Just getting started! HELP

[halloweenrocks]

Like many newbies I just have a some LED lights from Target and some light up yard displays that I want to synchronize with spooky songs.  Do I just need the CTB16PC-ReadyToGo and the free generic starter package?  This is just the beginning though as I would like to expand the display every year.  Please advise and thank you!

 

..Bill  

[Mr. P]

Welcome to the addiction. A CTB16PCG3 and the Generic Starter Package is a good start for your first year to get your feet wet and see if you will like it. If you get hooked, and you will, then I highly recommend upgrading your license toa minimum of Advanced but Pro if you want all the affects.

You could also start with a Starter Package:

http://store.lightorama.com/rese16chstpa.html

You should review all the license levels so can compare what each level offers:

http://www1.lightorama.com/sequencing-suite-levels/

Edited August 10, 2018 by Mr. P

[k6ccc]

Welcome to the addiction.  Ask lots of questions.  You will have plenty.  Lots of people who will help you out.  Along that line, I would suggest modifying your profile to include your location (exact is not required, but helpful), and once you have a software license what license level you have.  Also the software version.  MANY of the questions asked on the forum depend on know one or all of those items and it makes it easier if the info is already there.

To modify your profile, point your mouse to your user name near the upper right corner of the forum, select the dropdown for "Profile" and then on that screen, select Edit Profile.

 

[Orville]

4 hours ago, halloweenrocks said:

Like many newbies I just have a some LED lights from Target and some light up yard displays that I want to synchronize with spooky songs.  Do I just need the CTB16PC-ReadyToGo and the free generic starter package?  This is just the beginning though as I would like to expand the display every year.  Please advise and thank you!

 

..Bill  

Yes, that will get you started with the BASIC license level, some features in the LOR suite will not be available to you to use.  I really recommend if you can afford the cost to go on and upgrade to the PRO level, this opens up a lot more in the software, and if you ever get into RGB lighting {PIXELS} and YOU WILL, we all seem to get there eventually, you'll need the PRO license for the special pixel options that are available.   Also if you want to use some of the musical tools that can help you with sequencing, you need at least the Advanced license if memory serves me here.  Been a while since I started.

Plus the higher your license level the more controllers you can add on, in Advanced and PRO this is unlimited, all lower licenses are limited to a specific number.

I recall my first year when I was doing Halloween and Christmas, within just a couple of months, I had to go from BASIC  PLUS license to ADVANCED, because I started with 1 controller, but kept running out of channels and long before Halloween setup was even to start, my 1 CTB16PC controller grew into 5 CTB16PC controllers and 80 channels!   Now I'm into RGB, I'll be at around 16,000 channels, I've semi-retired a couple of CTB16PC controllers that will be used as backups, and adding 5 RGB controllers this year {if all goes as planned, getting used ones}.

So your display will grow, maybe not like mine did before I even got the 1st show done, but in time, and if you get the higher license level now, you won't have to worry about issues later on when you add more controllers and then start asking folks why doesn't my software see all my controllers?  Again I'd definitely recommend the PRO license, it will give you access to just about everything in the LOR software suite with the exception of SuperStar, that is an add-on option mainly for RGB stuff, but it can be used for standard L.E.D. and incandescent light strands too.  Just depends on your finances what all you can add in for your first year.

Good Luck and welcome to the Craziness and most Honorable addiction, sequencing lights to music for Holiday and specialty displays.

 

[halloweenrocks]

On 8/10/2018 at 6:00 PM, Orville said:

Yes, that will get you started with the BASIC license level, some features in the LOR suite will not be available to you to use.  I really recommend if you can afford the cost to go on and upgrade to the PRO level, this opens up a lot more in the software, and if you ever get into RGB lighting {PIXELS} and YOU WILL, we all seem to get there eventually, you'll need the PRO license for the special pixel options that are available.   Also if you want to use some of the musical tools that can help you with sequencing, you need at least the Advanced license if memory serves me here.  Been a while since I started.

Plus the higher your license level the more controllers you can add on, in Advanced and PRO this is unlimited, all lower licenses are limited to a specific number.

I recall my first year when I was doing Halloween and Christmas, within just a couple of months, I had to go from BASIC  PLUS license to ADVANCED, because I started with 1 controller, but kept running out of channels and long before Halloween setup was even to start, my 1 CTB16PC controller grew into 5 CTB16PC controllers and 80 channels!   Now I'm into RGB, I'll be at around 16,000 channels, I've semi-retired a couple of CTB16PC controllers that will be used as backups, and adding 5 RGB controllers this year {if all goes as planned, getting used ones}.

So your display will grow, maybe not like mine did before I even got the 1st show done, but in time, and if you get the higher license level now, you won't have to worry about issues later on when you add more controllers and then start asking folks why doesn't my software see all my controllers?  Again I'd definitely recommend the PRO license, it will give you access to just about everything in the LOR software suite with the exception of SuperStar, that is an add-on option mainly for RGB stuff, but it can be used for standard L.E.D. and incandescent light strands too.  Just depends on your finances what all you can add in for your first year.

Good Luck and welcome to the Craziness and most Honorable addiction, sequencing lights to music for Holiday and specialty displays.

 

Gotcha!  Go Pro. Got it. OK.  I can do that.  Tell me about RGB lighting {PIXELS} .   I really have no idea what that is.  Don't laugh.  :-) 

[Mr. P]

27 minutes ago, halloweenrocks said:

Gotcha!  Go Pro. Got it. OK.  I can do that.  Tell me about RGB lighting {PIXELS} .   I really have no idea what that is.  Don't laugh.  ? 

You can read about them:

http://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/wiki/index.php?title=Different_Styles_of_Pixels

[Orville]

14 minutes ago, halloweenrocks said:

Gotcha!  Go Pro. Got it. OK.  I can do that.  Tell me about RGB lighting {PIXELS} .   I really have no idea what that is.  Don't laugh.  ? 

Pixels are an RGB controller and lights that each individual bulb on the strand is independently controlled via the Sequencer Editor, Pixel Editor or SuperStar software.  So each bulb can be a different color at the same time, smart pixels as there are dumb pixel strands where you can only have the strand a single color, I'm not that familiar with dumb pixels, so I can't say exactly how they are sequenced or how they work exactly, someone else will have to handle the dumb pixel answer.

But using an LOR CCD device, like the CCB-100 Controller and 2 strands of Pixels {older versions are 50 pixels per strand and 2 strands, 3 wire and 5 volts, the newer ones are 100 pixels per strand and 2 strands 4 wire and 12 volts}, I have the older version, so that's what I know.  RGB just means that the bulb is 3 independent colors in one package, R=Red, B=Blue, G=Green and you can make 16 million colors from these 3 colors in varying intensity settings for each color.

But in any case, you can have dumb {single color along strand, all bulbs controlled as one color, if I'm correct, again, not certain about dumb}, and smart pixels. Smart pixels allow you to have multiple colors along the strand where each bulb is independent of each other.   If you go to the Light-O-Rama website and click on the Pixels link button at the top of the home page: LOR Website

Scroll your mouse over the bar and when Pixels is highlighted, you'll see all the different Pixel items LOR sells, just click on one you might be interested in and look at it's documentation file to read more info about it, that will help a little.   Also browse the forum here in the RGB Pixel area and you can find a lot of info there as well.

There's a lot to learn, but once you get into it and get a set, then start actually programming them, it's a little easier than it sounds!

[Orville]

3 minutes ago, Mr. P said:

You can read about them:

http://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/wiki/index.php?title=Different_Styles_of_Pixels

Thank you Mr. P.   That will help give halloweenrocks a much better selection and detail than I could have probably stated in the message I was posting when your response came in.   I was just trying to give a simple answer to what they are, but we all know when it comes to this stuff, there isn't really always a simple answer. LOL

 

[Mr. P]

1 minute ago, Orville said:

Thank you Mr. P.   That will help give halloweenrocks a much better selection and detail than I could have probably stated in the message I was posting when your response came in.   I was just trying to give a simple answer to what they are, but we all know when it comes to this stuff, there isn't really always a simple answer. LOL

 

RGB and pixels is just too much info to try and explain. Let them read about them first then ask questions, much easier.

[Orville]

33 minutes ago, Mr. P said:

RGB and pixels is just too much info to try and explain. Let them read about them first then ask questions, much easier.

Agreed!

[trooperblazer]

Also just a thought.Also just a thought.   Careful what kind or brand of lights buy.  Not all of them are considered or called full wave.    Meaning that they may not dim/fade. My advice is take one string of lights. Hook it up and run it through a series of tests.  This way you will know what works and what doesn’t. Saves you countless hours of frustration of putting up a display and finding out that the lights you bought don’t perform the way you wanted. 

My first year I’ve burned through 15 LED floodlights. They worked fine at first. But after countless nights they stopped working. Because they were not dimmable.  

 Also. If you only need one controller, then by two. Because when you run out of channels on the first one right away because you will!!! you’re going to want the second one!!

Edited August 13, 2018 by trooperblazer

[Speedster]

Also, avoid the Martha Stewart brand lights.  LOR users have said that they can't be dimmed, and sometimes catch fire when they tried.