First year with SS

[deh45678]

Hi, just curious if I need to do all my sequencing in SS for my RGB arches and 16 channel LOR controller. I just added my RGB arches and stuck on how to view my entire show and synch the arches. Thanks!

[Don]

Hi, just curious if I need to do all my sequencing in SS for my RGB arches and 16 channel LOR controller. I just added my RGB arches and stuck on how to view my entire show and synch the arches. Thanks!

 

Do you *need* to do it all in Superstar? No. Could you? Yes.

 

You could also do the arches in Superstar, then export the results to a new sequence. Then copy the exported sequence into your current 16 channel sequences.

[deh45678]

Gotcha.. Gotta love all the moving parts.. Haha

Thanks for the tip!

[sax]

I do all my sequencing in superstar.

I knew it was faster and easier but this week I have gone back to some of my older sequences before ss and was just trying to add some things. Man...how does anyone sequence this old way. Ss is way better.

Example, I had one part of the song that I wanted 10 elements to fade up at a beat. I had to copy, paste, delete several times to get it just right. In ss, a simple nudge would of took less than a second.

Example 2, I wanted to fade some ghosts from red to green to red to black all at certain beat points. Find color fade tool, get color, fade up to red.....wait off beat...change fade, now fade to green...no not right...lengthen the red more...argghhhhh. Ss has nudge. It will auto adjust the fade for you as you select the points to be at peak. And this works with standard non RGB pumpkins too. I needed to do those. What a pain.

Example 3, I want my bat eyes to be on at this point. Did it. Good. Wait, my cat might look good too. Copy, paste...it is 2 mins. Okay it looks good. Let's add the glowing feet. Copy, paste. No it doesn't look good. Delete. What a pain. In ss I can select the elements I want on on the fly. Add an element hit update. Done. Remove, hit update done. Could be one second, one element, 10 elements, half song. This fade or that. I can try and see in 2 clicks. No copy, no paste, no delete if I don't like it. Add the element, remove the element, hit update. Quick and easy.

So many more examples.

If you have non RGB and or RGB...you can sequence in ss. Just learn visualizer first. Then use ss in visualizer mode.

Take the time to learn sequencing in ss. A little time now will save you tons of time and grief later.

I now love superstar more than ever after this week of frustrations.

Edited October 10, 2014 by sax

[Ron Boyd]

↑↑ +1 ↑↑

 

This is my 3rd year with Superstar. Nothing like fading 16 strings from top to bottom in a matter of seconds. You will not go wrong with SS

[deh45678]

Thanks everyone!!

So do non RGB lights impact the license count of SS?

I have my 16 channel LOR controller and 5x RGB arches.

Now my arches are 48 pixels (using an RGB strip attached to cpvc). I noticed the arch builder in the visualizer likes to break up the arch in sections. Would it not be better to control all 48 pixels individually verses 12 (2 to a section)?

Edited October 11, 2014 by deh45678

[Don]

Thanks everyone!!

So do non RGB lights impact the license count of SS?

I have my 16 channel LOR controller and 5x RGB arches.

 

It's based on the total number of channels, so yes.

 

Example, a 2_CCR license can export 300 channels. You could do 1 CCR (which is 150 channels) and 150 regular channels if you wanted. 

[deh45678]

Gotcha. I'm liking the sound of SS more and more. Just upgraded to 8 CCRs..

Edited October 11, 2014 by deh45678

[sax]

You can't go wrong with ss. You won't be sorry.

I would control each pixel if it were my arch. If need be I would hand make my arch in visualizer if I had to. Hopefully you won't.

My arch is a 5 segment RGB arch. So basically a stick with 5 sections of RGB bulbs wound around it and then bent. So the segment thing worked for me. Maybe there is a CCR arch maker?? I haven't looked at Xmas in a few months as I been doing the Halloween thing....no arches for me in Halloween...so I don't know what tools are there. But several ppl have CCR arches so there has to be something there...

[deh45678]

I agree on the each pixel. However, when I build the prop in the visualizer I have only a maximum 16 segments configurable. Am I missing something?

 

My current plan is to use 16 segments with 3 pixels per each segment.

Edited October 11, 2014 by deh45678

[Ron Boyd]

Do 1 segment with 25 or 50 pixels, depending on the arches.

[deh45678]

Let me see if I got this.

 

I did the following in the arch wizard:

1. Create arch with 1 segment

2. Light type CCR and set to 48 (my rgb strip is about 8' long so 48 pixels)

3. Use recommended option for creation option

4. Channel wizard I set pixel 1 with base unit id of 02 and resolution 1 pixel

 

However, I think I need to create all all of my pixels individually since it only let me setup a single pixel and not all 48. Sound right? Sorry for the noobness on this. Ha Ha..

[deh45678]

Ah... now I get it.. 

 

I was thinking about the old way in the sequencer thinking I needed to outline each channel. Wow.. SS is sweet!!!

 

Thanks for the help!!

 

I'll do some search.. but is there an easy way to import my LOR Sequencer into SS? I've played with it and so far not having any luck.

Edited October 11, 2014 by deh45678

[sax]

Morphs for your arches. You can do the scenes for them too but morphs are a beautiful thing. You can have a tail, no tail, change how many pixels go across with head size....you can accelerate or slow the morph down. Lots of toys in the morph box to play with.

Brian is the creator of ss and he has left you some ideas in the clipboard section. It is larger than s3 and different...so be aware. But bring the clipboard up and look at some of the goodies. I think some premade arch stuff is in there. Take a peek anyway.

Superstar gets easier and easier as you use it. After about the third song you will be truly immersed. But you never stop learning new things you can do.

Frank from franktronics is really inspiring. So many others too but I always look at his work.

Brian also always puts out new stuff. He gives hints as to what's coming next with ss so it is always nice to look at his work as well.

Good luck,

Sax

[deh45678]

Thanks again for all the help!

[sax]

 

I'll do some search.. but is there an easy way to import my LOR Sequencer into SS? I've played with it and so far not having any luck.

Unfortunately this feature does not exist. Brian did say at one point he would consider it.

I wish oh so wish this existed. My old sequences could use a little ss action. I have redone some sequences. It hurts to do a song a second time but sometimes it is necessary.

But, I do save all my ss files so I can easily make the changes on the next years display as I add elements. Do not lose those files. You will need them again.

Also, look at backing up. So important to keep your hard work away from harm.

[deh45678]

Bummer.. I guess I'm kinda lucky since I've only completed 4 songs from last years show. This year I'll wrap up with everything in SS. Wow.. This will be fun.

 

I noticed there is a 50 pixel limit for each arch; I would think I would need to give each arch a specific pixel since all 5 of my arches are daisy chained together. That make sense? Or Do I just go 1 - 48 pixels and give each arch a different ID? 

 

I have all my arches attached to a PixLite 4 on a single output. just FYI. 

[sax]

Well visualizer limits a CCR to 50 pixels. In fact you must have 50 pixels. But you can label them differently.

Example, I have 3 CCRs. They are 50 pixels each but are unit id's 3,4,5. I also have 8 strings of pixels. I have each string a different universe.

When you create CCRs in the visualizer wizard it makes the CCR a string of 1" bulbs...maybe 2" bulbs...but bulbs none the less. For non CCR smart strips I just made each bulb separate. So a straight line with 50 RGB bulbs.

I have bullet style pixels in my trees at 90 bulbs each, again I just manually make these. And the 90 had to be 2 props. Not possible if I am trying to use them as CCR or ccb/ccp though as it would of had to be 2 50 pixel props. I would of had to do something with the extra 10 pixels so manual was the way to go.

Using CCR is faster but maybe not precise enough. And manual is slow but you only have to do it once for a lifetime of the element...which I hope to be years. For my dmx strings, I just made the prop and copied, pasted and used rename wizard. For the trees, unfortunately they did not look the same. But for arches, make it once...copy...paste and use rename wizard.

Look in the visualizer section for hints. This is what I meant by learn visualizer. It has some limitations.

I did throw a 50 pixel dmx strip prop in there so if you have a need for that it will save some time.

Ron Boyd has posted lots of info on how to manipulate visualizer to get what you want. Me, I have done most things the hard way, manually creating a prop bulb by bulb. But look in the visualizer portion of the forums. Lots of help over there and if you can't find an answer just ask.

[deh45678]

I've setup my Rxhes with 48 pixels and so far everything looks great. Does the issue become apparent when you run your show with actual lights?

If that's the case I'll need to join the build my own objects club. Which for now is only the arches dice everything else are string lights.

I guess if I built my own arch object I could have them all in two universes. Because if I understand what you mentioned above you had to put a different unit id for each.

I'm digging the morphs in SS..

[sax]

I name them different for my sanity. CCR is on LOR network and ribbons are one unit. So 50 is what they are.

LOR ccb and ccp are similar I would assume. I don't own any of those but they are fixed strings.

Dmx, different world. You can have 512 channels per universe. Divide by 3 for amount of pixels. Bottom line you can have a large string. And to make things even more confusing you can have a single string on multiple universes. That would be a lot of pixels.

So, to make my life easier I just make each element it's own universe. Upper gutter, universe 1. Lower gutter, universe 2. Cherry tree, universe 5 etc. In truth I could make my upper and lower one universe but by separating them they are channels 1-150 each but on different universes. It makes sense to me.

Ok...so what happened to universes 3&4? Universe 4 is my original dmx universe and 3 is reserved for my spiderweb pixels. So mine is not a perfect 1-5. But no matter, it works and I didn't want to rename all my universe 4 items just because I expanded this year.

Point is, in dmx you control what is what. And since I don't think I will ever have so many elements that I will run out of universes I will continue to make an element a universe.

In LOR, I won't run out of id's either. Not that I can rename a CCR at halfway point. But you can name them anything you want for each seperate id. Problem is if you cut the CCR to reduce the pixels, which voids the ribbons warranty, you still have to create a 50 pixel unit in visualizer. I cut all my CCRs. 2 are 46 pixels each and one is only 36. So I have these extra pixels that visualizer required.

If your arches ribbons are not LOR CCR, personally I would create the arches bulb by bulb and create them with the correct dmx universe and channel. Make one then you can copy paste for the others. This gives you an exact creation of your arches.

If they are LOR CCR, I would create them as such and if I cut them I would put the extra pixels out of the way. For my CCRs extra pixels they are hidden under my eaves...close to the ribbons but not in the way. This allows me easier programming in ss. I can select a full ribbon in the grid, the right click the extra pixels to remove them and get an exact visual of what I will see for the show.

And, the beauty of visualizer...if it works there your show will work too. So don't worry about that....unless you go and do things that "trick" visualizer into working. But that is a different subject. Personally I make every effort to have visualizer to be exactly as my lights are. So I can use visualizer as my tester.