DanCampbell Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 First year ('08) lights up we had 32 channels. We watched it a couple of nights, and decided we needed more color and elements. So another 16 channels were added and sequenced into 5 of the 6 songs in the show.With more planning we could have made better use of the 32 channels. Many do. And there's some amazingly detailed and precise shows using 16. Someone out there has very good advice in there signature: it's not how many lights or channels you've got, it's how you use them.In the end we're happy with how it turned out. Nothing like a bunch of middle and high schoolers in your front yard doing the dance from "Linus and Lucy" to your show to tell you you've done good.Consider the first year a great learning experience no matter how many channels or lights you have. I was editing videos of our show yesterday and saw lots of things I'd tweak. Watch it, study it, enjoy it. And take notes for next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffF Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 DanCampbell wrote: ... I was editing videos of our show yesterday and saw lots of things I'd tweak. Watch it, study it, enjoy it. And take notes for next year.This is something we noticed as well. For some reason when you watch the lights live and in person, you don't catch certain timing "issues". Once we had a video of our display, I went in and changed things in *every* sequence of ours. Most of them were small things but a couple we were like... "How did we think that looked good?". I wish I would have gotten video of our show after the changes as well but time wasn't on our side for that.-Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsea300 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 2008 was my first year. I went with 176 channels. I started out at about 100 or so. The a friend of mine bought a condo and had extra Christmas stuff (6' fake trees, cords, etc) that I gobbled up. Then I went nuts up to 176 channels. It was a lot of programing. I had 6 songs out by Thanksgiving opener. I did three more in the next 3 weeks. As you can tell I don't sleep much. So it made a total of 9 songs out.I am programming now for next year. I reconfigured now I am programming 336 channels for next year. I have to rework a lot of last years. I've got one song done in the new template. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmais68569 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I started with 32 this year & going to add at least 16 ch more next year & maybe 32 more. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Ancona Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 First year here.. 40 channels but not squenced to music, just animated display. Will do the music next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul B. Anderson Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My first year (2007), I started with 16 ch., now have 80. I would say start with 32 channels. The reason: once you start using arches or other elements that use animation like an arch, you will eat up channels very quickly. 32 channels wouldn't be too overwhelming, but gives you some room for growth. You can always buy more controllers.Just my $0.02c - Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjmiller Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 My saving grace is that the wife owns the christmas decorations in the house - except the lights. Last years 6 channel Mr. Christmas controller has been re-tasked to the inside christmas tree. It will be perfect.My domain is the outside decorations & lights - 32 channnel LOR, and all of my own music programming. I basicallly have 5 minutes and 15 seconds done for 16 channels that I need to port to 32 channels - with another couple of hours to go!SJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panteradon Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 THis was my first year with Light-O-Rama and I used 16 channels. I knew I could have used 32, but the show looked good and it gave me time to figure out how to work the software.I will be buying 16 or 32 more channels for next year and we purchased another 16000 lights.I am not unhappy with how we started and feel like I would have been overwhelmed with more than 32 channels.Just my 2 cents.Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I have just today received my LOR boards, this will be my first season and have so far planned for 32 channels but will spread them over the 3 boards, have been using the demo since early december and am very comfortable with it and have already completed my first sequence. I first thought 16 channels was a good start number wise but like someone has already mentioned i took another perspective and asked myself where do i want the lights and what do i want them to do.....i soon found out i needed 32 channels.....now having purchased 3 boards i have a few spare i can add in, and with 10 months before light up...i have plenty time to learn edit and change to my hearts content.On that note I would like to give a huge thankyou to lightoramadan and his trusty team for making it sooooo easy for me to ebter the world of animated lights, there service is next to noneand very top class indeed, I place my order online friday 16th January it was processed on the 20th and I have them in my hot little hands on the 27th couldn't be anymore happier. Also thanks to a fewmembers in the Australian group for their help and advice also those being DavidT, Lightenthusiast and Tristan, and Geoff, much apreciated guys.....now i better start putting these boards together..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightEnthusiast Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Not a problem Robbo Good luck assembling everything.CheersLERobbo wrote: I have just today received my LOR boards, this will be my first season and have so far planned for 32 channels but will spread them over the 3 boards, have been using the demo since early december and am very comfortable with it and have already completed my first sequence. I first thought 16 channels was a good start number wise but like someone has already mentioned i took another perspective and asked myself where do i want the lights and what do i want them to do.....i soon found out i needed 32 channels.....now having purchased 3 boards i have a few spare i can add in, and with 10 months before light up...i have plenty time to learn edit and change to my hearts content.On that note I would like to give a huge thankyou to lightoramadan and his trusty team for making it sooooo easy for me to ebter the world of animated lights, there service is next to noneand very top class indeed, I place my order online friday 16th January it was processed on the 20th and I have them in my hot little hands on the 27th couldn't be anymore happier. Also thanks to a fewmembers in the Australian group for their help and advice also those being DavidT, Lightenthusiast and Tristan, and Geoff, much apreciated guys.....now i better start putting these boards together..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler9613 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 This is my first year and I think that I'm going to start off with 32 channels. I have already started sequencing and think that I can pull it off without too much trouble...-Tyler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrisonri Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I caught the bug in December 2007 and started with 32 channels. The plan was to double the channels in 2008 to 64. Some how with the February sale and the summer sale, then needing one last 16 channel controller for my 2008 display which I received on December 5, 2008. My total channel count was at 152 for 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohyahla Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 From where I work from for 16 years(Saudi Arabia) as a Analyst/Programmer, it's unlawful to greet somebody 'Merry Christmas', much less celebrate Christmas. So, when I got here(US), I decided to celebrate 'big'. After a couple of months of analysis, reading your posts and visiting websites that offer LOR products, I decided to purchase the 48-channel package(all hardwares and all their 'sequences') at wowlights.com and buy 32 channels at LOR. I decided so because Wowlight's sequences works on a 16-channel mega-tree, 10 cones and 2 arches. THat way, I have all the time to program the other 32.In my opinion, it's not how many lights/controllers you have - it's how you sync your lights to the music --- appropriately. I've seen dozens of shows on youtube and I can say, most of them are too 'busy' or 'loud'. You know, lights turning on for the sake of turning it on - like fireworks or something - too much was going on. A lot of shows exhaust all their channels/lights that there's no more element of surprise. In my opinion, doing a light show is like choreographing a dance. The one 'show' that I appreciated most was the house that has less lights but was so tuned to the music. For me, a good show is one that looks like a symphony orchestra. You know... tada tada boom, pak pak boom... tara tara tara boom! Bang! and not, tadaboompakboom, tadatada! My language is limited but I hope you know what I'm saying. hehehe...My garage is full of LED lights, 2 angels, 2 4 feet bears with drums, candle pathways, 126 extension wires, etc and I'm enjoying the pressure. It's only Jan but I'm making my cones and color bars made from corrugated sheet. I've also bought 2 Chauvet DMX upward-sprouting fogger to use as my 'harmless' pyrotechnics I plan to use at the very end of 'Christmas in Sarajevo'. Also, I ordered a giant 7 foot earth globe I plan to use for my 'Reflections of Earth' show. I'm also planning to use pneumatics on my show.LOL, it's my PLAN. Whether it materializes or not, is the question. You might not know it but I got my ideas from you guys. And for that, many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 oohyahla wrote: In my opinion, it's not how many lights/controllers you have - it's how you sync your lights to the music --- appropriately. True that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBMacon Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Greetings, You hit it right on the head when referring to choreographing a show! I’ve been studying choreographing music, water and lights for a few years now and Light-o-Roma is the best I’ve found out there. One needs to keep in mind, when setting up song sequences, don’t just throw out songs for the sake of music. Group a sequence of songs that has a story theme. In addition, don’t have your first set of songs blast out all the lights at once during a presentation. Your audience will loose interest too soon. I vision a sample like having Charlie Browns Christmas story to start, go thru a sequence of slow songs then highlight you sequence with a bang. I do agree. You can use a low number of channels and have an impressive show. Just choreograph it remembering to start with tweezers then finish with a bang. I’m no expert but like the topic.Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjmiller Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Great comments all!Personnally I like instrumental music, so the choreography is more intense and time consuming. Which is why I started with 16 channels, and am now up to 32 - I couldn't do justice to the music.I also realize that I have to include some more diverse music (Grandma got run over by a reindeer) into the mix.The bottom line is that I enjoy spending hours and hours doing a song sequence - and as some one previously stated, I can listen to the song or sections of it hundreds of times - and still like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike reid Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Tim, I also live in pa and am interested in starting with lor and I bought the program withthe 5 sequences on it. I would like to talk to someone about the whole set up. What to purchase, the electrical hook up, where you can buy the dancing arches or how to make them. if you are interested in giving me some advise I will give you my phone number and we can talk. Thank you, Mike Reid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike reid Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Mr. Miller I would like to see you vidio display if you have it. Thank You Mike Reid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjmiller Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Mike,Under the newbies selection on page two I have a post called Programming LOR - there is a zip file attached with the mp3 and LOR files to do a full play back.My first attempt at programming a song sequence.SJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Parker Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 How many channels to start with, well that depends on how deep your pockets are. No, I have to say I have 80 channels and this past Christmas was my first year, I did however only use 48 channels, I didn't factor in the use of extension cords and because I got a very late start I had to deal with what I had. I have bought 2000' of SPT-2 Cord and thousands of LED's after Christmas so my display will be bigger next year and yes I will probably get 2-4 more controllers this year during the sales. Needless to say I am excited about next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts