Did anyone else have the same feeling their first year?

[Guest guest]

I am driving my coworkers nuts:laughing: Christmas music all day:laughing: Trying to find songs for next year.:laughing: AI

[Guest guest]

One thing that made things easier for me, was to place an event line on the first beat of each measure. Then randomly click back and forth between the option buttons (twinkle, solid on, etc) and the event duration boxes. It's amazing what evolves by just clicking around. By then, you're familiar with what does what and you can fine tune by inserting more events and making patterns. As long as your lights are changing to the beat of the song, go with the flow! Tree chases and the like can always be filled in.

[Guest guest]

For me - last year the song choice was easy, I had a theme. This year, the theme is gone, and family has requested some particular likes. So I spent the first three months of this year listening to music - have chosen the songs to use, and can see the sequences in my head. With 211 days to go until first lighting (count down clock on my desktop) it's time to get started building the rest of the display and sequencing. I can only sequence when I am fresh awake, so when the pressure is on I am up an hour early.

This weekend is the Washington Mini - after that is behind us it's time to build. A number of frames to build with the new welder and some coro work to do, plus the parts I need to order - so much planning, but it will be done in time - oh and don't forget - it's summer time and the family needs some camping trips to stay sane!

[Guest guest]

Last year was my first year with animated lights, it was a lot of fun. I think all newbies experience the same problem - the challenge of sequencing the songs. For me the challenge was what to do and when to do something during the song, I am musically challenged .
I got help from the local musically challenged anonymous group!!! :laughing:

Like many others have said, you have to take the song and listen to it over and over again while watching the animation, be sure to only play just the visible screen part of the song, helps to focus in on that part of the song. You will find that the songs repeat the beats, once you feel you have a section down you can copy and paste that section where the song repeats, then if you want you can tweak the section so it is a little different than the first part of the song.


I also got help from others; my wife (she is musically talented), from a friend who was also doing his first year of animated lights, and then I bought the animations from LOR. The last item really helped, it helped me to understand and see how the sequencing was applied to songs. I had to modify the sequences to fit my light layout, so I spent a lot of time modifying those sequences, but it helped to get me rolling along on. You might want to look at buying the sequences from LOR.

Check Richard's post where he is letting us download his sequences, it can be found here: http://planetchristmas.mywowbb.com/forum25/13288.html


Good luck


Craig

[Guest guest]

I'm new to this also, started in January, i also use head phones, found it to be very helpful.

[Guest guest]

Last year was my first, 48 channels. I downloaded the Carson Williams Wizard song and started there. My display was nothing like his, but....I got the timing and thats what I had trouble with starting off. Once I finished modifying Wizards to my display things started getting easier. Also, using the wave form helps get the beats dead on. I use the tapper wizard first, then go back and tweak it to match the wave form so the lights flash dead on with the beats. I know lots wont use the Wizard song, but then I have the only display withing 60 miles and there were only 3 in 180 mile circle from my house. No one had ever seen it (Wizards in Winter) in person, and only a few on the internet. It was by far the most popular and I will run it again this year. Last year I had two TSO songs, two upbeat Christmas songs, and two religious songs, worked out great! My display will be totally differerent this year except for the mega tree. (112 channels this year). This year will have 16 minis (blue and white), 2 pair of leaping lights, shooting star, the mega tree, and few misc other roof lights. Right now I am working on a display for Relay for Life, but only running 21 channels.

The hardest part is getting started, once you jump in things start clicking and time will fly by. I know I found myself working till late at night not even realizing how late it was. Time flies when you are having fun!!! Which reminds me I have to finish up two songs by the 18th, time to burn some midnight oil!!!

James

[Guest guest]

Last year was my first also. Because of finances, I only have 16 channels, but it worked out great. My problem is finding time to finish the songs. I only had a "beta" show last year with three songs. My wife said it looked amazing and everyone who saw agreed. I am going to use my extra money for a better FM transmitter this year, do a little rearranging, reduce to C7's from C9's, add a few more mini trees, try to get more songs done, and add some cut outs of the Peanuts (wife's idea) with the Linus Christmas story. Do I want more channels? You betcha! But small shows work and take less time to sequence.

[Guest guest]

I have too many things I would like to do. I have too many things I want to do .I have too many things I have to do. There is only 24 hours in a day. There's only 200 days. Thats only about 4800 hours till Light up. I gotta get going. See ya.

[Guest guest]

Last year was my first year. I did 64 channels. My first sequence took about a week. The song was stuck in my head 24 hours a day. I even dreamed that I was sequencing. After you get done, wait a couple of days, and then watch your sequence again. It took me another week to tweak it until it really was perfect, at least to me; believe me, nobody else will notice, but you’ll change it anyway.:laughing: