Advice Sought single 5W or multiple 1-2 W projectors

[zerowaitstate]

Hi guys its been a while since ive been in the forums, i am faced with a 1 st world problem.....

I am soon to redo my mortgage, and have the opportunity to secure some extra dollars on the side at a very good rate. Temptation had come a knocking.

Kvant recently sent a promo for a clubmax 6000 for aprox 5999 euro > 8700 AUD lets call it 10 K after shipping and import duty.

It started me along a line of thought is it better to have one large wattage projector or a a number of smaller units.

I am based in a smallish regional town (pop 15k) and there will be limited options to recover the funds i can probably make the money back over 3 years ( this would be special events and regional trade shows, maybe 4 gigs a year )

i currently have 2 x fb3 and beyond so the questions is beef over the flexibility you get when you have multiple projectors.

there is always the option to self build or commission the build of 6700 USD worth of projectors from forum participants

i have really been waiting for 506's and native amps to hit the market, but its been a long wait.

i would value the opinion of the forum

[WookieBoy]

A long wait indeed...

Get the gigs before you buy the kit!

It's easier to judge what you need and how quickly it'll pay back (if at all ) once you are in the game than looking in from the sidelines!
Personally, I'd never borrow money to buy kit that o wasn't sure would pay off the loan and interest in good time...

[zerowaitstate]

A long wait indeed...

Get the gigs before you buy the kit!

It's easier to judge what you need and how quickly it'll pay back (if at all ) once you are in the game than looking in from the sidelines!
Personally, I'd never borrow money to buy kit that o wasn't sure would pay off the loan and interest in good time...

I totally understand the thinking of have the job 1st, but its a one time windows to access money at a much lower rate IE home loan rather than personal / business loan. It is also structured that the balance of the account is deducted from the principal before interest is calculated, so if the money is not spent you are not paying interest on it.

I have done lighting work in town here previously and it was at $200.00 per night, i have some interest from another venue to do special nights but at $300 a night but only piece meal work. having a number of projectors running in a 300 - 500 size club would look reasonable impressive. or having a larger unit would allow for trade-show level stuff where it would be 500 - 600 over 3- 4 days. (animated logo etc) this where im looking at 506's or even a Saturn based scanner solution.
One bigger unit is can still be used in a club situation but will be running at well under capacity to be safe. (also thinking pango safety lens, so would have to consider power output and crowd scanning safety)

in my mind a lot of the coolness of lasers is down to the operator, having beyond and a APC40 make for a lot better show than dmx and a projector in demo mode

the build quality from what i have observed over the years from Kvant is pretty awesome, or i would be a comfortable to source from some of the members here given their track record

[kitatit]

Hi Zero I'd go for 1 x bigger power. my 5-6W RGB really pops indoor, Outdoors forget it.

Now this is my personal opinion only, but I prefer shows with less projectors. I think going past 3 projectors starts to detract from the effect. The mega shows with 20 projectors are too much for me.

So scaling things down, 1x 6 watts inside should always look great and while overkill for smaller venues, it's handy to have the power if you are competing with other lights or less than ideal ambient conditions.

I don't know what it's like in Queensland but there hasn't been a lot of laser shows in WA over the last 15years (mostly because of our OTT laws which thankfully have been made more sensible recently). Many people here have never seen a laser show at all. Some times I'll ask someone if they've seen a laser show before and they often say "I think so". If they'd seen a good show, there would be no maybe about it.

For quiet a few people, your laser show will be the first they've seen. I say, make that first experience count! Next time, they'll be asking for lasers instead of saying "lasers are ok I guess"

I think this is the order of priority. 1-Quality beam specs, 2- well programmed show, 3- power, 4- quantity of projectors.

I enjoy looking at the beautiful crisp beams with higher power of a single quality projector.

A bit of a ramble, but hopefully that helps mate.

Have fun.
Kit

[dave]

Hi guys its been a while since ive been in the forums, i am faced with a 1 st world problem.....

I am soon to redo my mortgage, and have the opportunity to secure some extra dollars on the side at a very good rate. Temptation had come a knocking.

Kvant recently sent a promo for a clubmax 6000 for aprox 5999 euro > 8700 AUD lets call it 10 K after shipping and import duty.

It started me along a line of thought is it better to have one large wattage projector or a a number of smaller units.

I am based in a smallish regional town (pop 15k) and there will be limited options to recover the funds i can probably make the money back over 3 years ( this would be special events and regional trade shows, maybe 4 gigs a year )

i currently have 2 x fb3 and beyond so the questions is beef over the flexibility you get when you have multiple projectors.

there is always the option to self build or commission the build of 6700 USD worth of projectors from forum participants

i have really been waiting for 506's and native amps to hit the market, but its been a long wait.

i would value the opinion of the forum

Hey,

Ill shoot you a PM - I am the KVANT distributor for AU, so we should talk

Dave

[Pelikan]

I'd go for more less powerful lasers rather then just one powerful laser. Unless you can get at least two powerful lasers

And yes, talk to Dave - he's our guy over there.

[mixedgas]

2+1 is always good, 2 for beams, one for projected graphics/show programming in hotel room/spare.. Although 1 watt is very weak for graphics. There is always a request to "spin" a club logo, or do the odd corporate show..
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Unless your in a really big space or a wierd shaped club, a pair is a good start. More then a pair can start to get cluttered...
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If all I have is one watt, I'm thinking one watt of Green only... Color these days is mandatory, but a pair of projectors is, IMHO, needed.
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Also get a good controller straight off the bat, one that lets you work in real time manual mode. Beat sensors and automation are useful, but are a great way to loose gigs if overused...
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DMX in/out are useful, too...
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If your going to be around LED walls, I'd lean to 2+0 with more power.
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Dont forget you'll need a really stable pair of stands, fogger/hazer/phasor/, and bounce mirrors in some cases, too.
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If you buy a pair, ask the vendor to install a DPDT switch on the X Axis to "mirror" the pair, saves on having/needing a second controller when the initial scratch is already spent.
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Expect a high initial expense in getting into lasers... With a low initial payback...
For every Dollar you spend on hardware, you may need to spend a half Dollar on marketing.
If lasers are your only product, this may be a hobby at best...
Consider renting once in a while....
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Steve

[norty303]

If you go for smaller projectors, go for ones in the 3W+ range.
A 3-4W RGB projector can cover a LOT of indoor gigs, and you'll find a 6W one is not noticeably brighter in a lot of cases. but you'll pay a lot more for it.

[Bradfo69]

I'll echo that. 3 watts is certainly acceptable and very versatile indoors and, there are even times when they hold their own outdoors as well. More important than what you buy is what you sell to your client. Don't bite off more than you can chew by booking an event where you know you're on the edge of being underpowered. Stick with events where you KNOW your gear will shine.

[zerowaitstate]

Thanks for the advise, practically every one i respect and admire on the forum had some good input, thanks fellas i will let you know when ,if and what goodies i go with . cheers