Auto generate mouth movements for 2 channel static AC lights

[WM8C]

I'm a year from RGB (too late for this year) so I'm still with my AC LOR type setup for this year. I am learning xlights. I have a 2 channel singing Santa (one channel static face outline, 1 channel each for mouth open/closed) and I was wondering if there is a way to auto generate the mouth movements for this. I have a song I've been breaking down the lyrics to match the song, but I have no idea how to go about doing the mouth timings to match the lyrics and I'm hoping there is a way for the software to do this for me?

Everything I found in the forum so far if for RGB so I'm looking for help please, video's etc?

[Gilrock]

Have you gone to xlights.org?  This forum is not the best place to learn anything.  Sounds like you already know about breaking down lyrics so I don't get the question.  You line up the words with the audio and the breakdown automatically creates the phonemes for you.  Then you just use a Faces effect linked to that lyric track on a model that have face definitions.  Search for "Singing Faces"

[keithsw1111]

With only mouth open and closed your states are limited but there is no reason you couldn?t use the face effect. It just won?t flap its lips as much as a normal 6-7 position face effect would.

[dkulp]

It's been years since I implemented this, but I believe you can turn on the "Force Custom Colors" and then select various shades of white for each of the phonemes.  Thus, it will "flicker" with the various positions.    Might be worth playing around with to see how well it works.

[WM8C]

I think maybe I didn't explain what I was looking for well enough. I am attaching an example of a sequence that I purchased from Holiday Coro. This is what I am trying to automatically produce. I don't think I can use the faces because I only have single color strands and have to use the AC tool bar. The RGB tool bar doesn't apply to my strings...or I simply don't understand that yet. When I look at the sequence I don't understand how to produce what I see in this sequence for the open and closed portion so that when one is off the other is on and so forth. I apologize in advance for my ignorance. The first image is unzoomed, and the 2nd is zoomed.

[Gilrock]

I don't see any Lyric tracks in those screenshots.  I suggest again you go find videos on how to do Singing Faces in xLights and forget anything you learned from Holiday Coro and burn anything you bought...lol.

[keithsw1111]

It is possible to reverse engineer a lyric track from channel data but it is not for the feint of heart. I went over it in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYFGEfJiCB4&t=12s

Once you have a lyric track you have more options.

Just because you have AC lights does not mean you are limited to the effects the AC toolbar can drop. Lots of effects work perfectly well with AC lights including the face effect you just have to have your models set up right and the AC face settings set correctly. The AC toolbar was added to make it easier for those familiar with that way of sequencing but behind the scenes it is just laying down pixel effects configured to work with your AC lights.

[WM8C]

Gilrock, that was a preprogrammed sequence that I purchased from HC for a Soldiers Silent Night and it works extremely well actually and does exactly what I am trying to produce, I attached those as an example.

Keith, I sent those screen shots just to show what I see when I zoom in. I have the lyrics for the song I was working on and is in the screen shots now attached and that is the point I am at but I'm clueless how to proceed with creating the settings for the mouth open and mouth closed programming? I guess that's what I'm looking for help with understanding. I don't understand how to set up a model for this action with a single strand of lights I guess. I've read that section of the manual twice but still don't seem to get it   

I'll check out the link you attached in your reply and if there are any other video's etc that anyone can suggest I will be all over it.  Thanks...Todd

[keithsw1111]

I suggest you jump into zoom. The guys there will get you going.

[Gilrock]

Have you watched any singing faces videos yet?  Have you even opened up the Faces dialog for the model?  Or if you like the Holiday Coro method you can just pay me to do it for you.

[WM8C]

Multiple times actually. They all are pretty specific for doing RGB but that will be next year for me. I guess I will just watch them some more. I was hoping there was one that specifically shows how to do it with AC type lighting that I'm using for this year but have not found one.

[Gilrock]

You're going to define which nodes turn on for each phoneme.  Sounds like you only have 1 or 2 nodes which makes it easy.  xLights doesn't care if its a single channel node a.k.a AC.  There's a drop-down with 2 or 3 options and one them is the right one for this.  We know its not the one where you point it to pictures so rule that one out.  I know I've done videos where I covered singing faces many years ago and I covered those 8 channel AC faces but I don't keep a list of video links.

[WM8C]

I'll keep going. I've stumbled on a lot of it on my own. Thanks for the suggestions, it's appreciated 

[WM8C]

Found this video which might be one you were referring to and it helps quite a bit. Now I just have to figure out how to create the model for the Santa with 3 channels, one outline and mouth open/closed.
http://videos.xlights.org/vcs-2020-singing-faces-mike-barsky_1acaff8f5.html