newbie questions

[jkordes]

ok.  So i finally decided to take the plunge with a basic setup this year with the Showtime Central Starter package with either 32 or 48 channels.  My plans are to have two leaping arches, 4 or 8 mini trees and various trees and bushes as accent lighting.  So I should be fine from the channel side.  I plan on using the Ready to go sequences this year so that is covered. 

 

For background, i have 3 20amp and a 15amp circuits for the front yard.  I have moved to all LED lights so power should be good.  I have 1000ft fo spt2 for making extensions cords.  I plan on getting one of the advanced software packages so i can run 5 or 6 songs per show and just repeat nightly. 

 

So that covers the show portion and comes to my questions;

 

What am i missing is the first one?   Any thoughts/ comments from the experienced will be appreciated.

With this setup, can i only use those lights attached to the controller as part of the show or once the show is over, can they just be on?  Specifically, some of the accent lighting, I would want to dual purpose.   if so, how as i was not able to find anything in the docs?  if not, i will definitely have to rethink some of the accent lights or buy more strings/nets.

 

Thanks.......

 

 

[Orville]

Your accent lighting after the show would still require a sequence to operate just those lights and keep the other lights off.

 

Are you using any type of Director unit?  Like a mini Director or DC-MP3 Showtime Director to run your show or from a computer?

 

I just create a musical sequence with an empty {2:30 silent} MP3 file called overnight lights and that's what runs specific lights during my overnight hours after the show is done.  You can just us an animation file called overnight to run your overnight lights as well.  In either scenario, you need to create a sequence with just those lights you want on.

[dgrant]

Also you need to consider how you are going to get music out there...speakers and/or FM Radio broadcasting.

[jkordes]

Orville and dgrant - The Showtime central package comes with the mini director and the FM transmitter.   I planned to split the audio out cable from the director to the fm transmitter and an outdoor speaker.

 

So, create another Sequence with the bush and house lights while the arch and mini trees would be off.  Would you just repeat a short timeframe like 3min or would you have it be 3 hours and go off at say midnight with the other lights that are on a timer.    Would there be a delay when the sequence repeats when the lights would go off?  or am i thinking about how to sequence wrong?

 

Thanks.

[BryanZ]

Lest we forget the ever important power cables, vampire plugs, etc. Get as much done as soon as you can. 1000' may seem like a lot of wire initially but it can dwindle quickly when you lay things out.

 

You may find the arches and mini trees take more time than you think to put together. In addition, plan on needing to modify/customize the ready to go sequences. You may not think you'll need to but you will. That is something you can do while waiting for the other hardware to arrive.

 

 

Find an open channel for broadcasting, if you will be doing so. Otherwise, think about how people will be able to listen to the music while the show is going on.

 

Pretty much plan and prepare as much as you can. And remember the ever important words from the cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: DON'T PANIC

 

Best of luck!

[Nick Ferchau]

how did you create the silent mp3? i need one that is 10 minutes long.

[TonyD]

Audacity can easily do that using the Silence Generator (Silence | Generate). You even specify the amount of time you want. Unless you have your own audio software that can create Constant Bit Rate (CBR) MP3 files you will want to get this free software. Any MP3 file you use in the Sequence Editor should be converted to 128 kbps CBR.

[dgrant]

For background lights which I'm thinking you were interested in, I have six tomato cage trees that I use which just slowly fade on/off but at times, I command them directly from within a musical sequence. What I do is create a simple "annimation sequence" with those 6 trees. When you use the Show Editor, this will allow you to schedule an annimation sequence to run, at the same time as a musical sequence. But, during some songs, I send commands to those same trees, which overrides the annimation sequence commands. Once I'm done commanding them directly, in the show itself, they return to their normal annimation programming. How long the override lasts, I'm not sure but you can manually duplicate this unless you are running a show.

[Orville]

Orville and dgrant - The Showtime central package comes with the mini director and the FM transmitter.   I planned to split the audio out cable from the director to the fm transmitter and an outdoor speaker.

 

So, create another Sequence with the bush and house lights while the arch and mini trees would be off.  Would you just repeat a short timeframe like 3min or would you have it be 3 hours and go off at say midnight with the other lights that are on a timer.    Would there be a delay when the sequence repeats when the lights would go off?  or am i thinking about how to sequence wrong?

 

Thanks.

I actually have one overnight sequence I created that is just slightly over a minute long using an silent MP3 that is about 1:10 long.  The sequence would just repeat, and as long as you sequence the lights you want on all the way to the very end in the SE, that is the last cell is turned on in any/all lights you want to stay on when the sequence loops, then the lights won't go off when the sequence loops back on itself and starts over.     The overnight sequence can be any length you want, but I try to keep it to a maximum of 2:30 and that cycles all 80 channels when I use them in my display.

[jkordes]

excellent, thanks everyone.  sounds like i will be doing some sequeencing this year after all even is if it is just the short silent show to keep the lights on.