Duplicate Track Question

[DavBro]

I am adding a second MegaTree this year. To expedite the process of creating the new MegaTree in the sequences, I used the 'Duplicate Track' function. This worked as expected, I now have a second MegaTree with all of the channels. The problem is, the two appear to sequence as if they are one.

Is there a way to duplicate tracks without having them linked at the hip like this? I am not sure what the benefit is to duplicating a track if the new track cannot be independently sequenced.

Thanks in advance.

[Don]

In this particular case, the duplicate track functionality isn't going to be of help to you. Instead, you would need to add new channels/controllers to the sequence for the new mega tree.

A very (very) basic example of tracks would be as follows:
Say that you have 8 mini-trees, with two colors each. With 1 track you have them lined up, 1-8 White, and 1-8 Multi. Suppose, though, that you want to have the "Tree 1" for both White and Multi next to each other. This is where a duplicate track would come in. Using the second track you could re-arrange the layout of your channels in one track, without affecting the other.

To answer your question: There is no known way (that I can think of off the top of my head) to duplicate a track, and NOT have them linked together.

[Max-Paul]

Don,

forgive the dumb question. Ok doing what Dave has done, couldnt one go into the 2nd track and change the unit number for each channel and thus have the two trees do the same seq, but differnt controllers?

thanks

[DavBro]

MaxPaul,

Did all that, plus changed the channel names to be unique. In the animation, an event on either track trigger that same event on the corresponding channel in the other track. That is what's weird about it.

DavBro

[Don]

Max-Paul wrote:

Don,

forgive the dumb question. Ok doing what Dave has done, couldnt one go into the 2nd track and change the unit number for each channel and thus have the two trees do the same seq, but differnt controllers?

thanks

Not a dumb question at all. Within a LOR sequence file the Channels and Tracks are stored in separate sections of the file. So, when you define a channel (Tree 1 for example) to go to Controller 1/Channel 1, the program assigns an ID for that definition/controller/channel.

The Tracks section simply uses those ID's to arrange the order the channels will be in. Thus, when the channel information is changed, it's changed on all tracks, because the tracks all reference the same ID for that channel. (This ID, btw, is not used in the GUI, but in the actual file. It's something that 99% of people will not need (or want) to mess with.

Standard disclaimer: If you go into your sequence file with a text editor, be sure to do so on a backup copy.

[bob]

"Duplicate Track" is intended to put the exact same channels in two different tracks. Not "different channels that happen to be set up the same way", but literally the same channels.

So they'll have the same settings (such as unit ID and circuit ID) and the same lighting effects, and if you change the unit ID or circuit ID of one, that automatically changes the unit ID and circuit ID of the other; if you add a lighting effect to one, that automatically adds it to the other. They are, in every way, exactly the same channel as each other - "duplicate track" just lets you see the exact same channel in two different places.

[LightORamaDan]

bob wrote:

"Duplicate Track" is intended to put the exact same channels in two different tracks. Not "different channels that happen to be set up the same way", but literally the same channels.

So they'll have the same settings (such as unit ID and circuit ID) and the same lighting effects, and if you change the unit ID or circuit ID of one, that automatically changes the unit ID and circuit ID of the other; if you add a lighting effect to one, that automatically adds it to the other. They are, in every way, exactly the same channel as each other - "duplicate track" just lets you see the exact same channel in two different places.

As to why duplicate tracks (which was asked earlier)... In many ways it is historical, at one time only one timing grid was available per track so people would have mulitiple tracks, each identical except for the timing.

Also people will have a single master track with all channels. Other tracks will have duplicate channels but a subset of the channels from the master track.

Dan

[Max-Paul]

Thanks gentlemen,

Well thats one thing I dont for see me using. And I was just about to ask when Dan came along. What good is that for and the timing issue of days gone past explains it.

Thanks