SEQUENCING 101 - Page 2
Okay, so lets talk about sequencing. AGAIN, I cannot reiterate enough how important it is to take your time and pay attention to detail. The more you put into your sequences, the better they will look.
I use Light O Rama so this tutorial will focus on it. I have not used any other controllers or software so I cannot offer any tips as far as features or how they work. This tutorial will not necessarily focus on software features anyway. It is more designed as an overall "how to".
PICKING YOUR SONGS
This in itself is very important. Not every song can or should be sequenced. There is a ton of great music out there, but your selection should be limited to songs that have the right "effects" within it that you can apply fades, ramps, sequential firing or even lyrics in some cases that you can apply effects to.
Maybe I should rephrase that. Perhaps any song can be sequenced, but the ability to make a song synch to music is directly dependent on not only your level of skill, imagination and knowledge of the software but also the amount and type of lights in your display. Another factor to consider is the amount of channels you have to work with.
Keep in mind you don't necessarily need 224 channels to make a nice show, but you do need enough for certain types of effects. For example, if you have a song that has an effect in it where it ramps up quickly for let's say 8 seconds. That is an eternity as it relates to channels. If you have your sequence set up on a 0.05 second grid, you would need 160 channels if you wanted to ramp up a different item for each grid.
Now you may not necessarily have to use 160 different items, but you would want to configure the "ramp up" so that it can be followed with the music.
We will get into the art of using your channels effectively a little later. In regards to picking your songs this is what I always do. "LISTEN" to the song and imagine in your head what you will have come on at different parts of the song. This will more than likely change a little as you sequence, but chances are if you can picture your display to the song in your head, it will work out when you sequence. I will tell you that songs with lyrics are generally harder to work with than just music.