Sequence layout for a megatree... suggestions?

[gspence]

I have a 32 channel mega tree with 4 colors: red, green, white, blue. Each color has 8 strands.

I'm wrestling with the best way to lay it out in the editor. I put all 32 channels in a single group which makes it easy to twinkle the entire thing or chase all channels.

However, I find myself doing a lot of copy/pasting when I want to do things like make it just green, or just red. It makes me wonder if I shouldn't have the colors in their own groups, but then I couldn't easily chase the whole tree.

I'm sure someone has come up with a clever way to set it up. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[gspence]

No ideas? Surely someone has done this. Did I post in the wrong forum?

[George Simmons]

When you say "groups" I'm going to presume you're using and referring to S3.

My advice is to create a sequence with two tracks. Track one is the master. It has a single copy of every channel you have. [Once you've created this master list, NEVER CHANGE THE ORDER OF THESE CHANNELS EVER AGAIN. PROTECT IT WITH YOUR LIFE! As you grow and add more channels, no matter what these channels are for, they get added to the bottom of the master list. NO EXCEPTIONS! This method will allow you each future year to easily and accurately copy your new configuration into existing sequences. You should lock this master track to prevent inadvertant changes. You can do sequencing there if you want, just don't move anything around. EVER.]

Then create a second track called Groups. You can create as many groups as you want. Copy the channels you want from the master list and then arrange them in whatever groups you need. You can make as many different groups as you want and move them around in whatever order you want. For your mega tree, make a group that has all the channels listed in order: red 1-8, green 1-8, blue 1-8, white 1-8. That will give you both easy color sweepss and easy solid colors. You can copy channels as needed. Make a group for each color and include everything in your display that IS that color. Make a group that lists your channels left-to-right. Corral like items in groups - arches, poles, fans, mega trees, etc...

You can use groups to arrange things as many different ways as you want. Just make sure you're always using copies of channels and NOT DUPLICATES. With copies you can sequence from anywhere you find the channel and it shows up in all copies of that channel. So if you're making everything in the yard blue in the blue color group, those sequenced events will also show in the blue channels in the mega tree group. You can overlay any timing grid in any group you're working and not affect previously sequenced events in any of those channels.

Personally, with S3 I use four tracks. Track one is master, 2 is CCRs, 3 is Groups and 4 is Working, which I only use to copy channels into if I'm making a new group. Usually it's empty. So there's my methods and advice. Take from it what you think will help. Happy sequencing.

[gspence]

Thank you for the feedback, I'll experiment with that!

You're right on about the first track and not modifying it. This year I added 32 more channels and in my channel config I had them a few channels from the bottom. When I imported the new config, I had to shift some data down to the proper channels. Fortunately it was easy but I can see where it would become a mess.

I experimented with tracks last night. When I copied channels to a new track, then I rearranged their order, it seemed to have moved them in the master track as well. So I didn't think that was the way to go.

I'll have to try again and see how that works. I really like your ideas of multiple groupings by color, physical location, etc. This will save a lot of time when making sequences.