Making others sequences work for your yard (a little long question)

[TJ Hvasta]

Hi all,

First, thank you to all those who make your sequences available for us noobs to be able to join the ranks of those of you that made our jaws drop when we first saw LOR in action! Thank you, thank you!

For those free sequences out there, is there a "best way" to modify the layouts (yours or mine) to make sequences look the best? What I mean is, what's the best way to make the most of a sequence based on the lights on my house / yard layout?? Without seeing a video of what the original yard looked like to pattern mine after it, and understanding its all a matter of personal preference, would I unplug/replug my lines in to sorta match what the sequence was set up like?

An example, I have one shared sequence, Dave Foster's Carol Of The Bells, that Ch 1 was the entire house roof line.. My roof line is Ch. 1-4 making up the entire roof so when Carol Of the Bells blinks ch. 1 but not 2-4 to outline the rest of the roof, it looks like I forgot those areas. Seems most of the sequences are like that, just a diffferent layout is all.. Sometimes noticable, sometimes not... but I notice

I havent tried it yet but was considering changing my ch 2-4 to make them all in Ch 1 (entire roof) and moving my lines around to sorta match the majority of the sequences I have.. For most of the songs, the result of whats plugged in where is pretty good..

A really good example is my MegaTree (my very first).. It's Ch 1-8 on my 2nd unit but most of the songs beat just 1 or 2 channels to most of the songs and only seems to light, or spin the whole tree when theres a reeeeeally high point in a song.. I feel I should look thru the majority of the sequences and find where everyone put their MTs on and make that my MT channels so it would light/spin as originially designed..

Any thots? Anyone other noobs have trouble making theirs lights light like (say that 10 times fast) they're designed?

Again, thank you to those that have shared your talents with us!

TJ

[shfr26]

You could copy channel 1 to 2,3,4 and they all would light, depending how many lights, can you combine a couple of the roof lights so they do not use 4 channels? No sense using too many channels for one area. You can also just move channels around to fit your layout. I believe you can just reassign the channel a new name. IE unit 1-1 roof in your layout. In the seq you have unit 4 -15 mini lights, if you like what the minis are doing rename that controller to unit 1-1 roof and it will change. Hope that make sense to you.

[TJ Hvasta]

Hmm, do you mean, change the channel number (label) from Unit 1, Ch 2, to Unit 1 Ch 1(and so on for 3 & 4), even tho the rope lights(roof line) are plugged into lines 2, 3 and 4? Or just gang-connect those 4 lines into just the one channel, freeing up ch's 2, 3 & 4? If I copy ch. 1, to ch's 2, 3 & 4, then I'm not sure what to do with the events that are in 2, 3 & 4, as they don't seem to follow Ch1 directly in some of the sequences.. I know it's hard to picture it, without video, either of what the original sequence looked like, or how it's not blinking right on mine.. :?

The MegaTree is the best example of how most of the free sequences dont really align with the tree channels it's Unit 2, ch's 1-8. Those I'm working on, (yeah, right, like I can get any made up for this season!) have my yard layout tho..

'hope I'm not in the wrong forum for this, just hoped it related to making shared sequences work right

For the most part, the public might notice.. "Hey, only one part of your roof is blinking to that.." or "2 of your 8 trees are blinking" (my wife does!) but the rest kinda-sorta works.. For my very first year with LOR, it's good, just would like to figure a way to "convert" your yard, to my yard so it "flows" better

[shfr26]

Kinda sorta. You can copy one channel to another to make more lights come on at once. Like your example, channel 1 does this. Do you want channel 2,3,4 to do this or do something else? If yes just copy 1 to 2,3,4. And yes, to free up channels can you connect 1,2,3,4 or any combo of those? And no on the channels. You can only have one of each, unit 1 channel 1 but if the seq you have has a unit 55 channel 32 and you like what it does and want to make for roof do that and your roof is unit 1 channel 15, change unit 55 channel 32 to unit 1 channel 1 in the unit ID number in your seq. Open your seq, left mouse click any channel that you have it will give this info, and then just change the unit and channel number to what you have . Sorry if that doesn't make sense, but I sometimes don't explain myself so others understand, but for some reason, I make sense to me:D

[lightzilla]

This is only my second year and I do my display setup differently than the average person.

I for example do not make the house flash to the music but just the yard. I kept the house static do to a small survey I did and it was like 7 out of 12 people preferred static over a animation display, but there was still 5 who like the animation.

So I compromised.....and it seems to be working out just fine.

I live in a farming community and we are a good 1 hour drive from the west side of the City Of Edmonton, and 1.5 hours from the south side of the city. So this high tech stuffs means little to most folks out here where I live.

So I slowly break the folks in. The show is no big traffic stopper, but for a village of 800 people I do O K.

Anyhow back to the issue at hand.
A mega tree is not used just for fast spinning, actually someone made a list of the various effect that you can use with a mega.

http://www.landolights.com

Go to and click the "DIY comer" link, then click "Mega and Pole trees link", now click on "Animating your Mega Tree link" Please note some folks get up set and that is why I did not post a direct link.

So now you can see what you can do with a mega tree.

What is your email addy? Could you pm it do me or better yet email it to me.

I can explain in an email how I go about it, otherwise my post would be very long.

[basis21b]

Is there any particular reason you cannot adapt the free sequences to your display using the sequence editor?

[shfr26]

I do believe that is what he meant. Getting a sequence and make it fit your display. Just changing things to adapt to to your wants and needs.

[Randy]

I've posted this info before, but it seemed appropriate to answer the question.....

The way I adapt sequences to my display is as follows. Open up the "borrowed" sequence, and then do a "Save as" to a new file name so you can edit it.

Right click on the channel description at the top, and insert the number of blank channels at the top that equates to your display, then import your configuration which will fill in the channel names and assignments in your newly added blank at the top. If you haven't saved your configuration yet from one of your working sequences, that is a must. Use the edit pulldown menu and then Export/Import choice to export your configuration.

Okay, so after importing your config into the blank channels at the top, then start copying and pasting different rows (channels and effects) from the original sequence (at the bottom of the file) up to the blank channels at the top, matching your display elements (arches to arches, bushes to bushes, etc). Use the keyboard shortcuts to do this and it will go really fast. When you get the channels at the top (your display configuration) programmed and sequenced to where you want them to be, perhaps adding some of your own programming as well, then delete the channels below from the "borrowed" display. This is easiest to do from the Channel Properties Grid page (Tools pulldown).

Once you do those steps, you'll be left with your display configuration of channels at the top of the sequence that should be properly configured, and properly programmed. The borrowed sequence channels should be deleted from the bottom of the file. That's it, save and exit....

Once you do this a time or two, it will become second nature...

Randy

[TJ Hvasta]

Right Pete.. thats what I meant, just trying to think of a way to make the shared sequences fit my yard the best until I can roll my own..

Example.. some of the shared sequences have channel labels, LaundryRoomWindow, KidsPlayroomWindow, FrontDoor, SnowAngel, BigStar, LeftTree, RightDrivewayBorder, etc.. based on their house/yards, I'm trying to figure out how, can/should I use that particular channel(item) for my.. GarageDoorLeft, or HouseUpperRoofLeft, GarageLowerEveIcicles..

I looked thru each of the shared sequences I have downloaded (thank you again), and wrote down their channel assignments with their labels in place, and no video to see where on their house/yard those items are (except for a few). I think if I study each channel individually as they play in the Sequence Editor, I might be able to plot which channels I can assign to my items.. I think thats really what I'm getting to.. The Visualizer would help immensely determine your Channel 6 would translate to my Channel 11, your 4 would be my channel 15, etc.. I guess I'm just wondering how others make shared work for them.. do they really change them around a lot.. not really step by step how to do it, but more, DO they change them around (cut/copy/paste)..


Randy, thank you for that, I was trying to decide if that was possible.. I know some of these borrowed dont allow any copying from them(encrypted), so thats one of the trip-ups I'm facing, but those that do, I guess I can use the original labels to figure where to paste..

I've got the rest of the day here in the hotel to play with this and see if I can move the rows around to make it look like mine.

Thanks to all!

TJ

[basis21b]

I believe I understand now. Your intent is to adapt your present display to the sequences until you are able to edit/create your own. You might very well be able to accomplish it but I suggest that you pay attention to the numbers of lights to plug into any particular channel. (Not as much of an issue if you are using LEDs)

As Randy said, I suggest that you create your own version of the downloaded sequence and work with it.

I feel that one of the most valuable things in a sequence is the event timings. As an example, the original author might have decided to have lights flash/blink to a certain action but maybe you find that is too blinky and prefer to light different elements and have them fade away instead. The important information is when the events should happen not what should happen. Having said that, pay attention to what the original author has done. Seeing how other people choose to represent the music can give you ideas that you can use in other songs later.

[shfr26]

"looked thru each of the shared sequences I have downloaded (thank you again), and wrote down their channel assignments with their labels in place, and no video to see where on their house/yard those items are (except for a few)."

Have you used the "view animation" button? It will give you a good idea on how it looks, if you have it in the sequences. You can also build your own to look like your display. I think it helps a bunch.

[lightzilla]

I think I sent you a sequence or 2 but I do not remember. If I did look at my sequence and compare it to this fellow's sequence Light - o - Rama Sequences and you can see how I made the sequence work for my display.

You can see what changes I made since my set up is different and more compacted.

If the sequence I sent is not on his list then I can send you one that is and then you can see what I did.

Of course I had longer songs and so I had to add more to the sequence.

Anyhow I was shocked to actually find another sequencer that sequences very close to how I sequence.

He actually goes controller 1, then two, then 3 extra, and his channels go in order too just the way I do it.

[Ed Slonka Jr]

I agree with Randy and do it the same way. Just add one more thing to his post is to clear all the channels below yours so there is no conflict. Now you really do not need to wipe them all out if you do not want to but at least go into the channel property tool and set all the channels that are not in your display to no device so there is not a conflict with any other channel or controller.

[lightzilla]

I agree that Randy's way is the way to go but to actually see the changes between the two sequence is a good learning tool.

I do just like Randy says or I can at time actually just add my channel configuration to the sequence and in just a couple hours I have a sequence.

Once you get the hang of it it become easier.

When it comes to actually making my own sequences I do it with songs or sequences I have not seen before, or that just do not work for me.

I like Heat Miser and snow miser and so I made my own sequences as the shared ones were to hard to adopt into my display. Sometimes it is hard to take a 32 channel sequence and turn it into a 176 channel sequence.....in this case you are better off making your own.