Conductor file specs

[RJ]

I got asked by a couple of people at the academy for this so here it is. This is the file that a seqencer needs to create to run on the conductor.

Rick if you would add it to the wiki also. Thanks!

RJ

[deweycooter]

The file format makes sense - output channel data in order per the spec.  Then there is silence for X seconds.  Then blast out the next sequence's channel data.  This all gets saved to a .seq file.

The memory card has one .seq file for each show and that's what gets put into the schedule.

How does the conductor know which mp3 file to play and when to play it?  Or is it one mp3 per .seq file?

[dcwehw99]

A show can be made up of one of three possibilities:

1. A light sequence (*.SEQ) without any music.
2. Music (*.MP3) without a light sequence.
3. A light sequence (*.SEQ) and music (*.MP3).

You can put together any number or combination of the above in one show.

Denny

[Steve Gase]

I believe the "show" file/definite contains the record that matches the sequence (SEQ) file to audio (MP3) file. 

They don't need to be the same name, you can reuse the sequence with any audio file, including silence (NONE.mp3).

[dcwehw99]

You're correct!

Denny

[deweycooter]

What I'm trying to understand is - let's say I want to define a show as seq1, seq2, and seq3.  These correspond to audio files 1.mp3, 2.mp3, and 3.mp3.

I'm writing a converter application to take my sequences and put them into conductor format.  The output .seq file will have data for seq1, then some silence (I think the assumption is 4 seconds), then seq2, silence, and seq3.  When the schedule is made, I assume that outputFile.seq will be matched up with 1.mp3, 2.mp3, and 3.mp3.  That's cool too. 

Is the silence of 4 seconds hardcoded into the conductor?  Or, is there a way for the conductor to know when it should start playing the next mp3?  And if it's hardcoded, does this still work okay as the number of songs in a show gets large (ie, do we begin to see sync issues between the music and lights as we get into 20, 30, or more songs in a show)?

Trial and error will take care of this, but I didn't know if anyone had more insight into the specifics.

[Steve Gase]

you should watch RJ's video.  it answers your questions.
the 4 seconds is hard-coded for now (in the first firmware release)

the names of the seq and mp3 files do not need to agree -- there is no expectation that they agree -- since you select each file type with each new entry in your show.

the "show" provides the order of songs and/or sequences to play.

the "show" can be scheduled to play from a specified start time to a specified end time, and repeat (if you choose) within that time period.

the "rigidity" of the sequence layout, the processor, and the mp3 playback are all done to have confidence that the songs and sequence playback will always be in sync.  the sequence carries all possible channels in the way that it is defined -- and all data is at a fixed 50ms per event, so whether you add complex sequences or simple -- the conductor is doing EXACTLY the same amount of work each time.

[dcwehw99]

Yes, the 4 seconds is hard-coded with the initial release of the Conductor.

There are no sync. issues with the lights and music as the show gets longer.  Each entry (lights only, music only, or lights & music) starts synchronized.  So if you had 50 lights & music entries in a single show, the 50th and last entry (all entries) always start out synchronized.  If the lights and music were synchronized running on the computer then they will be synchronized playing on the conductor. 

Denny

[jnealand]

As I understand it the seq file is the sequence only.  It seem that you are thinking that the seq file is the only file, but I believe there are more files such as a "show" file that matches the seq to the mp3.

[RJ]

You do not add blank data to the file for dealy between seqs.

You should not need to write a converter, we have xlights converting everything but LSP and it has its own Conductor output.

RJ

[deweycooter]

I got stuck thinking that a show was one massive data file that contained all sequences including silence.     I'll go ahead and up the meds tonight. 

[dcwehw99]

There are five (5) types of files on the CF card:

1. Light Sequences created by Xlights (*.seq) - typically multiple files of this type
2. Music (*.MP3) - typically multiple files of this type
3. Shows created by the Conductor Control Panel software (*.sho) - contains combinations of *.seq and *.MP3 files - may be multiple files of this type
4. Schedule created by the Conductor Control Panel software (Playlist.dat)  - single file
5. Password (Password.dat) created by the Conductor Control Panel software - single file

Denny

[IndianaChristmas]

I know this is a variable but what is a good capaity CF card to get?  MP's can be 5+ MB but I have no idea how many MBs the other files will be.  I have a 128MB CF card but thinking I may need larger capacity if the other files noted are quite large

[RJ]

The card is provided in the coop. It is 8 GB and will hold about 400 minutes of shows and mp3s.

There are only certain cards that will work with the system so we provide it in the coop to prevent issues.

RJ

[JerryPlak]

RJ,
Thanks for answering my questions as I was going ask about CF cards!   
Jerry Plak