Singing trees on starter kit/sequence

[BryanG]

Hey everyone, super basic question but I couldn’t figure out the answer. Last year I got the basic kit with arches, trees, and stakes. This year I’m adding the matrix and the Elden tree. I’ve connected the tree but it’s only lighting up on the outside not the inner face part. Tested all the lights and they activate in test mode. I’m wondering do I need to buy new face sequences? I got the TSO RGB plus sequences as part of the kit last year. 

[Jimehc]

TSO (Non-Singing) usually only uses the Outline and Star - the face is sequenced to on if there is singing..

[dgrant]

• I don't know about your purchased sequence(s). I do know that singing trees/faces require a lot of work to program. Unless you can obtain face sequences already done for you, you have a lot of work ahead to do. Yes, its worth it in my opinion. I have several programmed face sequences from holidaysequences and they do work rather well. I've also manually done a bunch of my own but it is tedious work. So, just in case you might not understand it, they do not work by themselves....you must program or sequence them manually.

[Orville]

As much work as sequencing the mouth movements and other aspects of the face aspect, you won't get much done as you're really starting very late in the season to do very many songs with a singing face prop.

Your best bet, if you can afford it, is to buy ready made face sequences for your tree, but you may still need to do some additional tweaking even with those.  Just depends.

[TheDucks]

LOR Trees come with Pixie2.  Pixie2 has a face Macro mode built in. See P21 of the Pixie manual.

It expects the 2 strings to be connected to the Tree/face specified ports (looking at older V1 artwork, Port 2 starts at the mouth. Port 1 is the edge 

[Orville]

2 hours ago, TheDucks said:

LOR Trees come with Pixie2.  Pixie2 has a face Macro mode built in. See P21 of the Pixie manual.

It expects the 2 strings to be connected to the Tree/face specified ports (looking at older V1 artwork, Port 2 starts at the mouth. Port 1 is the edge 

Odd, when I use a Pixie2 for my singing trees, even though the strings are connected to both ports, port 1 is the only one that gets any sequencing (lighting) commands.  Port 2 has no lighting or sequencing commands on this Port whatsoever. 

As the trees are set in dumb mode and only uses 8 channels for a V1 LOR Singing tree, V2 uses more channels, but I have V1 trees myself.  So I know they're set up fairly identical, just the V2's have more mouth movements.

Edited November 10 by Orville

[TheDucks]

I don't have trees. I just read manuals for grins, so I sorta guessed from the setting using UP 2 ports

Dumb mode? V1 trees??  or are you making a Pixie behave like a CMB24 / 16 (true dumb). 

I find it odd that LOR does not have Tree manuals for download (they used to have the threading patterns, which I snagged a few years back

[Orville]

15 hours ago, TheDucks said:

I don't have trees. I just read manuals for grins, so I sorta guessed from the setting using UP 2 ports

Dumb mode? V1 trees??  or are you making a Pixie behave like a CMB24 / 16 (true dumb). 

I find it odd that LOR does not have Tree manuals for download (they used to have the threading patterns, which I snagged a few years back

All the trees V1 or V2 use DUMB MODE, even though they are smart RGB strings.  If one wants to take the time you can control every single pixel, or use the prop definition in the older HU (4.4.16 Pro), in my case, and it uses 8 dumb channels for outline, topper, eyes open, eyes closed and the 4 mouth movements.

I doubt it's true dumb mode, because as far as I know a CMB24 dumb RGB, or any true dumb RGB controller cannot control the trees as they use the WS2811 chip or one of the smart chips.  So dumb controllers are incompatible.

They can be used with any Pixie 2, 4, 8, or 16, but the ports used for the trees would have to be in Dumb mode.  I have 4 ports on a P16, and a Pixie 4 set up for all 4 ports as dumb for my 2 V1 singing lor trees,Ralphue and Zuzu.  I had thought about adding more, but I just don't have the yard space, I barely have room for the 2 V1 trees as it is.

Note: jrdibble is who helped me set up my trees, as when I first got them, I had every single pixel set up in smart mode, and trying to sequence them in smart mode was a huge pain in the backside.  Programming 8 RGB channels is a whole lot easier and simpler than 200 RGB channels.   Which took me quite a long time to get set up!

Looking back, I should have kept that sequence if I ever wanted full individual control over every pixel.  Didn't even think about that when I deleted it and set up a new sequence with the 8 RGB Channels for my tree template to work from.

Ah well, lesson learned, but I'm not going to bother setting that up again.   Just far too much work.🤣🤣🤣

BTW: I never used any built in macros.   The Pixie 2's just have everything preset and preloaded for whichever tree you bought.

After I moved my 2 trees to my Pixie16, I went into the HU and changed the Pixie 2 Controllers so they are just a basic SMART RGB Light Controller.

And I just got a new Pixie 8 for 2024 and will be moving the trees to the Pixie 8.  I also don't use the default ID's for any of my LOR singing face trees.

Although I'm very doubtful at the moment if I'm going to be doing any shows, at least for the next 4 years.  Won't discuss that here, want to know send me a PM.

Edited November 11 by Orville
Correct a lot of typos.

[TheDucks]

6 hours ago, Orville said:

 I doubt it's true dumb mode, because as far as I know a CMB24 dumb RGB, or any true dumb RGB controller cannot control the trees as they use the WS2811 chip or one of the smart chips.  So dumb controllers are incompatible.

 

They emulate a CMB 24. (a Pixie16 emulates 2 CMB). The strings are smart, but the sequence per Board (quote from V1.07 of the Pixie manual)

Quote

CMB24D/CMB16D Emulation
Checking this box causes a Pixie controller with smart strings to behave like a CMB16D or CMB24D
with dumb strings. The first Unit ID of the Pixie2/4/8 will have 2/4/8 pixels which control the strings. A
Pixie16 will use the first eight pixels of the first and second Unit IDs, so it will look like two CMB16D or
CMB24D controllers. This feature exists because it is becoming impossible to purchase dumb RGB
ribbons/pixels. This allows a Pixie to be a plug-in replacement in your sequences for CMB controllers.