How do I create that 30 min show?

[marksanctuary]

I am trying to create a 30 minute show that repeats itself. How do you do it?

So far I have tried making two song sequences and using a filler sequence. Both together add up to more than 30 minutes. So in the scheduler I created show entries that where only 30 minutes long back to back hoping that the previous show would be trimmed for the next starting show. It did not work.

So is there a way to do this with the software trimming the show short or do I have to precisely create a 30 minute show with all my sequences added together?

[Bjorn74]

The show does not get trimmed to fit the time. It will allow the last sequence to finish before starting the next show. I also found that if the next show overlaps and is the same file, it will just keep playing as if the show didn't end.

What I've seen done most often is to create a 1 minute animation sequence that plays multiple times at the end of your show. Then end the show a minute or two early in the scheduler to create a pause just before the next time through. This will fill in that gap but let everything restart from the beginning. The key is to let the show end before the next time through.

But then, theis is my first season, too. I had to make a big change before leaving town on Wednesday morning and came home today (Saturday) to see the lights continuing the last .10 of a sequence with the horrible audio file length problem. It must have been stuck there since about 6:20pm on Wednesday night. I'd thought that II was fixing that for me. I was wrong...

[marksanctuary]

Thanks for the help; I will make my show just shy of the 30 minutes.

Another thing I found out is that between shows there is a bit of time the controllers don't get a signal so all the lights glitch. I guess I will have to create the start and end of shows in black so I don't notice this.

[Tim Fischer]

marksanctuary wrote:

there is a bit of time the controllers don't get a signal so all the lights glitch.

Just out of curiosity, what does "the lights glitch" mean? I've never done anything special, and never noticed a problem inbetween shows...

-Tim

[marksanctuary]

There a some lights (ie. radio sign and Christmas train on the roof) that stay on from sequence to sequence. I notice that these lights between each sequence do a very fast off then back on again.

I have tried everything and there seems to be always a small 'gap' between each sequence in a show. I used to have some other lights that also crossed the 'gap' which also had the problem but they now fade off and back on at the end and beginning of each sequence as a work around.

[Steven]

marksanctuary wrote:

There a some lights (ie. radio sign and Christmas train on the roof) that stay on from sequence to sequence. I notice that these lights between each sequence do a very fast off then back on again.

I have tried everything and there seems to be always a small 'gap' between each sequence in a show.

Here's a fix for this problem:

1. Delete the "radio sign" and "train" channels from all your sequences.

2. Create an animation sequence (no audio) with 2 channels, 1 minute long.

3. Set the two channels in this sequence to the radio sign and the train.

4. Turn these channels on for the entire sequence.

5. Save this sequence. Call it something like "Christmas Background".

6. Use the show editor to add this "Background" sequence to the "Background" tab.

Now your radio sign and train should stay on for the entire show. Note that they will not be on when you play your sequences with the Sequence Editor, unless you load both the musical sequence and the background sequence into the sequence editor, press the play button and select "Play All Sequences".

[marksanctuary]

That's a great idea!

One other option I was thinking about is I have a couple of Insteon devices floating around here that may not be in use that I might use. That way I gain two new channels for my show.