’s offi cial… retro is back! Come with me on a journey back in time, 30-odd years ago - something like that, and go into any nightclub and look up at the lighting rig. I can guarantee the ceiling will be littered with pin spots, par cans, mirror balls and a variety of crazy spinney things. No doubt, amongst the myriad of technology, you will see something not too dissimilar to the new CUBE-630/LED from IMG Stageline.

However, despite having a distinctly retro feel, this is a moving light that certainly makes use of modern technology. It packs six 30W RGBW LEDs and strips into an infi nitely-rotatable cube. 6622 There are actually two models in the IMG Stageline range; the CUBE-630/LED, which I was given the opportunity to try out, and the CUBE-630/ RGBW, which costs a little less but doesn’t include the LED strips. Now, I’m going to be honest… my first impression was that this is a big lighting fixture… a lot bigger than I was expecting.

When the box was delivered I figured I’d been sent two, but I was very wrong. That said, it’s not overly heavy; it shouldn’t cause you to break into an uncontrollable sweat at 14.5kg. But, from a physical point of view, it’s a bit of a monster. It measures 41 x 31 x 50cm, which is maybe a few pies too many for the average mobile DJ to carry around.

Having unboxed the unit, in typical man-fashion, I bypassed the manual and put it straight on a bench, plugged in the power lead and waited. A few moments later my front room turned into Studio 54, it’s absolutely amazing! The six 30W RGBW LEDs each project a light beam through a separate lens, one positioned on each side of the cube. This means that beams are projected in every direction: up, down, left, right, front and back.

In addition to this there are also multi-LED RGB strips on every edge of the cube, which create an eye-candy effect on the actual cube itself. From a visual point of view, the combined effect is absolutely stunning. I have to admit that my wallet was soon beginning to look a little bit worried, especially after I filled the room with a little bit of haze, I cranked up the stereo and put my Saturday Night Fever album on! Taking a closer look at the unit itself we find a pretty much standard 4-button menu interface on the front that allows you to set the DMX address, access built-in programs, set different modes and so on.

On the rear there is a Powercon input connection for mains power, although it’s worth noting that there is no output socket for daisychaining to other fixtures. There are both 3-pin XLR input and output sockets for DMX and also in the box you get a clamp which attaches to the bottom of the unit for mounting on truss. IMG STTHAEG AERLTIN OEF C AUDBVEE-6R3T0IS/LINEDG DMC DJ The No. 1 choice of Technics Skull N Phones Slipmat Commercial Collection - Monthly CD/Download Essential Hits - Monthly CD/Download Technics Rubber Deck USB Keyring Technics LED Torch Baseball Cap DDMMCC CCllaassssiicc MMiixxeess -- II LLoovvee SStteevviiee WWoonnddeerr CD/Download Cool Grooves - Monthly CD/Download Technics Wax Sac - Black DMC Pro Mobile Ad July 2016.indd 1 Essentials professional DJs for over 30 years Technics Baseball Sweat Shirt DJ Promo - Monthly CD/Download DDMMCC CCLLAASSSSIICC PPRROODDUUCCTTIIOONNSS •• SSTTRRIICCTTLLYY DDJJ UUSSEE OONNLLYY DMC Classic Mixes - I Love Abba DMC International Classic T Shirt CD/Download TTeecchhnniiccss LLaapp TToopp BBaagg Dance Mixes - Monthly CD/Download Club Hits - Monthly CD/Download Mixer Cover (Techincs Branded) 17/06/2016 14:tageline CUBE-630/LED As the fixture is LED-based, full electronic dimming is provided for the beams, which is useful, and its strobe effect is pretty impressive.

The beam angle is fairly tight so you get a decent focussed spot of light, even at a long distance. In terms of movement, the yoke is capable of 630-degree pan, while the cube offers infinite tilt rotation. For those who like to use DMX control, you have a choice between a 15- and a whopping 37-channel mode. Both offer control of pan and tilt movement, dimming, strobing and also offer remote access to built-in programs.

For the 15-channel option, RGBW colour mixing is offered which applies to all six beams, while the 37-channel mode allows independent colour mixing for each individual beam. However, individual control of each LED strip is not possible; in both modes they can all be set to one of seven pre-set colours, either static or chasing, or set to run a multicolour transition effect. If DMX scares you then really do not worry. The unit’s ten built-in programs are easily accessible from the front-panel menu and if you have two or more of these you can run them in master/slave mode to easily create some stunning effects.

Without doubt the CUBE-630/LED is an amazing piece of kit. If you are lucky enough to be able to use it with haze, it’s even better and certainly brings retro lighting bang up-to-date. It is big though, and that might put people off, but a couple of these either hung upside down on truss, or standing on podiums, will look awesome and really make your mobile rig stand out. Now… where did I put those flares… /LAEYDS