LOR Show director DC-MP3 setup

[denamy1]

I recently bought a LOR DC-MP3 show director. I currenly have my show set up on my computer which runs just fine.

When I open up the LOR MP3 tab to create a show on my hardware panel it asks me to create my show form a list of sequences. It will not let me load the shows because they are in a LMS format. It wants an mp3 format. My audios are already mp3 in my sequences but the sequences are in LMS format. How do I change my shows to mp3 format to use on my show director without messing up my shows to run on the computer?

[wallleyes]

Try this.From your LOR control panel click on....simple show builder.Then select DC-MP3.Click on next.Then select all files.You will need to load them on an sd card.Hope that helps.

[denamy1]

Try this.From your LOR control panel click on....simple show builder.Then select DC-MP3.Click on next.Then select all files.You will need to load them on an sd card.Hope that helps.

Ok, I just found out my sequence files are in fact in WAV format because I was told the show would run more stable. I do have the audios in both WAV and MP3 format. Now I just need to figure out how to associate the sequences to the MP3 audio files and make a new list.

[Guest wbottomley]

The MP3 show director is just that. Make sure all of your audio files are 128kbs @ constant bit rate. A show created on a pc will not work on the director card. You have to build that show over again in the hardware utility. The simple show builder is nothing more than a waste of time.

[denamy1]

The MP3 show director is just that. Make sure all of your audio files are 128kbs @ constant bit rate. A show created on a pc will not work on the director card. You have to build that show over again in the hardware utility. The simple show builder is nothing more than a waste of time.

I went to the hardware utility and I don't see where I can build the show using my Mp3 audio files. I guess I need to know how to build the show using my existing sequences and associate them to my MP3 audio files. When I go to the Hardware utility, it is only bringing up the shows I had using the wav files.

[Surfing4Dough]

I went to the hardware utility and I don't see where I can build the show using my Mp3 audio files. I guess I need to know how to build the show using my existing sequences and associate them to my MP3 audio files. When I go to the Hardware utility, it is only bringing up the shows I had using the wav files.

You don't just build the show with mp3 files, you have to change your sequences so they are using mp3s and not wavs. Open each sequence, and change the media file to the mp3 version of the song (rather than the wav version). Re-save the sequence (you might want to rename the sequence to something to indicate it is a mp3 version in case you later want to change to the wav version instead--basically then have two versions of each sequence). Now in the Hardware Utility under the LOR MP3 tab you will be able to add your newly converted sequences (that will have the mp3 embedded in them).

So to answer you question--you can't do what you are thinking. Instead you have to change the sequences and build the show with those new versions.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Surfing4Dough

[Orville]

Yep, as others stated, audio has to be in MP3 format. I use the DC-MP3 Showtime Director, have since I started doing these type of displays starting with Halloween 2010. The Director units WILL NOT even see a WAV or any other audio file type, only MP3.

I don't use 128kbps myself, I use 192kbps and have never had a problem with that rate.

Also one thing I don't recall seeing mentioned is, make sure your MP3 files are CBR and NOT VBR, otherwise you may find your now MP3 converted sequences doing odd things at times, like lights on or off when they shouldn't be, timings may be off.

This is why I have NEVER used WAV files to create my sequences, because I DO use an DC-MP3 Showtime Director, so too me, using a WAV file would be completely pointless.

But it's an EASY FIX, just will take a little time {but not as much as creating a sequence from scratch!}

Open the LOR Sequence Editor

Click on Edit

Click on Media File

Browse to the MP3 file that is the same as the WAV file you used

Click the MP3 version of the file and then click OPEN

The MP3 file should now have replaced the WAV file.

Either use SAVE AS to rename the sequence, then type in the name you want to save it as, or just click the little Disk Icon in the toolbar to save {overwrite} the sequence over the original one.

You WILL have to do this for EVERY sequence you have created to convert them to use the MP3 file.

Now you can open the Hardware Utility and add your sequence files and create your show.

Good Luck!

Edited September 15, 2012 by Orville

[Orville]

I agree with the SSB being a waste of time, it WILL create a show, but if you're using the DC-MP3 Showtime Director, the Hardware Utility is the better choice.

With the HW you have better timing control of when your show can be started and stopped, the SSB is only on the hour or half hour incremements, whereas the HW gives you full range of the clock right down to the minute!

You can also create up to 9 Shows in the HW, so you could have a different running show for each night of the week, instead of the same show every night.

EDIT: You can't really do this very easily in the SSB because it creates the same file name every time you create a show from your sequences, so you'd have to rename the sequence file it creates {if you remember} every time. Save show, rename, then create next show. And I'm not even sure that may even work. If it did or does, sure seems like just a waste of time, and far too much work for my liking. Another reason I went with the DC-MP3 Showtime Director with the internal clock, just made it all so much easier and less time to set up! End EDIT.

I use the extra show option for running Halloween themed music during the day {display off hours} and for turning on each element of my display fading up and down from one to the next overnight. But to do that overnight, had to create a DUMMY MP3 file that contains nothing but silence.

You can also have an opening sequence that would only play one time when the show starts each night and never again during the show, the SSB cn't do that either!

So the HWU is definitely much better for creating shows on the DC-MP3 Showtime Director. You just have more options and control from it.

The SSB has it's place and is good for just setting up a PC based ran display, but even then, you only have just hourly or half hourly time options, you then have to use the Schedule Editor to fine tune the file created from the SSB.

For me, it's just a whole lot simpler and easier to use the DC-MP3 Showtime Director unit and the LOR Hardware Utility to get my display up and running.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Orville

[denamy1]

Yep, as others stated, audio has to be in MP3 format. I use the DC-MP3 Showtime Director, have since I started doing these type of displays starting with Halloween 2010. The Director units WILL NOT even see a WAV or any other audio file type, only MP3.

I don't use 128kbps myself, I use 192kbps and have never had a problem with that rate.

Also one thing I don't recall seeing mentioned is, make sure your MP3 files are CBR and NOT VBR, otherwise you may find your now MP3 converted sequences doing odd things at times, like lights on or off when they shouldn't be, timings may be off.

This is why I have NEVER used WAV files to create my sequences, because I DO use an DC-MP3 Showtime Director, so too me, using a WAV file would be completely pointless.

But it's an EASY FIX, just will take a little time {but not as much as creating a sequence from scratch!}

Open the LOR Sequence Editor

Click on Edit

Click on Media File

Browse to the MP3 file that is the same as the WAV file you used

Click the MP3 version of the file and then click OPEN

The MP3 file should now have replaced the WAV file.

Either use SAVE AS to rename the sequence, then type in the name you want to save it as, or just click the little Disk Icon in the toolbar to save {overwrite} the sequence over the original one.

You WILL have to do this for EVERY sequence you have created to convert them to use the MP3 file.

Now you can open the Hardware Utility and add your sequence files and create your show.

Good Luck!

Thank you so much, yes it was an easy fix. Now I have just one last obstacle. Using my PC I was able to shutdown my show using a shutdown song and thus leaving only those lights on that were used in the shutdown song. I don't see how I can utilize that feature now using the DC-MP3 director. I see where either all the lights have to be on or off. I have some lights I don't want to remain on after the show ends (*such as strobes) so using the shutdown song feature on the PC was perfect. Any ideas? Thanks!

[Liberty-Laser]

Yep, as others stated, audio has to be in MP3 format...

This is NOT true. I've used the MP3 Showtime Director for 4 years with a mix of WAV and MP3 audio files. This is the easiest way to run a show. It's near perfect...... except this year when I'm moving into RGB and now am forced to abandon the MP3 Showtime Director.

Audacity is Manditory for setting up you audio files as described above. Very easy to use tool.

[Orville]

Thank you so much, yes it was an easy fix. Now I have just one last obstacle. Using my PC I was able to shutdown my show using a shutdown song and thus leaving only those lights on that were used in the shutdown song. I don't see how I can utilize that feature now using the DC-MP3 director. I see where either all the lights have to be on or off. I have some lights I don't want to remain on after the show ends (*such as strobes) so using the shutdown song feature on the PC was perfect. Any ideas? Thanks!

To do this, you will need to create a DUMMY MP3 or you can use an actual song file, th dummy MP3 file is nothing but a silent MP3, there is absoutely nothing in it. I use one for my overnight hours where I want all my display elements to cycle by fade ups and downs.

So you would create a sequence with the dummy {silent} MP3 file, for example I have some named like this: Silent10.MP3, Silent20.MP3, Silent30.MP3, Silent60.MP3, the number tells me how long the silent MP3 duration is, 20 would be 20 seconds, 60 would be 60 seconds or 1 minute, 120 seconds would equal two minutes, etc.

Then I create a DUMMY musical sequence with a "Silentxx.MP3" file for however long I need to have those lights on for, or for cycling it all night for overnight effects.

This is the ONLY way to do it using the DC-MP3 Showtime Director, and I've been doing it for 3 years this way.

Since you can't have a shutdown sequence {although don't know why} using the DC-MP3 Showtime Director, this is the only way I know to create one.

And if you need it to run between your shows, you would have to set it up as a filler, but to use that you have to set the HWU for playing your show once every hour or once every 10, 15 or 30 minutes, Otherwise the filler sequence isn't able to be utilized

Now if you want this sequence to play cosnsitently at the end of each show, then start your next show after it does its thing, then you would place it at the bottom of your sequence list, making sure it is the last sequence played during EACH of your shows.

Say your show runs from 7pm-10pm nightly, and you have it set that way in the LOR HWU, then just add the Silentxx.MP3 {or your song} sequence as the last sequence in your list, if your show plays 3 times during these times, your dummy {Silent or song Sequence} will also play for 3 times.

If you use it as a filler sequence it will run between each show, that is if you set the LOR HWU to use a Filler and have your show set to run once every hour, if you show only runs for say 30 minutes, your filler sequence will run for the other 30 minutes keeping whatever lights on or off you have coded in the sequence you used for a filler. So no matter how long your show may be, if you use run once per hour, and your show isn't over an hour, your filler sequence would run between each show for however much time duration is left between each of your shows.

Now if you want to use it as a shut down sequence, that is,only to be played once at the very end, the way to do that is figure out when your show is going to shut down, for example my last song in my show runs a little over 2 minutes, so my show ends close to 10pm, I set my show to end at 9:52pm, last song plays until 9:54pm, this shuts down my main show {Show01}, then at 9:55pm-10pm I run my Silent30.MP3 sequence for those last 5 minutes along with an announcement file, this would be Show02 In your case, you'd only want to run this file, your last song sequence once, so you'd need to figure out what times to start and stop this sequence. If a 3 minute song, end display time 3 minutes earlier, then at the shutdown time, say 9:57 start your shutdown sequence..

After that runs and shuts down at 10pm/11pm, I then start my Show03 with another Silentxx.MP3 sequence for my overnight lighting, then at 7am starts Show04, which are all single channel musical sequences with no lights just to play music and announcements during the day while my display is not operating, then come 7pm, it all starts all over again.

If you're using an FM transmitter, you can actually use the single channel sequence with a FULL ON command to turn on your FM Transmitter and FM Radio {if you have outdoor speakers, I do} on a single channel by having the transmitter and radio plugged into an extension cord going to any controller. Mine are inside, so I use an electronic timer inside to turn the transmitter and radio on at 7am and off at 10pm {Sun-Thur} and 11pm {Fri-Sat} as I do run my display 1 hour longer on the weekend.

Hope this has been of some help. Any questions, just ask!

BTW: I don't know if you can create a dummy MP3, that is a completely silent MP3 file with Audacity or not, but know a lot of folks use that software. I don't use it, so I don't know too much about what it can, or can't do. I use commercial music editing software for creating my silent MP3 files and customizing my MP3 files I use with my sequences. You should be able to interchange your song sequence with most of the silentxx sequence info above.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Orville

[Liberty-Laser]

Thank you so much, yes it was an easy fix. Now I have just one last obstacle. Using my PC I was able to shutdown my show using a shutdown song and thus leaving only those lights on that were used in the shutdown song. I don't see how I can utilize that feature now using the DC-MP3 director. I see where either all the lights have to be on or off. I have some lights I don't want to remain on after the show ends (*such as strobes) so using the shutdown song feature on the PC was perfect. Any ideas? Thanks!

You can create a number of different shows on a single SD card. I create 4 shows: S-Th evening, F-Sat evening, S-Th overnight, and F-Sat overnight.

[Orville]

This is NOT true. I've used the MP3 Showtime Director for 4 years with a mix of WAV and MP3 audio files. This is the easiest way to run a show. It's near perfect...... except this year when I'm moving into RGB and now am forced to abandon the MP3 Showtime Director.

Audacity is Manditory for setting up you audio files as described above. Very easy to use tool.

Then you ust have a unique MP3 Director unit then. Mine has NEVER, not once, played a WAV file and I've tried to use WAV sound effects files as some in-between sequences, those sequences would either get SKIPPED or LOCK UP the Show. They HAD to be in MP3 format.

COPIED DIRECTLY from the LOR DC-MP3 Showtime Director Manual:

DC-MP3

Page 8

Individual MP3 songs are limited to 10 minutes. After

10 minutes the song will continue to play, but control

of the lights will not continue. This does not mean

that the DC-MP3 can only control a 10 minute show,

only that no song(MP3 file) in your show can be

longer than 10 minutes.

A 128 MB SD card can hold approximately one hour

of MP3 audio and controller commands.

Songs (audio files) for use with the DC-MP3 must be

encoded as MP3 files. Constant Bit Rate (CBR) at

128K bits/second is best. See www.lightorama.com

► Support ► “How to and considerations: Ripping

CDs to MP3s”

END MANUAL INFO

Although a firmware upgrade I do believe has removed the 10 minute limitation, the MP3 Directors CAN NOT read or use a WAV file, hence MP3 Director.

And my Director unit HAS been updated with the latest firmware file, and it CAN NOT, WILL NOT read or use a WAV file, it will still either skip the sequence, but usually ends up LOCKING UP and then I'd have to redo the file to an MP3.

Although 128K MP3 CBR is also recommended, 192K CBR MP3 files WILL work, been using them for 3 years and no problems!

But if you're using WAV files with some type of Director unit, it must not be a Light-O-Rama unit. If it is, then you are very lucky it works, because they WERE NOT designed for any other audio file type other than an MP3 file.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Orville

[Orville]

BTW: Why are you "forced" to abandon the MP3 Director because of moving to RGB? All you have to do is add a Sandesigns ELOR unit and their E682 Contoller off the Director to use RGB stuff. Some of the members here have videos on YouTube on how to do it and use it with a Director unit.

So when I move into RGB some time in the future, I still plan on running my shows from my DC-MP3 Showtime Director unit.

[Orville]

Just some additional info on length of Cat5 cable and how your SD Card SHOULD be formatted for those using MP3 Director units:

{Copied from DC-MP3 Showtime Director Manual}

Important Considerations

The DC-MP3 is normally powered by the nearest

Light O Rama controller or a USB485B PC adapter.

Use a 50’ or less CAT5e LAN cable to connect the

DC-MP3 to either of these devices. Longer cables

may have an unacceptable voltage drop that may

cause erratic operation of the DC-MP3.

SD cards must be formatted FAT16 (or just FAT)

SD cards supplied by LOR will already be formatted

FAT16 and ready for use.

Not all brands of SD cards will work with the DCMP3.

Lexar Media and SimpleTech are known to

work.

{End Manual Info}

[Guest wbottomley]

This is NOT true. I've used the MP3 Showtime Director for 4 years with a mix of WAV and MP3 audio files. This is the easiest way to run a show. It's near perfect...... except this year when I'm moving into RGB and now am forced to abandon the MP3 Showtime Director.

I might have been born at night but not last night. I'm 100% certain it will not work. If it does, I'll eat my words.

[Orville]

I might have been born at night but not last night. I'm 100% certain it will not work. If it does, I'll eat my words.

It has NEVER worked for me and I've been using one for 3 years now. When I tried it just to see if it would work, it didn't. I even tried WMA files just to see if it could handle anything other than an MP3 file. It WOULD NOT! Most often, it LOCKED UP the display, it would get to the sequence using the WAV or WMA file, and then BOOM, everything stopped, all lights went dark. And I tried it many times, no success at any time. Sometimes it would SKIP the sequence, but on the second time around would LOCK the Director up and, once again, all lights go off and show STOPPED DEAD!

Even my Personal MP3 player {older unit now} won't play anything but MP3 files on it. I know the newer ones can sometimes play other audio formats, but not always.

Always thought that's why they were called MP3 Players.

BTW: I was born at night too!

Edited September 16, 2012 by Orville

[Liberty-Laser]

I stand corrected. My wav files are not used with the Showtime Director. They are for other FM broadcasting that I intermix with my show. However the multiple shows on a single SD card is a great way to handle after hours or "Shutdown" shows. You can put up to 9 shows on each SD card. I use the LOR1602MP3. It even runs my landscape lights during the off season. It's been powered up and running for most of the past 4 years.

This thread isn't about CCRs, so I won't launch into the technical details, but most CCR experts recommend no more than 3-4 ribbons per network.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Liberty-Laser

[Orville]

BTW: Why are you "forced" to abandon the MP3 Director because of moving to RGB? All you have to do is add a Sandesigns SanDevices ELOR unit and their E682 Contoller off the Director to use RGB stuff. Some of the members here have videos on YouTube on how to do it and use it with a Director unit.

So when I move into RGB some time in the future, I still plan on running my shows from my DC-MP3 Showtime Director unit.

UGH!. Knew I made a blunder in the original post, but too late to correct{edit} it.

Sandesigns in the above quote should have been: SANDEVICES ELOR unit and their E682 controller.

Too many dadburn companies with similar names does it to me every time!