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bigjohn wrote:

I know that lor can not flash all the lights on & off if there is to many amps so how do we do that. May be we use ssr. Is that right?:shock:


oh i dont know you could reduce the number of amps on the strand or if you really want you could get more channels
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I'm not sure I understand the question. You can certainly split the load onto many channels doing the same thing...

Frankly (and I'm bound to ruffle some feathers by saying this...) I think "flashing the whole display (or large portions of it) on and off" is the single most over-used and visually unappealing thing people can do with computer control. Yes, it's dramatic. No, it's not aesthetically pleasing (at least to me) when it's done over and over and over. A few times in a song to hilight huge hits -- perhaps. Every beat? Certainly not.*

-Tim

*Again, just my opinion. My very strong opinion, but my opinion nonetheless :laughing:

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tfischer wrote:

I'm not sure I understand the question. You can certainly split the load onto many channels doing the same thing...

Frankly (and I'm bound to ruffle some feathers by saying this...) I think "flashing the whole display (or large portions of it) on and off" is the single most over-used and visually unappealing thing people can do with computer control. Yes, it's dramatic. No, it's not aesthetically pleasing (at least to me) when it's done over and over and over. A few times in a song to hilight huge hits -- perhaps. Every beat? Certainly not.*

-Tim

*Again, just my opinion. My very strong opinion, but my opinion nonetheless :laughing:

Tim,

I'm inclined to agree with you, to a point... I don't like switching the lights quickly either, just enough to give it the needed effect... There are good examples of both extremes. Carson's TSO-WIW, for one, is a good example of how a flash for every beat can be visually appealing... Now, Wayne, over at Nevadachristmas is a very good example on how to LOR lights to the music without all the hoopla (Yellow Snow comes to mind)...

You know what I've found? I've found that my music background is coming in handy for this hobby... (Thanks Mom for 12 miserable years of piano, it's finally paying off!)

To answer Big John's question, wouldn't it be fair to say that it all depends upon how many amps per circuit you're using, and which LOR board(s) you have. Obviously a 30amp 16 circuit board can only handle so much before it trips? Or yes, you can use an SSR to hit more relays. Not sure if an SSR adds a delay or not...
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Some thought on light displays.

Although fairly new to creating computer controlled Christmas lighting displays I thought I could rely on some things learned from my past projects while working in theater and event lighting productions.

The approach I take is the same one I used when I use to run the dancing waters at Magic Mountain and some of the theater productions in LA I setup and ran, not to date myself but this was done before we had computers capable of doing such a task, we used switches and levers. Using the color spectrum as sound frequency using reds and whites as the high frequencies and Greens as mid rang and Blue and purple as low notes, also when designing the layout for my display I keep this in mind keeping the Low/Blue closer to the ground and the reds and gold’s high on the roof line, this is close to taking the color organ approach.



Programming a Sequence and the tempo of the music.
Sometime using area lighting in conjunction with overall lighting
Don’t shoot your wad all at once leave the audience wanting more. Save the finale for last
Use of special lighting effects is good if used properly , and spairingly
Timing is everything! If your lights are going to keep the beat to music they need to keep the beat. Use themes for continuity .
Fade up/down works good for slower tempo music ,

There are many approaches to take when it comes to lighting and music , your own artistic ability will play a big part , don't be afraid to experiment.

Good luck , I look forward to seeing your display in action .:smile:

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Ray, I think that is some really good advice. "You dont want to give it all to them all at once, let them want more." I have read several times on here about the use of strobes and how some people overuse them and then there are some out there that use them sparenly which allows a nice effect rather than just some lights coming on. I myself really like the way Annalisa does her show with just 4 colors on everything but rarely do you actually see all of them on at the same time. Plus this way there is a really nice balance.

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