Creating your first Sequence

[caniac]

For Halloween I want to do one for "Thriller" and for Christmas I want TSO Wizards plus Linus and Lucy. Have some ideas of what I want my light show to look like. So my question is this, what is the best way to start? is there a LOR Sequence for Dummies manual?

[JBullard]

caniac wrote:

For Halloween I want to do one for "Thriller" and for Christmas I want TSO Wizards plus Linus and Lucy. Have some ideas of what I want my light show to look like. So my question is this, what is the best way to start? is there a LOR Sequence for Dummies manual?

http://www.lightorama.com/w_support.htm
There is a lot of information on this page

[jimswinder]

caniac wrote:

So my question is this, what is the best way to start?

You may want to download someones else sequence to those songs and see what they did (you can download my WIW by clicking on the link in my signature)...or just start using the software and start exploring and doing...if you don't have the software yet, you can download a free trial version.

[caniac]

downloaded songs to use (audio) and have burned them to CD, how or what do you recommend to turn them into mp3's.

[JBullard]

caniac wrote:

downloaded songs to use (audio) and have burned them to CD, how or what do you recommend to turn them into mp3's.

The answer is in these LOR tutorials under the General Information heading

http://www.lightorama.com/w_support.htm

[jimswinder]

caniac wrote:

downloaded songs to use (audio) and have burned them to CD, how or what do you recommend to turn them into mp3's.

you don't have to turn them into mp3's (or burn them to a CD) as long as they are on your computer and in a format that LOR recognizes.

Check out this post:

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=21950&forum_id=72&highlight=audio+files+supported+by+lor

A lot of us use Audacity to convert and work on audio files:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

and don't forget to download the needed LAME file...

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3

Also...if you use iTunes to download your songs, iTunes has an option to create mp3's...I believe it is under the Advanced tab

[caniac]

jimswinder wrote:

caniac wrote:

downloaded songs to use (audio) and have burned them to CD, how or what do you recommend to turn them into mp3's.

you don't have to turn them into mp3's (or burn them to a CD) as long as they are on your computer and in a format that LOR recognizes.

Check out this post:

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=21950&forum_id=72&highlight=audio+files+supported+by+lor

A lot of us use Audacity to convert and work on audio files:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

and don't forget to download the needed LAME file...

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3

Also...if you use iTunes to download your songs, iTunes has an option to create mp3's...I believe it is under the Advanced tab

my issues is i downloaded them via iTunes and apple doesn't always play nice on exports.

[jimswinder]

caniac wrote:

my issues is i downloaded them via iTunes and apple doesn't always play nice on exports.

don't really know what you mean by "export"...if you create an MP3 using iTunes, it adds the MP3 into the same folder that the original iTunes song is located. Then when you "import" it into your LOR Sequence (Using Edit>Media File), you just have to be careful to pick the right audio file (the MP3).

[caniac]

jimswinder wrote:

caniac wrote:

my issues is i downloaded them via iTunes and apple doesn't always play nice on exports.

don't really know what you mean by "export"...if you create an MP3 using iTunes, it adds the MP3 into the same folder that the original iTunes song is located. Then when you "import" it into your LOR Sequence (Using Edit>Media File), you just have to be careful to pick the right audio file (the MP3).

all mine say MP4.

[jimswinder]

caniac wrote:

all mine say MP4.

even AFTER you have created MP3's from the MP4's?? In iTunes, did you go to the Advanced tab and then "Create an MP3"?

In the folder where the iTunes song is located you should now have two files of the same song...one MP4 (original) and one MP3

Unless you told it to save it somewhere else...

[caniac]

jimswinder wrote:

caniac wrote:

all mine say MP4.

even AFTER you have created MP3's from the MP4's?? In iTunes, did you go to the Advanced tab and then "Create an MP3"?

In the folder where the iTunes song is located you should now have two files of the same song...one MP4 (original) and one MP3

Unless you told it to save it somewhere else...

i am using version 10 of iTunes and it has something under the Advanced Tab that says Create AAC but that is it and it only creates another mp4.

[jimswinder]

Sorry...first you need to do this:

1. Open iTunes Preferences.
   Windows: Choose Edit > Preferences.
   Mac: Choose iTunes > Preferences.
2. Click the General button, then click the Importing Settings button in the second section of the window.
3. From the Import Using pop-up menu, choose the encoding format that you want to convert the song to, then click OK to save the settings.
4. Select one or more songs in your library, then from the Advanced menu, choose one of the following (The menu item changes to show what's selected in your Importing preferences):
   • 
     
   • Create MP3 version
     
   • Create AAC version
     
   • Create AIFF version
     
   • Create WAV version
     
   • Create Apple Lossless version

[Scott Allen]

Hey Caniac, I use iTunes as well and I found this thread when I started to sequence. It helped me out a lot (It has pictures!)

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/forum80/23475.html

As far as doing your first sequence, just watch the support videos in the link from JBullard and you will be done in no time. I did four in about 6 or 7 days (I only have 16 channels). Once you get used to the software, you will soon see that there many shortcuts and lots of different ways to do it. Just play with it and see what works best for you once you have the basics down.

[jimswinder]

Scott Allen wrote:

Hey Caniac, I use iTunes as well and I found this thread when I started to sequence. It helped me out a lot (It has pictures!)

That was true a few years ago...but Apple has changed their "tune" and now allows you to create MP3's...Caniac just needs to set up his preferences correctly.

No need to "rip" it to another format then create an MP3 from that...

[caniac]

jimswinder wrote:

Sorry...first you need to do this:

1. Open iTunes Preferences.
   Windows: Choose Edit > Preferences.
   Mac: Choose iTunes > Preferences.
2. Click the General button, then click the Importing Settings button in the second section of the window.
3. From the Import Using pop-up menu, choose the encoding format that you want to convert the song to, then click OK to save the settings.
4. Select one or more songs in your library, then from the Advanced menu, choose one of the following (The menu item changes to show what's selected in your Importing preferences):
   • 
     
   • Create MP3 version
     
   • Create AAC version
     
   • Create AIFF version
     
   • Create WAV version
     
   • Create Apple Lossless version

did that and thanks, got my mp3's created. has anyone tackled "thriller" with 16 channels or does it take more? I have 32 at my disposal but am looking to add 32 more for my Christmas show.

also now that i have a sequence and an MP3 do i just copy them to LOR directories? when i bought my 32 channels i also bought WOWLights sequences and they were installed via an executable.

[jimswinder]

caniac wrote:

also now that i have a sequence and an MP3 do i just copy them to LOR directories?

Is this a sequence you created with LOR? If so, it automatically puts it in the right directory and folder...which is found here (if you did not change the default settings within LOR):

My Documents>LightORama>Sequences

If it is a sequence you downloaded from someone, you can either move that file (an .lms file) to the above location or open up the sequence via the Sequence Editor and then do a "Save As" and it will again automatically save it to the right place.

I myself also put my audio files that I want to use in the same directory:

My Documents>LightORama>Audio

[caniac]

what is the purpose of the audacity software that is referenced?

[jimswinder]

caniac wrote:

what is the purpose of the audacity software that is referenced?

some people don't have iTunes...so Audacity can create MP3's from your audio file...

Sometimes the audio file is a MP3 that is NOT a constant bit rate...Audacity can make it a Constant Bit Rate...this is necessary when you start the sequence anywhere but at the start of the song (when you are editing in the sequence editor) and it appears that all of a sudden your song does not appear to be in sync with the events you have programmed...or when you want to run your audio at a different speed when you are editing your sequence...

sometimes your song may have a lot of silence at the beginning or the end of the song which you want to delete...Audacity can do this...

or perhaps you have a 4:00 minute song that you want to cut down to 1:30...Audacity...

or perhaps you want to join two or more songs together...Audacity...

It's a powerful free program...even better than the $100 Sequel software I bought several years ago...

[caniac]

ok, this is the computer programmer coming out in me but what about testing? do you guys build mini versions of your display's or just use the screen tool and hope for the best?

[jimswinder]

caniac wrote:

ok, this is the computer programmer coming out in me but what about testing? do you guys build mini versions of your display's or just use the screen tool and hope for the best?

Depends....

I built my Weber Tree fullscale...becasue I had NOOOO idea how to sequence it.

Arches I built full scale...why waste time building something mini?

Mini Trees, lights on the house, etc just used the visualizer knowing that I wanted to be set up TWO weeks before opening night so I could tweak any sequences after seeing everything set up.