Removing tracks on new sequences from previous sequences

[Texan78]

I have stumbled across something and not sure how I did it. When I go to create a new musical sequence I have tracks from previous sequences that are carrying over to the new sequence I have created.

So is it ok to delete these tracks from the new sequences, and if I do will it effect the original sequence that uses those tracks?

Lastly, how do I prevent this from happening again when creating tracks?

[DanCampbell]

I discovered that feature, too! The channel configuration saved from a previous sequence also contains any additional tracks (without the timings and sequence) that was in that sequence.

Maybe there's an easier way to "clean up" the channel configuration, but what I did was:

1. open a new sequence
2. import the channel configuration
3. use the far right scroll bar to go to the track to be removed
   
4. right click in the track's heading
5. select "Delete Track" from the menu
6. confirm you want to delete it
7. export the modified channel configuration
8. use the updated config in new sequences
   

For an existing sequence, I just removed the unwanted track per steps 3 - 6. The sequence that was in the removed track was still visible in the remaining track.

Hope this helps.

[Texan78]

Ok so I investigated this some more based on the last post and it appears if you delete the tracks in the new sequence it doesn't affect the sequence in which the tracks came from following the steps above.

As was mentioned it looks like I imported the channel configuration and the tracks with it. So what I am curious about is if I add more channels to a sequence then export the channels again is it going to export the tracks with it and carry over to a new sequence? If I add more channels in one sequence then export then open it in another sequence are the tracks for that sequence going to get deleted? Is this suppose to do this? I would think if you export or import channels it should just be for the channels and not for the tracks too.

BTW this I was using 2.0.16 when I noticed this, but it is still doing this after the upgrade to 2.1.2

[cmoore60]

An export will not effect the sequence it came from if you delete items from the import once you inport in a new sequence. The sequences are independent items. I know of no way that one sequence can effect another without the USER doing so.

Well came back to modify. There is one way that I thought of, and I have not heard of anyone using it yet. That is if you use a sequence within your sequence. Kind of like a child sequence in the parent sequence. An example. You have a sequence that has nothing but your mega tree spinning in red. Then you use that sequence in your musical sequence. Yes you can do that, define a channel to be a LOR sequence.Then you back and modify the mega tree spin in red to spin the other direction.....the musical sequence will then spin the opposite direction. But still that is user intervention.

Is that what your asking?

Chuck

[Texan78]

No that is not what I am asking, I think you have misunderstanding. Dan was right on in his post and was correct. Question is why does this do this?

To understand what I am talking about go do this little test. Open an existing sequence you know has tracks in it. Then add some test channels to the bottom of that sequence, save it, export it. Then go and start a new musical sequence and import your channel configurations. You will find that the tracks from the previous sequence in which you added the new channels exported with the configuration.

So why is tracks being exported with the channel configuration if you add on channels to a sequence with tracks?

[bob]

Open an existing sequence you know has tracks in it.

All sequences have at least one track. If a sequence only has one track, the "track bar" is hidden, so it may not seem like there's a track, but there is. And the channels are in that track. There is no such thing as a channel outside of a track.

Exporting channel configuration will save any channels in the sequence, no matter what track they're in, and will also save which track or tracks they belong to. There is nothing special about the channels in the first track, with respect to this.

And if you import channel configuration to a sequence that doesn't have as many channels as are in the config file, those channels will be automatically added to the sequence. Similarly with if the sequence doesn't have enough tracks to hold those channels.

On a side note, please be careful when importing to sequences that contain more than one track. Unless you're sure of what you're doing, it may have unexpected results. Please see the following page in the help file for details:

"The Light-O-Rama Software Package" / "Sequence Editor" / "The Menu Bar" / "The Edit Menu"

In that page, look for the subsection "Export and Import Channel Configuration", and then for "Important note".

[Texan78]

bob wrote:

Open an existing sequence you know has tracks in it.

All sequences have at least one track. If a sequence only has one track, the "track bar" is hidden, so it may not seem like there's a track, but there is. And the channels are in that track. There is no such thing as a channel outside of a track.

This is true, I guess I should have been more clearer instead of using the plural version of track, meaning more then one. I should I have said open a sequence you know has more then one track in it I.E. 2,3,4 or more etc....

To make it simple because I think I am confusing people. What is happening is if you add new channels. I.E let's say you got a new 16 channel controller and you add those channels in your Sequence Editor by right clicking on the last channel and selecting add multiple channels below, or even just one channel. Ok if you add these channels on inside of a sequence that has more then one track lets say 4 tracks, then export the new channels configurations so the new channels will be carried over to your new sequences when you go to sequence them. Then it is ALSO carrying over the tracks too from that sequence you exported them from.

So with that said above, if I was to start a new musical sequence and selected import channel configuration. The tracks that were associated with the other song will also be imported to the new sequence. I can delete the carried over tracks in the new sequences thanks to Dans post above with no ill effects. But are tracks suppose to be exported with channels configurations if you add on channels then export those channels from within a sequence?

[bob]

But are tracks suppose to be exported with channels configurations if you add on channels then export those channels from within a sequence?

Whenever you export, you export all tracks, and all channels in those tracks.

If you "add on channels" and then export, you're not exporting those channels, you're exporting all channels. In all tracks. And the tracks they're in.

[Texan78]

Yea that is fine, I know when you export the channels after you add on it exports all the channels instead of just the new ones.

So is there a way to the export channels without it exporting the tracks with it?

[bob]

So is there a way to the export channels without it exporting the tracks with it?

No, there's not. Any time that you export, you export all channels, and all tracks.

[Texan78]

Exporting all channels is not a problem for me, that is fine. For me that is fine so I know all the channels are getting exported together.

Has anyone else ran into this and found it annoying?

I guess the only way around this if you want to add channels is add them while in a animation sequence then export them so no tracks are exported with it to new sequences?

[DanCampbell]

I wonder if something like a "master" channel configuration that you maintain separately from sequences, and link (not import) into sequences might make additions and changes to the physical display layout easier/more goof proof.

Yeah, I know there's a thousand details and gotcha's that I'm not seeing. Just daydreaming. At midnight.