bbr Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I am just trying to get started, I already put up a lot of lights but I want to do the music thing, just not sure what to get. I'm not to smart with computers any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Welcome to the fun!My suggestion what to get would include a comfortable chair and a good pair of reading glasses. There's a lot to learn, including getting more comfortable using a PC, but it isn't rocket science. If you set your mind to it, there's resources all around you can turn to. If you spend enough time looking through the forums you'll find answers to questions you haven't even asked yet. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Welcome to the forums!http://www.lightorama.com/FAQ.html#_Toc124407452http://www.lightorama.com/TypicalSetups.htmlThese are the controllers that most people get:http://store.lightorama.com/ctb16pcpage.htmlFYI, the hardware/lights aspect of this is only a small portion of the work. Majority of this process is computer work (hours and hours of programming the on/off of the lights to the music must be done on a computer). So a decent comfort level with computers is required. Please make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before making any decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis p Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 1 + George and Surfing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 bbr wrote:I am just trying to get started, I already put up a lot of lights but I want to do the music thing, just not sure what to get. I'm not to smart with computers any suggestions.George and Surf provided some great tips and resources. But, you need a basic understanding of computers and electricity to accomplish this hobby. Without them, it will be an uphill battle that can possibly kill someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 good news you gave yourself a good part of a year to get ready. Bad news there is an infinite amount to learn. I started 4 months before and hate myself for not starting sooner. Get the software now and start tinkering, download some others sequences and see how they work in the setup to create effects. My best advice is start to get familiar with the software, as the hardware is cake, lightorama makes that part easy.Software, software, software! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 wbottomley wrote: bbr wrote:I am just trying to get started, I already put up a lot of lights but I want to do the music thing, just not sure what to get. I'm not to smart with computers any suggestions.George and Surf provided some great tips and resources. But, you need a basic understanding of computers and electricity to accomplish this hobby. Without them, it will be an uphill battle that can possibly kill someone.I agree. You should be able to learn the computer side of things, but it will take quite some time to get the hang of even that. If not interested in any computer use, then you might be more interested in something along these lines since it is 100% plug and play:http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Christmas-Lights-Sounds-Outdoor/dp/B000K4R8VUA high percentage of us started off with this route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Good point Surf. Too bad Mr. Christmas wasn't around when I started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 wbottomley wrote: Good point Surf. Too bad Mr. Christmas wasn't around when I started. I thought you were Mr. Christmas?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 No. Nothing out at that time. I was an AL guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Ah good ol' Mr. Christmas, started with a 4 channel wireless model I got a good deal on at K-Mart.However, even using a Mr. Christmas you still need to know some electrical stuff or you can still have some issues! Even Mr. Christmas has limitations on the watts, amps and number of LED or Incandescent Light strings you can use with it. Too many and you could possibly overload its circuits and have a fire on your hands.So no matter what type of lighting you do, you should still know what the maximum limit is on where and what you're plugging them into, whether or not they are static, controlled by a Mr. Christmas or an LOR Controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Orville wrote: Ah good ol' Mr. Christmas, started with a 4 channel wireless model I got a good deal on at K-Mart.However, even using a Mr. Christmas you still need to know some electrical stuff or you can still have some issues! Even Mr. Christmas has limitations on the watts, amps and number of LED or Incandescent Light strings you can use with it. Too many and you could possibly overload its circuits and have a fire on your hands.So no matter what type of lighting you do, you should still know what the maximum limit is on where and what you're plugging them into, whether or not they are static, controlled by a Mr. Christmas or an LOR Controller.OP's concerns weren't about electrical "stuff" but rather computer "stuff". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Surfing4Dough wrote:Orville wrote: Ah good ol' Mr. Christmas, started with a 4 channel wireless model I got a good deal on at K-Mart.However, even using a Mr. Christmas you still need to know some electrical stuff or you can still have some issues! Even Mr. Christmas has limitations on the watts, amps and number of LED or Incandescent Light strings you can use with it. Too many and you could possibly overload its circuits and have a fire on your hands.So no matter what type of lighting you do, you should still know what the maximum limit is on where and what you're plugging them into, whether or not they are static, controlled by a Mr. Christmas or an LOR Controller.OP's concerns weren't about electrical "stuff" but rather computer "stuff". It was still worth mentioning so that bbr gets some idea as to what he is getting into. Besides the computer stuff they need to be aware of the other aspects of this hobby such as electrical needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbr Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 I have plenty of electrical knowledge I do that for a living its the computer part that gets me. So I will be doing alot of reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbr Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 I have plenty of electrical knowledge I do that for a living its the computer part that gets me. So I will be doing alot of reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfing4Dough Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 bbr wrote: I have plenty of electrical knowledge I do that for a living its the computer part that gets me. So I will be doing alot of readingAssuming you can get past the software install, here is another place to start too with some basic reading and tutorial videos:http://www.lightorama.com/Documentation.html#Training_PresentationsPlus Bob's videos demo some of the more complex features of the software:http://forums.lightorama.com/forum95/28633.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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