Best way to update channel configuration

[Softball Shawn]

This year I went from 96 to 224 channels. For the songs that I did last year in a 96 channel, what is the best way to update them into a new 224 channel configuration? I tried just changing the channel configuration but it came up completely screwy. It was not just the 96 channels with an additional 128 empty channels, the programming was pasted all over the place in the wrong areas. Any tips?

[Don]

Never, ever *ever* delete a channel.

 

For example suppose that in year two you decide to use only #2, out of the two controllers you own. You would not delete #1 from the sequence. 

 

Year three rolls around, and you decide to add the other controller back in, but it will be #3 this time. You would *add* the new controller to the mix, still not deleting the #1 controller.

 

The deleting and adding of channels changes something within the inner workings of the sequence, which causes problems when you update previous sequences. If your brave, or have any programming ability, take a look at a sequence in a text editor (I recommend NotePad++)

[Softball Shawn]

I got ya but I am only adding to, not deleting anything. Lets say I have all blue lights my first 96 channels. And this year I add all red lights with an additional 8 controllers. How can I open up an old song that was all blue lights and 96 channels into a configuration that now has 224 channels? I want the blue lights to do the same thing as they did last year and I want to be able to do additional stuff with the red lights.

[sonoma]

try opening 96 chan. sequence, goto the last chan. button on said sequence right click and insert multiple chan's. below tell it how many and done. Then goto chan. config. and address the new chan's.

[bisquit476]

Go into a sequence, right click in the first channel, then click insert device, insert device above, then choose your device, set the settings and click ok, it will add the controller into the sequence. Like sonoma said above, another way (but you can't set the device ID initially) is to click (in the first channel)add channels, add multiple channels above, put it the number of new channels you are adding, then click ok. You can then group those channels into controller groups. I add channels above my original sequence, others do it different, which way is better is up to you.

[Jim Hans]

I strongly recommend adding your new channels to the bottom of your sequence because if you add the new channels to the middle or beginning of the sequence when you import that new channel configuration into the rest of last year's sequences all of last year's work will fill in starting at the top and going down 96 lines.  this means that you would need to cut and paste them back to where they belong for every sequence. 

 

If you add your new channels to the bottom of track 1 then when you import this new channel configuration into the rest of your sequences all of last year's work remains in the right place.  A lot of people call Track #1 their "master track".... the order of the channels is sort of meaningless.  Use additional tracks to group the channels the way you want them to make sequencing easier. 

[roverdish]

After adding fixtures, props etc into my visualizer then I create any song into an instant sequence using SS. Then export that newly made sequence to the LOR sequence editor. Then export and save the channel configuration from my newly created sequence. May not be the right way but it is easier for me than adding devices directly into the sequence editor. I let SS and the visualizer do it for me.

Edited June 26, 2014 by roverdish

[Denny]

As mentioned, add your channels at the end of your sequence.  When finished with this sequence, go to the edit menu, select import/export channel configuration and save your new configuration.  This lets you import your revised configuration into any of your other sequences.  If you open another sequence and then select import channel configuration, it will make all the changes for you.

[jstorms]

Your first track the master track (Track #1) is what is used to map channel ids to the rows of sequencing information. 

 

Create additional tracks to play with groups, to go OCD on the ordering, etc. As long as you keep the master track straight the other tracks will automatically align properly.

 

The first track you just do likes others said above, add to the bottom. If you have a channel I no longer need I will rename it with an 'X' in front of the name and change the device type to 'no device type' and then reuse at a later date.

 

But I never insert or delete channels since it messes everything up.