coachdove Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 (edited) Newbie here! I used one of those 6 channel pre-programmed light show in a box contraptions last Christmas and have have graduated to Light O Rama controllers for this Christmas. So after almost a month of learning the sequence editor, watching countless videos of other people's displays, I finished my first sequence. Would really appreciate some HONEST feedback and suggestions from some of the pros on here. You own't hurt my feelings, so please let me know if you think I should have done something different, etc. I have 64 channels, a 40/60 mix of LED/incandescants. my display will have a 20' megatree that spirals on 8 channels in white, and goes all red and all green on their own channels. My channel hog is my singing snowman (my kids' favorite part of the display) and the 8 candy canes in front (next season will replace them with mini trees, can't this year, due to budget constraints). Anyway, please watch the sequence and provide feedback. The song is "Angels We Have Heard on High" by Sanctus Real. Edited August 15, 2015 by coachdove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdanna77 Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I really liked it. Very well done. I was thinking of doing something similar with my mega tree. Nice to know it would look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverdish Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Honestly.............................Great first sequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Arch Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I'm no pro, but I know what I like. You can be really proud. It would be hard to drive away without letting the song finish. Good job. (& congrats on the graduation. Many of us started the same way. Mine was a Mr. Christmas. It took me several years to graduate though. Guess you might say I flunked a few years. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachdove Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 Thanks guys! But you're being too nice... I'd welcome some critiques. Too much flashing/shimmering? Too busy? Certain elements not used enough? Notice any lights out of sync with the beat? For instance, I know I am limited by only having 8 channels dedicated to the spirals. It limits the speed I can spin the tree without it looking choppy. Still, I thank you for the compliments. Just trying to learn as I go. Definitely having fun doing it though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaynee Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Okay, this makes me REALLY want a mega tree....I really liked it and I liked the song as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Honestly - it doesn't suck too bad at all. I've seen people who've done this for years who've never done a song that well. I like your use of shimmer and I like your NON-USE of flashing. You're one of the few who will look back on their first sequence and not cringe. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyD Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Honestly - I thought it was really good! Some things that struck me.. I couldn't tell what the candy canes were sequenced to in the first part of the song, in contrast to the excellent timing on the columns with 1 2 3 4, 4 3 2 1 which i thought was very good. I like the the shimmer but you'll have to see how it looks "for real" to see if it is too "harsh", maybe leave the window outline on while other things shimmer rather than shimmering everything? I also like how you fade slowly after the shimmer - very nice touch. Again, you will want to see how it looks for real because the intensity that you see in the visualizer may not match what it looks like for real. I thought there were some times where you could have the roof line or windows "on" while the rest was flashing. There was a part where the roof line was on and the windows were flashing to the beat and i thought that was very good. I really like the song too. Great job! It's my 3rd year and i'm still trying to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachdove Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 Thanks everyone! And thank you, TonyD; that is exactly what I was looking for! You are absolutely right about leaving some things on (like the windows) while the rest shimmers. I may have to change that up a bit in the second and 3rd chorus of the song. The candy canes in the first part are supposed to be synched to the guitar picking to start the song. After closer inspection, I see they aren't EXACTLY synched with the 3rd and 4th beats. Really appreciate all the comments and suggestions, guys! Looking forward to starting my next sequence... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsusie Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Great first sequence. One you should be proud of. Are the 3 large full circles spot lights? One thing I would suggest when you have the lights come as shimmers; instead have those lights come on full for a moment (maybe a second or so) and then change them to flicker with a slow fade out. I think it would have a greater impact. Look forward to your second sequence. Welcome to the madness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougd Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Excellent first display and sequence. I have seen few start off better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcroc Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Wow, did you really do that from scratch? Really, really good for a first sequence. Actually, it's very good for a pro sequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachdove Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Great first sequence. One you should be proud of. Are the 3 large full circles spot lights? One thing I would suggest when you have the lights come as shimmers; instead have those lights come on full for a moment (maybe a second or so) and then change them to flicker with a slow fade out. I think it would have a greater impact. Look forward to your second sequence. Welcome to the madness!tomsusie, yes those are circles are basic flood lights (3 red and 3 green) to accent the white rock wall on that side of the house. The rest of the house is painted too dark a color (dark green)for the flood to be effective. Tried to convince the wife we need to re-paint the house a different color but she wouldn't go for it. Great idea of having the light for a second then shimmering to a fade. Thanks for the honest input; it's appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachdove Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Wow, did you really do that from scratch? Really, really good for a first sequence. Actually, it's very good for a pro sequence.Yes, Dcroc. It was totally from scratch. No copy and paste from other sequences. I figured I needed to learn how to use the sequence editor the right way. Although I do have to thank Sarge for directing me to his sequences to study how to get my spiral tree spinning at the right speeds to look smooth. Struggled with that at first, but was a breeze after I worked out the proper timing. Also no Papagayo. I did all the mouth movements my self. Actually did that part first before any light sequencing. It was time consuming, but again, I wanted to get fully acquainted with the sequence editor and the timing grids, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zing Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 around the 2:44 mark [ it does it a few times], but I think you might want to consider adding a red strand above the garage as well and tie those into the other red strands on the lower levl of your house. Other than that observation, I think you did an excellent job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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