Suggestions for LOR II software Suite

[Guest guest]

First off, the Simple Showbuilder needs the following abilities:

#1. To be able to create MULTIPLE shows on an SD Card.

#2. To Change Directories to where specific sequences are located.

#3. The ability to be more time specific, not just set hour or half-hour, there needs to be more flexibility, mainly if and when creating multiple shows for an SD Card! Currently the Simple Show Builder can only create ONE SHOW and this is not very flexible in the sense of needing to set and do other operations when a show is NOT running, such as off hours informational broadcasting via an FM transmitter or turning on security lights after the main show has run its course and shut down.

The Show Editor also needs the ability to write to an SD Card, as well as copy all files required for the show or multiple shows and showtime(s) to the SD card.

The Show Scheduler needs the same abilities as the Show Editor, currently both the Show Editor and Show Scheduler are specific to PC operation only and BOTH the Show Bulder and Show Scheduler would be a lot more versatile by having the ability to write everything to an SD card. (if this is even possible?)

The Simple Show Bullder would also be a lot more versatile and be a greater asset to the software suite if it had the ability as outlined above.

Just some observations I've concluded when checking out these programs to see if they could be used to write shows (multiple) to an SD card, which two of them could and can not presently, and the one that can, can only record ONE SHOW ONLY, when multiple shows and times are needed.

This is why I use the LOR Hardware Utility to write my shows, but have come across a problem in it when adding sequences, it appears it is limited to no more than 102 sequences. Won't go into that here, check out my other thread in this area about that issue.

[Don]

The opinions here are my own.

Back before the Simple Show Builder existed (and before the MP3 Director) you had to build your shows in the LOR Show Editor, and schedule them in the LOR Scheduler. I recall that many people new to the hobby would have trouble learning these two programs. (And with the number of options available to you, I can understand why. Heck, I recall some of the silly scheduling goofs I made back in the day. Wow.)

The Simple Show Builder was released to help make it easier for beginners to get their shows created. I do not believe it was intended to handle the more advanced options of creating a show. These features are available in the LOR Show Editor/Scheduler (for the PC) and the LOR MP3 Tab (in the Hardware Editor.)

If memory serves, there are some limitations within the LOR MP3 Director, thus the separate scheduling function in the Hardware Utility. This would be why the LOR Show Builder makes no mention of the MP3 Director.

Again, just my opinion, but if all of these features were put into the Simple Show Builder, it would simply be another copy of the LOR Show and MP3 Tab functions that are there today. Which would, potentially, negate the reason it was created -- to help beginners easily create a show.

[George Simmons]

I agree with most of what Don said. The key word in Simple Show Builder is "Simple". And compared to the Show Editor it is indeed simple. If all someone wants to do is line up four songs and an announcement and loop it all night long, the Simple Show Builder is the way to go. If someone wants to do anything more complex than that, then they're either going to have to co-opt a grandchild to explain it to them, or they're going to need to apply themself and learn something about the Show Editor.

[Guest guest]

George Simmons wrote:

I agree with most of what Don said. The key word in Simple Show Builder is "Simple". And compared to the Show Editor it is indeed simple. If all someone wants to do is line up four songs and an announcement and loop it all night long, the Simple Show Builder is the way to go. If someone wants to do anything more complex than that, then they're either going to have to co-opt a grandchild to explain it to them, or they're going to need to apply themself and learn something about the Show Editor.

The Show Editor DOES NOT write to SD cards, DOES NOT SUPPORT the MP3 Showtime or any of the MP3 Director hardware.. I am very well versed in computers and can learn and have learned complex software, the Simple Show Builder, although simple, IS BY FAR, TOO SIMPLISTIC, it does need added features for those of us with MP3 Showtime Directors to be able to create multiple shows, not be LIMITED to ONE SINGLE SHOW and only hourly or 1/2 hour time slots.

As for the show editor and the show builder, BOTH ARE TOTALLY USELESS TO ME FOR MY NEEDS, because NEITHER WRITE to an SD CARD or support the MP3 Director hardware.

Therefore the Simple Show builder and the LOR Hardware Utility ARE the only two that will write an SD card. And the Hardware utility appears to have a problem, when it comes to writing more than 102 sequences in it, it crashes!

Whereas the Simple Show Builder DOES NOT crash when adding over 102+ sequences, but being LIMITED in scope to ONE SHOW FILE, that makes it also useless for my purposs and why I state and will stand by those THREE OPTIONS POSTED ABOVE ARE NEEDED in the Simple Show Builder!

And they would NOT make the simple show builder any more complex or difficult to use, just make it more versatile for those of us that use it to write to an SD card for our shows. NOT all of us can afford or have the luxury of a second computer to dedicate for running shows on. Which is what the Show Editor and Show Scheduler REQUIRE, they DO NOT WRITE TO SD CARDS or the associated files! They only read files from a DEDICATED PC, completely useless to me and my needs.

[George Simmons]

Orville wrote:

Whereas the Simple Show Builder DOES NOT crash when adding over 102+ sequences, but being LIMITED in scope to ONE SHOW FILE...

While I don't use it often, when I HAVE used the SSB in the past this was not the case. It was limited to one show at a time but if you named that show something other than the default name you could then create a totally different show. I've never worked with a SD cardthough; nor have I ever created a show with over 100 sequences.

... a second computer to dedicate for running shows on. Which is what the Show Editor and Show Scheduler REQUIRE...

This is news to me also. For the past two years I've run my show (using CTB16PC controllers) from the same PC that I do everything else with. A dedicated PC for the show might be nice, but hardly required.

[Don]

Orville wrote:

NOT all of us can afford or have the luxury of a second computer to dedicate for running shows on. Which is what the Show Editor and Show Scheduler REQUIRE, they DO NOT WRITE TO SD CARDS or the associated files! They only read files from a DEDICATED PC, completely useless to me and my needs.

A dedicated computer is not required to run your shows. For those who are controlling their shows via a PC, a dedicated PC is not required. Never has been.

The Show Editor and Show Scheduler has never written to an SD card. That function is in the MP3 tab of the Hardware editor. (And in the Simple Show Builder.)

[Guest guest]

Don wrote:

Orville wrote:

NOT all of us can afford or have the luxury of a second computer to dedicate for running shows on. Which is what the Show Editor and Show Scheduler REQUIRE, they DO NOT WRITE TO SD CARDS or the associated files! They only read files from a DEDICATED PC, completely useless to me and my needs.

A dedicated computer is not required to run your shows. For those who are controlling their shows via a PC, a dedicated PC is not required. Never has been.

The Show Editor and Show Scheduler has never written to an SD card. That function is in the MP3 tab of the Hardware editor. (And in the Simple Show Builder.)

Well, that may be the so, but if I ran the show off my PC, there would be other noises interupting the show because our phone is a Magicjack and that would not only SLOW DOWN the show terribly, but would also have the ringing phone sounds eminating from the show. So in my case, a "DEDICATED" computer WOULD have to be used. And that is what I mean by a "dedicated" computer, one that HAS NOTHING else running on it that would interupt or put unwanted sounds in the show. And NO, the magicjack ringer can not be turned off from the system unless you unplug the MJ device from the computer, then there is no phone service.



The Simple Show builder is good, but it can not create more than one show, even if you ran it severla times for different times and sequences, it overwirtes the SD Card with the same configuration file numbers and MP3 numbers, you just can't change the file name, UNLESS you could edit the CFG files, and at this time, I don't know of a way to edit the CFG files that the LOR software creates because it's not just a text file that could be easily edited.



Therefore the SSB needs to be able to create multiple shows just like the Hardware Utility can do, but the hardware utility appears to be limited in the number of sequences it can handle to a maximum of 102, my show IS NOT 122 sequences, my show is only 24 sequences, but my OFF HOURS BROADCASTING INFO is 122 / 1-channel sequences that runs from 7am-5:58pm, with my normal show starting at 6pm - 11pm. And then a spotlight sequence runs continually until the off hours broadcast starts at 7am the next morning.

Currently the SSB only creates S1xxx.xxx files for both the cfg and mp3 files, so there is no way to do multiple shows utilizing the SSB software. Only the Hardware Utility can do this presently. So I did cut back the off hours to 100 sequences presently, including my voiceover content.

But for those of us that use the MP3 directors, we need more versatiltiy and flexability, just like in the Show Editor and Show Builder software. So maybe instead of adding this to the SSB, just create a specific show editor/builder for MP3 Direcotr (SD card) users. But then, I'd think it'd be easier to just incorparte these few changes to the SSB software as opposed to creating another program just for SD card/MP3 Director hardware users.

[Surfing4Dough]

Orville wrote:

Therefore the SSB needs to be able to create multiple shows just like the Hardware Utility can do, but the hardware utility appears to be limited in the number of sequences it can handle to a maximum of 102, my show IS NOT 122 sequences, my show is only 24 sequences, but my OFF HOURS BROADCASTING INFO is 122 / 1-channel sequences that runs from 7am-5:58pm, with my normal show starting at 6pm - 11pm. And then a spotlight sequence runs continually until the off hours broadcast starts at 7am the next morning.

Currently the SSB only creates S1xxx.xxx files for both the cfg and mp3 files, so there is no way to do multiple shows utilizing the SSB software. Only the Hardware Utility can do this presently. So I did cut back the off hours to 100 sequences presently, including my voiceover content.

But for those of us that use the MP3 directors, we need more versatiltiy and flexability, just like in the Show Editor and Show Builder software. So maybe instead of adding this to the SSB, just create a specific show editor/builder for MP3 Direcotr (SD card) users. But then, I'd think it'd be easier to just incorparte these few changes to the SSB software as opposed to creating another program just for SD card/MP3 Director hardware users.

I am not sure I entirely understand what you are doing with so many sequences (which seems well beyond the amount of the average user, so not sure that that is the "software's" fault, but that is another point), but I think you are running a repetitive announcement or something from 7am - 5:58pm. Are these 122 off hours sequences all different, or are all 122 identical? And are they just audio (stating the show hours or something)? If any or all of this applies, couldn't you just merge 2-3 of the mp3 files together (using a program such as Audacity) so that 2-3 sequences could become one? If all of the 122 off hours sequences are the same, then that would cut your number of sequences in half. If they are all different, then you might have to do this 20+ of them in order to get down under the SD card limit.

Again, maybe I am totally missing what you are trying to accomplish, but doubt the software will be changed to meet the needs of such a unique situation. Never hurts to send you software desires to wishlist@lightorama.com and if others have the same need they might consider it.

[terrypowerz]

Now I am just guessing... but I think the off hours sequences are a substitute for Zara radio... playing music on the "radio station" when not being used for the show.

Clay,
I am not disagreeing with you...
I think what is happening is that the true intended purpose of the MP3 director was never to totally replace a PC if you want to have all the versatility and capability that the software and hardware is capable of.
It was intended to be a portable and or standalone way to run a show for those unique situations that require it. It does have limitations, and in most instances they are not a problem for it's intended use.

For the cost of the Director, a guy could pick up a used PC that would be quite capable of running a show (and probably Zara radio as well) and give you all the bells and whistles and possibilities you desire.

Heck a buddy of mine had 2 in a garage sale over the weekend (1 for $49, and another for $99) that would have had plenty of horsepower to run a show. Ask around and you might be surprised how many PCs are idle or waiting to be disposed of that would be suited to the task and may be cheap or free.

I think it is really just a case of the fact that your unique wants are just a little more than what is ideally suited to the MP3 director.... not that you can't work around it (as you mentioned you have done), but if you can find a PC for the show you would be a lot more happy I think.

[Guest guest]

terrypowerz wrote:

Now I am just guessing... but I think the off hours sequences are a substitute for Zara radio... playing music on the "radio station" when not being used for the show.

Clay,
I am not disagreeing with you...
I think what is happening is that the true intended purpose of the MP3 director was never to totally replace a PC if you want to have all the versatility and capability that the software and hardware is capable of.
It was intended to be a portable and or standalone way to run a show for those unique situations that require it. It does have limitations, and in most instances they are not a problem for it's intended use.

For the cost of the Director, a guy could pick up a used PC that would be quite capable of running a show (and probably Zara radio as well) and give you all the bells and whistles and possibilities you desire.

Heck a buddy of mine had 2 in a garage sale over the weekend (1 for $49, and another for $99) that would have had plenty of horsepower to run a show. Ask around and you might be surprised how many PCs are idle or waiting to be disposed of that would be suited to the task and may be cheap or free.

I think it is really just a case of the fact that your unique wants are just a little more than what is ideally suited to the MP3 director.... not that you can't work around it (as you mentioned you have done), but if you can find a PC for the show you would be a lot more happy I think.

I actually bought a laptop (used), but the audio has some severe problems and the darn thing has burned up 2 hard drives so far, so after spending almost $300 on a laptop and additional hard drives for it to run the shows, well, that's why I went back to the MP3 Showtime Director, because the thing has too many issues to run ANYTHING reliably. It appeared to run just fine when I bought it, but after getting it home (and the place does not refund or exchange items), so I got stuck with it and don't have the funds to see if it can even be repaired at the moment.

As for the other question someone asked, no, the sequences are not all the same, each one is different, and I have merged many songs together as stated, but you have to watch that carefully too because the sequencer doesn't handle anything over 10 minutes, and there are several songs in the off-hours mix that are at the 6 to 8 minute mark. So those would have be to pretty much a sequence on their own.

What I have done is just cut the list to 100 sequences and seperated all the different sequences into 100 files, per their own folder, then I just set up the MP3 Director through the Hardware Utility to run each 100 sequence OFF HOURS music and announcements on different days, instead of having them all in one show, which I should have thought about doing in the first place, but it just didn't occur to me until the other day! ~DOH~!

BTW: It's not the SD Card that has the issue, I have a 4 GB card and the MP3 Showtime Director reads it just fine, as well as other ranges of SD Cards, from 256Mb, 512Mb, 1Gb, 2Gb, up to 4GB and the MP3 Showtime Director has not had any issues with any of them. Only the software that writes the show(s) to the SD Card is where the issue cropped from, but, I have figured out a work around, as stated for this problem. Don't have the newer 8Gb-12Gb or higher(? don't know how high these things go now) SD Cards to try in the MP3 Showtime Director, so don't know if it could handle one of those higher capacity SD Cards or not.

BTW2: I tried that Zara radio thing, just could not get it to work on my system, too old, perhaps? or something...just don't know.....

[LightORamaDan]

Thought that I had replied to this thread a while ago but guess I didn't finish... Anyway:

We may be making a few minor changes to the Simple Show Builder (SSB) but nothing major....

We will be creating a different way/program for managing the data on a SD card to make it more convenient....

As mentioned you could get a used PC for less than a DC_MP3. One of the features of the DC_MP3 is that it will run at -40 degrees and go unattended all season.

Dan

[Surfing4Dough]

Orville wrote:

As for the other question someone asked, no, the sequences are not all the same, each one is different, and I have merged many songs together as stated, but you have to watch that carefully too because the sequencer doesn't handle anything over 10 minutes, and there are several songs in the off-hours mix that are at the 6 to 8 minute mark. So those would have be to pretty much a sequence on their own.

Not sure if these time limits still apply with the newest firmware:

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/forum55/22258.html

[LightORamaDan]

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Orville wrote:

As for the other question someone asked, no, the sequences are not all the same, each one is different, and I have merged many songs together as stated, but you have to watch that carefully too because the sequencer doesn't handle anything over 10 minutes, and there are several songs in the off-hours mix that are at the 6 to 8 minute mark. So those would have be to pretty much a sequence on their own.

Not sure if these time limits still apply with the newest firmware:

Surfing4Dough is correct, the latest firmware does not have time limits on sequences.

Dan

[Guest guest]

LightORamaDan wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Orville wrote:

As for the other question someone asked, no, the sequences are not all the same, each one is different, and I have merged many songs together as stated, but you have to watch that carefully too because the sequencer doesn't handle anything over 10 minutes, and there are several songs in the off-hours mix that are at the 6 to 8 minute mark. So those would have be to pretty much a sequence on their own.

Not sure if these time limits still apply with the newest firmware:

Surfing4Dough is correct, the latest firmware does not have time limits on sequences.

Dan

Well that's good to know as I was going on what I had started with and don't recall seeing/reading anything about the latest software having the 10 minute limits removed.

Now that I know this, I can do some other things I had planned, but wouldn't have worked in the older versions!

[LightORamaDan]

Orville wrote:

LightORamaDan wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Orville wrote:

As for the other question someone asked, no, the sequences are not all the same, each one is different, and I have merged many songs together as stated, but you have to watch that carefully too because the sequencer doesn't handle anything over 10 minutes, and there are several songs in the off-hours mix that are at the 6 to 8 minute mark. So those would have be to pretty much a sequence on their own.

Not sure if these time limits still apply with the newest firmware:

Surfing4Dough is correct, the latest firmware does not have time limits on sequences.

Dan

Well that's good to know as I was going on what I had started with and don't recall seeing/reading anything about the latest software having the 10 minute limits removed.

Now that I know this, I can do some other things I had planned, but wouldn't have worked in the older versions!

Although I belive Orville understands, I just to clairify so those reading this do not get confused... The 10 minute limit was a limit in the DC-MP3 and mDC-MP3. That limit was per sequence, thus a particular sequence could only be about 10 minutes long.

The limit was removed in a subsiquent firmware upgrade for those MP3 Directors. It ws not a software upgrade as the software has never had a 10 minute limit on the length of a sequence.

So upgrading to the latest software will not help an older DC-MP3 run a sequence that is over 10 minutes long. You will need to upgrade the firmware in the director to use the change.

Dan

[Guest guest]

LightORamaDan wrote:

Orville wrote:

LightORamaDan wrote:

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Orville wrote:

As for the other question someone asked, no, the sequences are not all the same, each one is different, and I have merged many songs together as stated, but you have to watch that carefully too because the sequencer doesn't handle anything over 10 minutes, and there are several songs in the off-hours mix that are at the 6 to 8 minute mark. So those would have be to pretty much a sequence on their own.

Not sure if these time limits still apply with the newest firmware:

Surfing4Dough is correct, the latest firmware does not have time limits on sequences.

Dan

Well that's good to know as I was going on what I had started with and don't recall seeing/reading anything about the latest software having the 10 minute limits removed.

Now that I know this, I can do some other things I had planned, but wouldn't have worked in the older versions!

Although I belive Orville understands, I just to clairify so those reading this do not get confused... The 10 minute limit was a limit in the DC-MP3 and mDC-MP3. That limit was per sequence, thus a particular sequence could only be about 10 minutes long.

The limit was removed in a subsiquent firmware upgrade for those MP3 Directors. It ws not a software upgrade as the software has never had a 10 minute limit on the length of a sequence.

So upgrading to the latest software will not help an older DC-MP3 run a sequence that is over 10 minutes long. You will need to upgrade the firmware in the director to use the change.

Dan

OOPS! Glad you caught that Dan. Yes, I did mean to type FIRMware, NOT Software!

And yes, I knew what you were referering to. Sorry about that, sometimes I think I type faster than my brain processes what I'm doing. LOL