The Luxli Timpani 1x1 RGBAW LED light entered the 1x1 panel market to a lot of attention, thanks to its four built-in operational modes. Other features, including remote app control and a very slim enclosure, certainly complete the compact all-in-one fixture that it is, but the four modes are what make the Timpani stand out among the many 1x1 panels already on the market, because most of the available models have no more than two modes. Furthermore, the Timpani is designed with a 672-LED RGBAW matrix that allows for extensive adjustment ranges in each of the four modes. One of these four modes—alongside CCT, RGBAW Color, and Gel modes—is Effects mode, which offers 10 effects that are adjustable to function in many ways. The Fire effect, for example, can be set to function as a candle, campfire, or bonfire in various wind conditions. Meant for use in the background, these effects can be applied to enhance or even totally transform a shot or scene at no additional expense in time and cost.
The 10 special effects can be highly beneficial additions to commercials, vlogs, music videos, live events, and short, feature, and documentary films. For example, the Lightning effect, at the press of just a few buttons, can turn a simple scene captured in the rain into a highly dramatic one with dazzling lightning; the Paparazzi effect allows you to add up to 100 camera flashes going off every second in the background, letting you mimic the flashes coming from photographers sitting on the sidelines of sporting events, runway shows, and so on.
Even for simple, corporate-style interviews, where generally there isn’t a lot of room for effects, having Effects Mode at hand may let you quickly take advantage of an idea that comes to mind. For instance, if you’re shooting an interview with a doctor for a medical office video, you may want to use the Siren effect to mimic the lights of an ambulance passing by in the background. To implement this idea, you need do no more than enter Special Effects mode using the OLED display and adjustment knob on the rear, or using the included Luxli Conductor iOS/Android app, select Siren from the list of 10 effects, and press the Play button to run the effect. If you don’t like the standard settings of the effect as it plays out, press the Edit button and make your adjustments in seconds in the efficient, simple menu that comes up.
Here’s the list of the 10 effects, which are each adjustable in different combinations of factors:
- CCT Chase (loop between two color temperatures)
- Color Chase (loop between two RGBAW colors)
- Explosion
- Fireworks
- Fire
- Lightning
- Paparazzi
- Siren
- Strobe
- Pulse
CCT Chase continuously loops between two selectable color temperatures, displaying all those in between. The Timpani has a wide color-temperature range of 2800-10000K, as opposed to the more common 3200-5600K, so CCT Chase gets a lot to work with. (Specifically, within this effect, the Timpani allows you to set the warmer color temperature as low as 2400K.) The timing of the loop and the green/magenta saturation level are also adjustable. The Color Chase effect is like CCT Chase, with the difference being that the range is selectable from the RGBAW color matrix. With both effects, since the loop is continuous, you get to shoot as many takes as you need without touching the Timpani.
The Explosion effect generates random-length pulses and strobes to simulate explosions. Offering adjustment of the time that the light is illuminated for each pulse or strobe, and how many separate explosions go off, this effect allows you to simulate different types of explosions for different needs.
The Fireworks effect works similarly to Explosion, but it simulates the light of fireworks instead.
As mentioned, the Fire effect lets you choose between candle, campfire, or bonfire as the fire type. The associated wind type can be set as wind, breeze, windy, or storm. With the candle setting alone, you can add a sense of drama, romance, warmth, coziness, or otherwise to even a plain scene.
The Lightning effect simulates lightning by creating random bursts of flashes, which are adjustable in color temperature and interval times.
The Paparazzi effect simulates camera flashes, in your choice of 0-100 random flashes per second. The length of each flash, and the color temperature and saturation of the flash are all adjustable to let you mimic anything from a single photographer snapping photos to an all-out paparazzi frenzy.
The Siren effect allows you to choose different combinations of colors flashing, such as red/white, blue/white, and red/white/blue, as well as individual colors, such as red only, to simulate different emergency-vehicle lights. The duration, cycles per minute, and flashes per cycle are all adjustable.
You’re probably familiar with strobe lights, often used at parties and nightclubs. They flash a steady, powerful light and are typically used in dark environments where they have a big impact on the setting. The Strobe effect allows you to simulate a strobe light, but it also lets you choose the color of the flashing light from the RGBAW color wheel. You can additionally adjust saturation, frequency of flashes, and duration of the flash from 10 to 90%.
The Pulse effect is like the Strobe effect, but the light fades in and out.
These effects can also be mixed well if you use multiple lights. For example, you can have CCT Chase running on one light and Color Chase on another for some exotic, colorful results, perhaps for a music video. As an alternative to additional Timpani units, you can incorporate the Timpani’s predecessors into the mix, the Luxli Viola and Cello on-camera lights which, between them, share the same features as the Timpani, although not as expansively.
As for the Timpani’s other modes: CCT mode provides the essential bicolor functionality required on most shoots, and its color accuracy rating is a high and consistent 97 TLCI / 95 CRI, for optimal results. Gel mode offers 150 classic digital Lee-equivalent filters that are often a must for the same shoots. Some of these filters are preset for specific tasks, such as shooting a green screen, and can be selected for efficient application. RGBAW Color mode lets you dial-in any color on the color wheel in 1-degree increments. While Gel mode has specific presets, RGBAW Color mode enables you to get precise. Altogether, the four modes arm the user with the comprehensive feature sets to handle just about any task on set.
We’ve seen some impressive videos shot with the different modes of the Timpani, and the light has gotten a lot of feedback all over the Web, from various types of users. We’d love to know what you think. Please share your thoughts, experiences, or questions in the Comments section, below.
Considering adding a Luxi Timpani RGBAW LED panel light to your lighting kit? Take a look at this quick overview of the Timpani, delve a little deeper into the Timpani’s LED specs and features, or check out 10 creative ways to use this panel light. Read on to learn more about using the Timpani’s RGB mode to match your existing light sources, or to select your choice of 150 Lee gels in filter mode.
Get some tips on how to build a light kit with the Timpani and learn about its four operating modes, DMX features, and physical build in this broader Timpani overview.
0 Comments