Tim Reed Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Just installed 2 16 channel resi controllers. All installed well and computer communicating with controllers. No issues. My issue is the sequencing program. I have version 5.5.10 advanced, because I wanted to incorporate a projection map on my housing during one of the sequences. I am having a hard time trying to figure out even the simplest of sequencing. I was hoping there more of a "auto" sequencer that could be used. I really dont have weeks to write a show. It seems way more involved that I anticipated. Any tips, tricks or advice for a newbie, in this realm? Or anyone that I can just send the show selection of music to and pay them to write the show? I want to learn, but to have this done by Thanksgiving for a newbie will be tough to pull off, by myself. Help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibblejr Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 41 minutes ago, Tim Reed said: Just installed 2 16 channel resi controllers. All installed well and computer communicating with controllers. No issues. My issue is the sequencing program. I have version 5.5.10 advanced, because I wanted to incorporate a projection map on my housing during one of the sequences. I am having a hard time trying to figure out even the simplest of sequencing. I was hoping there more of a "auto" sequencer that could be used. I really dont have weeks to write a show. It seems way more involved that I anticipated. Any tips, tricks or advice for a newbie, in this realm? Or anyone that I can just send the show selection of music to and pay them to write the show? I want to learn, but to have this done by Thanksgiving for a newbie will be tough to pull off, by myself. Help? You will be very hard pressed to find anyone this late in the year to sequence for you. You may want to reconsider the projection. I am not sure what S5 has to offer you for projection but with 2 AC controllers S4 would be a much easier start and there are some tutorials to add projection. I do not use it but while searching for something today for someone else I did see plenty of projection threads. Best of luck. Happy Lighting/ Holidays. JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 I agree with my friend JR above with the advice he gave you. I'd strongly suggest uninstalling S5 and switching over to S4 version 4.4.8, which is the latest version prior to S5. S4 may be easier to use for you for this year as S5 is extremely complex and takes a lot more time to learn and get set up. I really think S4 would be your best bet for 2020 to try and get a show off the ground. It's really far too late in the year to learn S5, for S4 it may be as well, but, again, S4 may be a lot easier for you to grasp and get something going for 2020 that S5 would be. Good Luck and welcome to the hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibblejr Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Let me add and someone can chime in if I am wrong but with only AC controllers there is really IMO no reason to use S5. S5 is good for those of us that have a lot of pixels and can take advantage of some of the new features but apples to apples an AC controller is sequenced the same way it is in S4. The only advantage would be to learn S5 so that one day when you decide to add pixels you will be able to navigate S5. Personally I like S4. That's my roots but I love what can be done with pixel sequencing when behind the power curve. I am a manual sequencer but have no problems with those people who use all of the tools provided by either S4 or S5. JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDucks Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 I am sure S5 has some nifty feature that would be useful to those that only have AC controllers. But I can also say that any newbie (to light shows), is not going to need (or be able to use) it. (Heck, it took me a while to even wrap my head around S4 SE. Go for S4. (I think your S5 Key works with S4 down level) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibblejr Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 18 minutes ago, TheDucks said: I am sure S5 has some nifty feature that would be useful to those that only have AC controllers. But I can also say that any newbie (to light shows), is not going to need (or be able to use) it. (Heck, it took me a while to even wrap my head around S4 SE. Go for S4. (I think your S5 Key works with S4 down level) Nope, its all the same and more difficult to sequence ac controllers. nothing nifty about it unless anyone thinks the Preview is easier than the vis to watch your lights. To me the vis was easier and I seldom watched it unless I needed to. You also have to add it to a grid view where I seem to get mixed results when using it but someday I will figure that out. Its def easier to add a physical prop to your show in S4. In S4 if I see a rock in my yard and I want to light that rock I can run my lights, connect to a controller, go to SE add the controller and sequence the rock and have lights. I used to do that quite often, build a spur of the moment prop while setting up. Now its to daunting to do that, at least for me at this point and Ive been using S5 since Jan. I was so pleased when my Covid show ran for 4months without a single issue that I figured Halloween would be perfect. In S5 I have to do all of that and then I have to draw the rock to add to the preview before I can light the rock. I am sequencing in both and if I just had AC controllers or a mix like I did up until 2020 I would just stay in S4. However this year I am 100% pixels and made the gradual change to S5. However as I stated earlier I sequence in both now for various reasons. JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBrown Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 I will say that in S5, you do not need to create a preview. If you only have AC controllers: click New Musical Sequence on the Start Page select your music file the new sequence dialog opens click on the Quick Preview tab Enter the number of channels you have; 32 if you have 2 16-channel controllers Select the timing grids Optionally select the audio wizard you want to run Click the Create button You are ready to sequence those 32 channels This is just as easy and fast as S4. That said, setting lights to music in S4, S5, or competing software takes a lot of time (minimum 1 hour of sequencing time per minute of song). At this point in the season, I would consider purchasing sequences. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanopie Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Since you already have S5 and looking at it, you might as well stay with S5. You already have a bit of knowledge on S5, going backward to S4 will probably complicate thing more. Stay with S5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 6 hours ago, lanopie said: Since you already have S5 and looking at it, you might as well stay with S5. You already have a bit of knowledge on S5, going backward to S4 will probably complicate thing more. Stay with S5. I still say S4 would probably be easier for him. And my reasoning is still because S5 is so much more complex. I've been playing around with it and it's really difficult to get up and running, but I am also using a lot more RGB Controllers than AC Controllers now, and is why I was attempting to learn S5 and possibly use it this year. But that isn't happening. Even if I had started with S5 and never seen previous versions, I'd at least go an take a look at the earlier versions if someone suggested it may be easier to comprehend and learn, especially with S5's complexities. Some may not find it complex or daunting, but I sure do and if I was a new user to this and there wasn't something I could look at that might help me and be a bit easier, I'd have given up on this hobby and been asking to send everything I purchased back for a refund. We're just giving the OP some other option, what they do with that advice is strictly up to them. But if I were comparing the 2 versions, S4 and S5, I'd definitely uninstall S5 and go with S4, again, just my preference because I find it so much easier to use than S5 presently. But hopefully one day I may grasp S5 a bit better, then move over to it on a more permanent basis. And until I do, I'll stick with S4's latest version that's available, just easier for me to get things sequenced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibblejr Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 As someone who has been using S5 for 11 months. Do yourself a favor and use S4 for this Christmas. I stand by my original post. It is much easier and if only using it for a couple months it will not curtail you to learn S5 when you make that switch. As a matter of fact it may help you learn a little about sequencing before going to S5. Whatever the decision you make, I wish you the best of luck and happy lighting. JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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