DiyLightAnimation
Software => Light Show Pro => Topic started by: caretaker on December 16, 2011,
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Many of of you like me have been a little (or a lot) disappointed with LSP 2.0 for this year. I have seen posts where LSP users would want to string David up with a string of lights and others who were just bummed out they have not been able to put on the show they wanted this year. I think the important thing to do once your show is over with (if you were able to get one running this year) is to document every problem you have had and send it (with log files, sequences and any other pertinent information) to David to give him a chance to fix these problems. Make sure you give him a detailed description of your computer (Operating system including service packs, RAM, Video, Codecs installed, etc.) as this can be important information when tracking down bugs. It would be easy for everyone that has had a bad experience with LSP to flame David to crisp on all the boards but I believe David truly wants to make things right and give us a program that make sequencing fun and running a show a breeze but with out detailed feedback from the users that will never happen.
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I realize that he's trying hard. I post questions there without any response. Maybe he is working hard on the fixes. Its still frustrating to have issues with many ppl watching and the show freezes and I have to reboot the show and wonder why it happens. Hats off to him for the program. Let's get the help we need to fix it.
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<Shameless plug>
or you can just convert your files to LOR or Vixen and use xLights 8)
</Shameless plug>
LSP is incredibly powerful but the size and complexity of the sequences that we are creating now is off the charts and incredibly memory intensive. I have one sequence that I had to redo in 30 second chunks and convert to LOR then xLights and then stitch together. This sequence was over a gig in size and is only 2 minutes long.
The tool set we use needs time to improve but I will tell you that trying to control 8192 channels with Madrix would cost you a heck of a lot more than the scraps we pay for LSP...
just my$.02... This hobby requires some incredible patience and understanding. I have been doing this for 8 years and have used every software package except AL... (Including spectrum and Aurora) None are perfect. Some are more feature rich, etc...
Frank
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One thing my son said to me is to turn all background programs off. I did forget to do that. After the glitch today, I turned a load of things/widows stuff off and its been great so far this evening.
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Given xLights is free, and open source, it seams like the smart think for David to do is duplicate whatever they do in xLights. Crashes are ok during sequencing, but rock solid performance is sweet this time of year and most of the packages have had their share of issues this year.
I don't use LSP yet, but I sure hope it survives, because without it, there isn't much competition.
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If the software guys get the seqencing working well, I am going to take care of the playback issues for them.
RJ
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I like the flexibility that the computer gives me, but I will say you hardly ever hear of people having problems with playback when they take the PC out of the picture.
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Hi,
I can only say that im working on the open issues and always adjusting the strategy. I think the amount of inprovements that went into the sequencer were not balanced by enhancements in the scheduler.
Trying to balance time, resources and priority to make changes that count, I will be doing a major rewrite of the scheduler starting january. Replacing the media subsystem and playback engine is over due, but I can only tell you that I WILL put this to bed.
Evolving a product is not easy in this industry, the technology changes and the resource requirements change so fast, its not unlike chasing ghosts, we are the bleeding edge people, but the software needs to be rock-solid and old-hat... change is the enemy to that goal.
Ive seen a lot of great shows, but I know a lot of people have had struggles playing well with LSP.
If you havent quite figured out the LSP sweet spot for your high-end display, please hang in there and I will continue do my best to meet your needs and expectations.
David
LightShow Pro
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I think a problem with beta testing is the sequencer can be tested anytime but you have to have your entire show set up to test the scheduler and nobody has that until it is almost time to go live. I too have had problems with the show freaking out and it seems to be the lor controllers more than my pixelnet or dmx doing it. Restarting the scheduler helps when it does it. I will definitely be getting an etherdongle with conductor next year if I am not asleep when the co-op starts like the flood light co-op ;D
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I think a problem with beta testing is the sequencer can be tested anytime but you have to have your entire show set up to test the scheduler and nobody has that until it is almost time to go live. I too have had problems with the show freaking out and it seems to be the lor controllers more than my pixelnet or dmx doing it. Restarting the scheduler helps when it does it. I will definitely be getting an etherdongle with conductor next year if I am not asleep when the co-op starts like the flood light co-op ;D
Then you must stay awake until the COOP starts.... <yk.. <pop..
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David, thanks for the reply on this thread. I really do appresiate all of your work this year. I have enjoyed using LSP to create my sequences and have taken my show to a new level with PixelNet and LSP controlling over 4000+ channels. I love the use of transitions! As RJ pointed out, I believe the conductor will help address running shows with thousands of channels and eliminate the need for a PC scheduler.
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For me, first time LSP user, long time blinky flashy user the frustration is the slow to no responses on issues from help requests from LSP. And never knowing when a patch is released. Good luck trying to find the latest version on the LSP web site.
We, paying customers, thought we would get better support then we get from free DIy websites like this one.
But keep up the good work. The potential is great and I haven't given up on LSP yet.
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And never knowing when a patch is released. Good luck trying to find the latest version on the LSP web site.
Public releases are always logged in the "Change log" thread in the LSP forum and there is a link at the bottom of the thread "Get this Update"
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Hi,
I can only say that im working on the open issues and always adjusting the strategy. I think the amount of inprovements that went into the sequencer were not balanced by enhancements in the scheduler.
Trying to balance time, resources and priority to make changes that count, I will be doing a major rewrite of the scheduler starting january. Replacing the media subsystem and playback engine is over due, but I can only tell you that I WILL put this to bed.
Evolving a product is not easy in this industry, the technology changes and the resource requirements change so fast, its not unlike chasing ghosts, we are the bleeding edge people, but the software needs to be rock-solid and old-hat... change is the enemy to that goal.
Ive seen a lot of great shows, but I know a lot of people have had struggles playing well with LSP.
If you havent quite figured out the LSP sweet spot for your high-end display, please hang in there and I will continue do my best to meet your needs and expectations.
David
LightShow Pro
David,
Considering all the protocols (LOR, DMX, Pixelnet, AI, etc.) with many show using multiple dongles with PC's having different architecture and drivers I have been amazed that you have been able to get as many things working as well as you have. I for one really do appreciate the effort you have putting into the development of Light Show Pro and can I look forward to the exciting things that may be on the way. From what I see RJ's conductor looks like the future of things taking the load off the computer and reducing that bottle neck of communication. As this fledgling hobby is growing up by leaps and bounds I for-see standardization happening as even now most controller hardware is either DMX or heading that way and with a explosion in channels counts with RGB that may be refined again. Please don't take my initial post as a complaint but rather a call to support what I think is going to be the best sequencer program out there.
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I don't think anyone here is criticizing dave and his product. We all have problems and issues that we talk about and want help fixing. I don't use anything other than 128 channels not the thousand channels with the extra blinky. I like the product, I just need help with it. This is all new this year for me. So keep up the good work dave. 8)
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I thought I'd chime in with Frank - there are some things that are simply put, impossible to do without LSP. I also am glad David mentioned that he was well aware of the need to update the scheduler system as that is absolutely critical to a smooth show. Frank and I have put together a simply crazy workflow that takes 30 seconds of a show in LSP, exports that 30 second chunk to LOR (which is typically around 196 mb in size), modifies the LOR file to be compatible with your network setup in xlights via script, convert those 30 second segments of show into .xseq files, and finally, stitch 3 - 8 .xseq files together for the full version of the song.
It's time consuming, it's painful, but it's also bleeding edge. I'm going to have to re-video my show now that I've got node control working for the first time this year. Right now, the hardware is just so far ahead of the software that workarounds, etc. are required if you want to be on the cutting edge of the hobby.
All in all, I'm glad I've got the connections I do with the folks on this board, lsp, and xlights as it's made my show what it is this year. I'm looking forward to some great things in 2012!
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I'll say that as someone who helped on the LSP 2.0 beta testing that David poured a ton of time and effort into making so many critical things right ... and largely succeeded in most of the areas that mattered. As he said, the scheduler is one area that perhaps didn't get the same time, but I'm sure it will.
I eventually had to use LOR S3 and xlights this year ... but boy do I miss the LSP 2.0 capabilities, esp. when it comes to the RGB stuff. And not only that, but 4300+ channels of mixed LOR and Pixelnet ... LOR S3 is a dog (slow) under that many channels and the RGB capabilities are very basic by comparison.
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I had issues this year with LSP2 that were almost the same as the issues I had with LOR in 2008. With the large number of DMX channels and the speed of many of my cues, I was overreaching the ammout of data that could be sent. In 09 I was able to get the show almost working correctly by adding LOR mini directors to control each of the dmx universes. This year I got the show working with LOR3 but at the expenses of a new i7 computer and 9 networks.
I really hope David gets the scheduler working correctly for next year as I intend on adding pixelnet
Here is the 08 sequence for reference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voVkY-QRjO8&feature=plcp&context=C353e6d3UDOEgsToPDskKe-rnAhfplAdLKdQD7e_Rn
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I've had a few issues w/lsp 2 (have upgraded as each new release came out), but have managed to find work-arounds for most of them (even the scheduler issues) and I think David has done a great job with addressing the bigger bugs... not an easy task.
LSP 2 is still the best software for the RGB/pixelnet smartstrings that I've found (at least w/o spending boatloads of cash).
I usually program the non-rgb stuff in LOR S3 (336 channels - imported into LSP 2) and the pixelnet stuff (2016 channels) in LSP.
Not perfect, but getting much better :-)... just my $.02