Upgrade your parties with the LaserDock [Review]

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laser
If you’re having frequent parties, or if you’re a DJ, this is the perfect piece of kit for you.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Wicked Lasers, the company behind the popular Spyder lasers and the world’s most powerful flashlight, has a new product designed to take parties to the next level. The LaserDock houses a laser projector and music visualizer in one. And it promises to be easy enough for anyone with a Mac or PC to operate.

The LaserDock was introduced on Indiegogo with much fanfare in September, surpassing its original goal. But does it deliver? Check out our video review below.



Beam me up, Scotty

The LaserDock arrived in a serious-looking Peli case and was easy enough to set up within a matter of minutes. All I had to do was plug in the power supply, the USB into my MacBook, insert the key, and switch it on. The laser itself is covered by a metal plate for safety, which when combined with the keys makes it super safe to avoid accidentally switching it on and blinding myself.

After I was all set up I needed to download some basic software. A link is provided by Wicked Lasers to the company’s app, which contains more than 100 presets to create your own personal light show. I can either choose to select a certain preset or allow the software to shuffle through them over time. The app also allows me to set up the image position and color — which thankfully I didn’t ever have to play with.

The app then uses my MacBook’s microphone to listen to the music and interpret that into pulsing and animating graphics in time with the beat of my music. The better way to do this, though, is by downloading software like Sound Siphon, which you can use in conjunction with the LaserDock app to sync music and visuals.

Laser
Combining the LaserDock with a smoke machine creates amazing visuals.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If I were a bit more savvy with the laser world, I would be able to create my own graphics for the lasers to project out, but it’s not as simple as I would have hoped. At the moment, there are only a few pieces of software available to achieve this — the easiest of which only works with Windows, which meant I couldn’t even attempt using it. Hopefully, in the near future, Wicked Lasers will be able to produce some software that allows me to load vector-based graphics and animate the Cult of Mac logo dancing across my walls to Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic.”

The light of the party

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The built-in presets, and the actual lasers emitting from the LaserDock, are fantastic — they’re really nice and bright, even in daylight. But, where LaserDock really comes into its own is at night. Plus, if you combine LaserDock with a smoke machine or mosquito net, the results are outstanding!

I really didn’t think I was going to be as impressed as I was. Being a work-from-home dad, I had left my clubbing days behind me some years ago. But the animations are hypnotizing and the beams of light combined with the smoke machine are mesmerizing. I’m sure you’ll agree if you’ve watched the video above.

Sure, the LaserDock is a niche product. I won’t find myself using this each and every week, but come New Year’s Eve, you can bet I’ll have this thing beaming out all night long. If you’re living the bachelor life and having frequent parties, or if you’re a DJ and need something portable enough to take from show to show, this is the perfect piece of kit for you.

laser
LaserDock boasts more than 100 presets, which are quick and easy to set up.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

There are only two problems with the LaserDock at the moment. First,  availability. It can’t actually be shipped to the United States for the time being due to a lack of FDA approval, which will take another six months or so to obtain. (If you’re ordering outside of the U.S., it’s not a problem.)

Secondly, the software. While the LaserDock app is easy enough to use, I was hoping that creating my own graphics and animations would be a lot easier. But as it’s open source, people will be able to create some amazing visuals.

Overall, it’s an amazing niche device. If you need something to amp up your parties or DJ set, you’ve got to try out.

Price: $399

Buy from: LaserDock

Cult of Mac received a review unit for this review. Read Cult of Mac’s reviews policy.

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