My first laser, what a buzz

[dklaservisuals]

Hi all,

My name is Dirk and i live in England, i have been interested in lasers (but not owning one) since i went to my first rave 20 years ago and allways wanted my own some day.

I spoke to the laser operator and enquired as to the price of the system when he told me 20,000 pound i nearly fell through the floor (you could buy a house for that then) well things moved on and (some) lasers were getting affordable so i knew my day would come.

Well that day has come and i have purchased myself a 200mw green laser system and the mamba black software with USB interface from Thomann in Germany(my wife is not impressed) and now all i have to do is try and programme the laser.

I have no experience in laser systems or laser software but after looking at this great forum i know a little bit more than last week and i am a looking forward to learning.

So if you guys have any advice for me it will be much appreciated

Dirk (soon to be laser expert ?)

[JimBo]

Welcome to the money pit Dirk :lol:

To get the wife to forgive you all you need to do is write "I LOVE YOU" with the laser, her heart will melt and she will let byou spend more money

What are you going to use the laser for? Are you a DJ?

Jim

[dklaservisuals]

Jimbo, i dont think projected heart will quite do a pair off new leather boots might.

As for the purchase i am not a DJ its just one of those things i thought i have to buy (reliving my acid party days)
and i will be doing a couple of night club shows at Xmas which i have bookings for through a pal if mine who organizes party nights but that depends if i can,

A- progamme the show
B- Do the show safely (any tips would be great)
C- Ask the wife if i can go to an all night rave

After that looking at more nights, tradeshows etc.

[buffo]

(my wife is not impressed)

:lol: I know *exactly* what you mean! Nevertheless, welcome to PhotonLexicon!

Speaking from experience, the "I love you" written on the wall with a laser isn't nearly as effective as buying her a present. But even so, my wife complains that I spend too much money on Lasers. (And she is probably right...) Sigh. Lasers are a money-pit hobby - no doubt about it.

The Mamba Black software is really easy to use. I think if you just play around with it a bit you'll soon discover that you can accomplish all kinds of cool effects with it.

For starters, try loading a song (pick one that you really like, because you'll be listening to it over and over as you make the show) and then load a couple simple ilda files. (Geometric shapes or abstracts - something like that.) Make a new scene and drag one of the ilda frames into the scene. Stretch the scene bar out to make it several seconds long. Now add an effects track beneath it and add a rotate effect. Run a preview and see what it looks like. Try changing the axis...

After you goof around for a while, you should get the hang of what the controls do. (If you've ever used a computer-based video editor, the interface will make instant sense to you.) Now you should be able to try making a complete show. Don't be too worried about which ilda files you use. Just pick a couple shapes and work on getting the scene changes (and effect changes) to match up to the changes in the beat of the music. Once you get the hang of that, then you'll be ready to start scripting shows. (Selecting frames and animations to include in the show based on the music or the lyrics...)

I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to start doing commercial shows. Even though the laws are much more lenient in the UK (vs here in the US, where the laws are draconian!), you still need to be very familiar with your equipment AND the dangers it can pose to your audience before you take your lasers out in public.

Adam

[dklaservisuals]

Biffo

Thankyou for the advice im looking forward to giving it a go.

As for the commercial use i do not plan on running before i can walk so if anyone in the uk has any advice for me on safety, audiance scanning etc. im all ears.

Dirk