Lights when the show isn't running?

[symphony]

I'm sure there must be a simplified answer for this but my Dad brought up the question today and I don't actually know the answer

When the show isn't running, do you have to have the laptop turned on for the lights, yes? And how do you make them come back on after the show - or do they do that automatically?

First year doing LoR, running a little out of time now (opening night is 8th Dec).

Thanks!

[Rickbj]

I created and run an 'animation sequence' which basically turns on all the lights (to 70% illumination) from 5:00pm until 6:00pm when I start my musical sequences. After the musical sequences are done at 10:00pm or 11:00pm I run the animation sequence until 1:00am. You do need your computer running to do this. I normally let my computer run 24X7 throughout the Christmas season but I do a re-boot twice a week. The reason for the re-boot - I noticed that after a few days the music and lights were not in sync anymore (could be an older version of LOR software I used to run or the old computer I run my show on). Remember, if you do a re-boot to turn off any outside speakers or that wonderful Windows melody at shutdown and startup will be played on your outside speakers.

[symphony]

Ahh, okay, thank you - so I just create the sequences and insert them into the show editor?

Don't know why I didn't think of this before - means we'll have to be on the ball with turning on/off all the lights that aren't in the animated display lol!

Thanks!!

[TJ Hvasta]

Using the Simple Show Builder, check the box that says Leave Lights On At End, or uncheck box that says Turn Lights Off At End... says one of the two.. the lights will remain on after the seq ends, (as long as it doesnt fade down to black at the end of the seq.

[Elliott Allison]

Okay, my simple show builder has no box to check to leave lights on after show? I can only leave lights on or shut off between shows. What am I doing wrong?

[symphony]

Mine is the same Elliott - and I don't want to leave lights on afte rsequence as most of my sequences have fade outs.

Think using the Show Editor is the best plan!

[TJ Hvasta]

My bad, not SSB, its Show Editor..

[eurbani]

I run my show from 5pm until 11pm.

In the shutdown tab, I have a "end of show announcement" "musical" sequence. I use that to dim the lights to the levels of my "all-night-long" sequence.

I have a show that runs from 11pm-12am and 12am-7am that has my LED icicle lights at 30%, The candles in my windows on, my manger star (100 mini incans) twinkling and the manger flood light (25 watt bulb) on at 25%.

There is a shut down sequence there to do a gentle dim.

Very few cars go by in the middle of the night, but I have always had something on all night. I figure that is about 300 Watts.

[Max-Paul]

I'll say this about the subject. As a fellow light enthusiast, I love driving by in the morning (leave at 4 am for work) and seeing houses that people have left lit all night. Kind of starts the day off with a smile. And heck those are static displays. I run my LEDs at 15% which is more than enough, and I have the lights turn on one by one for a sec. So every day that someone passes my house, a different part might be lit at that time.

[Comopr2]

I am still confussed on how to get lights on before and after actual show. I'm using the basic of LOR software and don't have the option to use the Startup and Shutdown fuctions in the Show Editor. Is the Show Editor and Schedule Editor both used hand in hand and then the Simple Show Builder a seperate scheduler? So if I'm using the Simple Show Editor only, is there actually a way to have All Lights On for a specific time before and after a show has run for several hours? Like others here have mentioned, I would like to have my lights all on an hour before my show starts and then have the lights on for several hours after my show ends. I currently only have three sequences that run about 8 minutes total that just repeat for about 4 hours. I'm working on getting a fourth sequence added soon. As it stands right now...My show starts at 6pm and ends at 10pm. I would like to have my lights come on at 6pm and then my show play between 7pm - 10pm and then just have all my lights on until 2am. Any suggestions on how I can do this or do I just need to upgrade my LOR software License?

[symphony]

Hi Comopr2,

I have the same package as you, so what I've been told to do is

1) go into Sequence Editor, and set up a 1 minute Animation Sequence called 'Start up' - under 'Play' select the Loop option

2) open a new Animation Sequence and call it Shut Down (or whatever) - select same option.

3) make sure to have all the channels on full lights

4) Open up Show Editor, and create a new show with the Start Up Animation Sequence, and save it under Start Up

5) Create a second show with your Musical Sequences

6) and a third show with your Shut Down sequence (ie all lights on again after the show)

7) Open up Show Scheduler and schedule the all-lights-on-constant Start Up Animation Sequence for 6pm until 7pm

8) Add another Show Schedule from 7-10pm for the Musicals Sequences show

9) Add a final show from 10pm-2am of the Shut Down Sequence Show

10) In order to run your show, make sure you've selected "Enable Show" on the Control Panel - the light bulb will turn red from blue.

I believe that I have all of the above correct

[Duckie24]

For those of you who are dimming your lights after the show before leaving them on for the night, do you make 2 different sequences for this? i.e. the first sequence takes the lights from 100% down to your dimming level and then a second sequence that just has lights at the dimmed level that is looped?

I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around how to sequence this so it works properly. If there is just one sequence that goes from 100% down to the dimmed level then when it loops wouldn't that lights jump back up to 100% and dim again repeatedly? I didn't want to make a 4 hour sequence (or whatever) just to have the lights dimmed.

[Comopr2]

Symphony,

I wanted to thank you for the advice. I did what you said and got it working. I did make a few changes.

One: To the Start Up animation (Duckie24 this will answer your question as well)

Two: A change to the Shut Down animation.

1. I changed up the Start Up animation so that at the very beginning of the sequence I had the lights fade on for about the first 5 seconds and then twinkled for the next 5 seconds before turning all the lights on. I placed a loop on the all light on so that at the end of the sequence it would not go through the fade on and twinkle again. I calculated out the amount of Loops that would need to take place for the hour that the lights would be all on before the show would start. That way the loop wouldn't end and start the fade and twinkle again.

2. In the Shut Down animation, I had to add a step in your instructions to include making sure the "Turn used lights off at the end of each sequence" option was checked in the Show Editor. The first night of running the show I got up in the morning and all my lights were still on. I didn't know why this happened cause the show was over. So I made sure that option was checked and when the show ends, My lights would turn off.

Now, I have a question for anyone out there. One of the things I am noticing is that every minute my lights will have a slight blink. I'm going to assume that because my Shut Down animation is a minute long and when it gets to the ends it wants to shut the lights off, maybe because of the option to shut the lights off at the end of the sequence, but then the lights are being turned back on cause the animation is starting up again at the same time.

Is there a way to get around this so that the short little flicker does not happen?

Other then that, Everything seems to be running pretty nicely.

This is my first time having a light show and I've already gotten alot of compliments in the neighborhood. I'm pretty happy. I can definitely say I was stressing at the beginning just trying to get everything set up in time. Running back and forth to Lowes and Target getting things I needed. Next year should go a whole lot smoother. I'm only running 32 channels this year but hope to double it for next year.

[eurbani]

Now, I have a question for anyone out there. One of the things I am noticing is that every minute my lights will have a slight blink. I'm going to assume that because my Shut Down animation is a minute long and when it gets to the ends it wants to shut the lights off, maybe because of the option to shut the lights off at the end of the sequence, but then the lights are being turned back on cause the animation is starting up again at the same time.

Is there a way to get around this so that the short little flicker does not happen?

The blink is probably because you have the lights off at the end of sequence checked.

This is what I do.

Each of my sequences ends and starts with the same lights on.

In the main show, I added a sequence in the shutdown tab that I call "end of show announcement"

During this show, all of the lights dim to my over-night levels.

The next show is a simple sequence. It maintains the lights at the levels that the end of show announcement left them

In this show, I have a shutdown sequence that dims everything to 0. This is the only tab where I have checked the turn used lights off at the end of each sequence (although, I don't really think this is necessary since the sequence ends dark).

[Duckie24]

I changed mine to have an extra animated show that is just the lights at night for after the musical show is over. I have a shutdown sequence in my musical show that brings them down to what I call my "night light" level. Then I start my animated show that is just the night lights. It is just a 1 minute show and I don't have the "Lights off at end" checked. I then run a shutdown sequence for that animation that brings the lights down to off when that show ends.