No motivation yet - help!

[Jaynee 63]

It's almost June and I have yet to log into LOR to begin sequencing for this year.  Each night I get from work home and think, "I NEED TO START!" and then I do everything BUT go into my home office and begin looking through things.

And this year I need to get cracking because I'm programming for two new controllers in my display!!!

Inspire me - tell me what new songs you are doing, what new equipment you are adding this year, or what you are building...

[75redman 150]

You're not alone!! 

[bryan.hurley5 12]

2 hours ago, Jaynee said:

Inspire me - tell me what new songs you are doing, what new equipment you are adding this year, or what you are building...

Planning a Halloween show for the first year. It’s going to be completely interactive with buttons and switches for the little ones to enjoy. Hardware is all done but I still have to program still too

[roverdish 33]

75Redman I would love a copy of the uptown sequence on your youtube channel if sharing. Thanks

roverdish@aol.com

[Jaynee 63]

Well, at least I'm not alone!  A friend of mine last night posted on FB, "Only 229 days 'til Christmas!"  Which means only ~200 days to program...

I think tonight has to be the night to get started.  I have nothing on my calendar after work other than convincing my daughter to mow the lawn.  

[TBS99 32]

Don’t feel bad I was slow to start this year with changes. I am adding 3 more controllers. Also adding 4 new songs:

Siberian Sleigh Ride  - TSO

Carol of Bells -  Callann Lane

Shake up Christmas – Train

Do you Hear what I Hear – Riccardo Polidoro

 

The only prop I am trying to add is a 36 spiral tree that I am making from an antenna tower. Still working on a foundation for it and lights I will use. I am not sure if it will get done this year or not. I find as far as sequencing goes, I am too tired in the evening so I get up an hour to an hour and a half before everyone else does in the morning and work on them. No distractions, just head phones and coffee.

Tom

[namecipS 1]

The want is there, but the time has not been there.  I'm still hoping to add a Pixel tree this year.  I have the lights and a controller, but have never programmed pixels, so I'm not all that confident I'll get it done in time.  

I'm changing my playlist completely this year, but I feel pretty good about being able to sequence the regular lights for our Xmas show in time.

[Little_b 68]

I decided this last year that I'm more into learning the new technology (pixels, controllers, S5, etc.) and making it work.  Then I remember I still have to program it.  Normally I do all new songs with one or two repeats each year.  This year looks like all repeats with 1-2 new songs.  New this year are some snowflakes I rewired from incandescents to pixels and using ESPixel Sticks to drive them.  Wireless, who knew we'd be there one day.  Learning S5 has helped to get some of my songs updated and ready to go.  Loving the new preview design.

[james morris 339]

NamecipS if you look on Sharing Sequences I posted 100s 16 string Pixel tree Sequences New for this year 24 string Matrix I have all the Halloween Sequence done 125 of them now start on Christmas have 180 of them to do

[mpageler 70]

If early in the hobby, you have to not  try and do everything you want, right away.   I stated with 3 year plan and now have added a 4th and 5th to the plan. 

To each sequencing workload/burden, co with fewer songs (1/2 dozen) and do them well.  Really no need to change songs every year but to adds songs as your sequencing skill grow and/or you have more time. 

 

While it still takes time, you can build really nice sequences by copy/pasting from shared sequnces.   All my Halloween and Christmas sequences were built this way, using anywhere from 2 to 5 shared sequences. As thing s calmed down and my sequencing skills grew, I've gone back and have done significant tweaking of sequence.

 

So have a plan for new hardware/element for down the road but for this year, concentrate on sequence a handful of songs. 

[Jaynee 63]

1 hour ago, mpageler said:

While it still takes time, you can build really nice sequences by copy/pasting from shared sequnces.   All my Halloween and Christmas sequences were built this way, using anywhere from 2 to 5 shared sequences. As thing s calmed down and my sequencing skills grew, I've gone back and have done significant tweaking of sequence.

 

This is what I do.  I have downloaded over 100 sequences from free sites and on offer from LOR users here, and use them strictly to get ideas on HOW to sequence something.  Even when I had only 16 channels, I downloaded 128 channel sequences if only to see the options that were out there that could be adapted to what I was doing.  When I moved to 32 channels, I did the same, and will do that this time with the additional 32 channels I bought this year.  My song list doesn't change, but what I do with the song does. =)

[roverdish 33]

Excellent synopsis and methodology guys. Glad to see someone showing the best way to innovate and create / copy paste your own sequences.

Hats off.

[jfuller8400 44]

Would you believe I'm still working on taking down and packing last year's display?  I was snowed in until 3 weeks ago and have been traveling ever since.

I've got a 5 channel dumb RGB star that I hope to get added to my sequences this year.

[zing 12]

i'm in the same boat.

Worked on the visualizer on a plane trip but that's about it.

want to do new songs, but trying to figure out what to do is tough.  I tend to try and get one or two new ones and rehash / mod old ones to work with the set-up.

[k6ccc 1,074]

1 hour ago, zing said:

I tend to try and get one or two new ones and rehash / mod old ones to work with the set-up.

That's what I do.  One or two new ones every year and re-do the existing ones for whatever hardware changes.  This year I don't expect to get any new ones in - the re-do of the existing ones will take enough of my time since I'm adding about 61K channels this year.  As I have said before on the forum, sequencing is about one short step above torture.  Love doing the hardware and running the show, but not the sequencing.

 

[zing 12]

Sequencing sucks the life right out of ya!  I tend to do them in 1 - 1.5 hour bursts a couple times a week so I don't go absolutely looney.  I found that it helps quite a bit when you slowly work at it

[roverdish 33]

24 minutes ago, zing said:

Sequencing sucks the life right out of ya!  I tend to do them in 1 - 1.5 hour bursts a couple times a week so I don't go absolutely looney.  I found that it helps quite a bit when you slowly work at it

You got that right. I found that by creating different timing grids and placing them into the sequence before sequencing makes the sequencing go much faster.

[LightsWithSoul 37]

Motivation comes in different forms for each individual person. To me the ability to express a form of art in a real, tangible display that people can actually experience out on the street is enough for me to sink massive amounts of time in to programming. Case and point - I just spent about 30 hours in the last 3 days programming a 2 and a half minute segment of Beethoven's 5th Symphony Allegro Con Bri'o. I have about 4,000 pixels and I do all custom sequencing (no motion effects or any auto generated stuff). When you realize that you have complete control over the experience that your audience will have outside your home it makes you want perfection. It's just about taking the initiative to fire up the computer and start. Once you get your mind working on new sequencing possibilities it's hard to stop! 

[ericm 24]

I don't know how everyone else does it, but I will work on a song for a bit... when I don't know what to do next I switch songs for little bit and repeat that for awhile. ...

[roverdish 33]

22 hours ago, LightsWithSoul said:

Motivation comes in different forms for each individual person. To me the ability to express a form of art in a real, tangible display that people can actually experience out on the street is enough for me to sink massive amounts of time in to programming. Case and point - I just spent about 30 hours in the last 3 days programming a 2 and a half minute segment of Beethoven's 5th Symphony Allegro Con Bri'o. I have about 4,000 pixels and I do all custom sequencing (no motion effects or any auto generated stuff). When you realize that you have complete control over the experience that your audience will have outside your home it makes you want perfection. It's just about taking the initiative to fire up the computer and start. Once you get your mind working on new sequencing possibilities it's hard to stop! 

Lightswithsoul

Do you have any videos of your work? 

It sounds inspiring. I too spend many hours sequencing but you sound much more musically talented than me. I would love to see how yours looks.

[Light_addiction 5]

I have been working on revamping old wireframes for the yard but have yet to do any sequencing.  And I'm going from 16 channels to 64, so I have a lot to add in there.  I need to stop putting it off.

[Protege94 0]

I feel you. I work Monday-Thursday, leave the house at 5:50am and get home around 5:45pm. Then I spend time making dinner, hanging with the wife and 6 month old. Once the baby goes to sleep my wife and I chat and watch a few shows/clean around the house. By that time its 10 or later.

Not to mention we just moved into a new house two months ago so my whole display will basically have to be recreated both sequence wise and infrastructure wise. (all my ext are custom made for the old house) With a 6 month old its hard to get motivated when I know my windows of time to do things are based on her naps. I know eventually I will hit a point where I go into over drive mode and get it all (or most of it) done. 

But right now, the long list of things to do de-motivates me.

[k6ccc 1,074]

37 minutes ago, Protege94 said:

I feel you. I work Monday-Thursday, leave the house at 5:50am and get home around 5:45pm. Then I spend time making dinner, hanging with the wife and 6 month old. Once the baby goes to sleep my wife and I chat and watch a few shows/clean around the house. By that time its 10 or later.

Not to mention we just moved into a new house two months ago so my whole display will basically have to be recreated both sequence wise and infrastructure wise. (all my ext are custom made for the old house) With a 6 month old its hard to get motivated when I know my windows of time to do things are based on her naps. I know eventually I will hit a point where I go into over drive mode and get it all (or most of it) done. 

But right now, the long list of things to do de-motivates me.

With your recent move, take a year off to get organized.  No one will be missing it (except you).  You likely have enough to do with the move...

 

[Protege94 0]

48 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

With your recent move, take a year off to get organized.  No one will be missing it (except you).  You likely have enough to do with the move...

 

Honestly I would hate the whole Christmas season if I took off and didn't put out the display. I think my wife would be disappointed too. She always hates all the prep I put into it but then on Thanksgiving night I can always tell that she really enjoys seeing it. Its also kind of turned into a family tradition for my wife and I (and starting last year the baby) to stand in the street on Thanksgiving night and watch the first time the show runs on its own.

[Orville 407]

Finally after about 5, almost 6 years without power, I'm just going to revise the last Christmas show I did and use that.  Planning on adding RGB lighting and attempting to get some this year, but with all those channels and programming, doubt there will be time to get them in this year.  And hopefully if I acquire the RGB stuff I'm hoping to get, 2019 will be where they will be utilized.   And I'm disabled and retired, but even with that, you can only program so far before you have to "get away from it" for a while....wow, do we really need to get away from it? 

Well I know after quite a long set of hours programming I do or I end up looking like this at the keyboard....?   Anyone else end up like that if they try to get more done than their brain wants to do?

Well I'll be revising and playing with some RGB lighting to at least learn how to do it, since I've already revise 95% of my Christmas display from years back.   Since I had no power I gave up all my old L.E.D. light strands to our church to use.   So my Christmas display may look a little odd this year with Orange and Purple L.E.D. lights, unless I go and buy some new L.E.D. multi-color strands, then I'll just take out the Orange and Purple strands with them.   Tine will tell.

Well time to get working on that last little %age of sequences I need to revise for this years Christmas 2018 display.