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3 essential lighting effects for small bars and lounges!

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this too but in the modern age it seems everyone is thinking big – certainly when it comes to the world of lighting. ADJ lighting provides clubs and venues with the effects to wow crowds and create atmosphere on dance-floors; we provide washes, moving beam effects and blinders to immerse audiences in a sea of light and make them far-reaching for those bigger, wider rooms and stages. But what about the smaller venues?

It can be easy to forget about how important the lighting is in the small bars and lounges where atmosphere is essential and stunning effects can make or break a night. Using the right combination of ADJ fixtures, I believe these two things can be easily achieved. So this month I’ve decided to dedicate my article to lighting for installation in smaller venues. While our range of suitable fixtures is expansive, I’ve picked three essential lighting effects, all ideal for use in bars and lounges. One is a new product: the Jelly Globe. Another is a classic: the Revo 4. The other is a mood-setter: the Ultra Bar 9. These are just three of the many ADJ lighting solutions that can be used to enhance your venue when put together in smart combinations to fit with layout, décor and furniture.

1. Future Retro Lighting
With our new Jelly Globe, we’ve basically taken the idea of the classic disco ball and given it two-in-one effects; resulting in a more exciting and practical fixture. I think it’s this simplicity and its stunning effects which make the Jelly Globe ideal for use in small bars where less is more and simple is smart! It’s perfect for hanging above the DJ booth or for adding a visual feature above the dance-floor. But wherever you decide to position the fixture, the transparent glowing surface and sharp beams of light will ensure that you get two atmosphere-changing effects in one. Powered from within by two 3W tri-color (RGB) LEDs, the Jelly Globe emits a luminous glow as well as an array of vibrant colored beams, for a mesmerizing overall effect. If you want to give your bar or lounge a serious atmospheric kick, I would strongly suggest using multiple fixtures to achieve an even more spectacular effect!

2. Dance Floor Lighting
Another essential ADJ fixture for small venues is the Revo 4 LED Moonflower, from our popular Revo Series. Just one Revo 4 can cover a dance-floor, ceiling or wall with a myriad of colored dots of light, creating a mesmerizing moving LED pattern. This makes the fixture ideal for small bars and lounges where the dancing area is small and a one-light-covers-all effect is needed. What’s more, when used together with atmospheric fog or haze, the Revo 4 can also be used to throw colorful beams of light around the room, spraying them across the venue to create a more active lightshow in Sound Active mode.

3. Uplighting
Our Ultra Bar 9 is a linear fixture powered by 9 tri-color LEDs and is the ideal lighting solution for covering seating areas, dance-floors and other lounge-areas in a flood of color to create a cool, sophisticated ‘vibe’. I’ve actually seen Ultra Bars used to light up the liquor bottles stacked against the back wall of bars, which looks incredible, and I’ve also seen them used behind bars to light Perspex plinths; both of these uses will give your venue a super-professional look at an inexpensive price. The linear nature of the fixture makes it perfect for up-lighting on the underside of bars or stages, enhancing the décor, or to cover a stage or dance-floor with color to create an atmosphere for performers and audiences alike. The variable RGB color mixing means you have an unlimited palette of colors to choose from, so you can light to suit the mood and change the colors as and when required.

Now, I know that small bars are often multi-purpose; they might serve food or play background music while customers enjoy drinks early evening, before turning up the volume and energy as the night progresses. To this end, the Ultra Bar 9 is the ultimate secret weapon. Once the night starts to take shape, energetic pulsing patterns and strobe effects can be triggered, turning that ambient up-lighting into part of an exciting lightshow. Seven DMX Channel Modes and six operational modes allow for total control over a range of features and allow you to use the fixture no matter what the situation. The Ultra Bar 9 really does set the perfect mood – whether relaxed or excitable – at a great price.

Often, bars don’t have the space or budget for large, expensive fixtures and I believe that these compact, unique ADJ products provide smaller businesses with reliable, high quality lighting solutions that are truly affordable. These are just three of my essential picks from our adaptable range of lighting solutions, but I can guarantee that by applying a combination of our unique, compact products you can create pure lighting excitement – no matter how small your bar or lounge.

Check out a demo video of ADJ Jelly Globe:

Check out a demo video of ADJ Revo 4:

Check out a demo video of ADJ Ultra Bar 9:

- Alfred Gonzales is the ADJ National Sales Manager  

For more information Contact ADJ:
U.S. Office - Tel: 800-322-6337/+1-323-582-2650 • Web: www.adj.com