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Moderator, Please Delete Post
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Bit lower powered than what you're looking for, but the Goldenstar D-RGB1000 would be compact and well built, with ALK-30k scanners! I owned one of the older ones before they upgraded them to diode and it was a great unit.. $400 currently
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1st question is going to be how big is the lounge. 2nd observation is in a lounge I hope you're projecting overhead because unless you live in a a very large house / mansion, or have a lower powered laser with BAM's applied and safety lenses, it's going to be practically impossible to get the beam down to eye safe levels with lasers of 1W+ powers.
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Well its not a mansion but with 25 foot vaulted ceilings, the room dimensions certainly allow for overhead projection. Actual room dimensions are 22x33 ft, with the seating area on the far end of the DJ booth. I've been running 1w projectors for many years in this room.
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Can you shoot some video of this set up in action in the evening and post it to YouTube or Vimeo? Super curious.
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There should be no issue with overhead projection. You just need to ensure that any eye exposure is done safely.
One of the members on here, I forget which one, has a lounge set up that's really rather impressive. Hopefully he'll see your post and share his experiences.
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I'd love to see another member's lounge!
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I like the way you think. I don't think I could get away with turning my great room into a club as you are doing, so kudos to the wife for her tolerance. :) I have implemented such a space in my multimedia room however with 9 foot ceilings, I am a bit height challenged. (Personally as well.) In retrospect, I wish I had designed the space to have a domed ceiling or just a higher ceiling.
Over the 15 years I've been re-working my installation, I've learned a few lessons, most of them the hard way. I abandoned DMX controlled lasers quite some time ago with the exception of some laserbars that I built myself and one lone Shrimp effect which has been on the chopping block for several years now. Most of my lasers are my own builds, but I have one heavily modified LK-PD2 and another modified LK-PD3 incorporated and have written reviews and upgrade advice in other threads here in PL. My laser projectors are controlled by LaserShow Xpress (LSX) primarily, but I also have Medialas' MIII and Pangolin's Quickshow implemented. (I hope to implement Pangolin's Beyond shortly as well.)
The lasers in my space generally range from 1.1W to 2.2W and while I crowd scan, I do so with graduated beam attenuation that drops the power on each laser to almost zero and do a great deal of testing for safety. (I do not recommend doing this without a lot of lasering experience and safety training as you don't want to damage the eyes of your family and friends. Also, young children are not permitted in my environment.)
Lighting effects are a combination of moving heads, DMX controlled devices, and several DMX effects I built myself. There are currently a few video projectors in the space as well. This stuff changes frequently, but I generally gravitate towards small or multi-purpose devices to keep the room from looking too busy when everything is off. Here are a few videos of what it looks like in action although some are a bit dated:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZq7s6u8ZhU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8VKICofgqM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSo7K5S5Liw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vDlhZCGFpQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQLqXntfHUI
One thing I'd suggest as you consider the next level for your environment is to focus on quality laser projectors. The cost is higher, but the benefits of control and quality of beams or graphics will pay off. It seems like you are focused on doing things live, so Quickshow is probably your best bet to control such projectors. I focus on pre-coreographed content myself as I am way too lazy to do anything live. ;) Quickshow will also allow you to control your DMX devices - or you could have a parallel dmx control environment as I do. I use Chauvet's ShowXpress for lighting and video control.
There are a few others in this forum who have done admirable jobs with similar spaces including basements and hopefully they'll see the post and contribute their thoughts as well.
Happy planning and shopping!
-David
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Hey Majik,
Thanks for the kind words. As you know, this kinda stuff is either a passion or perhaps an illness. ;)
I answered your projector upgrade question in your other post. I have very limited experience with Quickshow, but I am reasonably certain that it has good beat settings. If no one answers you here, then just ring Pangolin and a friendly voice will tell you all you need to know.
Regarding your auto-pilot / quick mood settings, I've tried that in the distant past. Perhaps lumia projectors might be something to consider with your available funds over time. It adds another dimension to lighting that is interesting and easy to automate.
Have fun building!
-David
