Lasers… There’s just something about the stunning visual effects they can create. Everything from aerial beam projections and liquid skies to laser text, graphics and even laser logos. Advanced laser projector technology from companies like Pangolin Laser System and Kvant has allowed this light source to mix in well with other multimedia show elements, including intelligent lighting, video, pyro, fountain projections and more.
Given the artistic versatility that laser light provides, it is no surprise that we now see lasers being used as a main staple on a wide variety of event productions. In fact they’re everywhere it seems now, from concerts, festivals and sporting events to live television, theme parks and permanent installations.
A Clear Return on Investment
A high-profile multimedia installation at Marriott’s Orlando World Center resort, near Walt Disney World, called “Light up the Night,” further illustrates how lasers are taking multimedia shows to the next level. This installation broke new ground — the whole production was sold to the Marriott as a revenue-generating model, which is a bit different from the general notion of selling special FX and multimedia installations, as “entertainment packages.” Mitchell Piper, owner at K-Systems AV, and noted creative designer Gabe Letourneau led the project, showing Marriott’s management how such an installation could be used to further increase revenues at the property.
Before the project was sold, K-Systems set up a demonstration for the Marriott so that they could calculate the real return on investment that would be garnered by proceeding with the concept. And what the Marriott found was that, by installing this sort of multimedia setup, they were able to increase client bookings, food and beverage sales and corporate event packages by huge margins.
The installation was done last winter at the Marriott World Center resort’s resort’s Falls Pool Oasis, home to one of the 2,008-room resort’s six swimming pool attractions.
“Light Up the Night” runs seven days per week, all year long. There are four individual shows that play at intervals. Orlando World Center Marriott guests enjoy state-of-the-art digital graphics and visuals that are synchronized to music during a 13-minute nightly show. The new tropical oasis, with its palm-lined pool, rock formations and waterfalls, make a nice backdrop for the variety of light and laser effects that transform the pool deck into a wave of vibrant colors every night when the sun goes down.
The Orlando family resort provides guests with a $50 upgrade option to rooms with views of the Pool/Light show. These rooms include large patios and oversized balconies, allowing guests to enjoy an intimate evening and spectacular views of the visually stimulating shows as they happen.
Lasers serve as the main element in this multimedia setup, and are used to project beautiful beam effects over the pool, bar and lounge area. The lasers are also used to project logos for corporate clients the Marriott hosts, which come for various tradeshows and events taking place on the property.
What made this installation so interesting from a design and technology standpoint, was the use of new laser control and laser projector technology, from industry experts Pangolin Laser Systems, Inc. and Kvant s r.o.
Since 1986, Pangolin has been the world’s leading provider of laser entertainment technology. The company has received 28 international patents, and products made by Pangolin Systems have also contributed to more than 400 artistic awards for their clients. And for over 20 years, Kvant has been a highly respected manufacturer of laser projectors for entertainment applications. They readily integrate Pangolin technology into their systems, ensuring that they remain on the cutting-edge of the laser projector market.
In 2015, Pangolin started a new division of the company called the Pangolin Projector Referral Network, which was founded to provide clients with professional quality laser projectors that are the best choice for a given application. Considering that Pangolin developed and pioneered the laser show control and safety technology used for the large majority of laser performances worldwide, they felt they were in a good position to begin assisting clients with the purchase of laser projection systems as well.
Pangolin’s chief operating officer, Justin Perry, comments on the start of this new division. “Pangolin is one of the most trusted brands in the laser entertainment industry. For many years, clients have contacted us asking for information and advice on which laser systems they should use for different events they have taking place. We developed much of the laser control technology powering the industry. We understand the differences between various laser projectors on the market today — as well as how these lasers fit into the diverse types of shows and projects taking place. We felt we were in a great position to serve the industry as a whole — helping clients obtain professional laser projectors that are right for their desired application. And with our vast relationships in the market, we are able to provide our clients with aggressive price points on these laser projectors, as well as back them up with first-class support. Our new division ensures that clients have a seamless experience when integrating lasers into a project or show.”
For the Orlando World Center Marriott’s multimedia project, K-Systems turned to Pangolin for assistance with all laser related aspects of the show. This included the installation of five of Kvant’s high power 20-watt Spectrum laser projectors, driven with Pangolin’s new FB4 hardware, and all controlled using Pangolin’s Beyond software.Low Maintenance Operation
From a technical perspective, this installation was quite innovative in nature, as several new laser and multimedia technologies were combined to provide the Marriott with a self-running and self-sufficient installation.
One of the intriguing technologies being utilized at the Marriott installation is Pangolin’s new laser control hardware platform, called FB4. This state-of-the-art laser control hardware is entirely network based and gets built directly inside of a laser projector, acting as a sort of “media server” for laser shows.
FB4 hardware supports all major show protocols, including DMX, Art-Net, Network, OSC, SMPTE, and ILDA — and will also have support for CITP in the near future. FB4 allows lighting professionals to control lasers in complete harmony with other multimedia show elements, seamlessly integrating lasers into any show, installation, production, or event.
Most lasers on the market today utilize the older “ILDA” protocol for control, where an “ILDA cable” (which is really a DB-25 male to female connection) is run from a control station to a laser projector. While the ILDA protocol has served the laser show industry well for many years, with the growth in popularity of multimedia show productions, the need for more advanced laser control has grown.
Pangolin’s new FB4 hardware is revolutionizing the industry in that regard, providing full network control of laser shows without the need to use the outdated ILDA cable. And now designers can control lasers entirely from a lighting console (via Art-Net or DMX), from a PC (via a CAT5 cable), or in auto-mode, using FB4’s proprietary memory system. All effects for the laser can be programmed in Pangolin software and then saved to the FB4 hardware, inside the laser. That makes it easier to create complex laser shows, which can be controlled in a variety of different ways. FB4 hardware has also been used on a variety of tours and events, including the 2015 Metallica World Tour and Tomorrowland festival in Belgium.
Kvant’s new line of professional laser projectors also integrate Pangolin’s FB4 hardware, providing complete network control for any of their systems. Kvant is leading the industry in that respect, being the first laser projector manufacturer to have systems with integrated FB4 control hardware available. This was why Kvant lasers were specifically specified for the project. K-Systems and their constituents at the Marriott demanded technology that would be self sufficient, and easily interface with other multimedia show elements. The specs for this project included five Kvant Spectrum 20W OPSL/Diode lasers with Integrated FB4 Network Hardware.
In addition to lasers, high-resolution video screens, G-Spot moving head lights from lighting manufacturer SGM and a series of haze machines from MDG surround the resort area, complementing the powerful lasers. Pangolin’s Beyond software is being used to control nearly all aspects of the show, including the lasers, video and even some of the DMX lighting.
A Comprehensive Control Solution
Because the Beyond software offers users options for compatibility with other media, including timecode, creative designer Gabe Letourneau and the team at K-Systems were able to do things such as take in LTC (timecode) and OSC commands and send MIDI triggers to other console and equipment that could be added in the future.
“In order to control as many elements as possible from one single point of access, we had Beyond control the lasers, video, and audio, all on a single timeline,” says Letourneau. “This is really helpful if you need to make a quick change, or add or remove any elements. This also allows us to easily change and edit content on the fly, when the show needs to be customized. Given that the Marriott requested the ability to customize content quickly for various clients, events, or promotions taking place, we felt that Beyond’s versatility made it an excellent control platform in that regard. Having everything controlled by Beyond software allows us to avoid any timecode delays or complications, keeping everything on the exact same clock,” Letourneau adds. “Because all of the content on Beyond’s timeline is within a few frames, nothing will ever be off. And we can organize different parts of the show’s timing very easily, just buy selecting all of the content in one area, and sliding it into place.”
The Beyond Essentials software controls the grandMA control wing as well. Software from Pharos Controls oversees the day elements of the show (such as property lighting) and then triggers the timecode to start Beyond, which in turn controls the grandMA. wing. It also send signals to a Rane HAL and a Control4 video system. This setup makes it easy to program changes or customize content when required. Because of this, the installation can essentially run itself.
Based on the overall system’s low maintenance costs and high return on invesment, the corporate folks at Marriott are already exploring the idea of installing this same concept at a variety of other hotel and property locations. Because of the high profile nature of the project, K-Systems has also received a variety of inquiries from other hotel and event establishments. “We are extremely proud of the Marriott installation, and it’s notability for being one of the more technically sophisticated multimedia installations taking place at a hotel property,” says Mitchell Piper, the owner of K-Systems. “The install serves as a great model for future projects of this kind, and we at K-Systems are extremely excited to bring the concept to more establishments around the world.”
