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Song Sequences and All in one units and Carol of the Bells


tvweather62

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Hi there,

  Please forgive my lack of the correct terminology.  I am planning on purchasing The Showtime Central Starter pkg with 16 channels.

  I am a HUGE fan of TSO Carol of the Bells.  They actually play it on the web site as a demo, but it doesn't show up in the Signature Series 12 pack...so to speak.

  I was thinking I would just buy 4 or 5 predone sequences and go from there.  Is it as simple as just downloading, and then transferring to the SD card?

 If so, how hard is it to download the song I want, since it doesn't appear to be offered on the site, and just add an existing light sequence.  Is there such a thing?

Otherwise, I guess I'll just stick to the basics.  It's just download, transfer, and attach....is that correct?

Thanks so much. I could see how this could be SO addictive!

Denis

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1 hour ago, tvweather62 said:

Hi there,

  Please forgive my lack of the correct terminology.  I am planning on purchasing The Showtime Central Starter pkg with 16 channels.

  I am a HUGE fan of TSO Carol of the Bells.  They actually play it on the web site as a demo, but it doesn't show up in the Signature Series 12 pack...so to speak.

  I was thinking I would just buy 4 or 5 predone sequences and go from there.  Is it as simple as just downloading, and then transferring to the SD card?

 If so, how hard is it to download the song I want, since it doesn't appear to be offered on the site, and just add an existing light sequence.  Is there such a thing?

Otherwise, I guess I'll just stick to the basics.  It's just download, transfer, and attach....is that correct?

Thanks so much. I could see how this could be SO addictive!

Denis

If you purchase a sequence the song you use "should" be the same song, Album and track #. If not you will have viewing problems with the sequence being out of sync.

Don't forget there are many of us who share so frequent the "sequence sharing" section of the forum. You can search for TSO Carol of the Bells and see what comes up. Should be quite a few.

Welcome to the addiction.

Best of Luck

 

PS- you may want to spend the extra $ to buy the editable sequence if buying from LOR.

And yes its easy to get it going, but when your controller arrives before you do anything else ~ follow the instructions step by step. Sometimes people like to get in a hurry and just start connecting to their computer without reading and following the instructions. At this time of year that can mean the difference between show or no show.

JR

Edited by dibblejr
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On 11/10/2017 at 7:35 PM, tvweather62 said:

  I am a HUGE fan of TSO Carol of the Bells.  They actually play it on the web site as a demo, but it doesn't show up in the Signature Series 12 pack...so to speak.

The TSO song that you're thinking of is actually titled Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12-24That's my favorite TSO song and I also refer to it as "Carol of the Bells".  I'm also a huge fan of TSO and bought the ShowTime Central TSO Edition.   Included in that package is an SD card with the 12 TSO songs that you mentioned in their Signature Series, and the "Carol of the Bells" song is one of the 12.  Sequences & mp3s are included, and you have the choice of ordering sequences that can or can't be modified.  The modifiable sequences cost an extra $89.95.

Note:  The TSO songs on the SD card have a 1--minute gap of silence between songs, and the lights slowly fade in and out during that 1 minute of silence.  I found this long gap of silence between songs to be very annoying so I used the LOR software to create a new SD card with the 12 TSO songs without that minute of silence between songs.  So now when the songs play, it's just like listening to a CD.  You'll probably want to do the same.

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17 hours ago, Speedster said:

The TSO song that you're thinking of is actually titled Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12-24That's my favorite TSO song and I also refer to it as "Carol of the Bells".  I'm also a huge fan of TSO and bought the ShowTime Central TSO Edition.   Included in that package is an SD card with the 12 TSO songs that you mentioned in their Signature Series, and the "Carol of the Bells" song is one of the 12.  Sequences & mp3s are included, and you have the choice of ordering sequences that can or can't be modified.  The modifiable sequences cost an extra $89.95.

Note:  The TSO songs on the SD card have a 1--minute gap of silence between songs, and the lights slowly fade in and out during that 1 minute of silence.  I found this long gap of silence between songs to be very annoying so I used the LOR software to create a new SD card with the 12 TSO songs without that minute of silence between songs.  So now when the songs play, it's just like listening to a CD.  You'll probably want to do the same.

Speedster...thank you so much.  Huge help.  So am I on the right track here?  I receive the Showtime Central TSO on Thursday.  I can use the software provided (Show Editor?) to transfer sequences from the SD card to my computer, along with other 16 channel sequences I gather.  (If I get 32, how do you only use the 16 so it is formatted correctly?)  Is this just a matter of transferring the 1st 16 so to speak?  Anyway, once all are listed in my computer, and the editing software, do I just transfer the ones I want, in the order I want, and write to another SD card?  The site says the "Simple Show Builder" is the easiest software to use.  Will this accomplish what I'm trying to do?  Thanks!!!!

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Just now, tvweather62 said:

Speedster...thank you so much.  Huge help.  So am I on the right track here?  I receive the Showtime Central TSO on Thursday.  I can use the software provided (Show Editor?) to transfer sequences from the SD card to my computer, along with other 16 channel sequences I gather.  (If I get 32, how do you only use the 16 so it is formatted correctly?)  Is this just a matter of transferring the 1st 16 so to speak?  Anyway, once all are listed in my computer, and the editing software, do I just transfer the ones I want, in the order I want, and write to another SD card?  The site says the "Simple Show Builder" is the easiest software to use.  Will this accomplish what I'm trying to do?  Thanks!!!!

One other question....the "modifiable" package allows you to change the actual sequence, I assume.  if I just want to transfer them to the computer, and then re-order them or delete some songs, I wouldn't need the additional $89 charge.  Is this correct?  Thanks again!

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7 hours ago, tvweather62 said:

Speedster...thank you so much.  Huge help.  So am I on the right track here?  I receive the Showtime Central TSO on Thursday.  I can use the software provided (Show Editor?) to transfer sequences from the SD card to my computer, along with other 16 channel sequences I gather.  (If I get 32, how do you only use the 16 so it is formatted correctly?)  Is this just a matter of transferring the 1st 16 so to speak?  Anyway, once all are listed in my computer, and the editing software, do I just transfer the ones I want, in the order I want, and write to another SD card?  The site says the "Simple Show Builder" is the easiest software to use.  Will this accomplish what I'm trying to do?  Thanks!!!!

There's a .exe file on the SD card.  Run it, and it will install the LOR software and all the TSO songs & sequences on your computer.  In order to use the LOR software to create a new SD card you'll have to activate/register the software using the code that you received via email.  Even though you're starting out with 16 channels for now, the installed sequences will still contain the sequences for all the channels that they were designed to work with.  They'll work just fine with only 16 channels, but if you add more light controllers in the future, you'll be able to use the additional channels (assuming that you program each light controller with a different controller ID#).  And you don't have to do anything to "activate" those additional channels in the sequences....they're already there.   When you create a new SD card, as long as you don't include the 60-second sequence with no music, then the songs should play one after another like a CD. 

You can find more info about the TSO Signature Series here: http://sequences.lightorama.com/TSO-Signature-Series-Package-12-Tunes_p_1287.html    And use the Hardware Utility LOR-MP3 tab to create a new SD card with the songs in whatever order you like: http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?light-o-rama_mp3_directors.htm

 

7 hours ago, tvweather62 said:

One other question....the "modifiable" package allows you to change the actual sequence, I assume.  if I just want to transfer them to the computer, and then re-order them or delete some songs, I wouldn't need the additional $89 charge.  Is this correct?  Thanks again!

Correct, you don't need the modifiable version of the sequences to do that. 

But many experienced LOR users will advise you to consider the modifiable sequences in case you decide you want to change them to your liking.  Like you, I'm also new to LOR this year, so I wanted a plug-and-play setup since I don't have time this year to learn how to sequence.  But since I'm a computer programmer and I love using software for creative purposes, I know I'll get curious and will want to create my own sequences some day, so I'm thinking that maybe I should have spent the extra $89 for the modifiable version.

The TSO ShowTime Central Starter Package comes with an FM transmitter, which is great for people who want to listen in their cars.  The audio cable that connects the MiniDirector to the FM transmitter has an extra jack for another audio cable that can be used with an outdoor speaker.  Today I received the outdoor speaker that was highly recommended by a few LOR users.  I just thought I'd mention this in case you decide you want people walking/jogging in front of your house to hear the music too.

Edited by Speedster
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21 hours ago, Speedster said:

There's a .exe file on the SD card.  Run it, and it will install the LOR software and all the TSO songs & sequences on your computer.  In order to use the LOR software to create a new SD card you'll have to activate/register the software using the code that you received via email.  Even though you're starting out with 16 channels for now, the installed sequences will still contain the sequences for all the channels that they were designed to work with.  They'll work just fine with only 16 channels, but if you add more light controllers in the future, you'll be able to use the additional channels (assuming that you program each light controller with a different controller ID#).  And you don't have to do anything to "activate" those additional channels in the sequences....they're already there.   When you create a new SD card, as long as you don't include the 60-second sequence with no music, then the songs should play one after another like a CD. 

You can find more info about the TSO Signature Series here: http://sequences.lightorama.com/TSO-Signature-Series-Package-12-Tunes_p_1287.html    And use the Hardware Utility LOR-MP3 tab to create a new SD card with the songs in whatever order you like: http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?light-o-rama_mp3_directors.htm

 

Correct, you don't need the modifiable version of the sequences to do that. 

But many experienced LOR users will advise you to consider the modifiable sequences in case you decide you want to change them to your liking.  Like you, I'm also new to LOR this year, so I wanted a plug-and-play setup since I don't have time this year to learn how to sequence.  But since I'm a computer programmer and I love using software for creative purposes, I know I'll get curious and will want to create my own sequences some day, so I'm thinking that maybe I should have spent the extra $89 for the modifiable version.

The TSO ShowTime Central Starter Package comes with an FM transmitter, which is great for people who want to listen in their cars.  The audio cable that connects the MiniDirector to the FM transmitter has an extra jack for another audio cable that can be used with an outdoor speaker.  Today I received the outdoor speaker that was highly recommended by a few LOR users.  I just thought I'd mention this in case you decide you want people walking/jogging in front of your house to hear the music too.

75% of our neighborhood is foot traffic.  We have one of those places that people come from miles to see. I just thought I could use a regular fm radio boom box...so to speak, and tune into the station that drivers will also be using.  Way cheaper...am I missing something?  i see the one you suggested is $199...much more than the fm radio I was thinking.  Suggestions?  Thanks again, you've been a huge help!!!

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2 minutes ago, tvweather62 said:

75% of our neighborhood is foot traffic.  We have one of those places that people come from miles to see. I just thought I could use a regular fm radio boom box...so to speak, and tune into the station that drivers will also be using.  Way cheaper...am I missing something?  i see the one you suggested is $199...much more than the fm radio I was thinking.  Suggestions?  Thanks again, you've been a huge help!!!

One other thing...I am NOT a programmer...actually a weatherman.  I looked at the Hardware utility LOR MP# and it kind of threw me.  The simple show editor looked much easier.  Couldn't I just create a show....and then write it to the new SD card?  Or does it have to be formatted first...or something like that.  Also...using the Showtime...and NOT having it hooked up to a computer, it looks like it's set to a basic digital timer.  You have it set to power on :X....and turn off at Y.  Won't it automatically start the show when it powers on.....and repeat the show as long as it's powered on...or am I missing something?

    Thanks again!

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1 hour ago, tvweather62 said:

75% of our neighborhood is foot traffic.  We have one of those places that people come from miles to see. I just thought I could use a regular fm radio boom box...so to speak, and tune into the station that drivers will also be using.  Way cheaper...am I missing something?  i see the one you suggested is $199...much more than the fm radio I was thinking.  Suggestions?  Thanks again, you've been a huge help!!!

If you can keep your boombox dry, then that will work, no need for a weatherproof speaker.  I haven't found a weatherproof boombox, but many here use a regular boombox and put it inside a plastic garbage bag or cover it with a Rubbermaid container.  Someone else suggested that $199 weatherproof speaker, so I decided to get that instead (it was $50 cheaper on a different site).

 

1 hour ago, tvweather62 said:

One other thing...I am NOT a programmer...actually a weatherman.  I looked at the Hardware utility LOR MP# and it kind of threw me.  The simple show editor looked much easier.  Couldn't I just create a show....and then write it to the new SD card?  Or does it have to be formatted first...or something like that.  Also...using the Showtime...and NOT having it hooked up to a computer, it looks like it's set to a basic digital timer.  You have it set to power on :X....and turn off at Y.  Won't it automatically start the show when it powers on.....and repeat the show as long as it's powered on...or am I missing something?

    Thanks again!

I actually haven't done any sequencing yet, so I haven't created my own show (I'm just going to use the sequences in the TSO Signature Series this year, and learn how to sequence before next Christmas).  The SD card should be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32 before writing the sequences/songs to the SD card.  I used the LOR MP3 tab for selecting the songs/sequences to include on the SD card; no editing/sequencing is required if you're using the TSO Signature Series sequences.  When you create the SD card, you have the option of playing the show just once, or looping continuously (I think this is the default).  I chose the loop continuously option.  And you're correct, whenever the power comes on via the timer, the show will start from the beginning and repeat.

Here's more info on SD cards from the Help Desk reply to a question I submitted:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We suggest Kingston Technology 4GB to 32GB SDHC class 4 (or higher) memory cards because they're rated to work at -20 degrees. These can typically be found at your big-box stores or you can do a quick Internet search for them.  
SD memory cards should be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32.  
SDXC memory cards (typically 64GB and higher) will not work unless the device is partitioned so the first partition is formatted as FAT32. 
We do NOT recommend any SanDisk SDHC memory cards. Many of our customers have reported issues making them work in Light-O-Rama ShowTime Directors.
We do NOT recommend using class 2 memory cards.  Look for a 2 with a 'C' around it.  These are very slow cards and most have trouble keeping up with the demands from Light-O-Rama.

Edited by Speedster
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18 minutes ago, Speedster said:

If you can keep your boombox dry, then that will work, no need for a weatherproof speaker.  I haven't found a weatherproof boombox, but many here use a regular boombox and put it inside a plastic garbage bag or cover it with a Rubbermaid container.  Someone else suggested that $199 weatherproof speaker, so I decided to get that instead (it was $50 cheaper on a different site).

 

I actually haven't done any sequencing yet, so I haven't created my own show (I'm just going to use the sequences in the TSO Signature Series this year, and learn how to sequence before next Christmas).  The SD card should be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32 before writing the sequences/songs to the SD card.  I used the LOR MP3 tab for selecting the songs/sequences to include on the SD card; no editing/sequencing is required if you're using the TSO Signature Series sequences.  When you create the SD card, you have the option of playing the show just once, or looping continuously (I think this is the default).  I chose the loop continuously option.  And you're correct, whenever the power comes on via the timer, the show will start from the beginning and repeat.

Here's more info on SD cards from the Help Desk reply to a question I submitted:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We suggest Kingston Technology 4GB to 32GB SDHC class 4 (or higher) memory cards because they're rated to work at -20 degrees. These can typically be found at your big-box stores or you can do a quick Internet search for them.  
SD memory cards should be formatted as FAT16 or FAT32.  
SDXC memory cards (typically 64GB and higher) will not work unless the device is partitioned so the first partition is formatted as FAT32. 
We do NOT recommend any SanDisk SDHC memory cards. Many of our customers have reported issues making them work in Light-O-Rama ShowTime Directors.
We do NOT recommend using class 2 memory cards.  Look for a 2 with a 'C' around it.  These are very slow cards and most have trouble keeping up with the demands from Light-O-Rama.

Thanks again!!

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