Import new channel grid to existing sequience

[MikeA]

I had 48 channels last year. I will have 96 this year. I made a new channel grid with all my new channels and saved it. When I import it, the sequences are messed up.
Example
My Mega tree last year had 16 channels, it now has 32 and I put those new channels in just under the first 16. Now all the timings for my tree forest (which were just under the first 16 MT channels) are showing up on those added 16 channels.
I hope you understand and can help.

Thanks

[jimswinder]

MikeA wrote:

I had 48 channels last year. I will have 96 this year. I made a new channel grid with all my new channels and saved it. When I import it, the sequences are messed up.
Example
My Mega tree last year had 16 channels, it now has 32 and I put those new channels in just under the first 16. Now all the timings for my tree forest (which were just under the first 16 MT channels) are showing up on those added 16 channels.
I hope you understand and can help.

Thanks

It's not so much your sequence is messed up, it's that you have added channels. I believe if you look close, your sequences still have all 48 channels (rows) from last year, it's just that your Mega Tree is now using the first 32 channels (rows) of last years sequence.

The software is not "smart" enough to just put your old Mega Channels into the new Mega Channels and the old Mini Tree channels into the new Mini Tree channels...

Best thing to do (I think) is create a NEW sequence with your 96 channels grid and copy and paste form your old 48 channel sequence into your new...

[Paul Roberson]

MikeA wrote:

I had 48 channels last year. I will have 96 this year. I made a new channel grid with all my new channels and saved it. When I import it, the sequences are messed up.
Example
My Mega tree last year had 16 channels, it now has 32 and I put those new channels in just under the first 16. Now all the timings for my tree forest (which were just under the first 16 MT channels) are showing up on those added 16 channels.
I hope you understand and can help.

Thanks

Yes, that will happen.

There are two ways that I know of to import a 'new' channel configuration into an existing sequence.

1) Open an existing sequence. Add the new channels to the BOTTOM, below ALL existing channels. Do not move any of your existing 48 channels around. Export this channel configuration, and you can import it into all your other existing sequences.

2) Open an existing sequence. If you used tracks and have all your 48 channels in track 1 then just right click on the track header and 'duplicate track'. IF, you did not use tracks last year you would need to right click on each channel and duplicate it to a new track. Make all your additions and changes in this new duplicated track. Do not delete any channels from this track that are in track 1 or it will delete it from track one also.

OR you could go line by line copy and pasting from each of last years sequences into your new channel configuration that you have already made.

#1 will work and be the easiest/quickest IF you just need to add new channels and do not need to rearrange the channel order from the way you had it last year.

No matter if you go with 1 or 2 after you get the new additions and (channel arraignment option 2 only) like you want it just export the channel config and then import this channel config into each sequence from last year.

[Don]

Mike,

Try this. Go back to last years sequences and open one. Now "Save As" so that you are working from a copy.

Now, add your new channels to the BOTTOM of the list of channels. (Since you are adding 3 new controllers, simply add three new controllers to your sequence.)

STOP STOP STOP -- Don't delete anything, or move anything yet.

Click the "Tracks" button up top and "Duplicate" this to a new track. Name the new track "Working" (Rename the original track "Master")

Now, make sure you are working in the WORKING track.

Once in your working track you can move channels around as needed. Once you are done moving channels in your working track, export to a channel config file.

Now, open a sequence that you are going to use this year. (Again, make a copy first.) When you import the newly created LCC, everything should line up.

Some notes:
Do NOT delete any channels when you start this process.
Do NOT delete any channels, period.
If you no longer need a channel, REMOVE it from your WORKING track.

One caveat here: If last year you had part of your mega tree on "Unit01-Channel02" and this year that Unit/Channel is going to be used for something else, then the events are not going to be working correctly. Since you had 16 channels last year, I doubt that you will run into this.

Why all of this? Well, the software stores the channels in "computer readable" form, not human readable. Going this route the internal ID of the channels from last year will not change. When you import to a new sequence, the events that are tied to the computer readable ID, will go to that channel. (Tech note: Deleting a channel and re-adding a channel with the same Unit/Channel will, in most all cases, generate a new "computer readable" ID.)

(And Jim, the software is smart enough.)

[jimswinder]

Paul Roberson wrote:

MikeA wrote:

I had 48 channels last year. I will have 96 this year. I made a new channel grid with all my new channels and saved it. When I import it, the sequences are messed up.
Example
My Mega tree last year had 16 channels, it now has 32 and I put those new channels in just under the first 16. Now all the timings for my tree forest (which were just under the first 16 MT channels) are showing up on those added 16 channels.
I hope you understand and can help.

Thanks

OR you could go line by line copy and pasting from last years sequences into your new channel configuration that you have already made.

You don't necessarily have to do each line separately or one at a time...

You CAN copy all of your 16 channel Mega Tree at one time (if all the channels are together) by highlighting them all and then copying and pasting (if you still want them all together in the new sequence) so it can go pretty fast.

[jimswinder]

Don wrote:

Mike,

Try this. Go back to last years sequences and open one. Now "Save As" so that you are working from a copy.

Now, add your new channels to the BOTTOM of the list of channels. (Since you are adding 3 new controllers, simply add three new controllers to your sequence.)

STOP STOP STOP -- Don't delete anything, or move anything yet.

Click the "Tracks" button up top and "Duplicate" this to a new track. Name the new track "Working" (Rename the original track "Master")

Now, make sure you are working in the WORKING track.

Once in your working track you can move channels around as needed. Once you are done moving channels in your working track, export to a channel config file.

Now, open a sequence that you are going to use this year. (Again, make a copy first.) When you import the newly created LCC, everything should line up.

Some notes:
Do NOT delete any channels when you start this process.
Do NOT delete any channels, period.
If you no longer need a channel, REMOVE it from your WORKING track.

One caveat here: If last year you had part of your mega tree on "Unit01-Channel02" and this year that Unit/Channel is going to be used for something else, then the events are not going to be working correctly. Since you had 16 channels last year, I doubt that you will run into this.

Why all of this? Well, the software stores the channels in "computer readable" form, not human readable. Going this route the internal ID of the channels from last year will not change. When you import to a new sequence, the events that are tied to the computer readable ID, will go to that channel. (Tech note: Deleting a channel and re-adding a channel with the same Unit/Channel will, in most all cases, generate a new "computer readable" ID.)

(And Jim, the software is smart enough.)

if it was "smart enough", you would not have to do all the steps you mentioned...

[Paul Roberson]

jimswinder wrote:

You don't necessarily have to do each line separately or one at a time...

You CAN copy all of your 16 channel Mega Tree at one time (if all the channels are together) by highlighting them all and then copying and pasting (if you still want them all together in the new sequence) so it can go pretty fast.

That is correct, but there are allot of IFs.

[Paul Roberson]

jimswinder wrote:

Don wrote:

Mike,

(And Jim, the software is smart enough.)

if it was "smart enough", you would not have to do all the steps you mentioned...

Sure it is. You just need to be smart enough to give it the correct information.

[Paul Roberson]

Don wrote:

One caveat here: If last year you had part of your mega tree on "Unit01-Channel02" and this year that Unit/Channel is going to be used for something else, then the events are not going to be working correctly. Since you had 16 channels last year, I doubt that you will run into this.

Actually you can. In your 'working track' you can change unit IDs and Channel #s.

In your example "mega tree Unit01 -Channel02". You can, in your working track that you made, click on the channel button of "mega tree Unit01 - Channel02" and change it to IE "mega tree Unit04 -Channel06". Then you can add a NEW IE "mini tree Unit01 -Channel02".

Note: When you click on the channel button of a channel a 'channel settings' window will open. In this window 'Channel" is referred to a "Circuit"

[Don]

Paul,

Keep in mind that changing a channel description/circuit in the working track is changed in the master track as well.

So, I guess while renaming it would keep the same SavedIndex, thus achieve the same effect ... I'm old school and try not to tempt fate.

[MikeA]

Thanks guys
I fixed it by moving all the new channels to the end and importing. I will then re arrange them for each song.