Show Director Not playing all sequences

[k6ccc]

2 hours ago, Chuck M said:

I chose the option on Audacity to Resample at a rate of 44100 which is the equivalent to 128kbps.

No.  For the most part, sample rate and MP3 data rate have no relationship to each other.  The MP3 data rate is how much to compress the data in the file.  BTW, that is a VERY simplistic answer.  If you really want the longer answer, I can give it....

 

[Orville]

17 hours ago, Chuck M said:

That is correct, I formatted and recreated the show.

I chose the option on Audacity to Resample at a rate of 44100 which is the equivalent to 128kbps. If there is a different option I need to choose please let me know.

That's not entirely true, all my MP3 Files, and I use an N4-G4 Director to run my show, are in 320K, 44100 format.  Haven't had a single issue with ANY of my MP3 files in this format, and they sound much better than 128K!  Been running them this way for a few years now.  Now the old Original DC-MP3 Directors, would not run 320K, but I found they would use 192K and work just fine.  Ran my MP3's in 192K on one of those Directors for over 4 years with no issues either.   The newer Directors are supposed to handle up to 320K, and thus far, mine has worked flawlessly with them.   128K, too me, just sounded too tinny, 192K was better, but now, with the newer Director units, 320K is far better, may be a bit larger MP3 file, but at least the musical quality is very good.

Just been my experience.

BTW: What brand and size of SD Card are you using to create your shows on?   The newer Directors seem to have a dislike for anything other than Kingston SD Cards and only up to 32GB, I had some older SD Cards that I tested in my N4-G4 Director, and it didn't like them, did some of the same issues you are describing.  And is why I asked what brand and size of SD Card are you using. Or perhaps you got a bad SD Card, have you tried a different one to see what happens?

 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Orville

[hasslerk]

@Orville Maybe you have been lucky; I was not.  Top of page 7 in the current manual for the N4-G4 Director says:

Songs (audio files) for use with the directors must be
encoded as MP3 files. Constant Bit Rate (CBR) at
128K bits/second is best. See www.lightorama.com
► Support ► Documentation ► “Preparing MP3s”

Maybe it needs to be updated.  I just know that once I changed to it everything worked.  I did not try other bit rates. 

In my old N2-G3 Director I was also burned by trying to use a SD card that was too big.  Limit back then was 8GB; current is as you say, 32GB, and it led to some of the same observable problems.

[Orville]

17 hours ago, hasslerk said:

@Orville Maybe you have been lucky; I was not.  Top of page 7 in the current manual for the N4-G4 Director says:

Songs (audio files) for use with the directors must be
encoded as MP3 files. Constant Bit Rate (CBR) at
128K bits/second is best. See www.lightorama.com
► Support ► Documentation ► “Preparing MP3s”

Maybe it needs to be updated.  I just know that once I changed to it everything worked.  I did not try other bit rates. 

In my old N2-G3 Director I was also burned by trying to use a SD card that was too big.  Limit back then was 8GB; current is as you say, 32GB, and it led to some of the same observable problems.

To me, manuals are a guideline, but I always like to experiment and see what will and will not work.  I think the latest Director manual stated 320K was acceptable, as I was still using 192K when I finally bought my N4-G4 Director, thinking if that worked in my original, it should {I hope} still work in the newest one.  And I know I read in the manual 128K CBR is recommended, but I've been using 320K, 44100, CBR format going on 2+ years in my N4-G4, and it works perfectly fine.  Much better sound quality than the lower rates, so all I do is make sure the 320K are CBR and 44,100 {although I've used higher than 44100 and worked}, but 44100 woks just fine, so that's where I set my MP3 files.

Directors are sort of like cars, you can use other options, but they may not be recommended by the dealer, but they work, so folks use them.   Whatever works is what I use, but others mileage may vary with that.

I just had one of my 32GB Kingston Cards go bad, guess I've worn it out writing and reformatting it so much, I can still use it, but it takes over an hour+ to quick format this one, and when I copy files {backup show files from my system HD to it}, depending on shows and sizer, it can take a long time just to copy the files to it.  My current 3 shows on the SD Card = close to 3GB, when I copy the backup to this card will take about 2-and a half-hours, sometimes longer, writing a show directly to it takes forever and a day, or so it seems.  The 2nd card, exact same type and size, I can copy my show files to it in less than 10 minutes, HUGE difference between the cards.  Both SD Cards are identical.  Even quick formatting the "bad" card can take up to over an hour or 2 in Quick Format, the other 32GB SD Card, quick formats in less than 30 seconds!  SO I have retired this SD Card, as it has lost the ability to work at its rated speeds.  So I figure sooner or later, if it were in my Director, it would fail at some point, and probably at the worst time, during the main light show time.  I tried a normal format of the bad card, after 10 hours, and it wasn't even half-way through the format process, so I canceled it.  Did a scan of the drive, and Windows reports it has no errors, but from what i see when formatting or copying to or from it, I see otherwise, and know it's got some type of issue, just not sure what.  Sure can't fix it.

BTW: When using this card in my Director, since it seems to have slowed down from what it should be, I had some lag times between show sequences and would have a dark display for 45 seconds or a bit longer before the next sequence would start up and run.

So if anyone is having issues like this, could be the card has outlived its usefulness, time to replace with another SD Card {Spare or 2nd card that is exactly the same} or purchase some new ones.  I just purchased 3 more for my Director.  Fortunately I have enough spares to back up the last remaining 32GB SDC since my shows are just under 3GB, I can use the 4GB Kingston SD Cards for my shows currently.

 

[Don]

31 minutes ago, Orville said:

I think the latest Director manual stated 320K was acceptable, as I was still using 192K when I finally bought my N4-G4 Director

"320" does not appear in the manual.

https://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/G4-MP3_Man_Web.pdf
https://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/Audacity_Lame_128KbpsRevA.pdf

I know, I know, you said "I think" which means you aren't sure of what you are saying here. I'm just clarifying it for everyone else. "320" does not exist in the documentation.

[Orville]

17 hours ago, Don said:

"320" does not appear in the manual.

https://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/G4-MP3_Man_Web.pdf
https://www1.lightorama.com/PDF/Audacity_Lame_128KbpsRevA.pdf

I know, I know, you said "I think" which means you aren't sure of what you are saying here. I'm just clarifying it for everyone else. "320" does not exist in the documentation.

You're correct, it isn't in the manual {I just re-read the entire manual again}, but I do know I did read it somewhere on the LOR site or forums, or it may have been on the single page "addendum" info that came with the Director.  I just know I did read it somewhere, and it was somewhere on the LOR forum or site.  It's why I started using that format in the first place.  I just can not recall where I read it from originally, the added info sheet about the N4-G4 or, and possibly more than likely, somewhere on the LOR site or forums.  But the 320K is NOT one I initiated.   Again, just started using it after reading it is possible to use that rate.

[Don]

5 hours ago, Orville said:

but I do know I did read it somewhere on the LOR site or forums, or it may have been on the single page "addendum" info that came with the Director.

It would have been someone on the forums saying it. LOR has never said you can run 320k.

Wish/think it all you want. It didn't happen.

[dgander]

I had similar issues. LOR actually came back and said the newer directors should handle 128Kbps and higher with no issues, HOWEVER, must be CBR. When I updated my audacity at the beginning of the season, the software did not keep the settings and the default was changed to "preset Standard, 170-210" which played well sometimes, not all the time. Also, LOR is very specific in saying don't use SanDisk cards so watch out for that. I was using PNY with no issues for a while but like Orville stated, I switched to Kingston, 32GB, Class 10 cards. I brought my home made mp3 files to 128Kbps CBR but haven't recreated the purchased mp3 files. Right now everything is working. LOR thought I had a bad director as well so we swapped that out too. Next year I may record and export at a higher rate to test it but again keeping CBR and Kingston cards. Also make sure the cards are formatted FAT32. 

[Orville]

On 12/19/2022 at 10:36 AM, dgander said:

I had similar issues. LOR actually came back and said the newer directors should handle 128Kbps and higher with no issues, HOWEVER, must be CBR. When I updated my audacity at the beginning of the season, the software did not keep the settings and the default was changed to "preset Standard, 170-210" which played well sometimes, not all the time. Also, LOR is very specific in saying don't use SanDisk cards so watch out for that. I was using PNY with no issues for a while but like Orville stated, I switched to Kingston, 32GB, Class 10 cards. I brought my home made mp3 files to 128Kbps CBR but haven't recreated the purchased mp3 files. Right now everything is working. LOR thought I had a bad director as well so we swapped that out too. Next year I may record and export at a higher rate to test it but again keeping CBR and Kingston cards. Also make sure the cards are formatted FAT32. 

Yes, anything other than FAT32 formatting on an SD card will just have the Director hang up at the Initialization {Init on the display} stage and won't go any further.  I used SanDisk SD Cards in the original DC-MP3 Director and never had issues with them, but the N4-G4 doesn't seem to like them at all.  Even if formatted Fat32, when i tried to test them with my n4-G5, they tended to hang at the Init stage, or, if they managed to make it past the initialization, sequences hung up or got skipped.   Been using Kingston Class 10 32GB cards ever since, never an issue with them, at least not yet, well except for the one that went defective.  But as much as it was written to and formatted, can't expect them to last forever.   I have always used CBR, tried VBR once in my original Director, either it wouldn't play, or if it did, everything was jumbled up, mainly the music and lights were way out of sync, it was a disaster. LOL