Looking to spice thigns up

dgoldberg

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Jul 28, 2009
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i have a dx2 audio card and logitechs most expensive sound system for 5.1 compuers setup in my room, im looking for soem lighting effects, dmx controlled lights, led lights, lasers, blacklights. and mainly sound reactive lighting to liven up my room:D i mean, how awesome would a laser show before bed be ?
price limit - for now 500, will invest more in the future
 

anwaypasible

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Oct 15, 2007
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i have seen websites that offer a video of what the light/laser does.
dont accept anything else?

also.. too many lights will brighten your room.
check to see if you can put in lower wattage bulbs so that the lights still work but they are not as bright.

light before bed changes the amount of melatonin in your brain.
melatonin is the chemical that helps us fall asleep.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin

'Light dependence
Production of melatonin by the pineal gland is inhibited by light and permitted by darkness. For this reason melatonin has been called "the hormone of darkness". Its onset each evening is called the Dim-Light Melatonin Onset (DLMO). Secretion of melatonin as well as its level in the blood, peaks in the middle of the night, and gradually falls during the second half of the night, with normal variations in timing according to an individual's chronotype.[33] Terman et al. devised a formulation which mimics that gradual washout (vs. the spikes in blood concentration and rapid washout associated with most over-the-counter melatonin tablets). When used several hours before sleep, the compound shifts the circadian clock earlier, thus promoting earlier sleep onset and morning awakening.[34]

It is principally blue light, around 460 to 480nm, that suppresses melatonin,[35] increasingly with increased light intensity and length of exposure. Until recent history, humans in temperate climates were exposed to few hours of (blue) daylight in the winter; their fires gave predominantly yellow light. Wearing glasses that block blue light in the hours before bedtime may avoid melatonin loss. Kayumov et al. showed that light containing only wavelengths greater than 530 nm does not suppress melatonin in bright-light conditions.[36] Use of blue-blocking goggles the last hours before bedtime has also been advised for people who need to adjust to an earlier bedtime, as melatonin promotes sleepiness.'

maybe you can make a compromise to a bright room with this sentence from above:
'light containing only wavelengths greater than 530 nm does not suppress melatonin in bright-light conditions.'

according to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color

that means no green.. blue.. or violet for a lightshow before bedtime.

with your only color options being red.. orange.. and yellow
i think the light show would be boring.
besides, orange and yellow are the brightest colors from f/x lights.
they will light up your room really bright if you dont change the bulbs for something less bright.

and if you fall asleep with those lights on, the whole assembly will get hot .. which might cause them to fail.
 

dgoldberg

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Jul 28, 2009
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i thinkn youve read into it a bit much, im just looking for a music light show that i could use at parties also , or when im just bored in my room :p i know all abou melatonin and whatnot, but lasers and fog machines... i mean common... awesome! any suggestiosn?
 

anwaypasible

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Oct 15, 2007
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nah.. i didnt read into it a bit much.
as soon as you said you wanted to mix lights with trying to go to sleep i knew there would be a conflict.
all i did was find some articles to inform you what i already knew about.

i dont know what brands to suggest.. and i dont know what controllers work better than others.
me thinks i cant help you anymore.
i remember in the late 1980's and early 1990's people used to use a coffee can with a light bulb inside.
then they purchased a color lens to place on the end of the can to change the color of the light.

not as fancy as what is available today.. but maybe a cheap alternative for you.
i'm sure you can find a DJ who has some lights that havent broken yet and they are willing to tell you the brand name of the light.

if you want the lights to be sensitive to the music.. i would suggest that you put lots of effort into finding a sensitive light controller.
again, there are websites that show a video clip of how the product works.
you might be able to see some downfalls of a product by watching the video.

a forum dedicated to disc jockeys would probably give you more results than what you got here.