Starting a show

[Flying Scotsman]

Hi everyone,

About to do my first show with synch music at a railway club exhibition (sad). I have just found a problem. I would like to be able to have a slide showing on the screen as people wander in to sit down and when all are seated, I would then like to start the music synched show. P2E does not seem to allow this to happen which means having the working window on the computer and having the projector either switched off or the lens cap on - not very professional. One solution seems to be to have a music file which is silent running the first slide for a time - but that means I have no control as to when the show itslef will start.

Can anyone help? Situation needs to be resolved within the next few days.

Flying Scotsman

[JEB]

Hi,

You can certainly do what (I think) you want.

I think what you have to do is to go into "Project Options" and click on "Customise Startup Window"

then select your image.

That then brings up that image at the start of your show and remains till you hit the start button or exit button.

I'm sure that these buttons are generated automatically if not then they can be created.

I'm certain somebody else will confirm this or correct the detail - but in any event I'm sure you can do what you want.

It may even be possible for seperate music to be played from that slide but that's just a guess!

John

[ronwil]

John is correct. The method suggested is not one that I like for normal shows, but take a look at the recent sequence 'Peace' on the Beechbrook site, which uses Project Options>Customise Startup Window.

Ron [uK]

[alrobin]

Flying,

You can also arrange to start the evening with an introductory show, complete with it's own music, and program a button in the Object Editor to end it and start up the main show.

To set it up, click on the button object at the top left of the Object Editor window, right click on it, choose "Properties", select "Run application or open file", and type in the name of your main show (or else browse to it). It takes a bit of experimenting to get it right, but it is a very effective way to control a number of options from a main introductory window.

[ContaxMan]

John is correct. The method suggested is not one that I like for normal shows, but take a look at the recent sequence 'Peace' on the Beechbrook site, which uses Project Options>Customise Startup Window.

Ron [uK]

An alternative - one I use regularly - is to have an introductory show of one slide with background music set to repeat and play for ever. Link this to your "genuine" show so that the second one starts as the first finishes. To do this, use Advanced options to run the second show.

[ContaxMan]

Look at Beechbrook for "AV Show Menu Tutorial" which explains things beautifully.

[Flying Scotsman]

Hi everyone. Thanks so far for all the tips and advice. Will give them a try and see what happens. Comment made about not the best way to start a show - I agree, but in this particular circumstance it`s what is required so I`ll have to live with it!

I`ll keep you all posted.

Flying Scotsman - (a most remarkable steam locomotive)!

[goddi]

I have been successful in creating an introductory menu.exe that will link to 3 different .exe shows. However, I have tried to add some music to this intro menu.exe but I am having some problems. I want the music to play when the menu.exe starts. I can do that and it plays. The problem starts when it goes to one of the 3 shows. The music from the menu.exe will not stop. It continues to play over the music on the selected show. And, if I make the music that plays with the menu.exe to be very short, when I go stop one of the 3 shows, and go back to the menu.exe, I'd like the music on the menu.exe to start again. Is this possible? I have tried every combination I can think of but no luck. Any ideas...?

Thanks... Gary

[ronwil]

Gary

When you say "......I'd like the music on the menu.exe to start again", I dont think that would come over very well. My shows often contain as many as 14 sequences, split in the middle for a refreshment break. I have a selection of mp3's of approx 1 min which I use for my intros, which I vary for practically every show, and I arrange for the intro music to end on the last slide which contains the programme. I use fanfares quite often - they wake up the audience. When the show is split in two, more often than not I do not use an introductory sequence but just the last slide and no music, saving it as a separate *.exe sequence.

Thinking about it there might be a way of doing what you want but it would need some experimentation as to how you end each individual sequence, but I will leave that to someone else to answer. Good luck

Ron [uK]

[goddi]

...Thinking about it there might be a way of doing what you want but it would need some experimentation as to how you end each individual sequence, but I will leave that to someone else to answer. Good luck

Ron [uK]

I've broken the slideshow of my vacation into 5 'chapters'(i.e., 5 .exe shows). I made a menu.exe that lists the 5 chapters. I figure that at some point we will want to get a beer after a chapter or two and let it go back to the menu.exe with the list of the 5 chapters. I'd like some music on the menu.exe to then play while I get the beers and then stop the music when I start the next chapter. I have poked around and tried every possibility, but I can not get the music on the menu.exe to stop when a chapter starts and starts when I go back to the menu.exe. I can understand your method, but I am trying to make mine a bit more flexible so I can get the beers after any of the chapters... :-]

PS Maybe in Version 5???

Gary...

[LumenLux]

Gary, I think what you want is not trouble at all. If I can help you quickly here, you will be home free. Other good members may give you a better answer but they will probably want a beer out of it!

Menuslide1: Customize slide/checkbox that says start new music/Menu.mp3

Show A Slide1: Customize slide/checkbox start new music/ Show A Soundtrack.mp3

The above will stop the menu music and start any Show with it's own music.

Then at the end of every show, you should be able to link back to your MenuSlide1 which will again start the Menu.mp3.

If it does not work - well your not out a beer.

[Hawk]

Gary

What you want to accomplish can be done very easily.

On the Menu show – have “ When show ends keep last slide on screen “ – add background music.

On all your linked Chapter Buttons give a Properties “Action “ – " Run application and exit “

( this shuts down your menu and music playing ) starts up new Chapter show with music.

In each Chapter presentation use Project Options – Advanced – “ Run application after last slide “ link it back to your Menu.

The Menu will start back up with it's own music playing till you fetch your guests a cold one.

Then on with the show.

[goddi]

Gary, I think what you want is not trouble at all. If I can help you quickly here, you will be home free. Other good members may give you a better answer but they will probably want a beer out of it!

Menuslide1: Customize slide/checkbox that says start new music/Menu.mp3

Show A Slide1: Customize slide/checkbox start new music/ Show A Soundtrack.mp3

The above will stop the menu music and start any Show with it's own music.

Then at the end of every show, you should be able to link back to your MenuSlide1 which will again start the Menu.mp3.

If it does not work - well your not out a beer.

Thanks for the idea, but I had tried that and it will not work the way I would like. The problem is that I have to put the music for Show A in the Project Action's Music tab to get the slides sync'd to the music. If I put the music in the "Customize Slide/Checkbox", I won't get the sync'd to slides feature.

Hope I understood your suggestion... When I put music in the "Customize Slide/Checkbox", that music plays over the music in Show A. It would be nice if there was a feature to automatically fade out that music. Thanks...Gary

[goddi]

Gary

What you want to accomplish can be done very easily.

On the Menu show – have “ When show ends keep last slide on screen “ – add background music.

On all your linked Chapter Buttons give a Properties “Action “ – " Run application and exit “

( this shuts down your menu and music playing ) starts up new Chapter show with music.

In each Chapter presentation use Project Options – Advanced – “ Run application after last slide “ link it back to your Menu.

Hawk... I tried your suggestions but it did not quite work. The music from the Menu.exe WILL stop when I click on one of the Chapter buttons. But when I cancel any one of the slideshows, it would not return me back to the Menu.exe. I think the problem is that when I have "Run application and exit," which does not allow the Menu.exe to remain in the background as it worked before with "Run application or run file", which pointed to each succeeding chapter and they would run in sequence. This problem is created, I think, when I tried: "In each Chapter presentation use Project Options – Advanced – “ Run application after last slide “ link it back to your Menu".

My apoligies for not being very clear, I am sure, with my explaination. I can hardly understand it myself. But I did try your ideas I could not get it to work as I was hoping. Certain changes seem to step on other changes and I can not get it to work as I wish. Thanks... Gary

PS Maybe I'll have a couple beers and try it again.... :-]

[Hawk]

goddi

But when I cancel any one of the slideshows, it would not return me back to the Menu.exe.

This is very understandable if you hit the ESC key and exit. You must watch the presentation till the end or slide with the "Action "

Ralph

On the Menu show – have “ When show ends keep last slide on screen “ – add background music.

Here you can use the " Action " "Run application or run file". but you cannot have two music files running at the same time, Menu.EXE cannot have music.

The only other option I can see is to place a transparant "Exit" button lower corner - copy / paste into each slide !!!! with " Action " to run Menu.EXE with music if you wish to quit at any given time using the procedure I described. Problem is you will need to start the sequence over again.

Or use the Navigation menu & Pause.

Unless anyone else has an idea.

[bmccammon]

Why not just hold the last slide of each chapter on the screen at the end of the program, add a button that takes you back to the menu slide? Seems like one click would solve your issue.

[LumenLux]

Gary, I wish I could take the time to really try this instead of just spouting off the "idea." But here it is. Going back to my first suggestion but modify by inserting another (invisable) step in the process from the menu slide. Set up your menu slide so that the object actions send you to Slide #1 or Slide #2 etc. (Instead of to the a new exe file.) Slide #1 would have the start new music checked, but with no new music listed. (This will silence your menu music.) The "action" from Slide #1 would start the real Show #1 (exe) with it's own project music etc. The last slide of Show #1 would have the action to start Menu Show again.

I'm sorry if this is a wild goose chase - Nothing like trying an idea to see if it really works.

[goddi]

I'm sorry if this is a wild goose chase - Nothing like trying an idea to see if it really works.

Thanks, Lumenex, Hawk, et al... You have given me more food for thought and I will give it a try. But right now my brain is fried just thinking about this...(maybe its the beers...?). I will see what happens after a rest.

This is a great program and maybe there is a way. Learning new possibilities all the time... Gary

[Hawk]

Gary

Your only problem here is you wanting the Menu to play music.

Otherwise it will run completly smooth, if you watch your sequence to the end or even hit the ESC key to quit and return to Menu.

I agree with Ron that a break of no music between shows is the better way, your viewers may appreciate a pause.

Will still give your request some more thought, If you find a solution - let us know.

[alrobin]

Or, another alternative would be to include a button on the intro show to take you to a second slide which would start up the "intro" music, and return you to the first slide. This music would then play until a particular topic was selected. This would have the added advantage of providing control over whether or not to play the background music after each separate show. You could even arrange it so that there is even a choice of several background selections.

[goddi]

Gary

Your only problem here is you wanting the Menu to play music.....

Hawk... Yes, everythings works as I want except for the music in the Menu.exe to quit upon choosing one of the buttons from a list of shows and then re-playing the music once I returned to the Menu.exe. My quest is, at this point, to see if it CAN be done. Having the music play once the show returns to the Menu.exe would be nice...in my mind... but not absolutely essential. I tend to be stubborn when I think it should be able to do it, I will try to see if it can be done. Thanks for your efforts. At this point, the Menu.exe will have no music.... :-[

Gary

Or, another alternative ...

Al.... Thanks for your help. Your advise might work but at a certain point it seems to be getting more complicated then its wortht. I've already tossed a bunch of CDs because I keep finding a typo or I forgot to do something in this multi-slideshow. Keeping it simple will help me not go too crazy with this. But knowing me, I will probably try your suggestions...but later. Wouldn't it be nice if the new version will allow the automatic fading out of music at a chosen point. But, as I told Hawk, I have removed the music from my Menu.exe and will have my beer in silence.... :-]]]

Gary

[LumenLux]

Over the years, I have done as Hawk, Al and others have suggested - Let the Menu page be silent! Often, I have pursued the matter as you have Gary - wanting to see what can be done. Often, the practical approach became - let the menu be silent. Now today, I delved into it again based on this ongoing discussion. After trying many variations and possibilties, getting deeper and deeper with links and cross links etc. , I think it is all un-needed to accomplish what Gary is trying to do.

The following seems to work for me, so simply as to be suspect.

1. Prepare all the desired Show1.exe, Show2.exe, etc. Set each show to end after last slide. On each show customize last slide to "run external application" and point the path to your Menu.exe.

2. Prepare your Menu.exe. Your Menu.exe only slide uses Object Editor action "Run application and exit" for each desired Show1.exe, Show2.exe., etc.

3. If you want music to play as part of the Menu.exe, insert your Music.mp3 path in Sound box of the single slide of your Menu show main project window.

This simple set-up seems to work flawlessly. The individual shows can each use custom or auto sound sync without any problem. The only modification to any existing Show.exe would be the simple last slide reference to the Menu.exe.

If I am missing something, please be gentle, but please point it out, don't just humor me.

[goddi]

Over the years, I have done as Hawk, Al and others have suggested - Let the Menu page be silent! Often, I have pursued the matter as you have Gary - wanting to see what can be done. Often, the practical approach became - let the menu be silent. ... If I am missing something, please be gentle, but please point it out, don't just humor me.

LumenLux... Yes, I see your technique and, in fact, have tried it. However, I want the each Showx.exe to run sequentually without having to return to the Menu.exe, unless a show is stopped by the viewer--only then do I want it to go back to the Menu.exe. Your method makes it return to the Menu.exe after each Showx.exe. Not a bad thing, just not what was in my head. I would use it if each Showx.exe were unrelated. But my Showx.exe's are a single travelog and going back to the Menu.exe would be a 'disruption' in the sequence. This has been an interesting exercise and thanks to all for their help. It seems that one has to choose my method or your method. We can't combine them. :-[[ Thanks..., Gary.

[LumenLux]

I see. This kind of review/explore exercise is always useful - at least to me. I'm not sure how often one might use such a musical pause feature, but it does seem Igor could design something in. He could just add a play interlude option to a pause function. Meanwhile, you can pause your show and play the radio or external sound file. Or last resort - we can always change what we want.