Seeking advice for 1st pyro musical

[Buzz]

I'll start with the typical introduction associated with this kind of personal problem. Hi my name is Buzz and I'm a Pyrofan. There, I said it. I feel better already.



I've been running a small backyard show for years with an ODA 50 Q box and I want to switch to pyro musicals. I need some practical advice. You know brother, to get me by, one day at a time.

What I do now: I have 4 4x8 sheets of plywood set up in the yard with ~20 200 gram cakes, ~14 500 gram cakes, pro meteors, smokes, strobes, fountains, fans, 8 NOABs, 200 shells in racks, some 62MM shells all wired up with slats and printer cables to my ODA box.

My objective: 3-4 songs, 12-15 minutes. Use about the same amount of fireworks noted above. Spread out at 3 or 4 stations.

Roughly, at a minimum, how many Cobra 18M modules do I need? I was hoping to get by with 4 but this might not be realistic.

How many cues do you typically fire during a 3 minute song? Think of this question as how many do you need at a minimum to keep the audience from falling asleep, especially if you really like to play Barry Manilow b-sides?

How much time will I spend developing my first script?

How long should it take to assemble this size show by 1 person, I'm a 1 man operation.

Who makes the best 1.4 willow?

Anybody want to buy a 50 Q ODA box?

[displayfireworks1]

LOL After reading your entire post I laughed when I read your last sentence. There are 2 steps , Step one is to purchase a Cobra system and Step 2 is to plan a show.
Problem is you are one Step 2 and you should be on Step 1. Everyone's funding is different at various times. I recommend you find funding to purchase at least 3 Cobra modules with remote. Once you purchase a system and understand how it works , Step 2 will be a little easier.

[Buzz]

LOL After reading your entire post I laughed when I read your last sentence. There are 2 steps , Step one is to purchase a Cobra system and Step 2 is to plan a show.
Problem is you are one Step 2 and you should be on Step 1. Everyone's funding is different at various times. I recommend you find funding to purchase at least 3 Cobra modules with remote. Once you purchase a system and understand how it works , Step 2 will be a little easier.

Are you saying 3 Cobra (18m) modules are enough to do a nice 12 - 15 minute show? I've been watching guys on youtube with 15 minute shows and they seem to be using a lot more than 3 modules. This guy is using 7 modules and 2 remotes for a 2 minute show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOW16ZjmkSc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOW16ZjmkSc
I don't want people throwing tomatoes at me.

[Pyro Paul]

I did this last 4th of July with 5 mods and one R2, ran a lot of scab wire though...
https://youtu.be/SW2S0kDetnY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW2S0kDetnY&feature=youtu.be

[Robbro097]

Im not going to speak to the cue count pyromusical thing as iv yet to do a pyro musical this is my 1st year with cobra so instead of risking a bad pyro musical im learning the cobra and scripting. But i am loving the 72m with slats ill b firing apl 3 of my positions with only 1 unique cue and no scab. For my main show day b4 i will wire everything up to my slats and shunt the ends of the slats so theyr essentially the same as shunted wires on ematch put boards on trailer and drive em out to place and run my cable, should greatly reduce setup time on day of shoot.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

You're only limitations are going to be your own level of creativity and your budget. As Dave said, you need to buy a Cobra (or any other professional system) and understand how it works first.

Having said that... There are cakes out there that last up to a minute. You can wire those in series with some ground effects like flame pots or strobes or gerbs or fountains that also last up to a minute. On 1 cue you can have 4 or 5 different things going off on 1 firing module! Add in a second module and now you're up to 8-10 different things. If an effect is only 20-30 seconds, stagger them across two firing modules. Set 2 cakes to go off 10 seconds after the first 2 start to stretch out the life of the effect. Rinse, repeat. Before you know it you have a 12-15 min show!

Make sense?

[Jay_]

I did a 15 minute(ish) show with 4 18m’s last year, along with a Chinese firing system.

You do have to make compromises, and depending on how you plan to setup it can make for a lengthy setup.

The setup aspect for me alone was a big enough factor that I added 3 more 18m’s and a 72m this year. As posted above, the slats on the 72m will be great and will reduce setup time.

[Buzz]

I did this last 4th of July with 5 mods and one R2, ran a lot of scab wire though...
https://youtu.be/SW2S0kDetnY

Thanks. That looks pretty good to get started.

How much time did you put in to scripting?

How long did it take to set up on the day of the show?

How far out did you use scab wire?

[Pyro Paul]

I had a bunch of old cat 5 cable donated to me so I used it to run through stations much like you would do with slats and cables, so with 1 mod I was able to do 3 stations 50 ft apart and the second I did 2 stations 80 ft apart, same with the single shot effects which were 3 stations of angled racks. the remaining 2 mods were dedicated to slices, 62mm shots and artillery racks in the back. Day of show set up was all day (7am - 9pm) with 2 of my sons helping. We had 30 min to spare before pressing the fire button. Scripting and pre setup were about a week each. I wouldn't recommend doing it that way, setup the day of was brutal. My best advice is upgrade to the 5.02 version and the 14.8 volt lipo battery if you're going to invest in a cobra system.

[Firefytr360]

Hello Buzz, I too am attempting my first pyro musical with a buddy this year. If you get Cobra Show Creator, you'll be able to do basic scripting. How I started my scripting process was to first use Audacity software to blend mp3 files together to create my sound track. Then I listened to each song to pick out the what I call the "punch points" in the music - the heavy beats, high points, etc where it would make sense to have a perfectly-timed fireworks one shot or burst. I followed the graphic sound diagram that Audacity makes for the song to see the high points too. That's where I am doing my mines and slices and comets - because they can be almost perfectly coordinated to fire instantly, on the exact beat. If you direct match cakes, you can get them to instantly begin too, right on the musical beat. I am doing about a 14 min 30 sec show. For that I am using 170 mines/comets, 34 slices, 300 canister shells and around 41 cakes of various sizes. I have bought mostly 1.4 Pro line items (articles pyrotechnic) because they come with match ports and ignite instantly. I'm using 90 Cobra cues to control most of the one shot items and cakes. The canister shells and finale I am firing with an electric Delcor system which has momentary switches. I will be time chaining and finale chaining rows of 10 canister shells to save on cues, and using scab wiring to fire multiple items with only one cue. I hope this helps you some. It can be intimidating to think about the complexity involved in a pyromusical, but tackle it one step at a time.





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[Buzz]

Hello Buzz, I too am attempting my first pyro musical with a buddy this year. If you get Cobra Show Creator, you'll be able to do basic scripting. How I started my scripting process was to first use Audacity software to blend mp3 files together to create my sound track. Then I listened to each song to pick out the what I call the "punch points" in the music - the heavy beats, high points, etc where it would make sense to have a perfectly-timed fireworks one shot or burst. I followed the graphic sound diagram that Audacity makes for the song to see the high points too. That's where I am doing my mines and slices and comets - because they can be almost perfectly coordinated to fire instantly, on the exact beat. If you direct match cakes, you can get them to instantly begin too, right on the musical beat. I am doing about a 14 min 30 sec show. For that I am using 170 mines/comets, 34 slices, 300 canister shells and around 41 cakes of various sizes. I have bought mostly 1.4 Pro line items (articles pyrotechnic) because they come with match ports and ignite instantly. I'm using 90 Cobra cues to control most of the one shot items and cakes. The canister shells and finale I am firing with an electric Delcor system which has momentary switches. I will be time chaining and finale chaining rows of 10 canister shells to save on cues, and using scab wiring to fire multiple items with only one cue. I hope this helps you some. It can be intimidating to think about the complexity involved in a pyromusical, but tackle it one step at a time.





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I ended up getting a Cobra system and I'm using Show Creator too. Great Tips gentlemen. Much Appreciated.

[MontanaMike]

We got our Cobra system in 2015 (4 mods, Audiobox and 18R2) and immediately jumped into making a pyromusical. Talk about diving in head-first. It has been a learning experience with each show getting a little better and improving. We've grown to 8 modules in our system now, and I would like to add one more due to the setup of our show. This year will be our first show to use mostly MJG Initiators instead of Talons, and also the first time I've done the script with Cobra Show Creator. I had the software last year, but kept putting off learning how to use it and went with my old "tried and true" Excel method. Now of course I wish I'd started using CSC sooner!

I expect our next improvement will be to convert to the quick-plugs for the modules.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Now of course I wish I'd started using CSC sooner!

I'm one of the guys beta testing the web version of the new CSC. Get ready. You're going to love it!

[Buzz]

For that I am using 170 mines/comets, 34 slices, 300 canister shells and around 41 cakes of various sizes. I have bought mostly 1.4 Pro line items (articles pyrotechnic) because they come with match ports and ignite instantly.

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Who did you buy from?

[Buzz]

I'm working my ass off with labels on tape. Next year I will invest in avery labels. It's getting close. Just a few more days.... I'm using milk crates for the 62 mm aerials. They are zip tied to the sides at the top and bottom. Is this a bad idea?

Also how much crackle is too much?

[joed2323]

I'm working my ass off with labels on tape. Next year I will invest in avery labels. It's getting close. Just a few more days.... I'm using milk crates for the 62 mm aerials. They are zip tied to the sides at the top and bottom. Is this a bad idea?

Also how much crackle is too much?

That is a empty question.


Their is no such thing sir as Too much crackle!!!

Through out the show, in my opinion, yes their is such a thing as too much crackle.

Are we talking about a finale? If so let her RIP

[Buzz]

My show was a huge success. Thanks to everyone here who helped me out.

[darkpyro]

I'm one of the guys beta testing the web version of the new CSC. Get ready. You're going to love it!

So when is this web version supposed to release? Will it contain visualizations? Just curious as I'm looking to purchase FF 3D but will wait if it's coming soon.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

So when is this web version supposed to release? Will it contain visualizations? Just curious as I'm looking to purchase FF 3D but will wait if it's coming soon.

Depends on what you mean by "visualizations." On the bottom of the wave form line it will depict everything that's currently running. Right now you could have 4 things going off but only 1 is shown. So that's a big improvement as far as I'm concerned. If you're looking for show simulations, no. It doesn't have that functionality. As for when it's going to be released, that's a question for Scott and the crew at Cobra.

[darkpyro]

Yes, I was referring to show simulations. New to the hobby so poor choice of words. I'm looking to do a pyromusical for my July 3, 2020 show. Have traditionally hand lit with other fellas and then single fused an 8x4 ply for our finale board. This year I manually fired that board from Cobra 18R and 18M and a document with my timings. Since I'm new to the hobby, I think the simulations would be nice because I don't always have the knowledge to visualize every firework. I like the Finale Fireworks but $350/year is a bit steep for 1 or 2 ,12 minute shows a year.

Thanks for the info. It's all a huge learning curve for me at this point.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Not a problem man. Glad to help.

I messed around with that program too a long time ago, and if I remember correctly, you had to build all of the effects into the program before it would generate the show. I just don't have that kind of time or patience to be doing that every year.

The Cobra Show Creator program will allow you to build a list of all your fireworks, along with a URL to the video of that effect and you can view it inside the CSC program as your building your show. It's a nice refresher so you can determine whether to use that effect or move on to something else. Have you played with CSC at all? If not, give it a shot. I think you can play with it for 5 days for free. If you want to buy it, I think it's something like $75 for a 3 year license. Really pretty cheap considering what we spend on this hobby every year.

If you can upgrade to the 18R2 you can build and run your own scripts too. That's like MUST HAVE capability if you want to do pyro-musicals. So you might want to give that some consideration too.

Let me know if I can help in any way!

Rick

[darkpyro]

I bought the 18R with 18M on a Black Friday deal. Within about 30 minutes of working with the 18R, I knew I would be getting the R2. Even for manual firing, as the 18R doesn't show you fired cues.
I plan to purchase R2, a few more 18Ms and audiobox later this year. I'm waiting and hopeful for some more Christmas deals. I will definitely check out CSC. It probably has capabilities I'm unaware of. Thanks for the info.

My current problem is my budget and ideas are bigger than my space. Just live in a residential circle so limited as to what I can do. Don't want to set the neighborhood on fire.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Definitely understand the neighborhood issues. I used to blow off cakes in the street in front of my house. That was back when I only had a few cases to shoot. Fortunately for me, there is a big 600' x 300' retention pond 4 houses down from me. So that's where I shoot from. The HOA's playground sits adjacent to the retention pond, so that's where everyone gathers to watch the show. I'm guessing you have a retention pond somewhere in your neighborhood too yes? If so, I'd take my show on the road and shoot it from there.

If you wind up with all the Cobra gear you just mentioned, you're really going to need to spread out your show. So I'd be searching for a new shoot site if I were you.