An Affordable Instant Light Show Package

The trouble with most “light-shows-in-a-box” is that they make you feel like you’re in a box, with their generic looking washed-out effects. Sure, these turnkey DJ lighting systems, which are offered by many manufacturers, are convenient and easy to use -- you just plug ’em in and play. But all too often what comes out is the bland visual equivalent of elevator muzak.

That’s why American DJ’s new Mobile Beam and Mobile Ray Systems came as such a nice surprise. Each of these two DJ systems is billed as an affordable instant light show package that includes two compact scanners, a black out controller and XLR cable. You just link up the two scanners and they move in sync to the beat of the music. No DMX, programming required.

Colorful Powerful Pint-Sized Scanners

So plug-and-play we did – and that’s when the surprises started. We were amazed to see such bright, sharp beams emitting from such pint-sized (and inexpensive) scanners. American DJ has equipped them with long-life Philips 250-watt lamps – quality you don’t typically find in mobile DJ package setups. Not only do the lamps burn for 1000 hours, but their super wattage pumps up the effects’ vibrant colors, giving off the eye-popping brightness of a big time light show.

The Mobile Beam and Mobile Ray can also rival big time professional effects when it comes to mixing it up on the dance floor. Each system produces 14 different color/gobo combinations, many of which are multi-color patterns, so there’s a lot of color and variety. (The difference between the two systems is that the Mobile Ray produces quadra-type beams, as a result of its 4-angle mirror.)

Instant Excitement

Both systems are sound-active and are equipped with built-in programs for
creating two instant light shows. American DJ really put some thought into mobile DJ needs by designing one of these light shows for large dance floors and the other for smaller floors. This gives the Mobile Beam and Mobile Ray systems the versatility to blast out a perfectly scaled light show in the different-sized clubs and rooms that DJs perform in. And all at the touch of a button – no programming required!

We found a number of other features on the Mobile Beam and Mobile Ray systems that DJs are sure to appreciate. One is the scanners’ high-velocity fan, which keeps the units cool enough to run continuously all night. So you don’t have to work your performance around duty cycles. And we thought the mini controller that comes with each system was very handy, letting you control black out from the DJ booth or wherever.

Expand To Meet Your Needs

We also like the idea that, with these systems, you’re not limited to a two-scanner light show. If you ever want to move up to a larger lighting presentation, you can easily do so, because both systems are expandable by linking multiple Mobile Beams and Mobile Rays together via cable. Even with multiples, you won’t need a moving van to haul your light show around, because each scanner weighs just 8.5 pounds. For such little lighting systems, the Mobile Beam and Mobile Ray give an awfully big kick. They also provide an incredible bang for the buck. Finding such great DJ light show packages at such an affordable price was perhaps the biggest surprise of all.