Show Question - Animation and Music sequences play at same time

[Rabeiler]

Last night I tried to run both musical and animation sequences in the same show. I thought it would play the animation sequences, then the musical ones, and then start over. Instead it seemed to play both musical and animation sequences at the same time. Not 100% sure what happened but the PC was playing the music and the lights were not doing the right thing. I immediately shut down the show, edited and removed the musical sequence and enabled schedule and all was ok. 

My question is can you mix animation and music sequences in a show or must they be in separate schedules/shows.

Thanks,

Ross

[Orville]

In Show Editor under the musical tab, once you click the + sign to add a sequence, a pop up window comes up, down in the lower right hand corner you can change the sequence type, this will allow you to have both animation and musical sequences in the show.  For example you have 2 musical sequences then want to run an animation sequence:  in the musical tab, musical is selected by default, add the 2 songs:

Mary Did You Know.lms{you won't see the file extensions!}

Winter Wonderland.lms

<change to animation sequence after clicking the +}

2-Minute All Lights On.LAS

<when you click the + again, the default will be back to musical>

Oh what a Glorious Night.lms

etc., etc.

Filling in the animations where needed by changing the sequence type.  So every other song, every 2 songs or however many songs you want to play then the animation file.

As you found out, if the animation file is in the animation tab, it will play along with the musical sequence and do some interesting lighting effects you don't expect.   The above is how to accomplish this without the animation over-riding the musical sequence or playing at the same time within it.

[Lisn2me]

So anything on the animation tab will run simultaneously with any other Animation sequence and with the Musical Sequences, If you want to run a musical sequence then an animation sequence put them both on the Musical Tab, you will need to do what Orville said and designate what type of sequence you are adding in the lower right hand drop down menu when search for the sequence.  

[k6ccc]

You got it.

 

[Orville]

15 hours ago, Lisn2me said:

So anything on the animation tab will run simultaneously with any other Animation sequence and with the Musical Sequences, If you want to run a musical sequence then an animation sequence put them both on the Musical Tab, you will need to do what Orville said and designate what type of sequence you are adding in the lower right hand drop down menu when search for the sequence.  

Actually your first statement isn't quite correct, the only way the animation files will run simultaneously in the Animation tab is if "Play concurrently" is checked, then they will ALL play at the SAME TIME along with anything in the musical tab, if "Play sequentially" is checked in the Animation tab, each animation sequence will play independently of each other, but will also play ALONGSIDE any musical sequences in the Musical tab {that is BOTH {musical and animation} play at the SAME time!}

Example: I have 4 sequences I use for overnight for December only, I called them xmas01.las, xmas02.las, xmas03.las and xmas04.las, each one will play independent of one another if "Play sequentially" is checked in the Animation tab, they will also play in the order I put them in the Animation tab.   But if I check "Play concurrently", then ALL 4 animation files will play at the same time, and that can make for interesting and unexpected lighting issues.

The only reason I can see to use "Play concurrently" is if there are specific channels {lights/props} you want to be on during ALL other sequences.  But each animation MUST not contain any channels from any other sequence, as that will also cause some very unexpected results.  I use this method only to keep specific lights on during my shows {usually snowfall lights or props/lights with their own controller unit/the type that retains the last setting used}.

Also anything in the animation tab WILL play alongside the Musical Sequences, so if you use animation sequences and musical sequences together, you must also be sure there are NO channels in the Animation Sequence used in the Musical Sequence.   That is the channel MUST NOT EXIST in BOTH SEQUENCES.   If you have Controller #01 Channel 7 in an Animation Sequence to run alongside a Musical Sequence, then Channel 7 for Controller 01, must NOT be in the Musical Sequence, as BOTH sequences will send commands to Channel 7 on Controller 1, again, creating some interesting and UNEXPECTED lighting issues that you really do not want to happen.

I have a special config file for animation sequences for lights that are kept on during a show and then my channel config file for musical shows, this way if I create a new musical sequences those channels used for animation purposes for props/lights needing to be kept on during a show aren't inserted into my musical sequence, and the animation channel config only has those channels I'm using for that purpose, so I don't have musical sequence channels creeping into the animation sequence and creating issues I don't want to occur during a show.

Using this setup and the methods above, the animation and musical sequences can co-exist with each doing exactly what they are supposed to do or be used independently for. overnight or between song animations depending on how you wish to use them.

NOTE: if the animation file is for between musical sequences, under the musical tab{between musical sequences}, then you do not need to worry about the same channels being in both sequence types, as the animation file under the musical tab will run independently and separately from all other sequences in that area.

 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Orville