SELEM 9 - August 12-16th 2015 - Sign up now!

[buffo]

Just a reminder folks: You have 3 weeks left to register for SELEM at the $75 early-bird rate. After that it goes up to $100.

Also, I've been getting some really good feedback from people regarding some new ideas for presentations. One theme keeps coming up again and again: A basic introduction to lasers, laser projectors, and laser shows. We're talking about the simple things here, like terms / definitions, basic laser theory of operation, standard projector components (and their purpose), and a rundown of what you need to get started.

I think I'm going to tackle this one myself. I think I can cover the basics and even throw in a little extra at the end about how to build your first laser show. It's probably going to need to be done early in the event though, since I will need to use some gear for the presentation that will likely also be needed later for other stuff. So we're talking Thursday or Friday. Not sure yet if it will be in a classroom or in Club-SELEM. (Actually thinking that Club-SELEM might work better, since I'll have all the gear in the room already and will only need a video projector for the notes and stuff...)

Suggestions welcome.

Adam

[HankLloydRight]

I'll be bringing down my whole kit, including your old projectors if you want to use them (well, we will need to fix/replace the green and blue modules again).. but they're available if you want to use them without breaking down any other setup, as well as my laptop (Beyond) and APC40.

[buffo]

Daniel never contacted you about adjusting the TEC on the green? I'll need to check with him.

What's the story on the blue? Thought we had that working after Utila?

Adam

[HankLloydRight]

Pretty much the same with the blue.. it is better than it was, but still fading after a while.

I'll figure I'll wait until SELEM to get the green adjusted.

Or perhaps just replace both modules if you can recommend good replacements.

And I found some replacement cases, and I think I'll get that done before SELEM.

[hakzaw1]

"Then we just set him(Anthony) in front of a Beyond console and video-tape him for the entire 4 days!"

plz dont take this the wrong way but... it would be nice if others had a shot- I really wanted to try live show at the 'Club' but he was so 'into it' I just hated to ask for a 'turn'..... aside from him and buffo I dont recall anyone else at the 'helm'

V/R
hak

[HankLloydRight]

I "asked for a turn" as I had never done anything "live" before (and Anthony was happy to oblige), and while it was fun, it really does take a while to get a hang of it. OTOH, he was really great at it!

[hakzaw1]

..Yeah my bad for not 'asking'- I was never good at cutting in at the school dances --
PLUS he has skillz way 'BEYOND' mine (pun intended) so I was reluctant to 'cut in'.

btw--Anthony did me a HUGE favor my last night at HIE-

hope I can find the extra$$ I need to make my 6th SELEM

any LD2000 owners who are interested in owning a Mike Dunn song module plz PM me asap- 'free shipping' your choice of any 6 min song OR if he agrees you *may* be able to use this TOWARDS a new module, custom made.
First offer of $250 gets it. (AFAIK these will not work with FB3-)
hak

[Bradfo69]

plz dont take this the wrong way but... it would be nice if others had a shot- I really wanted to try live show at the 'Club' but he was so 'into it' I just hated to ask for a 'turn'..... aside from him and buffo I dont recall anyone else at the 'helm'

I understand exactly where you are coming from as I've seen this sort of thing as well in past years. I think there may very well be people who may want to give it a try but, are perhaps a little intimidated or self conscious to put themselves in that position. I play live for people all the time at weddings and such and I don't profess to be all that good. So, it's even a bit intimidating for me to take a turn. At least THEY don't know any better! (And just think it's cool.)

By the same token, I also don't feel I "have" to at SELEM and think it's better if others who don't have a lot of gear and a big venue to play in, get to experience it. Honestly... get up the guts and just ask. It's not a competition and no one is judging you. The only way to get a feel for it is to try it out and what better place than SELEM to do it? The are a WHOLE lot of hours the Club is open and available so don't hesitate to take a chance. If your self conscious... it's sort of dead during the daytime hours and you can probably have as much time as you want.

There is a learning curve just like anything else and, there is a whole lot under the hood with Live Pro, Quickshow and Beyond that you can get creative with. I learn something new and try out new things on just about every event. Truth be told after a while it can get to be a bit grueling as well. The beach party in Utila for example was about 7 straight hours of standing in front of a laptop and beating on cues and eventually trying to keep even yourself interested.

[Lazerjock]

I usually set up back stage. This year I will be bringing an APC console. Anyone who feels intimated to play in the auditorium is more than welcome to come back stage and try my set up out.
I can't read minds so you will have to ask me though. Lol

Last SELEM was my first time playing live with an APC console. I happened to be there when Adam was playing and he asked me if I wanted to try. I would have never asked even though there was no one else in there. Strange how the human mind works. As a result I ended up buying a console that day on eBay. It's a lot of fun!

Chris

[buffo]

Len and Chris;

You both bring up good points re: getting a chance to play with a display console. I've received more feedback from others about this exact topic.

Truthfully, this is my fault. I didn't think about how intimidating it might be for some folks to ask for a chance to "play" on the console. So this year I will have signs posted that say "TRY ME!" along with a little cheat-sheet that shows you how to get started. I will also have a time slot on the schedule for Club-SELEM where I will explain the basics of the console controls to anyone who wants to check it out. (Might even be a daily thing, say from noon until 12:30 or something.) Then I will walk away and let anyone give it a try. And if the console is unattended, the signs will be there showing you that yes, it is OK to experiment.

I *WANT* people to get their hands on this stuff. As Chris mentioned, he had no idea what the APC40 could do until he played with it. And after a short while, he just *KNEW* he had to have one. (Honestly, if you are running Beyond, the APC40 is a damned cool piece of hardware to pair with it.) So I will work harder this year to ensure people get a chance to play.

Also, I know people are generally shy, but please, PLEASE don't be afraid to ask to take a turn. Most people (myself included) are just waiting for someone to ask questions about this stuff. Hell, for 361 days out of the year I've got no one who wants to hear me talk about lasers. SELEM is my only outlet! (Well, apart from PL of course.) Bottom line: don't worry about disturbing people. Just ask!

And for those who want to learn some of the advanced techniques, we will still have Anthony Garcia on the console for some live demonstrations later in the evening! (Might be a good idea to video some of his demos....)

I've been getting a lot of great feedback so far (more than any previous year, which is really cool), and I've been working hard behind the scenes to make some changes to improve the event for this year. For sure we will have better signs this year, and we will have more presentations too. Regarding the "Basic Intro to Lasers", I think this might actually end up being done twice. The idea is that some new folks might only be able to attend on the weekend, but they still want to catch this topic, so we are planning to repeat it. I can't tell you how strong the feedback was on this single topic! I'm ashamed that it took me 9 years to realize it.

Keep the ideas coming, people!

Adam