Sequencing Tips, Tricks and Secrets

[Guest guest]

George Simmons wrote:

Thanks for the save, Orville - you are correct. And before interchangeable timing grids were invented I believe that would have been the only way to achieve a fixed timing grid after the sequence had been created.

The Beat Wizard follows the music and a fixed timing grid follows the clock. They're two separate things. I'm not sure I understand why a person would be going to the Beat Wizard in the first place if what they wanted to do was to use a fixed timing grid.

Ahh, then LET ME EXPLAIN that George.

Even though the Timing grid may follow the clock and be FIXED, the Beat Wizard is still a viable option when using one. Why? Because even though the timing grid may be fixed, it still lays down a beat track, it doesn't fill the block completely and a little clean up after using it IS REQUIRED. I just go back and "fill in the blocks" or move any that may be slightly off where it should be.

If you have seen my Cool to Be a Witch 2.0 Sneak Peek video, the Beat Wizard was used to help lay the foundation for that song, then I go back and clean (or tweak) it up. I actually used the VU wizard for the vocals and then, again go back and clean it up so that it flows smoothly at the right time, so that a blowmold or wire frame character appears to be singing the words. I use the tapper wizard to set the bell tones up for the 7 channel red bells used in my displays. And all this using a FIXED Timing Grid of 0.15. I

If you haven't seen the vid, check it out here:

http://forums.lightorama.com/forum83/26411.html

All done using the Beat, VU and Tapper Wizards, then cleaned up to get the results in the video.

So yes, even though I *use* a *FIXED* Timing Grid, the Beat Wizard still helps a lot to lay down a beat track or a track in any channel, even using a SLOWER or FASTER BEAT still works perfectly using a FIXED Timing Grid.

And I use these wizards all the time when creating or doing a new sequence. The key is knowing how to use the wizards under any situation and tweaking the sequence after using them. I use the highlight music timeline and spacebar to stop/start the sequence to tweak each area and channel as I go to try and get it spot on. The above mentioned vidoe is the result of using all those techniques and many, many hours of intensive tweaking to get it just right.

And I've even tweaked the sequence a lot more since that sequence version was shot for the video.

BTW: Learn anything this go around George?


EDIT: Added the Cool to Be a Witch Video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib1xSqtI4xo&feature=player_embedded&hl=en&fs=1

[Guest guest]

Beat Wizard DEFAULT Settings: normal 4 beat setting - this many beats 4 - offset 0 (Fixed grid 0.15)

Attached files

[Guest guest]

Beat Wizard - Speed 2X - This many beats 2 - offset 0

Attached files

[Guest guest]

Beat Wizard - 5X - This many beats 4 - offset 3

Attached files

[Guest guest]

These are CLOSE UP Results from the Beat Wizard of three channels laid down.

NOTE the blocks DO NOT FILL in the entire grid block! This is using a FIXED timing Grid of 0.15.


And this is what I have to "clean up" to either fill in or remove areas that I did not want a light to be on or off at.

Hope the photo's help to explain better what I am doing.


NOTE: When cleaning this up, you just can't fill a portion of the block, it's all or nothing. And that is what I do, fill in the blocks or empty those out I don't want.


Attached files

[jstorms]

Here's my sequencing secret. When my wife asks me what I'm doing I tell her I'm working. She sees what looks like a spreadsheet and leaves me alone

That my big tip.

[ainsworth]

Topic: Beat Wizard; slower tempos

The way I use slower tempos is with big elements like the Robin Wheel. I have a file where I have built the different patterns for the Wheel, and have the patterns saved with timing marks at the beginning and end of the sequence only, so the pattern is in 1 cell.

In the song I want a pattern to complete once every 4 beats (for example). Using the beat wizard I create a grid 4x slower. Then I copy and paste the Wheel pattern in. Now the Wheel completes the pattern once every 4 beats.

[Greg Young]

Clay, I am in George's camp on this one.

I have use both fixed and variable (freeform) grids.

If I am sequencing a section that needs to follow the beat, I use a freeform grid, with the timing marks being generated either by the beat wizard, or tapper if there are a lot of tempo changes.

For those that can't tap for their life, you can still use the beat wizard in songs with varying tempos, by using a new beat wizard for each section of the song that has a different tempo. (ie use the beat wizard from 0 to 32 seconds, if that is where the tempo changes, and then apply it again from 32 seconds to the next tempo change, etc.)

Once I have the timings from the beat wizard/tapper in place, I subdivide them, down to my usual .05 second timing range (that's approximate, as it depends on the timing marks laid down - it may be .03, .04, or .06 seconds for that matter.

There is no need to spend time cleaning anything up, as all the timings are precisely where I want them.

If I used a fixed grid, which is more a mathematical than musical design, I would have additional work to do.

Greg

[lafayettehunting]

Sounds like you know what you are talking about so how about some help with the beat wizard I sure need some...

If you can reply to my post on beat wizard..............

[Guest guest]

George Simmons wrote:

I know a Beat Wizard tutorial (and probably more than one) has been done before but I don’t remember by whom. So until someone posts a link to that which I can’t recall,

8< snip- >8

Does this ring a bell George?

Found it when another person was asking about the Beat Wizard and was actually searching for this particular thread and found this one, it was posted on Sunday Feb 17th, 2008 at 04:04. This one has video tutorials as well.

Go to this thread: Beat Wizard Demo by Michael Farney:

http://forums.lightorama.com/view_topic.php?id=16195&forum_id=72&highlight=Beat+Wizard

[JHolmes]

I don't understand the "slow down" and "speed up" beat things you are talking about. Explain?

Also, what would all think of taking this info and putting it on a tips blog?
That way people could search for articles that each person could write. Kind-of like a mini-tutorial on different topics of LOR.

[Tim P]

Great thread George!!

[David Rise]

I'm sure this answer is out there somewhere.

I have the standard edition software. It supports 4 tracks.

I was thinking that I would run 2 different shows (2 shows, 4 tracks per show) every night or maybe create 2 shows and alternate nights?

[bob]

David Rise wrote:

I'm sure this answer is out there somewhere.

I have the standard edition software. It supports 4 tracks.

I was thinking that I would run 2 different shows (2 shows, 4 tracks per show) every night or maybe create 2 shows and alternate nights?

I'm not sure, but maybe you're thinking that "tracks" means something like "songs"? If so, in this context, it does not.

You can put as many songs (i.e. "sequences") into a show as you want, and you can have as many shows as you want.

A track (in this context) is a certain way of grouping channels within a sequence. When it says that the Standard license supports four tracks, it means up to four of these per sequence. And, to be clear, there is almost never an actual need to use multiple tracks in a sequence; they may be convenient in certain ways, but there's very little that you actually need a second track in order to accomplish.

Here are help file pages on tracks, sequences, and shows:

http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?tracks.htm

http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?sequences.htm

http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?what_is_a_show.htm

[David Rise]

bob wrote:

David Rise wrote:

I'm sure this answer is out there somewhere.

I have the standard edition software. It supports 4 tracks.

I was thinking that I would run 2 different shows (2 shows, 4 tracks per show) every night or maybe create 2 shows and alternate nights?

I'm not sure, but maybe you're thinking that "tracks" means something like "songs"? If so, in this context, it does not.

You can put as many songs (i.e. "sequences") into a show as you want, and you can have as many shows as you want.

A track (in this context) is a certain way of grouping channels within a sequence. When it says that the Standard license supports four tracks, it means up to four of these per sequence. And, to be clear, there is almost never an actual need to use multiple tracks in a sequence; they may be convenient in certain ways, but there's very little that you actually need a second track in order to accomplish.

Here are help file pages on tracks, sequences, and shows:

http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?tracks.htm

http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?sequences.htm

http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?what_is_a_show.htm

Thanks. Tracks being songs.....that's exactly what I was thinking.

I'm not going to discuss multiple tracks.....I'm just barely grasping a single track...lol

[Ron Amedee]

Counting CCR's as 157 channels each and 80 channels LOR..I'm seqencing 875 channels and this is my first 6 months into this...Now if I can afford all the controllers and CCR's before October is the question !!!!

Got one CCR and one controller..1680 Led's one one element and time is running out !!! Second Quarter already..And missed the EPIC !!!!

[wicket82]

This is my first year to do a light show and first time to use LOR. But one thing that has helped me in sequencing and getting an idea of what my display will be like is building a frame for my lights.

Example 1: I am going to have 5 arches so I screwed 4 2x2's together to form a rectangle. Then I put 5 screws on each side to wrap the lights in between. I string the lights between the screws. Each light string is spaced out and i can tell where the arches are. Since my real arches are gonna be varying heights and widths from 1ft tall and 2ft wide all the way to 5ft tall and 10 ft. wide, It gives me a good idea of what there will look like (I'm doing this so you can see every part of every arch if it's lit up and it's not gonna be leaping arches).

Example 2: I am gonna be using 6 mini trees. I made another frame the same way except using 6 screww on each side. I string my lights between them. I just turn this one sidways so the lights run up and down (kinda looks like the mini trees standing up).

You can store the frames and use this again later. By doing this, I can hook my LOR controller up to my lights and get a better idea what it looks like anytime of the year without haveing to have Christmas lights through out the yard. This probably isn't a good option is you have multiple controllers since it would be time consuming to hook up. But since I am new to this and only have 1 16 channel controller and I wanted to hook it to lights, this has worked for me so far.

Just thought i'd add my 2 cents worth. Haha

[wicket82]

I could have posted that in the wrong forum but it's helped me with my sequencing to see what it looks like and what the different features do. It helps to see it on actual lights. Haha

[PaulXmas]

wicket82 wrote:

This is my first year to do a light show and first time to use LOR. But one thing that has helped me in sequencing and getting an idea of what my display will be like is building a frame for my lights.

Example 1: I am going to have 5 arches so I screwed 4 2x2's together to form a rectangle. Then I put 5 screws on each side to wrap the lights in between. I string the lights between the screws. Each light string is spaced out and i can tell where the arches are. Since my real arches are gonna be varying heights and widths from 1ft tall and 2ft wide all the way to 5ft tall and 10 ft. wide, It gives me a good idea of what there will look like (I'm doing this so you can see every part of every arch if it's lit up and it's not gonna be leaping arches).

Example 2: I am gonna be using 6 mini trees. I made another frame the same way except using 6 screww on each side. I string my lights between them. I just turn this one sidways so the lights run up and down (kinda looks like the mini trees standing up).

You can store the frames and use this again later. By doing this, I can hook my LOR controller up to my lights and get a better idea what it looks like anytime of the year without haveing to have Christmas lights through out the yard. This probably isn't a good option is you have multiple controllers since it would be time consuming to hook up. But since I am new to this and only have 1 16 channel controller and I wanted to hook it to lights, this has worked for me so far.

Just thought i'd add my 2 cents worth. Haha

I did something similar my first year.

My mini trees we a pile of lights.

I used a 4X8 sheet of lattice to out line my house and windows.

And ran my show!

In the house we could hear the music.

[Dave Boros]

Haha...thats great!