Exporting SS with Twinkle and Shimmer

[bob_moody]

I JUST (10 mins before this post.. )  upgraded my SS license from 2CRR to 8 CCR...

 

I exported the little work I've done on the Merry Christmas sign (White Christmas) and created a subsequence to play it back in SE.

 

I actually have 3 elements coming in this way (via SubSequence) .. oddly enoungh the 2 elements done with Instant Sequence needed about .5 sec delay before starting. The Merry christmas Subsequence starts on time ... but that may be a instant sequence thing vs DIY sequence thing .. not sure...

 

However, I noticed that when the sequencer was playing back (Visualizer is turned on and listening) that the SHIMMER effect produces only a white on/off (fading in this case) effect in the visualizer while the TWINKLE actually produces a fading multi-color effect.

 

Is this the norm for Twinkle vs Shimmer exported from SS and observed in Visualizer?

 

Bob

 

[bob_moody]

I know twinkle and shimmer are really hardware fired effects in LOR equipment...

Without having to go setup a test strip.. to get the multi-colored sparkle effect.. which would produce the better results?

Twinkle Effect?

Shimmer Effect?

 

Bob

[BrianBruderer]

As you mentioned, twinkle and shimmer are effects built into the LOR controllers. When you play a sequence back in SuperStar it is doing its best to simulate what the hardware will do. Likewise with the visualizer. And it turns out that with RGB lights, the controllers are made to do shimmer so that the color stays constant. In your case you are shimmering white and so the pixels should be a shimmered white. The visualizer does this and SuperStar currently produces a multi-color shimmer which is a bug because that is not what the actual CCRs will do. I have fixed this and the fix will be in the next release.

As for Instant Sequence, it produces a bunch of effects that are no different than the effects that you produce manually. So the delay you are seeing when playing a subsequence should not be related to it being an instant sequence.

Also, when SuperStar exports twinkle or shimmer, the exported effects are identical to a shimmer or twinkle effect that would be created from within the Sequence Editor.

You asked about the difference between twinkle and shimmer, as mentioned, the controllers in a CCR, CCB, or CCP will keep the same color when doing a shimmer, so white becomes a bunch of white pixels that are quickly turning off and on. However, the way the controllers will do twinkle is to randomly turn the red, green, and blue elements off and on independently, so the net effect is that if you do a white twinkle you will get a multi-color sparkle effect.

[bob_moody]

As you mentioned, twinkle and shimmer are effects built into the LOR controllers. When you play a sequence back in SuperStar it is doing its best to simulate what the hardware will do. Likewise with the visualizer. And it turns out that with RGB lights, the controllers are made to do shimmer so that the color stays constant. In your case you are shimmering white and so the pixels should be a shimmered white. The visualizer does this and SuperStar currently produces a multi-color shimmer which is a bug because that is not what the actual CCRs will do. I have fixed this and the fix will be in the next release.

 

So when its fixed, we will not have a multi-color effect any longer in shimmer or twinkle or will this just affect the shimmer effect making SS appear as it will in the visualizer? (actually scratch that.. I think you answered this question later in the explination)

 

As for Instant Sequence, it produces a bunch of effects that are no different than the effects that you produce manually. So the delay you are seeing when playing a subsequence should not be related to it being an instant sequence.

 

Okay... But just as a side note. I have 4 props that I have created. The two that I created manually start and are in time when I start the on from the beginning. The two that I created with Instant Sequence must be delayed by .3 to .5 to stay in time. (let me qualify.. at least thats the way it appears to me and my sense of audio and visual timing.)

Also, when SuperStar exports twinkle or shimmer, the exported effects are identical to a shimmer or twinkle effect that would be created from within the Sequence Editor.

 

I opened the SS sequences in SE and I see that they are using the same effects

You asked about the difference between twinkle and shimmer, as mentioned, the controllers in a CCR, CCB, or CCP will keep the same color when doing a shimmer, so white becomes a bunch of white pixels that are quickly turning off and on. However, the way the controllers will do twinkle is to randomly turn the red, green, and blue elements off and on independently, so the net effect is that if you do a white twinkle you will get a multi-color sparkle effect.

 

Excellent. I will put that in my little book of how-to's and modify my sequence to use twinkle when I want the multi-color sparkling effect.

 

Thanks for your help and explination Brian. As always, it is appreciated.

 

Bob

[BrianBruderer]

It sounds like the exported Instant Sequence is behaving differently than the manual sequence that you exported as far as how the Sequence Editor behaves when you play them as a subsequence. What I can say is that the Instant Sequence effects are identical to the manual effects you create, but I expect that the difference is that Instant Sequence creates a LOT of them. So I'm guessing that the Sequence Editor is behaving differently due to the large quantity of commands that are in the exported Instant Sequence.

[bob_moody]

I thought I read somewhere that it was a known issue about having to offset the start time a little bit in subsequences. I just found it interesting my relationship between subsequences I created vs. the Instant Sequences.

 

Bob ..