Multiple Lasers

Modulaser can drive any number of lasers simultaneously. Each laser gets its own DAC assignment, projection mapping, and safety settings.

Eight lasers listed in the Modulaser output panel, all armed and running at full frame rate
One patch, eight lasers, each on its own DAC.

Output Groups

Output groups are how you route clips to lasers. Instead of assigning a clip directly to a laser, you assign it to a group, and the group contains one or more lasers.

This indirection is what makes multi-laser setups flexible. You can organize your lasers by physical location, purpose, or zone, and then send different clips to different groups during a show.

A few examples:

  • Behind DJ: two lasers mounted behind the booth, aimed at the audience
  • Stage Left / Stage Right: one laser per side for symmetric looks
  • All Lasers: a group containing every laser, for full-room moments
  • Aerial: overhead lasers angled for mid-air beam effects

A laser can belong to multiple groups. When that happens, the most recently assigned group wins, so you can layer groups knowing that a fresh send always takes priority. Clearing a group reveals the previous assignment underneath.

Each output group has an opacity setting that dims all lasers in the group. Control it from the panel, or map it to a fader via MIDI or OSC for live intensity control.

Output groups can also have their own Effects chain. Use it for looks that should apply after the clips are rendered, such as Strobe, Colorize, Chase, Scale Pulse, Flash, and Rotation.

Setting Up Groups

Create output groups in the Output Groups panel. Add lasers to each group, then send clips to groups using the group buttons, keyboard shortcuts, MIDI, or OSC. You can also drive group assignments from the Timeline or Cues for fully sequenced shows.

Positioning in the Beam Window

The Beam Window is a 3D preview that simulates your laser beams projecting into a virtual room. Use it to plan where each laser sits in physical space before you're at the venue.

Click a laser in the Beam Window to select it, then nudge it with the keyboard:

  • ← → ↑ ↓ moves on X/Y
  • W / S moves on depth
  • Q / E rotates yaw
  • A / D rotates pitch
  • Hold Shift with any of these for larger steps

Per-laser settings in the Beam Window:

  • Position: X, Y, Z placement relative to the room walls and floor
  • Yaw / Pitch: rotation of the laser's projection direction
  • Scan angle: optical field of view (20–80°), controls projection size at distance
  • Divergence: beam spread rate (1–10 mrad), affects how beams look in haze
  • Power: brightness (0.5–100W), normalized to a 5W reference so mixed-wattage setups render realistically

The room dimensions are adjustable too, set them to match your venue and the preview becomes a reliable planning tool. A human reference figure gives you scale.

Only lasers assigned to output groups appear in the Beam Window, so set up your groups first.

Chase

Chase sequentially activates lasers within an output group over time, like a moving spotlight that travels across your laser array. Chase is available as an output-group effect and as a Laser Chase node in the node graph. Instead of all lasers showing the same clip simultaneously, Chase lights them up one at a time (or a few at a time), creating sweeping movement across the room.

Clip-level Chase is configured per layer, so different layers in the same clip can have independent Chase settings. Output-group Chase lives in the group's FX chain.

Chase Parameters

  • Speed: how fast the spotlight moves across the group. Can sync to BPM.
  • Width: how many lasers are lit simultaneously. At minimum, one laser is active at a time. Increase Width to light several adjacent lasers together.
  • Fade: crossfade between adjacent lasers. At zero, it's a hard cut from one laser to the next. Increase Fade for a smooth roll across the array.
  • Offset: shifts the starting position of the chase pattern
  • Direction: Forward, Reverse, Bounce, or Random

Speed, Width, Fade, and Offset are all controllable via MIDI, OSC, and Macros, so you can modulate the chase live from a controller.

When to Use Chase

Chase works well for:

  • Sweeping a beam pattern across a row of lasers behind a DJ or stage
  • Creating a "scanner" effect that moves left to right across the venue
  • Rhythmic laser hits that march across the room on each beat (sync Speed to BPM, set Width low)
  • Building energy by starting with one laser and gradually increasing Width until all lasers are firing

Phase Spread

Phase Spread offsets the animation phase per laser, so the same oscillation plays at a different point in its cycle on each laser. Where Chase controls which lasers are on, Phase Spread controls where each laser is in the animation. In the node graph, use the Laser Index node to build custom per-laser behavior.

With four lasers and Phase Spread at 100%, the full animation cycle is distributed evenly: laser 1 starts at 0%, laser 2 at 25%, laser 3 at 50%, laser 4 at 75%. Lower values compress the spread: at 50%, the offsets become 0%, 12.5%, 25%, 37.5%.

Phase Spread is available on oscillator phasors (X, Y, Z), the shape phasor, and the dotter phasor. Each has its own independent spread parameter.

What It Looks Like

  • X oscillator spread: a Lissajous pattern that waves across the laser array, each laser slightly behind the last
  • Shape phasor spread: a rotating shape where each laser shows a different rotation angle, creating a fan effect
  • Dotter phasor spread: dotted patterns that fire sequentially across lasers

Phase Spread creates coordinated movement without any extra patching. One clip, one output group, and a single spread parameter turns a static wall of lasers into a rolling wave.

Combining Chase and Phase Spread

Chase and Phase Spread work on different axes, so you can use both at once. Chase controls laser brightness (on/off), Phase Spread controls animation timing. A common combination: set Chase to sweep slowly across the array with a wide fade, and add Phase Spread on the X oscillator so the pattern rolls through space as it moves between lasers.

Reusing a Projection Map

Calibrate one laser to the venue, then share its corner mapping with the others without touching their DAC or output assignments. Right-click the calibrated laser in the Output Settings window, choose Copy, then Paste projection map onto each of the others.

Shared DAC Setups

Multiple lasers can share the same DAC. Only one outputs at a time: the laser with an active clip assignment takes priority. This lets you create preset-like workflows: set up several lasers with different projection mappings or profiles for the same physical projector, then switch between them via output groups.

Import and Export

Export lasers, output groups, and laser profiles to a JSON file from the Output Settings window. Referenced lasers and profiles are bundled automatically. On import, IDs are remapped to avoid conflicts and name collisions get an "(imported)" suffix. DAC assignments are preserved, so reassign them if the hardware differs.

Tips

  • Start simple. One output group with all your lasers, one clip, and Phase Spread on a single oscillator already looks great.
  • Use Chase Speed synced to BPM for rhythmic movement that locks to the music.
  • When building a set, create groups by location (front, back, sides) and by purpose (aerial, graphic, audience). A laser can be in multiple groups.
  • Use the Beam Window to plan multi-laser layouts before you're on site. Match the room dimensions to your venue and position each laser where it will actually go.
  • Chase and Phase Spread parameters make excellent Macro targets. Map them to a controller knob for live modulation.
  • Duplicate a laser to create a variant with the same projection mapping and profile but no DAC or NDI/Syphon assignment.