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REVIEWED
REVIEWED: CHAUVET DJ GoboZap
Up until today the only barrels I was interested in were full of single malt whisky, but this nifty unit from CHAUVET DJ has started to change my prejudice against glass reflective lighting systems…
My first impression of the CHAUVET DJ Gobozap was that it’s solid and well built (unlike me) and reassuringly heavy, weighing in at 6kg. I always factor in the weight of my DJ purchases, as I store all my kit in one box and it quickly adds up – especially when you’re lugging it up the steps at a venue! In terms of size, the dimensions are 485mm x 130mm x 155mm, so the Gobozap is pretty compact and, unlike similar products, the glass is hidden away in the middle of the unit, protecting it from damage.
The light has three mounting points on the bottom and on each side, and on the back you’ll find DMX, power in and out sockets, and two IR6 infrared ports (remote sold separately). I would have liked to have seen an on/off switch – especially useful when the device is daisy chained.
Rubber feet ensure the unit can be securely placed on a table or shelf, though this means the very large logo and menu are then upside down. If you’re mounting it on an overhead rig then that’s fine, but when placed on a stand, the logo stands out, I'd honestly have preferred either a smaller logo, or perhaps placed on the rear of the case. Having the menu on the front makes sense, as you will most likely mount the Gobozap face down – after all, we’ve all been there on tiptoes fighting through cables to get to a rear menu mid-gig. I like the fact that the menu also switches off until pressed, but it would be handy if it could be reversed.
The fans are reasonably loud, but that’s necessary for cooling the super bright duel-LEDs, drawing 176 watts, 1.3 amp at 50 Hz. The CHAUVET DJ Gobozap offers 13 colours (including white) and 14 gobos on separate wheels, so you can mix the gobos and colours separately. It was really responsive in sound-to-light mode, although the barrels do rotate at speed. It is possible to change the sensitivity and the rotation speed, though for me it’s still too manic. I prefer DMX mode for complete control. One useful mode was the ability to go to a slow speed or off when there is no music present, a nice touch.
The Gobozap’s crisp gobos and the way the light changes direction is quite impressive – the motor seems very accurate. With a decent spread at 118 degrees, one light could easily fill a small room and the gobos will hit the back wall in a much larger room. I’m not sure you could light Glastonbury with this, but it’s ideal for 90% of private functions.
I have not owned a glass barrel light since my Acme Scimitar in 2007. I got fed up with the rotation speed, but also had some issues with broken mirrors from time to time. That experience taught me that it's good to have a spare mirror for this type of effect light. I also think it’s wise to factor in the cost of a decent padded bag, as I've already said, the mirror is protected but all equipment last longer with good cases, especially lighting.
I planned to try out the Gobozap during a wedding one weekend but sadly ran out of time. Instead, I set it up in my living room on DMX control, using my Cuety control system. With DMX you have a choice of 2-, 7- and 11-channel operation but I opted for the 7-channel mode, as I did not need to separate the gobo and colour wheels. You can still use the auto program function on channels 1-2 and you can change the speed and sound sensitivity manually. The remaining channels are dimmer (channel 3), shutter (channel 4), colour wheel (channel 5), gobo wheel (channel 6) and barrel rotation (channel 7).
I use an iPad to control my lighting and found the speed hard to accurately pinpoint, but this is probably down to the software and my finger size. I also found that there were large gaps in the gobos when on slow or static because the mirror is illuminated from the sides and does not move up or down. I can’t comment on how this would look in a larger room, but I think you would need a pair of these to rival some of the more expensive scanners available, which have front-illuminated barrels that can be programmed to move up, down and right to left. Choosing the larger gobos provides the best effect. Overall, I was really impressed with how easy it was to change the gobos and colours, especially as you can combine colours on each gobo.
At just under £300, the Gobozap is cheaper than its 80-watt Inno Roll counterpart, and I would go as far as to say that the effect quality and brightness comes close to much more expensive lights. CHAUVET DJ also specify a 50,000-hour life span, which is over 2000 days!
If you do buy this light, I think it best to run it through DMX; it is a seriously capable light when under control, mainly because of the separate colour and gobo wheels as well as the responsive motors. When compared to similar fixtures, the Gobozap really is quite light and compact, and I loved its solid build. During lockdown I sold my laser to feed my family, so I have been looking for a decent affordable centrepiece gobo light to replace it. I was convinced I wanted a set of moving heads, but now I think that a single CHAUVET DJ Gobozap will be more than enough for my needs.
My first impression of the CHAUVET DJ Gobozap was that it’s solid and well built (unlike me) and reassuringly heavy, weighing in at 6kg. I always factor in the weight of my DJ purchases, as I store all my kit in one box and it quickly adds up – especially when you’re lugging it up the steps at a venue! In terms of size, the dimensions are 485mm x 130mm x 155mm, so the Gobozap is pretty compact and, unlike similar products, the glass is hidden away in the middle of the unit, protecting it from damage.
The light has three mounting points on the bottom and on each side, and on the back you’ll find DMX, power in and out sockets, and two IR6 infrared ports (remote sold separately). I would have liked to have seen an on/off switch – especially useful when the device is daisy chained.
Rubber feet ensure the unit can be securely placed on a table or shelf, though this means the very large logo and menu are then upside down. If you’re mounting it on an overhead rig then that’s fine, but when placed on a stand, the logo stands out, I'd honestly have preferred either a smaller logo, or perhaps placed on the rear of the case. Having the menu on the front makes sense, as you will most likely mount the Gobozap face down – after all, we’ve all been there on tiptoes fighting through cables to get to a rear menu mid-gig. I like the fact that the menu also switches off until pressed, but it would be handy if it could be reversed.
The fans are reasonably loud, but that’s necessary for cooling the super bright duel-LEDs, drawing 176 watts, 1.3 amp at 50 Hz. The CHAUVET DJ Gobozap offers 13 colours (including white) and 14 gobos on separate wheels, so you can mix the gobos and colours separately. It was really responsive in sound-to-light mode, although the barrels do rotate at speed. It is possible to change the sensitivity and the rotation speed, though for me it’s still too manic. I prefer DMX mode for complete control. One useful mode was the ability to go to a slow speed or off when there is no music present, a nice touch.
The Gobozap’s crisp gobos and the way the light changes direction is quite impressive – the motor seems very accurate. With a decent spread at 118 degrees, one light could easily fill a small room and the gobos will hit the back wall in a much larger room. I’m not sure you could light Glastonbury with this, but it’s ideal for 90% of private functions.
I have not owned a glass barrel light since my Acme Scimitar in 2007. I got fed up with the rotation speed, but also had some issues with broken mirrors from time to time. That experience taught me that it's good to have a spare mirror for this type of effect light. I also think it’s wise to factor in the cost of a decent padded bag, as I've already said, the mirror is protected but all equipment last longer with good cases, especially lighting.
I planned to try out the Gobozap during a wedding one weekend but sadly ran out of time. Instead, I set it up in my living room on DMX control, using my Cuety control system. With DMX you have a choice of 2-, 7- and 11-channel operation but I opted for the 7-channel mode, as I did not need to separate the gobo and colour wheels. You can still use the auto program function on channels 1-2 and you can change the speed and sound sensitivity manually. The remaining channels are dimmer (channel 3), shutter (channel 4), colour wheel (channel 5), gobo wheel (channel 6) and barrel rotation (channel 7).
I use an iPad to control my lighting and found the speed hard to accurately pinpoint, but this is probably down to the software and my finger size. I also found that there were large gaps in the gobos when on slow or static because the mirror is illuminated from the sides and does not move up or down. I can’t comment on how this would look in a larger room, but I think you would need a pair of these to rival some of the more expensive scanners available, which have front-illuminated barrels that can be programmed to move up, down and right to left. Choosing the larger gobos provides the best effect. Overall, I was really impressed with how easy it was to change the gobos and colours, especially as you can combine colours on each gobo.
At just under £300, the Gobozap is cheaper than its 80-watt Inno Roll counterpart, and I would go as far as to say that the effect quality and brightness comes close to much more expensive lights. CHAUVET DJ also specify a 50,000-hour life span, which is over 2000 days!
If you do buy this light, I think it best to run it through DMX; it is a seriously capable light when under control, mainly because of the separate colour and gobo wheels as well as the responsive motors. When compared to similar fixtures, the Gobozap really is quite light and compact, and I loved its solid build. During lockdown I sold my laser to feed my family, so I have been looking for a decent affordable centrepiece gobo light to replace it. I was convinced I wanted a set of moving heads, but now I think that a single CHAUVET DJ Gobozap will be more than enough for my needs.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 108, Pages 84-85.
