Not Enough Channels in license

[ncosper]

This is looking like its going to be a bad week for me. My entire display is RGB lights and I use Light o Rama to sequence everything. 

I have the 40 CCR license (the highest I see available). 

 

The problem I am running into is creating a sequence file that contains all of my channels, here is why. I have four distinct elements to my display that in order to sequence properly I must do individually. First my house, 5 universes and about 600 pixels

Next I have a large grid, 1500 pixels

A matrix 294 Pixels and finally a mega tree, 1870 Pixels. 

 

Due to some pretty poor (IMO) limitations to adding channels in the sequence editor my best route is to add all of the elements to one visualizer file via props from my various elements then import them into superstar. Then simply for the purposes of creating a proper sequence file with the appropriate channel configuration export a sequence file. 

 

One that is done its pretty simple to group my channels, export one elements sequence from superstar and copy it into the large file with all the channels. 

 

I am aware of adding a channel in sequence editor that contains a sequence however, due to the size of these files they just don't run smoothly during the show using sequence editor. Therefore I have to convert them to xlights in which they run great for the show. 

 

Currently the only way I can see to get all of my channels is to export my largest element to sequence editor then add one by one the remainder of my channels. Adding about 7500 channels sounds like HELL!

 

Is there any way around this? Is there an unlimited license for Superstar? I sure as heck don't want to pay a bunch more than I already have due to a stupid program limitation in sequence editor, but I am trying to combine these nearly completed files for a halloween show. If I spend the week adding channels, im screwed!

Thanks!

[bob_moody]

As I understand it... at this point the 40 CCR license is max .. Brian has mentioned an 80 ...

However, more to your point. I have run into a similar situation with my setup, just not on your scale.

 

Your house ... 600 pixels .. 1800 channels ..

Grid ... 1500 pixels ... 4500 channels (thats a big grid!!)

Matrix ... 294 Pixels ... 882 Channels

Tree .. 1870 Pixels  ...  5610 Channels

 

None of these on thier own exceed your license count (40 CCR = 6000 channels)

What I did was to address each section seperately.

You setup and design and program each then export to the sequencer.

There you simply merge them all together into a single sequence

 

Advantage: As long as you can size the group to your license you can create theroetically unlimited sized sequences.

 

Disadvantage: You have to make multiple passes through a song to sequence it .. (sometimes I find it easier). Also you have to keep the whole display in mind when selecting colors. Remember if you visualizer mode, that SS now has the ability to present 2 visualizations using visualization pairs. This can help when you are woring on a single element but want to apply an effect across the entire display.

[ncosper]

Thanks bob, 

What you describe is actually exactly what I already do. The issue was making that one file that all of the others merge into. Creating the channel assignments for them seemed daunting since you cant copy and paste the channels from other files. 

Fortunately I found the Vegomatic program a user built. What a lifesaver it was! I took one of my features from the display and used its channel configurations, then added the others to it with the vegomatic. Worked wonderfully and now I have one large file that I can merge all of my elements too. 

 

Yes my grid is BIG and should display amazingly. I just threw it together this past weekend and should have it up and running tomorrow. I am doing a lot of animated characters and singing faces for which the grid was designed for. 20 strips wide by 75 pixels tall. 

[bob_moody]

I've never used Bob's Vegomatic program.. when I add my DMX channels I simply

1. Create a new track with 1 channel

2. Rt click on the 1 channel and select INSERT DEVICE then INSERT DEVICE BELOW

3. Choose DMX UNIVERSE for the device type

4. Select your UNIVERSE #

5. Select your # of channels .. (This is kinda of screwy on Light-O-Rama's part in that they are still hung up on groups of 16. The drop down for DMX should just be either enter your own (prefered) or a drop down list of 1 through 512) What I have to do is select 448 channels then manually add the last 2 (449 and 450... three strings of 50 )

6. Now rt click on the 1st channel, convert RGB, select "Also do this for the following channels" and in this example.. enter 150 ..

 

Poof. You now have 150 DMX channels assigned to a universe..

 

Bob