Need some real help.

[Esso1]

Ive been struggling on getting my 16 channel halloween show up and running but i find the instructions to combine the music with a sequence not very intuitive.  is there a person, publication or other that breaks the process down into easy to follow steps that outlines the process.  I'll also have to admit the halloween season is fast coming to a close so there is that pressure to at least show something.  

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

[Brian Mitchell]

I know the LOR website had some good basic instructional videos.  Have you tried there yet?

[Steven]

By the way, if you post a screenshot of where in the process you got stuck, someone will immediately tell you "Go to Menu XXX or push button YYY." This will get you going in the right direction faster.

[pcstan]

Hey Esso,

You're right. It's not very intuitive. Once you get to know the software it starts making more sense.

You can email me at: curtis@cdstanley.com. I'll reply with my phone number so you can call me and we'll walk through it.

Also, there are sample sequences you can download for free just to see the basics of what they did (but not HOW they did it).

I've created some pretty darn good shows with 3 of the 16 channel controllers. I made my own talking pumpkins, "dancing" Christmas trees, and kick-a$$ 4th of July shows with just 2-3 controllers (no pixel stuff at all). I'm pretty good at it now. Just understand that if you want to do a GOOD job, then it's a SLOW and TEDIOUS process. It takes 20-30 hours PER SONG (with 48 channels) to do a really good job. I don't buy any sequences because they're too basic and boring. If you want cool stuff that catches people's attention, you've gotta do it yourself.

Do you have a picture of your house uploaded into the software and have you created the lights/channels that you're going to use? This is a GREAT tool for seeing how your show will actually look. This is a bit of a tedious process, too!

Assuming you already have your background picture and lights configuration setup, here's a quick rundown of how I start:

File->New->Musical Sequence->choose the mp3 song->select USE THE TAPPER WIZARD->click CREATE

The song will load. The Tapper Wizard will pop up. I select PLAY THE ENTIRE SONG, Play speed NORMAL, Click ADD and type BASIC BEAT (click OK), select "Use the Keyboard", 3 second countdown, START.

I listen to the entire song and tap the space bar on every downbeat. It should be a VERY rhythmical process with no surprises.

When the song ends, I click APPLY AND EXIT.

Now you have the basic beat laid down for your sequence. This will fill the lower part of your screen with a very regularly spaced grid. (Some people use BEAT WIZARD but I've found that the beat doesn't always match up well). What I usually do with this beat is to select a light string that will represent the beat - typically a string of lights along my roofline. They're the "bass drum" of the band. Next I'll fill EVERY box in line of that string with a FADE DOWN effect. - Just click the mouse in the box and type the letter D. You'll see a downward ramp appear in the box. That tells the light string to start at full intensity and fade to zero by the end of the beat. Fill the whole line with those and you've got your basic BEAT done. Play the sequence and see how you've done.

Next I'll listen to the song again and write down the time of any special rhythms, guitar solos, interesting piano bits, etc. I'll use the Tapper Wizard again, add a "fiddly bits" track, and just play that part of the song at half-speed while tapping out with the piano/guitar/voice/whatever. You can select between the different timing lines using the Timing selector at the top right-ish of the lower half of your screen. 

Then I just keep going. I'll add a timing track for any unique or repetitive musical sequence in the song. It's a long, slow process, but it's worth it.

Give me a call and HAVE FUN!

-Curtis

 

[pcstan]

Esso, I forgot to tell you (if you didn't already know) that they've got a lot of good tutorials on the Light-O-Rama website.

https://store.lightorama.com/pages/video-tutorials

Also: the Right-Click mouse button is your FRIEND! Perform a right-click in your timing grid and see all the options available.

-Curtis

[TheDucks]

3 hours ago, pcstan said:

Esso, I forgot to tell you (if you didn't already know) that they've got a lot of good tutorials on the Light-O-Rama website.

https://store.lightorama.com/pages/video-tutorials

Also: the Right-Click mouse button is your FRIEND! Perform a right-click in your timing grid and see all the options available.

-Curtis

Learn to use the Context menus (right click) EVERY PROGRAM, not just LOR 👍 👍

BTW Look at your Keyboard (spacebar  row). See the Key with a square with lines? Context Menu