Helpful tips from one newbie to others....

[Brucey]

So this is my first year with the Light o Rama and the LOR 4.x software.  I purchased 2 16 channel controllers (one with the built in MP3 director) so that I would have a total of 32 channels and fill everyone of them with led strings, rope lights, figures, mini trees, etc. 

 

As someone new to the platform, I was initially concerned that I wouldn't have enough time to get everything ready for this season (I just started a couple of weeks ago). But after building over 25 sequences and learning the ins and outs of the sequencing software, here's just a couple of tips I've uncovered during my time.

 

In designing the sequences, focus on one area of the show at a time - don't try to tackle the entire show at one time.  I broke down each sequence into different areas of my house so that I could focus on the left side of my house where all of the rope lights and figures were to make sure they look good first then focus on the right side of my house where all of the LED strings are as well as my mini trees and stars/wreaths/etc.  Once both sides are done, if timed correctly, everything should be in sync or at worst, need a little tweaking.  So focus on one part of the 'show' first before moving on to the next.

 

Mini trees - I was looking to buy 5 for an area of my lawn and saw the frames on some sites for $20-30 each.  I went to Lowes, grabbed 5 33" tomato cages, turned them upside down, and had mini tree frames for $1.98 each    I used two 100' mini light strings for each and each mini tree, including lights, cost me a grand total of $7! 

 

Sequencing software - Copy/Paste is your friend...Learning how to select entire rows or columns then using the Paste Multiple function saved me a tremendous amount of time. 

 

Mapping - I drew out on paper exactly where I was going to place each decoration/light and made sure that all of the power requirements stayed within limits.  It helped a lot to have the layout ready to go ahead of time and then just have to lay out the decorations per the plan.

 

Extension cords.  Using the mapping technique above, I was able to pre-label each extension cord so I would know what to plug each end into to match what I had planned (and had 'tested' in Visualizer).

 

 

Most of these suggestions are probably well-known by most people here but I just wanted to contribute to the community as well.  As a newbie, the best compliment I've gotten for my work has been watching cars slow down as they pass my house to watch the lights and I just wanted to pass along the things that helped me get to this point.