denamy1 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have the basic plus. If I upgrade to standard will I lose my sequences and programming already in the basic plus? Also is the fee for one time or is the license fee due annually?Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shfr26 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 No, you will not lose your sequencing that is already done. I believe it is a one time cost. You may want to think about advance instead of basic. If you go to the LOR website, it will show you the difference between each level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shfr26 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 http://www.lightorama.com/ShowtimeSoftwareSuite.htmlHere is the chart to show the differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Maue Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 shfr26 wrote:You may want to think about advance+1. You'll be surprised how quickly you'll appreciate the extra functionality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Just spend the extra money for advanced, one day you will want it. Might as well pull the trigger. That is the only thing I regret not doing on day 1 when I purchased everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denamy1 Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks for the replies. Being a beginner I am still not sure how to create musical sequences. I watch the videos but Its hard to catch on with ramping, and all that stuff. So I think it may be some time before I use the advance features. Last Christmas I just paid someone to create a few shows for me. I am moving up from 16 channels to 48. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Once you get a hang of it, it will be easier. No matter what it takes a few hours or for some with great detail days to create a minute of show. You can tell easily when watching the videos, who is who. The advanced license will in time be needed as you start dabbling in other parts of lighting such as DMX, Pixels, Floods, and effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shfr26 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Also, if you add your location to your profile, there might be someone close to lend you a hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeiilll Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 denamy1 wrote:Thanks for the replies. Being a beginner I am still not sure how to create musical sequences. I watch the videos but Its hard to catch on with ramping, and all that stuff. So I think it may be some time before I use the advance features. Last Christmas I just paid someone to create a few shows for me. I am moving up from 16 channels to 48.Well you might be surprised then to find that we all are beginners quite a bit of the time!Not meaning that in any form of derogatory way but this hobby is a constantly evolving and changing thing.I am still using S2 version 2.9.4 and don't know all the tricks or secrets to it.Now I have to upgrade to S3 and learn a whole new set of things that it is capable of as well as any changes to the things that I knew is S2 that may have different ways of being done in S3.The software is only a tool that you use to make the lights flash. Only you can decide if you want to use all the features or stick with some basic things that it can do and then use them with whatever display items you have to make a show.I do agree that you will find that the advanced license is the way to go though. It will allow you to do as much as you can with all the features being available to you. If you chose not to use them all, that is fine too. But they will be there when you decide to incorporate them, which you will once you see what they can do.Sequencing does take the biggest investment in time and learning but it is also the heart of what this hobby is all about.Take a simple song or one of the ones you had done for you and play with it. Hook up a controller and put some strings of lights on a wall to see what the changes in the sequence do if you have a hard time seeing them in the visualizer. It does take time but you can really learn if you take an effect such as ramps and just make some examples in a song for you to see. That will show YOU how it works and then you can try the next effect. You just keep building on your experience with it and soon you will have a song done the way you want.Patience and study will make this stuff work for you.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denamy1 Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thank you Bill. I am still at the point that the programming is a bit intimidating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeiilll Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 denamy1 wrote:Thank you Bill. I am still at the point that the programming is a bit intimidating.It can be pretty daunting and intimidating for a while for sure.That is why you should just take bits and pieces of a song and try a few effects to see how they work. Don't worry about trying to sequence a complete song for the first try.If you take one of the songs that you had done for you, you know how it "looks" now when your display is running so that is a plus for you. Just go in and make some changes and give the sequence a new name such as test and save it to play with. That way you won't affect your good sequence and you will have a sequence that you can try out things on.Do a little bit at a time and before you know it you will be surprised to find that it will make sense and things will really start to go easier for you.Everybody has a different learning curve at this stuff and it takes time to get the hang of it.Believe me, I sure wish that I had 1/2 the talent at it that some of the folks here do. There are many amazing shows that have been done and I know that if I stick with it and keep trying and learning, that I will get better and the sequencing will look better as I get further along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 denamy1 wrote: Also is the fee for one time or is the license fee due annually?If you purchase a license, it's good forever. However, it doesn't cover all future versions of the software (it does cover some future versions, though).So, for example, as of today, the latest version is 3.2. So if you purchase a license today, you could use 3.2 forever, without ever paying anything again.And, in fact, it also includes free version upgrades for a year. So, let's say a year from now we have released version 3.8. Then you could use 3.8 forever, without ever paying anything (besides what you paid today for 3.2).But if, say, two years from now, we come out with version 3.9, your license won't cover it. You could either keep using 3.8 (for free) or purchase an renewal to 3.9 (which costs significantly less than purchasing a brand new license). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 denamy1 wrote: Thank you Bill. I am still at the point that the programming is a bit intimidating.Im not on the same field as some of the guys here. Im sure we all agree the biggest part of the hobby isnt the contruction, not the buying the lights or assembilng controllers. Its sequencing.It takes me a week do to a song, spending 3-4 hours a night. That seems to be about the norm 6+ hours a minute to get a song right. To make the best of your time try to know the song before you climb into the ring with one.My first sequence came out horrible. So horrible it never saw the light of day, or more specific the light of the front of my house. I reccomend playing with shorter songs or sequences such as the THX intros or something in the minute long range. Even my sequences were horrible to my current standards, once my house lit up it did not matter. No one in my neighborhood had anything like it, and all the things I felt were not right no one else noticed. I spent 15+ minutes every night when I pulled up to my drive just admiring the work that went into it.Remember the ones who do not know this hobby only assume it plug and play but never see it in action. Those people dont know whats suppose to happen, but they see what is happening and enjoy it. Im in a gated community and still drew in traffic, and that made my HOA so mad. I enjoyed buiding it, the neighborhood enjoyed it. Have plenty of cards from people I dont know to prove it. Have fun with it, dont sweat what you can not control, and the best part almost everyone enjoys it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denamy1 Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thank you William.I am going to give it my best shot. If for some reason I still can't get a grasp on it by mid summer, I will just pay someone to do it for me. Believe it or not, I am only doing this to help raise money for a charity. I enjoy seeing the people stop by to admire the show, but my heart is into helping those in need. Thank you again for all the responses and support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamS Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 There are tons of places for free sequences, all you need to do is line them up with your display. The senior members have thier own sites hosting them. So thats no issue. Its when you start growing with controllers, and channels that the license you have is no longer capable of your imagination. Like I said sequencing is 90% of the work.As for charitys look at some of the signatures, there are plenty collecting for charitys but still go way over board! Thats the addiction of this. We can play and still contribute back to our communitys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimswinder Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 William has set up a listing of free sequences here:http://www.highcountrylights.com/links/free-sequences/38-free-sequences.htmldon't worry about the channel count in someones elses sequence...just "cut and paste" what you want to use...even the "experts" use this method.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightzilla Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I agree with some of the others......get the advance license now and you will be happy you did.Say a sale was to start in a few weeks & you bought a few of more controllers, well now you are covered.I do not use & did not use all the features on any of the versions prior to S3 but I sure like the ones I do use.Well whatever you decide have fun doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denamy1 Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Ok I went ahead an purchased the advanced. I know how to cut and paste its just that i have to figure out how to do it to the music. Is there anyone who can show me how to build a mega tree? I have a flag pole thats extendable I could use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shfr26 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 If you are using the same song, when just copy from the sequence that you got and paste it into where you want in the sequence of yours. say if there channel 1 is bushes you copy and paste into yours for what ever element you want to be on. Hope that makes sense, you can P.M. me and I will see if I can help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denamy1 Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Being so new at this I only have 4 songs right now that are sequenced and I had them made for me with 16 channels. Now I want to expand to 48 using some sort of mega tree and a fan light display. I figured between the mega tree and the fan I will use most of my new channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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