Christmas Lights Synchronized to Music
If you came by and caught some nice photos or a video you would like to share, contact us via the Contact Us page, or link to it (them) on the Visitor Comments page. It’s always fun to see what others liked about the show 🙂
After tomorrow, it looks like we aren’t going get above freezing for a week or so. As I see it, that gives everyone a couple options:
-Come out and see the lights tonight while it is still warm. Tune into 101.7, and watch the lights from the comfort of your car, windows up or windows down.
-Come out and see the lights during the cold snap. All you have to do is tune the radio to 101.7 FM and keep the heater blasting. No getting out or walking around needed 🙂
We are collecting for KCRM through the season, so if you come by, please consider dropping some funds in the box. Doesn’t need to be much. With the connections they have, they can provide a meal for a little over $2, so you can see where even a small gift would help.
Cold weather PSA-
-Check your car over: fluids, tires, battery, cold weather kit with gloves, hat, blanket. If you are going to be out of the city, then possibly some easily stored food and water.
-Replace your furnace filter and test your CO detector
-Use caution with space heaters
-Pets, indoors or heated living area
Common sense goes a long way when dealing with cold temps. Be safe, have fun!
KCRM has published their 2013 Holiday newsletter. There is a blurb about our display on the bottom of page 2. Pretty neat:
Page 3 includes current lists of needs at both the men’s and women’s centers, so if you feel inclined to help out, that is a good way to start. If you prefer cash donations, you can visit the ‘Donations’ page here, and there are links to give directly to KCRM. I also have a collection box here, of which 100% of the funds collected go to KCRM.
My friends Drew and Dianne with Covenant Packaging in Olathe also have a mention on page 4. Happy to be featured in the same newsletter with them!
Thanks for all your work, Julie!
At the least there was a lot of rushing 🙂 A big thank you to my dad, who helped through crunch time getting everything up and going. We managed to get the show together and kick it off Thanksgiving night, only about 5 minutes later than planned. After a few tweaks outside on Friday, we decorated the house and hosted the annual friends and family open house The house turned out great inside and out, and the open house was fun. We had a little smaller crowd this year, but still we had people in and out for about 4 hours. We went through a bunch of snacks, and are still eating the extras today.
All in all, a good few days.
I’ve been spending a lot of time on the display the last couple of weeks, and have been neglecting to post any updates. We have made a good amount of progress. The main display area is all set up, and will be wired and tested this coming weekend. The roofline and snowflakes are up. The second big tree is going together (again) after some wind damage. I have a few other small tweaks that I need to do after those 45mph gusts over the weekend. Those include re-laying the spiral strands on the main tree and on the giant candy cane. I haven’t had the issues that my friend Tim has, though, and for that I am grateful. I have added about 10k lights to the display, and I look forward to seeing it all in action. I have some more sequencing to do, but that will happen once the display is physically in place.
I’m not panicked yet, but will be busy for the next couple weeks. Goodness 🙂
I have been spending a lot of time on the display prep, and consequently, the frequency of my posts has suffered. I did take some time over the last couple days and I managed to clear up a couple conflicts and get my calendar plug-in up and running. I have added some dates that I know will not change, and will continue adding events during the season. I hope you enjoy it, as I added commentary to most of the entries:
Most people are familiar with earworms- that song, or chunk of a song, that gets stuck in your head, looping relentlessly until you have to go find something else to listen to. Of course, if it works, you then have a new earworm… but I digress…
Sequencing songs for our light show is akin to introducing your own earworms intentionally, and then helping them burrow deeply, to the point where they can not be dislodged by natural means. For example, I worked on one sequence from late last week through Saturday, logging about 12-13 hours of clock time on it over a few days. Try to imagine how intimately you could get to know a two-minute song after hearing pieces of it over and over, at regular speed, three-quarter speed, half speed, and then watching the whole thing on preview and starting over again with new edits, for over 12 hours. That is my current situation. I finished that song Saturday evening, played a worship set (twice) on Sunday, then worked on several more sequences from last year, updating them to this year’s layout. Even after all that music went through my head, a good portion of which I had to really pay attention to, the first song is the one that pops into my head when I least expect it… It will go away eventually, I hope 🙂
New progress:
-I have 15 sequences ready to run
-I completed the stars that I showed in the write-up a few days ago, though you will have to come by to see them 🙂
-I have been directly helping a couple other people with the electronics for their respective shows, and once I have the person I am currently working with up and going, I will be on to my show only for the rest of the season
-I expect delivery of the final enclosures for my electronics this week, so I can button them up
I still have a good amount of work to do, but I’m not panicked, yet.
One of the things I am asked about regularly is where I found my props for the display. Most of the items in our display are hand built. I do this for two main reasons: you won’t see 30 of them in other yards on the way home, and it’s generally cheaper. I am adding a couple items this year that have stars on them, and decided to take a whack at bending them up myself. I used 3/4 grey pvc conduit in full 10′ lengths, a heat gun and several clamping devices. I drew a 36° angle on the table for reference and went for it. Follow along:
On the next one I made, I flattened the mounting area first, which was much more effective, so should you decide to duplicate the effort, do it that way 🙂 Now I just need to throw some lights at it and it will be ready for some blinky-flashy fun.
Other progress notes:
-I have finally stopped modifying the profile for the show, and have started sequencing in earnest. I have eight or nine sequences ready, and am plugging away at more.
-Window frames are wrapped and ready for install
-Wireless units are all programmed and tested
I haven’t hit the panic point yet, but time is definitely getting short. Only a couple of weeks before stuff starts migrating to the yard.
Those big round numbers make good measuring marks… Yesterday this site had it’s 9000th view. I remember being excited about the first 100 or so 🙂
As the date draws nearer for the show kickoff, we will look to spread the word and get as many views as possible.
More progress notes:
-Window frames built and lights mounted
-Cutouts are now cut out. Working on a lighting method
-Working on modifications to the border lighting
So far so good. It’s getting close 🙂
I might actually get this stuff done in time 🙂 I made a lot of progress over the last few days:
-Finished wiring up 16 SSRs. Now they just need to be stuffed into enclosures.
-Cut and ended wiring for the last two unmounted controllers. I will assemble these as soon as they enclosures arrive.
-Revised and completed changes to the strobe controllers I built for this year, allowing for more stable operation and less heat while operating.
-Assembled PVC window frames, which are now ready to have lights attached.
On a side note, I got to meet Paul at Creative Displays, Inc, who has been a fixture in the professional Christmas lighting scene for years. If you need lights, supplies, or even a custom-designed package for location, look him up: http://www.creativedisplays.com/ or on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creative-Displays-Inc/115372248878
Don’t forget that you can click the ‘follow’ tab in the lower right corner of your screen and you will be notified of any updates we post here 🙂
Well, I have approximately five weeks before I start putting stuff out in the yard. From past experience, I can say that it will fly by, and there will suddenly be the need for late nights, early mornings, playing hooky from work, and probably other means of making up time to get it all together. I have been making progress, however, and hope to keep the last minute heroics to a minimum this year 🙂
Recent progress includes:
-Getting three of my new controllers situated into enclosures and wired up for use. Here is one of them:
-I have done the rough drawings of some cutouts that I plan to use in the front yard. They will just need some touch-ups and they will be ready to go. Without giving away too much, here is a sample of one:
-I have also laid out measurements for some window frames that I need to build, as well as a couple other new display items.
Here’s to a productive October 🙂
After another round of testing, I have all of the new electronics for this show functional. These include three new SS24, the two new RP32, and also repaired SS8 and SS16 controllers that were swapped out during last year’s show. That is about 160 channels worth 🙂 Now I need to spend a little time getting them mounted into enclosures and permanently wired up. I have enough donor extension cords from the display I bought out to build these out nicely. I’ll end up cutting up almost 80 cords to wire up three of the controllers, and another 60 or so for the new SSR’s. Hopefully I can knock that all out this weekend, as well as getting some window frames built. Then it is on to some serious sequencing.
Soldering iron, that is. I completed two new low-voltage controllers last night:
2 MiniRen8xBLSD and SO Board
These are going to used for the new strobes that I am building. We’ll see if we can add some more sparkle to the display 🙂
I think these are the last of the controller additions that I needed for this season. I still need to finish up adding pigtails to about 20 of the DirkCheaps SSRs, but that will go quickly. From there, I need to build some new display items, touch up a couple old ones, and the sequence, sequence, sequence.
More concrete progress on the show:
-I have completed two 32 channel controllers and have them ready to go. Here is the first one, shown while programming the onboard microprocessor:
Here is a shot of the second one, set up with a snap-in board for wireless operation:
-I have come up with a bunch of strobes that I need to assemble, but they will add some more twinkle to the show.
-I am making progress on the sequencing, albeit slowly. If I would quit adding things to the profile, I wouldn’t have to keep going back and changing the sequences 🙂
-Julie at KCRM was supplied info and photos to work with for their Christmas Newsletter, so that is a go.
I was contacted yesterday by Julie @ KCRM. They are going to include a write-up about our display in their Christmas Season newsletter this year. I think that is pretty awesome. The more publicity we can garner, the more support we can provide to them. Its a win-win.
If you have media outlets at your disposal (large or small) and could help promote the display, please contact me. As we get closer to kick-off, I would love to be able to put together some momentum and get the traffic numbers up this year. Thank You in advance.
…and got a heck of a deal in the process. I stumbled across a Craigslist ad in a town a couple of hours away in which an entire display was listed for sale. I talked with the owner and he was in the process of moving, a little burned out, and ready to start over in a few years at a new house. I asked him approximately how much space I would need, and rented a trailer to go get them. Long and short, I bought this display:
Now I need to go through all the boxes, figure out what I can and can not use, pass along the ‘can not use’ items to others, and get on with growing our show. Thanks again, Tom and Family for the killer deal and the help loading it all up.
I have had several people ask me about what the sequencing software looks like, how I lay everything out, etc. I took a quick screen capture of one of my short bits in the sequencing window, scrolling through the channel list, and then playing it in the preview window that I made. I will give you a brief look at the intricacies involved behind the scenes 🙂
test 2 from bruce williams on Vimeo.
The KCRM has published their Winter 2013 newsletter:
Nice to see that the Women’s Center has progressed so well (see page 4). Looking forward to collecting for them again this season. Be sure remember that the links on our Donations Page are functional year-round.
If you are on facebook , you can also like and follow them there: KCRM
B
…at least as far a the display is concerned 🙂 I finished the Profile file last night. This file is where the entire layout is assigned channel numbers and grouped to begin sequencing. This is a big step, because now my actual sequences can be made. Several of last year’s sequences will be revised to be used with the new additions to the display, and I have many new ones to make. It will definitely eat up some clock. If all goes according to plan, I will have at least 13 new sequences this year, most of which are music, the rest being pop-culture bits. If I complete them, it will allow me to do different shows on different nights, which is the plan at this point. I am still combing through more music, looking for fun songs to add.
I am adding two new controllers this year as well. These are a new controller, called the Renard Plus 32. They are a little simpler than some of the controllers I already have in use, but just as versatile. The RP32 will drive more SSRs, and I already know where they will be used.
It is only July, but I am already getting amped up for the show. It should be a good one 🙂
I am making small, but sure, strides forward in preparation for this year’s display.
As of tonight, I *think* I have all the audio picked out, with a total of 28 tracks for this year, including both new music and pop culture bits. The show playlists will vary this year, rather than being the same night after night. I plan to have a ‘standard’ playlist, as well as at least two more sets for other ‘special’ nights.
Now I will get my ‘profile’ built for my sequencing software. This file includes all of the display elements, as well as their channel assignments. I will need to have my full display, including new items, all basically figured out to put it together. Once this is complete, I can transfer last year’s sequences over into the new layout, edit them, and then start into the new music. I have several instrumental songs to add this year, which seem to eat up a lot of clock for me. I also have an acapella song to work on this year that should make for a fun sequence.
Onward and upward 🙂
Some more progress is being made:
-If you poke around the site, you will see a new calendar being implemented for show information. You will also notice some new logos and links as I freshen some areas of the site.
-I have purchased new ‘tune-to’ banners with the website info on them rather than the show dates, which will hopefully not only boost my site traffic, but also make them reusable year to year.
-I have purchased new ‘donation’ banners, as well, and will try to make the donation box a more prominent part of the display. Hopefully this will raise the donation amounts. While on this topic, I received a nice note in the mail from the head of KCRM, thanking us for the donation from last year’s lights. The staff there is going to help promote us on their FB and Twitter feeds.
-If you have been by the house, you have likely seen me outside with a tape measure and notebook, deciding where and how to add more lights. The house itself looked a little thin last year, so I plan to add some more accents to it. No Griswald house or anything, but more than last year 🙂
-I have been working on music selections, and hope to have time to sequence all the songs that I would like to add.
Not a lot, but progress nevertheless.
B
It’s been pretty quiet, as far as our show goes. I have done a few things:
-I managed to build another Ren SS24 last weekend, which was the last unbuilt controller I had from last year’s group buys.
-I picked at my backup FM transmitter and the RDS board I bought to integrate into it. I am still debating as to whether this will be worth the effort or not. Do I want people watching their radio, or watching the lights? What percentage of people actually have RDS-capable radios? At the moment, it is on the back burner.
-I purchased a few more Ren-W snap-in boards, which will allow wireless operation of some of my controllers. I will be working to reduce the mess of cabling I had in the yard last year.
-I have been working on ideas for new display items, and expanding out into the front yard, rather than just the side yard. I have a specific series of cutouts in mind, as well as some more animated lights. People will need to come around the corner to see the balance of the display.
-I am planning a pixel based message board to allow for scrolling messages, song titles, artists, etc. Whether I get there or not for this year, we will see.
-There will be some new music this year. I am not going to give any of it away yet, but I think the changes will be good.
I guess that is about it. I will continue to post through the year, with the regularity increasing as fall approaches.
B
We collected a little over $320 during the lights show this year, and then padded it out to an even $350 that we will be giving to the Kansas City Rescue Mission. I don’t know what they will use it for specifically, but using their Thanksgiving meal campaign amount of $2.07, that would cover almost 170 meals! It is exciting to see how efficiently money can be used by ministries like this to bless a large number of people.
Thank you to all that gave, and to those of you who gave through the direct paypal link. Actually, if you gave via the paypal link, please drop me a note! I would like to add that to the total!
Next year, we will see if we can double that!
It is hard to believe that the time has come to shut it all down already. All in all, it was a good year with the display. We had less traffic this year, probably due to the new location and being included in a different part of the driving tour. Even with that, we had a good number of visitors, good feedback from our neighbors, and we collected a good sum for KCRM. I will get it counted and post the total here in the next day or two.
I have managed to get most of the show onto video and am working through putting those together. I have posted ‘Sleigh Ride’ to the Facebook page, and am going to add ‘Carol of the Bells’ today. Once I have a number of the videos ready, I will make a page here and load them all up.
Thank you to those who have helped this year, either by giving of their time or their resources. Next year will be bigger and better. Maybe I will even venture on around the corner into the front yard 😉
Bruce
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