and laser lights may not take much power
    par64 s the most used light in existance for bands draw 1000 watts each. most small bands would be using at least 12 of them thats a rather large 12,000 watts A rather huge solar array would be needed for that.
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  • GreenPowerManiac
    GreenPowerManiac Solar Expert Posts: 453 ✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: Music Equipment

    No, No, No.... The simple stuff: LED lighting, track lighting, borders, small illuminated signs, everything that makes people believe that it's renewable energy. Example: A sign that says, "Powered by 5% Renewable Energy". Doesn't have to be extensive....
    Nature's Design & Green Energy on FaceBook : Stop by and "Like" us anytime.. Many up-to-date articles about Renewables every day.
    WWW.GreenAnything.Net    Ad free website.
    Lots of DIY Renewable Energy Projects on ETSY : Solar Panel builds, Wind Turbine builds, Rain Barrel build,etc.  
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  • russ
    russ Solar Expert Posts: 593 ✭✭
    #10
    Re: Music Equipment

    Wow! İmpressive! Powered by 5 whole percent solar and İ guess some green fools might be impressed but most of us are going to laugh.
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,917 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #11
    Re: Music Equipment

    I think Costco has a whole system for $199. :cry:
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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  • john p
    john p Solar Expert Posts: 814 ✭✭✭
    #12
    Re: Music Equipment

    [...]

    Its an outdoors system the band is using,They are not a flute and banjo duo in Joe,s pizza and shoe shine shop.:cool:
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,639 admin
    #13
    Re: Music Equipment

    Biodiesel and buying solar RE credits is about the only useful way for a touring band to truly be "green".

    There are a few real green advantages as a genset running biodiesel can be less of an environmental spill hazard... However, the processing (if done at home) can have its own issues.

    One big issue with biodiesel are fuel taxes. I know that states and federal government are really "interested" in collecting road taxes (dyed vs un-dyed fuel, etc.)--Not sure if un-taxed generator fuel would attract any attention though.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • vcallaway
    vcallaway Solar Expert Posts: 157 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #14
    Re: Music Equipment

    First off you absolutely have to go to an inverter generator. Most around here like the Honda's but there are other brands out there.

    Next look at lighting. OmniSistem makes an LED Par 64 that consumes 18W. You can run a whole bank of these for what a standard can pulls. Nice thing is no gels required. The do require clean sine wave power.

    They only sell through dealers. If you don't have a local one drop me a note. I have a friend that handles these.
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  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    #15
    Re: Music Equipment

    If you're a techno/industrial band you could run a Lister 6/1 engine on pure vegetable oil and it could be part of your sound ;)
    Heck if you connected it to a DC generator you could vary the beat for different songs.
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  • john p
    john p Solar Expert Posts: 814 ✭✭✭
    #16
    Re: Music Equipment

    Next look at lighting. OmniSistem makes an LED Par 64 that consumes 18W. You can run a whole bank of these for what a standard can pulls. Nice thing is no gels required. The do require clean sine wave power.
    Have you ever seen the output of one of these cans? in a very small room with about 20 of them they will just about light up a stage with nice soft lighting. 20 of them would not ever put out the raw power of one real 1000w par64.AS for outdor use LED 64,s would be less than useless.as there is no "beam of light from them" Its the hard "spotlight" effect that makes the real par 64 so useful
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  • vcallaway
    vcallaway Solar Expert Posts: 157 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #17
    Re: Music Equipment

    You might be surprised.

    A couple of club stages near me use them, it is how I found out about them. I would not recommend them for a big outdoor venue, but small scale they are great.
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  • john p
    john p Solar Expert Posts: 814 ✭✭✭
    #18
    Re: Music Equipment

    A couple of club stages near me use them, it is how I found out about them. I would not recommend them for a big outdoor venue, but small scale they are great. __________________
    Ihave seen them in use here on a very small stage for a single singer /guitarist and yes were ok. but for big indoor stage for a rock band the lighting is just too subdued, rock bands need intense lighting Second major problem they cant be used with a normal desk and power rack . as they have no provision to control the 3 sets of colour LEDs.. The control desk and power rack that comes with the LED 64s is only 4 channels..
    The person asking in the first post about running their band from solar was obviously doing an outdoor event and the only suitable lights are really "real" par64s and running them from solar is just about impossible unless you have a truck load of batteries and a few thousand sqft of solar panels
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  • dwh
    dwh Solar Expert Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭
    #19
    Re: Music Equipment
    stephendv wrote: »
    If you're a techno/industrial band you could run a Lister 6/1 engine on pure vegetable oil and it could be part of your sound ;)
    Heck if you connected it to a DC generator you could vary the beat for different songs.

    Okay...having been both a musician and a sound engineer in a past life*...

    I LOVE THIS IDEA!

    Nuff said.


    * Well, no so long ago I guess...the last gig of that type I did was in 2006 when I did a complete rebuild on the sound system at a Carson City, NV nightclub called "NV50".

    http://www.myspace.com/nvfifty
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