PACT wrote: Thank you. Hi Drew and Tim, I had a problem like Pyro 2903. I solved the problem. I will ask my question: 1. If my show, idea, music requires chaos 30 sec. – chaotic firing for example in one second it will only go: P1 + P3 + P4 + F3+F5+CK3+CK7+Cake 2,5 – 4″ sheels 1, + Cake 5-6″ 3 + wheeel. And would the same be repeated to the music 30 sec. under different angles? (Yes I know I can only choose one option, either LFM, WHEEL OR TOWERS. Is it allowed? Thank you I am sorry PACT, but I'm not 100% sure what you are asking.  I looked back through the threads and the only problem I can see Pryo 2903 having was understanding exactly what types of items were allowed on the wheel/tower positions.  Are wanting to do a chaotic looking scene using the same device at all of the positions you mentioned and are having trouble finding a device which can be used at all of them according to the rules of the competition?  If that is not your question, please elaborate as I'm a bit confused.  Thank you.

Hi Brett, yes! We just made it possible to multi-load single shot holders in racks this week!   At this moment, the multi-loading features are still in beta, so the first step is to update to the latest BETA release of Finale 3D by going to finale3d.com/download.   Next, you'll need racks that are configured to accommodate multi-loaded holders. If CraigCo racks are what you're after, you're in luck because we just added new racks that support quad loading to the CraigCo catalog today! If you don't already have the CraigCo catalog enabled in your account, head over to finale3d.com/supplier-catalogs-settings.   The CriagoCo catalog contains multiple versions of each MinCom rack. When adding racks to your show, note the descriptions of the racks and specifically choose versions of the MinCom racks that support 4x loading.   That's all there is to it! Update Finale 3D and get the new racks — the rest of the your workflow remains exactly the same.

Hi Russ, overlapping songs in Finale 3D in the way you described will not cause any issues when exporting your soundtrack with (or without) timecode.   You can test this any time by going to File > Export > Export soundtrack. You don't have to wait until your show design is complete to export your soundtrack. Adding effects to your show only impacts your script, it doesn't impact the soundtrack in any way.

Drew or Anyone....   I believe there is a way to load 4 x 20mm single shots into one shot in a CraigCo rack (or any rack that can accommodate four 20mm in one tube?). If so, can you share how to do this when loading and addressing a show?   Thanks.. Brett

Thank you. Hi Drew and Tim, I had a problem like Pyro 2903. I solved the problem. I will ask my question: 1. If my show, idea, music requires chaos 30 sec. - chaotic firing for example in one second it will only go: P1 + P3 + P4 + F3+F5+CK3+CK7+Cake 2,5 - 4" sheels 1, + Cake 5-6" 3 + wheeel. And would the same be repeated to the music 30 sec. under different angles? (Yes I know I can only choose one option, either LFM, WHEEL OR TOWERS. Is it allowed? Thank you

Hello,   Just curious if I'm going to have an issues exporting this soundtrack (with SMPTE) when I overlap the imported music like this? I modified each song using Audacity previously, and added a 2" delay. However, after using Finale3D (Hobbiest) for a few weeks now, I realize I can create delays by sliding the actual music around in Finale3D. My intent is to try and use Pyrocast for audio, firing through Cobra.   -Russ    

FlyingPyro,   This was an AWESOME question...because I had the same one. almost verbatim. Thanks!   I'm brand new to Finale3D, Hobby user, on a rocket ship learning curve with a short timeframe to "master" it. Anyway, I started by making a show template with positions etc., and built individual scripts each with their own songs. Then I copy/pasted and shifted the times around as Drew said using the Shift tools mentioned above. HOWEVER...what I discovered is...my used/avail inventory accounting become confusing across individual design files, without a tedious 3rd party spreadsheet application. Also, since I use the "per-show effects" to place-hold all my custom effects**, they weren't being shared in my blank, template file, or across the individual created scripts. Thus...after 3 individual script files of my 6 song show, I just started building song 4,5,6 in the combined song1,2,3 file. What I did was save the file as I completed each new song...then...if i want to change a middle song, I can go back to the file where that is the "last" song, change it, resave it, then copy/paste the rest of the show after that from the "final" version.   **Because my wholesaler does not have a Finale3D database (yet...???), I have to steal each effect from a different retailer, ungroup it/explode it/resave it/make specific effect to add to it/change it/resave it to get what I want it to look like, more importantly the DURATIONS. Therefore, my "my-effects" window is over-loaded with hundreds of effects and makes it difficult for me to use as a working database. I'm sure there's a better way to do what I'm doing but my self-taught crash course found this way the easiest.

Hi Brett, replies to your questions in bold.   If you want to make changes to the entire show, it seems a best practice would be to import each individually. If you create one sound file for all the songs, then how would you only remove the middle song? Maybe not, I don’t know. Can you cut just a section of song within Finale 3D? Although it's a bit cumbersome, you can remove a song from the middle of a pre-edited, multi-song soundtrack in Finale 3D. However, if your soundtrack was created outside Finale 3D, a better approach is to simply remove the song outside of Finale 3D. If you edit your music non-destructively, and save a project file in your audio editing software, then you can easily go back to the multi-song project and add, remove, edit, and shift songs as needed. Then, you can simply import the updated soundtrack into Finale 3D and shift any timeline events that don't align.   1. I would think a best practice for having flexibility in your show to make changes would be to always import songs and scripts independently and not utilize one large multi song music file (Unless you are certain on the song choices etc, but even then why not maintain flexibility, but that’s a personal preference).  What are your thoughts? To your point, I think it really comes to down to personal preference. If you like the flexibility Finale 3D (Hobbyist and Pro) provide for working with multiple songs/audio files in the same show, then that's great, and that's exactly why Finale 3D supports this workflow.   2. Always create a Site Show Template first. Then utilize the template when scripting each song. This will allow for easier copy and paste. Thoughts? Yes, while it's possible to use copy/paste to combine shows with different position layouts, it's much easier when all the shows being combined have the exact same position names and layout.   What about importing songs, is it best to stick with stereo initially? I’ve used SMPTE in the the past. So if you want to preserve the flexibility, does that mean I need to retain the stereo format? (multi channel track).  But what If I decide I want to utilize mono? Does it matter what version of the song I initially import Mono or stereo? Let’s say I go to a shoot and all of sudden the idea of using SMPTE is not going to work, meaning I have to use the audio box or vice versa. You can add SMPTE or FSK timecode to your soundtrack in Finale 3D (Hobbyist and Pro) regardless of whether your audio files were imported as stereo or mono.   Just trying to avoid traps that limit my flexibility to adapt to as many situations as I can.   Work flow for a three song show>   Step 1. – Edit all the songs as required for the main show and then create a separate MP3 file for each (starting with WAV format then back to MP3 to get rid of the artifacts –every time I import a song, there are artifacts) For best quality, stick with WAV through the entire design process and only convert your final soundtrack to MP3 if absolutely necessary. If you're shooting your show using timecode, you don't need an MP3. WAV files are lossless. No matter how many times an audio file is encoded and re-encoded as WAV, the quality is preserved. By contrast, MP3 is a compressed, lossy format. If you encode individual songs as WAV, then MP3, you're losing quality. If you then import the songs into Finale 3D, then export your complete/final soundtrack, you'll have a WAV file (because Finale 3D only exports WAV at this time). Then, if you need MP3, you'll have to convert to MP3 again. At this point you've re-compressed your audio to MP3 twice. No good! If you stick to WAV through your entire design process and only convert to MP3 at then very end, you'll limit the number of compression passes and preserve quality.   Step 2. Create a site layout template (Any insights on best practices here would be useful) This is largely personal preference and a function of your preferred show production workflow.   Step 3. Open site layout and create script for first song and save as .fin file, rinse repeat for the other two songs. This works, but keep in mind, if you script each song separately, you won't get a complete view of product utilization until you combine all songs into one show. If you have limited inventory, or you just value being able to see the total "Used" quantities for the entire show mid-design, then designing the entire show as a single file from the outset offers that advantage.   Step 4. Open site layout template and then import all three songs via cut and paste Yes, just make sure that you don't have common part numbers in different show files that represent different effects. For example, if part number 10020 is a 30mm Red Comet in show A, and the same part number is a 45mm Blue Mine in show B, this will create a conflict when the shows are combined. Make sure that all unique effects have unique part numbers across all shows before combining.

  Pyro_45280000 wrote: Hi Drew, I’ve been reading the forum, but I don’t know where I’m making a mistake? In the subtly,,, it only shows me fuel mine as I’m sending you. And I’ve also done the steps you recommended to others. I downloaded Pyrojam cagatalog again.? I'm sorry, I'm having trouble understanding the problem. Your screenshot shows a list of many Subtypes, not just Fuel Mine. Can you try describing the problem in more detail?

  Leon_Sutliffe wrote: Hi, I might’ve missed some of these, but i thought id just check. 1. Can cakes / Cake-Slices be angled or are they limited to vertical only? Yes, cakes can be angled. For a tutorial on angling cakes, go to 9:30 in this video: https://finale3d.com/video/mastering-angles-pan-tilt-spin   2. what happens if rules are accidentally broken in small quantities? I.E. if one or two effects got mis placed on a prox position rather than a front? is that effect deleted and the show judged without, a points reduction, disqualification? Small, inadvertent mistakes would not result in disqualification. The show will be judged as is, without effects being deleted. Minor errors don't have specific point deduction values unless noted in the rules. For example, there is a 5 point deduction for shows that don't meeting the duration requirements.   3.Is there an easy what to see what effects are used in a set of positions? useful for checking that ive only used the correct effect types in the correct place. Unhide the Subtype column in the script window and click on the Subtype column header to sort the script by Subtype. Then, filter the script to a set of positions, for example F-01 to F-19. Then, simply scroll through the script and look for events with Subtype values that don't belong in those positions.   4. is there a way to see all the effects used in the show, with the quantities used and the available amount, so I can double check Ive not gone over anywhere. Use the quantity filter in the effects window to filter the PyroJam catalog to Used > Available.   5. How precise for angles can SS positions be? of course fans can be Simulated with less than single degree accuracy, but that’s not practical in the real world to set up, is there any recommended guidance, I.E. 5 degree divisions? 1° degree increments are fine.