sequence question

[gail bell]

hello everyone , i started about a month ago sequencing some songs, i got 6 done so far for a 16 channel,but i'm adding 2 arches and maybe a mega tree, so should i go ahead and sequence them in as i go or wait till i get the rest of my controllers?, and how many songs does everyone have in a show on average?, i was thinking 15 or so , but thats just me , hoping to get more controls soon , but wife is , going geshhh thats alot of money ,lol, but she knows how i am , when i start something , i go for it lol, a friend came over the other day when i was sequenceing and said man you have to much time on your hands , lol, but i'm from a very small town , and no one has ever heard of this , they think i'm nuts lol, i don't care , i love working with christmas lights , but everyone loved my display last year , and hope to be better this year, thanks , gail

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[Michael B]

Gail, I had 9 songs last year, but usually only used 7 songs on any given night. I had different shows set up so certain songs played on different nights. I had a main core of 5 songs that play every night and the other four were rotated. Also, I have found it good to have a short show in-case traffic gets backed up so people will move along faster and my neighbors will stay happy.

Yes, I would sequence now and not wait on the controllers. Make sure you plan out were everything is going to go. Buy extension cords, you'll be shocked how many it takes.

Have fun and enjoy!

[gail bell]

thanks, yeah , i think i might have about a mile of cords now ,lol but know i'll need more, i'm not quite sure how to sequence arches yet , been doing this about a month now , i got the bug ,lol, does anyone have a sample to show me how to sequnce aches , thanks for all your help , gail

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[Ponddude]

Hi Gail...

I would go ahead and sequence everything now. It will save you a lot of time in the long run. You don't need the controllers to sequence, so why wait?

I use about 12 songs a year. It spreads out the show and I think helps people see a different song if they come on different nights. I also use about 6 to 8 of the same songs each year. I just add the addition channels I am using to the sequence. It cuts down on the sequencing time, plus I get to keep the songs people really enjoyed the years before.

[gail bell]

ok, thanks

[zman]

Gail,

Welcome to our insanity.

One thing to note. A lot of us shorten songs. You can use freeware such as Audacity to go from a 3:30- 4:00 length and easily cut it to 2:30-3:00. That helps with programming and show length. People tend to get bored with long repetitive verses.

I agree with the other responses. Having different shows on different nights is something I am going to do this year. My show has grown to 30 minutes now with announcements and songs. One thought is to have one set a night that plays all songs, or on just one night a week run the first and last set as a complete line up. You have a lot of flexibility to be creative.

You can't plan enough, you can't have enough cords.

[lightzilla]

Last year I was an AL controller user and I bought 6 stock shows from AL to begin with and they gave me another 8 stock shows for buying their stuff....so I had 14 stock sequences.....I wanted stock sequences on SD cards for when I wasn't home.

So if my family and I left the house for the evening I would push in the SD card and let the show run on its own while we went driving to view other peoples display, or when we went shopping.

I also did 16 of my own sequences (I had 48 channels to start with)....it was a good starting point for me. I used "live sequencing".....in other words I touched up my 16 sequences in late summer in the back yard and again 1 hour before the show began and 1 hour after the show ended during the 1st week of December. Well I touched up 8 sequences and 8 sequences looked good the way they were.

There were two sequences that if I played them I could clear the streets.....(it also happen to a fellow in BC I know).......I may have 4 or 5 cars out front but as soon as
"Christmas with a Capital C" played....the cars would leave, but as soon as that song ended (I guess they heard the song end via FM transmitter) they would come back.....the same goes for the sequence "Wisemen still seek Him"....cars would leave but come back when the song ended.

Well I do sequences for them for my LOR controllers?..... you bet ya I will......the gospel are in those songs.

Here in Canada in this small Village where I live it was a good thing I had also those sequences, plus about 20 shared sequences that I spent time making fit my display......people got bored fast......I had controller problems and lost the 16 sequences I did, even my 14 stock shows stop playing right....all I had left were those 20 shared sequences.....I did not have a show for two days Dec.22nd, & 23rd.

This small town has seniors, many young folks, young families with children ,and baby boomer's.....they were a hard crowd to please.

[sjmiller]

lightzilla - Your last post has me a bit confused, you put up a christmas light display - but when you play religious christmas songs people leave - how sick is that?

To be perfectly honest - I am building my christmas light display so I like it and don't really care if anyone shows up to view it. This effort is first and foremost for me to like the quality of what I do - it is my nickel that funded the effort. If I am the only person that ever stands out front of my house and admires the work - I'm good with that!

Steve

[gail bell]

?

[JimCanfield]

Here Here!!!!!

[gail bell]

way to go, i agree

[LENNY RUEL]

I agree. I don't care IF my Neighbors like the lights or not. First and foremost they are for myself, my wife and most recently our little girl. Family and friends then follow in. If we draw a crowd so be it, I'll start to take donations for something. I have always done a fairly large static display of between 15 and 25 thousand lights that has drawn traffic as far as bus tours, limo tours etc. Last year was the first with LOR and a start of 16 channels. This year I've gone to 64 and will have 25 songs sequenced. Don't know where it will go from here as my wife prefers static, but admits some of the sequencing she has seen on the computer looks neat and is ancious to see it.

Most of the neighbors over the years have had nothing but positive comments, including going animated last year. I had a mix of 15,000 Static and 8,000 animated and that will jump to 30,000 animated this year, keeping the 15,000 static. One neighbor and probably the one who will make a stink about things if anyone does is the guy across the street. He always has sarcastic comments about something and has asked why I don't just leave the lights up year round on numerous occasions, LOL.

The good thing is he is a foundry worker who goes in at 5am so he only works until 2pm. Comes home, drinks his 6 pack, has supper, drinks another 6 and goes to bed early to sleep it off. So other than the weekend once he is in the house from work you never see him.

But, I do see my neighbor a couple of houses down going animated once he can loose some of the 24 inflatables in his all too small front yard. He prefers lights but his little guy likes the inflatables for now. But he has commented on how neat it is and the possiblities it allows, and has brought up looking at Rich Holdman's website. So he is checking it out a little more intently than the casual observer. Others have commented on how they think he is trying to compete with me. So, I guess to keep up he would have to follow suit.:cool:

Lenny

[cmoore60]

Nothing wrong with friendly competition. Others could think it is competition but you can both actually share ideas and help each other.....just makes it better for both.

Heck...both could do songs and get both houses linked together if possible.

Go for it.!

I agree. My display is for me and my family first.

Chuck

[lightzilla]

Anyhow it is true people left during those two songs, but I will once again use those two sequences but I will be using Lor and not AL any longer.

A large part of the USA is in the bible belt, but that is not the case in this neck of the woods.

There is a lot of tree hugging politically correct type people in Canada.

I would like to say I do it for my family but that is not the case now, when my boys got to be around 15 years of age they lost all interest. I think they would rather see me stop all together......you can tell by the response I get when I ask to help.

My wife is o k with it, and likes it....... but truthfully my motivation comes from the viewers now. So basically I do it for the neighbours. Think about it if you all stop decorating your neighbours might all die of shock.....same goes for me here.

[sjmiller]

Hey All,

Thanks for the vote of concurrence, I like my Chrstmas display. Since we moved into this house I've had the biggest display in the neighborhood - and I think that it shamed others to at least put up some outside Christmas decorations.

My 2009 display will be a quantum leap. 2007 was a 7,000 light static display, 2008 was 4,500 light animated display (unplugged lights until fuses stopped blowing on a 6 channel controller). This year I have 144 channel capacity (using 96 so far) and will have 24,000+ lights.

Will I like it - you bet. I've listened to each song probably 1,000 times while doing the sequencing. Is it perfect - no, every time I watch /listen to a sequence I find "something" to fix. We are our own worse critics (yo Jeff).

I'm counting the days until I can start rolling the lights out and watch them dance.

Steve

[lightzilla]

sjmiller wrote:

Hey All,
Since we moved into this house I've had the biggest display in the neighborhood - and I think that it shamed others to at least put up some outside Christmas decorations.

When the Village in which I live had contests people decorated but when the contests stop in 2003 people stopped decorating except me.

I won the contest back to back years in 2001 & 2002........and I think people got mad because the same people won each year.

Nonetheless I still decorate and people still come to my display since the contest ended and people saw my faithfulness in decorating year after year and that motivated them to get back in the saddle and start decorating again.

I take my hat off to all who put up 1 strand of lights when it comes from the heart.


Anyhow I plan on about 20 sequences, some of which I imported from when I was an AL user. Someone is suppose to do a few sequences for me.......but they need time.

I am almost done "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Jars of Clay. I did how ever re-work some sequences into my display and they look good.

I well let you all know in late August or early Sept. if there good when I try them live. It should be dark by 8:30 pm then.