The Pin Spot ruled supreme until the early eighties when a new invention hit the market, the Flower Effect. The principle of this was to produce the multiple beams, made on a mirror ball, and force them in one direction through a lens. The beams could be individually coloured and made to spin in time with the music. These Flower effects were very expensive at first and only the largest clubs could afford them. These days technology has progressed so far that they are now small and cheap enough to afforded by the mobile DJ and are even brighter and more exciting that the originals. (See BLITZER)

As you can probably see Disco Lighting has been a steady progression of modern technology combined with earlier ideas. Incorporated three earlier principles, Multiple beams of the mirror ball, 3D "in air" beam projection and sound activation.

The next step was the most dramatic and would not have been possible without our friend the Silicon Chip! Until now the DJ's control was limited to switching effects on and off or choosing the pattern for the Sound Chaser to flash the lamps. At last the DJ could be given a free reign to let his imagination run riot. In 1990 Intelligent Lighting hit the market.

Intelligent Lighting worked on a new principle: Send a beam through a colour filter and a shape (called a "GOBO") then project it onto a mirror which was fixed to two motors (One which moved the mirror left and right ["X"] and one which moved the mirror up and down ["Y"]) which could be controlled by the DJ. This allowed the DJ to chose the colour and shape of the beam and, by moving the mirror, where in the room it would be projected. Originally named the Intelligent Scanner, it's name has gradually changed to that of it's unintelligent predecessor "the Scanner" Just to confuse you! (Be careful when buying!) This revolutionary invention was incredibly expensive at first but like all things has been simplified and miniaturised and is now easily affordable (See MICROBEAM 100).

With intelligence came the need to control these new effects and a whole new system was adopted called DMX and saved dozens of wires connecting all the lighting effects. In stead of sending voltage to an effect to control it, the new system sends a digital language, called DMX. Each effect is plugged directly into the mains and contains it's own microprocessor which can decode the DMX and follow the DJ's instructions. This means that only one wire needs to be sent from the DMX controller to the first effect all subsequent effects are just linked together from the first in a "Daisy Chain". The effect, being "intelligent" knows whether the information it is receiving is for it or is to be passed on to the next effect in the chain, cleaver Eh!

I suppose the final step in the story was inevitable. In 1994 NJD Electronics, of Nottingham, invented the Intelligent Flower. Now instead of projecting one beam the effect would project 20 beams of a colour and shape of the DJ's choice and move them in time with music. Voted "The Best Lighting Effect in the World" in 1995 this product is possible the most stunning disco effect ever produced (See DATAMOON)

Intelligent lighting is now finding it's way into "Live Bands" as the old PAR Cans are replaced with intelligent spotlights, like the CHROMA HX, and this is only the beginning! This is a constantly changing and exciting field as entertainers continuously search for the latest and most stunning effects with which to entertain and amaze people and I am sure that there are many more new effects just sitting on the Drawing board (Sorry "CAD" Screen) as you read this article.

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