When you are selecting your audio and begin to approach sequencing the lights it can all be overwhelming when you get started. In this tutorial, we’re going to walk through how to get started and tips on sequencing your lights to the music.
This is a great introduction to how to look at music and creating lighting that will help highlight the audio and create a great lighting show for your audience:
In this video I use xLights but these tips are the same regardless of what program you decide to use. When sequencing your lights to the music you want everything to flow together so that your lights match the melody of the song.
Getting Started
Once you have your music selected you want to get started by listening to the song and making notes (and time stamps) of where the music changes. In most cases you’ll have a break down of the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and end.
Identify the different portions of the song and highlight the highest point of the song. Listen for the low, mid, and high peaks of your song. Where and when does the song reach its peak? That high point of your song is where I recommend getting started with your sequencing.
High Point
The high point and the most complex parts of your song are where I recommend getting started with sequencing your lights. Lighting is all about dynamics and making an impact during the points of the music.
Generally, this will be where you see the most activity in your audio. It’ll look like a bunch of clustered parts of your song.
In the song for the tutorial, it’s the chorus’ of the song. You want to be using all of your lights and create effects to match the melody during that high point in your song. Have your effects moving and everything going to reflect the energy of that moment in your song.
Slow Points
With the song I used in the tutorial, the slower parts of the song are the verses. In most songs, the verses are usually the same so create the look during the slow points (or in my case the verses) and copy that look to be used for the rest of the verses.
If you have a verse that is slightly different than the other verses be sure to use your original look but tweak it to match the difference in the melody.
Bridges
Up next you have your bridges in the song. Bridges just help connect the verse and then the chorus. Create a look that will help this be a smooth transition between your verses and your chorus.
Once you have the chorus’, high point of the song, verses, and your bridges done you should already have 90% of the lights and audio done.
Intro and Ending
The intro part of your song is a way to warm up your audience and create a transition from the end of one song to the introduction of the upcoming song.
Depending on how the audio begins you want to keep it simple with minimal lighting. This will help warm up your lights and set the stage for the music.
Finishing Touches
Once you have your lights sequenced, go through and listen to the audio and watch your lighting. You want to look for making transitions between the different parts of the songs.
Then, make any changes and tweaks to your lighting.