Adding channels to music from last year

[Janet]

Ok. I've gotten tired of searching previous posts for the answer to my question, so if I'm asking something for the 100th time, please excuse the repeat question...

I have been using LOR software since Christmas 2007. Each year, I have added additional channels to the previous year's music. Last year ('09) it took forever to add the new channels to the 2008 music that I still wanted to use. I first redid my animation and saved it. But when I imported the new animation to the old sequence, it automatically assigned channels based on the new information. For example, if the old sequence used channels 3.1-4.16, and the new animation used channels 2.1-5.16, it automatically changed the old sequence to 2.1-3.16. This caused me to spend an enormous amount of time drawing animation into each song individually, adding the new channels to each song; and only then could I start working with the new channels. Am I making any sense here?

Anyway, this year I'm adding a lot more channels, but still want to use some of the older music. I just need an easier way to add the new channels and the new animation without altering the old information.

I was thinking maybe there would be a way using tracks, but I'm not sure if that would work. Hopefully, I'm just missing something and there's an easy solution out there.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Janet

[Brian Mitchell]

When you add in your channels for the first sequence, make notes of where the channels are added. Like add 6 channels under mini tree 8, 10 after megatree, 8 under red roof.

Then when you open each other sequence add in the blank channels where they belong and then import the configuration and all should fall where it is supposed to.

[George Simmons]

Janet,

From your description, it sounds like your sequences from last year have all your channels in one track. If so, then yes, you could create a second track and title it "2010 Additions" or something like that. If you add all the new channels only to that second track it should not cause any issues when importing this new configuration into last year's sequences.

Or, if you don't want to create a second track simply add your new channels for this year to the bottom of what you had last year. These "easy" methods, however, only work if everything new you're adding this year is something different than what you already have in your display.

If you're adding half a dozen more mini trees or another color to an existing mega tree or something like that and you want your new channels grouped with the existing ones, then the method that Brian described is definitely your best bet. The only other way is doing it as you already described you don't want to any more.

Either way, once you add the new channels for this year you then need to draw those in on your visualizer view just like you did all the others before. After that is done, export the new configuration with a name like "2010" and then you're set. And from that point on, you can also use that new configuration in any new sequences you create for this year.

Good luck.

[PaulXmas]

Janet,

Not sure if you know you can move your channels.

I went from 32 channels to 112 channels and tried to use my old sequences.

I use to have:
Channel 1 Red roof
Channel 2 Red living room
Channel 3 Red Bedrooms
and so on
Now
Channel 80 is Red roof
Channel 2 Red living room
Channel 85 Red bedroom south
Channel 86 Red Bedroom north

When I went to convert old songs I put everything in order (I named things like red roof 1 - 1 meaning channel 1 controller 1 )

then I opened a new musical sequence
Moved my channel 80 red roof to channel 1
Moved channel 1 to the bottom
Moved Channel 85 to where Channel 3 was
Moved channel 3 to the bottom

And since the bedrooms did the same thing I copied the channel 3 bedroom to channel 86 bedroom

Then I copied the old sequences

Watched the animation and made any changes.

[Janet]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I think I'm going to use Brian's method first since I am adding additional channels to my mega tree. Then I may use George's suggestion to use tracks to add my new arches and windows.

Anyway, based on everyone's responses, I have a lot of work to do, and Christmas is coming closer every day!

Again, thank you for all the help.

Janet