A huge factor to think about when beginning a display is the amount of sequencing you'll have to do. Sequencing is a huge learning curve
I did not find it that huge, myself. Of course, as always, YMMV. My first sequencing I did myself using a fairly simple set of macros in an Excel (later LibreOffice) spreadsheet. It was only 5 channels, although it is easily expandable to any modest number. I'm still going to use it for my inside tree this year. There are 17 different profiles each about 1 - 2 minutes in length, run in random order. Thirteen of the profiles are static, which means any particular one will be the same sequence every time that profile runs. Four of them are dynamic with random elements within the profile itself. This means the light sequence will be very different every time the profile runs. Being indoors, it is not synchronized to any music.
The second sequencer I used was QLC+. It is an extremely powerful and flexible sequencer, and it has pre-defined profiles for several hundred different fixtures, including gobos, strobes, projectors, LASERs, spotlights, fog / smoke machines, etc. I did have quite a bit of trouble understanding the design paradigm at first, but once I realized a "scene" was a time-independent function, I had no problem picking it up. I used it for my Halloween display last year, and I am going to use it for Halloween this year, as well, because the Halloween display consists mostly of intelligent devices. I have to say, however, the QLC+ UI has a lot of badly implemented features. That's why I am using Vixen 3 this year for Christmas.
It took me very little time for me to pick up Vixen 3. Of course a lot of the credit for that goes to egenoup, who kindly fired up a TeamViewer session and gave me a two-plus hour tutorial on its use. Since then, a little trial and error and a question here and there have seen me pretty well into its use.
Also, as a side note, most of us could probably agree that you will spend most of your time sequencing the display than anything else.
Oh, well, yeah. Sequencing takes a lot of time. Well, usually. Using QLC+, I was able to get what I consider a very attractive sequence done for
Greensleeves in a matter of a few minutes, but then
Greensleeves is a very soft, dreamy sort of song without much of a distinct beat, so a random set of simple, soft cross-fades works well. Using Vixen 3, it took me considerably more time to sequence the same song.
it will take you at least a solid 5-6 months to get at least 3-4 songs sequenced.
Well, not that long, I don't think. It certainly has not taken me even a month to fully sequence two songs and part of a third, and I expect to be able to get at least a dozen or so done by Thanksgiving.
the quicker you can get to sequencing and the better your sequencing you'll be able to do.
Maybe I am just doing a lousy job and don't realize it. I don't think I'm doing that badly, though. I will say that I fully realize I am not that good at this sort of artistry. I am much better handling hardware and software than in producing decorative designs. Realizing that about myself, I am not attempting to do it by myself. Rather, I have convinced an old friend of mine who is a professional artist to assist me with the lighting designs. I am handling the sequencing, but we are collaborating on the lighting design and on the active elements being presented for sequencing. It is my hope the collaboration will produce a much more creative and varied set of sequences. In fact, I am quite convinced it already has. What little I have already done would have been rather less creative without his input. I only expect the situation to blossom more in the weeks to come.
Just my 2 cents
Mine, too. I'm not going to name any names, but I have seen a number of displays that were astounding in the extent of their hardware, but the sequences themselves failed to really impress me, especially taken as a whole. Many of them seem to lack creativity and to be very repetitive from one song to the next, sometimes using a single effect over and over again, song after song after song. I want to make it clear that I don't intend this as an arrogant criticism. I feel sure my shows would very likely suffer from similar stagnancy if I were not privileged to have a true artist giving me the benefit of his years of experience and creativity. I think a lot of people would benefit from such a collaboration.