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Thread: How Do I Properly Choose A Laser System's/Projectors Output?

  1. #1
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    Question How Do I Properly Choose A Laser System's/Projectors Output?

    As the title suggests, is their some kind of ballpark math for determining your lasers optimal power output before your blinding every person and household pet in sight?

    My natural inclination with every project I do is to go straight to overkill. However, this is one of the few times where that tendency might leave me injured, so I've come to find a voice of reason.

    Surely, there's a way to determine how much is enough.
    I don't want an anemic looking projector, but I don't want a walking stick either.

    As always, thank you all!
    Last edited by Vectorfire; 08-09-2018 at 03:46.

  2. #2
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    If we are talking about beam shows, most old-school laserists will tell you to go big or go home. And when it comes to an outdoor beam show, I tend to agree with that statement. Outdoor beam shows are a pain in the ass because you can never count on the fog/haze being consistent. All it takes is a puff of wind and you're in trouble. So for outdoor shows I aim for 8-10 watts per projector if the plan is to have numerous projectors (4 or more). If I will only have one or two projectors, then I go for the 20 watt units. (Which are expensive to rent!)

    Indoor beam shows are much easier, because in nearly all cases you can control the fog/haze really well, plus you normally have good control over the lighting. Even so, there's a huge difference between a show for 500 people in a nightclub vs a show for 5000 people in an arena or convention center. Small nightclub shows can be handled with a pair of 2 watt projectors, but big arena shows demand more projectors and higher power levels. However, I've found that indoor beam shows can often look better with lots of lower power projectors compared to just one or two high-power units. 5 to 8 watts is about the sweet spot for large indoor shows, at least in my experience.

    I've done indoor shows for several thousand spectators, and I normally shoot for a minimum of 5 projectors in the 3-5 watt range for crowds up to about 3000 or so. Once you get bigger than that, I shoot for 6 to 10 projectors in the 5 to 8 watt range. Of course, this assumes that the client has the budget to afford such a show. If they don't, then I politely decline to bid. I don't ever want to do a show where the lasers look lame. Because a couple bad shows will forever convince a client that lasers are a waste of money, and that hurts everyone, not just me. Under-promise and over-deliver is the name of the game...

    Do you have a specific goal in mind? As in, how large of a space and how many people? And if so, what about lighting in the space? Can you use fog or haze? The answers to these questions will determine how much power you'll need to make the show look good.

    Adam

  3. #3
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    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
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    If a LED video wall is around, indoors, you may need 10-20 watts per projector easily.
    It also depends on your color plan. If you have a 5 watt all green projector, it can be 3-4x more visually effective then a similar RGB at the cost of being horribly boring after a few minutes. It also depends on the eye's spectral response curve, which varies with ambient light.
    `
    The rule in Ion Laser Days was minimum of 5 Watts indoors RGB per projector plus 5 mW more for each person in the room. (Pythan's Rule)
    Pythan never had to deal with LED walls or Moving Lights,, however. Pythan probably could strike a deal with the Lighting Director for some "blackout time", which is unlikely to happen with today's LDs. LD vs Laserist is often like Cats and Dogs fighting, unless you have an "enlightened" LD on your side. These days the LD will often want to control your system via DMX-512 and shunt you off to the side.
    `
    Home toy, small church, small school gym with controllable lighting, indoor birthday party or wedding reception, a couple of 2 point 4 watt systems and a good hazer will suffice. Then add in a small fog machine to add texture. it helps if projectors are identical in power/performance/scan speed and from the same batch.
    `
    Morrrrr Power!!!!!

    `
    Steve
    Last edited by mixedgas; 08-15-2018 at 08:27.
    Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
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  4. #4
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    If there is an LED video wall, you need to coordinate with the guy running it so that he goes dark when you want to run the lasers. Because otherwise you'll never compete with him. Video walls are *bright*!

    I agree that modern LDs are often difficult to work with, but I simply explain that if you want lasers in the show, you need to make a space for them. Otherwise I'm not going to turn them on, because they will look terrible if you wash them out with brighter effects. Can't remember who first posted this, but it's a saying I repeat all the time, to clients, LDs, promoters, and new laserists: "Lasers are not cake. Lasers are the icing on the cake. Sound and lights, that's your cake." Basically, put the lasers on the top and everyone is happy. Just make sure you have room for them in the production.

    Of course, I also have the advantage of being able to walk at any time. Lasers aren't paying the mortgage, so I can afford to be blunt if I need to. That usually gets people's attention, and the resulting show is better because of it.

    Adam

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