SoundVision Podcast with Ben Aymami on Linear Lighting
Listen to the Podcast with Ben Aymami
" I'm the best butt-kisser in America."
On this episode of “Simplifying Life Through Technology,” Michelle, Marshall, and Andrew from SoundVision sit down with Ben Aymami on Linear Lighting.
Ready to change how you view your living space? Imagine transforming the atmosphere of your room with a simple strip of copper and diodes. We've got Ben Aymami from Proluxe Lighting on the show today to shed some light (pun intended) on tape lighting. Together, we'll explore how this flexible and dynamic lighting option can add a bright punch to both your indoor and outdoor spaces.
But that's not all. We'll also dive into the wellness benefits of tunable white lighting, and how it can mimic the natural rhythms of the sun to elevate your mood. Our systems designer, Marshall, joins the conversation sharing his innovative strategies using full spectrum RGBW tape to create an inviting ambiance on his latest project at SoundVision. We wrap things up by discussing the importance of professional installation and guidance on selecting the ideal lighting for your needs. Join us on this illuminating journey into the world of advanced lighting technology with Sound Vision.
We Discuss:
The Tape Light Wiring and DMX training demonstration Ben gave to our team of technicians at SoundVision
Advantages of Tape/ Linear Lighting
Details of the plans for a project Marshall is working on for a client at SoundVision
The correlation between lighting and circadian rhythm
Dimmability possibilities with Tape/ Linear Lighting
Check out SoundVision’s Podcast with David Zapfel from B&O, as well as our other podcasts, on Apple and Spotify.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to Simplifying Life Through Technology.
Speaker 2:
Music. So today we have Ben Amome from American Lighting.
Speaker 3:
So it's actually Prolux by American Lighting and we're basically the integration division of American Lighting.
Speaker 2:
How's Sandy?
Speaker 1:
What brings you into our showroom today?
Speaker 3:
So you all have been great customers for a while now and we appreciate your business and you guys are really diving head first in lighting. You guys are blazing the trail when it comes to lighting, so sound vision. When I was asked to come out, I did not hesitate to come out and do a training for your technicians.
Speaker 2:
I feel like I had to prod you, to get you here.
Speaker 3:
Well, all you have to do is have Marshall call me.
Speaker 2:
That's for that.
Speaker 4:
Me and Bingo way back Apparently Like three months, damn.
Speaker 1:
So why don't you tell us a little bit about what your training, that you did for our technicians today, was about?
Speaker 3:
Basically I did a whole tape light wiring training, so how to wire it, the difference between single color and color change of tape and DMX training as well. So basically trained them on how to use our gateway when they're in the field and how to program the gateway as well.
Speaker 1:
What are some of the advantages of tape lighting or linear lighting?
Speaker 3:
You just open up a can of worms there, because I could talk about this forever, but I'll be sure, yeah, high level, high level. So tape light is a light that packs a punch, but it's small and you can use it pretty much anywhere and it's flexible. So technically, you know a lot of projects we're doing now. Marshall's actually working on right now where we can do lines of light in the ceiling.
Speaker 4:
Tape light now can actually light a whole room simply with a little piece of copper strip and diodes A lot of wellness benefits, depending on, like, where you put the tape and how you light a room and how you program it, like when is the linear light being used and why, and it can really change the way a home operates or a person feels in that home.
Speaker 3:
Absolutely. Marshall makes a great point, especially with our wide-range tunable, our RGB tunable white. I call it our mullet product because you have the best of both worlds, right you? Have tunable white where you can tune it anywhere from 1800 Kelvin to 6000 Kelvin to mimic the sunrise or sunset. But then you can also have your party in the back where you can mix RGB in there as well. So you can have the best of both worlds and you're able to give that the wellness factor to it with circadian rhythm.
Speaker 2:
Is it indoor lighting or outdoor lighting? Specific, or do you carry both lines?
Speaker 3:
We carry both lines so you're able to do linear lighting indoors or outdoors. It just depends on the rating of the tape. So we have tape anywhere from IP54, which is damp rated, to IP68, which is fully submersible.
Speaker 2:
Fully submersible, so we could put it inside a pool.
Speaker 3:
Yes, we do have pool rated tape.
Speaker 1:
Interesting. What about color? Do they come in colors? Is it just warm lighting? So?
Speaker 3:
yes, we have both. We have a multitude where you can actually tune different colors of white light, and then you can also do colors. So you can do RGB and mix 16 million colors in between all those diodes 16 million colors.
Speaker 4:
Can you list those for us?
Speaker 3:
So those colors are magenta. No, just joking, but it is 16 million different colors. So, for example, there's a scale out there you could Google and basically LEDs and color changing. It's on a scale of zero to 255 of dimmability. So basically you can take these RGB chips and white chips and mix them together to make different colors by setting the dimmability by from zero to 255 in those settings.
Speaker 1:
Wow, you can color mix.
Speaker 3:
Yes, color mix is the perfect answer for that. I was just going more technical maybe.
Speaker 2:
So the genesis of you know, putting this training together was Marshall, our systems designer is quoted. A very large job with a lot of different lighting. Marshall, maybe you can tell us a little bit about what we're going to do with that.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. This particular client wanted a mix of both styles of linear lighting. In the main level they're going with a more traditional warm dim type of tape lighting and some suspended ceilings. We're actually highlighting some architectural beams in the great room as the general lighting, so it's a perfect example of that as well. Where a room doesn't need recessed lighting or accent lighting, we're using a high output warm dim tape to accent the beams and shine that light reflected off of the ceiling and that's how the room is lit. And then downstairs, in a more entertainment vibe, we're doing a full spectrum RGBW tape and highlighting some crown molding coves and doing some strips recessed into the drywall ceilings and some really fun aspects and even outside on the lower patio by the pool and some potentially in the pool itself, kind of backlighting the waterfall feature.
Speaker 2:
We have some in our showroom and we recently added it in our last remodel two months ago in the conference room and we had it with just the crown lit up, without any of the cans on or the other pendant lighting, and I felt like I get a lot of migraines. I just felt like it was kinder for me to sit in, for whatever reason, because it's kind of indirect light and I happen to feel it's one of the benefits if you don't want to have, you know, the heat from the cans coming down.
Speaker 4:
Well, I mean you said it perfect the direct light and we that we've all grown so accustomed to, because it seems like most builders, or you know, architects just want to put four recessed lights and a fan in every room and that's not an ideal way to live with light in your house at all, because that's what we all do. Lighting is the most used part of all of our homes and it has the biggest factor of how we feel when we first wake up or right before we go to bed, and it's overlooked by every builder and it's a slow burn. We're getting there with a lot of I'll call them premier builders in our area, but every client is not as open to it just because it's so traditionally lit with recessed cans, absolutely.
Speaker 3:
You all make a great point. Indirect lighting is so key because you don't have that glare. Glare is going to be the biggest thing that a downlight causes. Also, if you were to look at a downlight, we can even look at this room here, right, and we can see that there's shadowing in the room where the downlight is causing a dark spot, a bright spot. Well, every time your eyes look at that and it goes from dark to light, your eyes have to adjust. You don't notice that always, but it does happen and make sure eyes work harder and tie your eyes.
Speaker 2:
Actually have them dim this room. It's dimmer than it normally is when we're showing it.
Speaker 4:
And I even said it myself and wearing that client's basement, it's more of an entertainment vibe, but I think a lot of folks don't realize how important the actual color of lighting can be in regards to your wellness. And, ben, you mentioned circadian rhythm and how that affects your day to day. Can you elaborate on circadian rhythm and what that means?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, absolutely so. Traditionally, home's always been like a 2700 Kelvin or a 3000 Kelvin, which is a warmer color.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, it's like a traditional kind of like incandescent bulb, right yeah.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, and so your incandescent bulb is great, but as you would dim it, it would warm all the way to 1800 Kelvin, similar to a warm dim tape and a warm dim downlights and such. So what that does is gives you a feeling. So, as you're dimming right, your body produces melatonin. So as the light is warmer, your body will produce more melatonin and relax more.
Speaker 2:
Oh okay.
Speaker 3:
So if the light's really bright, like 6000 Kelvin, that means get up and go and that's why when you go to a lot of office buildings and things like that, you'll see they have, you know, a brighter white 4000, 5000 Kelvin. You go to doctor's offices, you go to hospitals. They're always super bright because they want people to be awake. It's a lot of sense.
Speaker 1:
Interesting Very. When did you start with American lighting? How long have you been working with that? What don't we know about?
Speaker 3:
you so here, we go, let's not go there right. Best friend, don't say anything. I've been with Merrick lighting just now for years and I love lighting. I love working in the CI channel. You all have been great to work with, but working in the CI channel and watching what you all can do with lighting is phenomenal and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
Speaker 4:
I think that's a very important detail that a lot of people overlook in the fact that you said you love lighting, and it's very obvious in who you are and how you approach the business. So thank you for being a all around incredible vendor for us.
Speaker 3:
Well, thank you, and I appreciate work with you guys. Like I said, I couldn't do without you all, and you know it's just natural for me. I'm the best buckkisser in America.
Speaker 4:
So, you know, I love that really good at it. I got one more question, Ben. What do you say to a new dealer that is thinking about getting into when you're lighting?
Speaker 3:
You've got to do it. I think the CI channel is the future of lighting. I think it's really easy, but what we do at American Lighting is we try to be the easy button. You send us a job, we'll help you lay it out, we'll tell you what gauge of wire to pull and we'll help you put it all together. Right now, the CI channel is the ultimate channel, because we're able to control the light, we're able to do all the color changing. So you need to get in, otherwise you're going to get left behind.
Speaker 2:
So the CI channel is a custom integration channel for those of our listeners who don't know what that is. What is the warranty period on American Lighting?
Speaker 3:
So when you buy a system from us, it's an eight year warranty.
Speaker 4:
So any issues, anything goes out, we replace it, for you Does that apply to just the fixture or all of the processing and things like that as well.
Speaker 3:
So with the custom integration side, it's everything, it's the whole system. So if you have a power supply that goes out within eight years, replace it Real a tape that a section goes out of, which doesn't happen very often at all but if it does, replace it, things like that.
Speaker 2:
That's fantastic. Okay, well, I think that's all we actually have time for today. Thank you for joining us, Ben.
Speaker 3:
Well, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:
We really love that you return Marshall's phone calls.
Speaker 3:
I replied you. I even forged you my reply, by the way. Oh, you got proof behind it.
Speaker 2:
You might have some raiseeats, but I never saw it.
Speaker 3:
Remember I live by my butt kiss in life.
Speaker 2:
I always reply, I always reply. Well, thank you again and we hope to see you at CDia in Denver and visit your facility in September.
Speaker 3:
Awesome. Look forward to having you guys. We're going to have a bunch of fun. Don't forget, come drink suburban with me please, Absolutely my literally at the choice my look at maybe a bottle of Chardonnay for the non-verb and drinker, of course.
Speaker 2:
just say that I will whatever you want.
Speaker 3:
Like I said, I'm the best buck kisser. You tell me what you want. Bring it's all right, thanks, ben, no problem, thank you.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for joining us. You can learn more about sound vision at sound vision like Normancom. You can follow us on Twitter at sound vision LKN. Find us on Instagram and Facebook at SoundVision LLC.