Have you ever driven past a house with a musically coordinated Christmas light show and wondered how it all works? In this post, we’re going to teach you the basics of how these lights work and how you can create your own show.
It all starts with a computer sequencing software that sets the lights to the shape of your house. You draw out the lights on a picture of your house and program them on a timeline to your music. You watch the music, listen to it, and line up the different effects to the beats and the music. Effects and videos are triggered, and the show is generated.
The show is played either by the computer itself or via a series of small computers like a Raspberry Pi. The information goes from the computer down a network to the controllers. When working with musical Christmas lights, there are three types of lights that you’ll see, traditional style Christmas lights, RGB Christmas lights, and pixels.
Pixels are the most versatile and popular option as they allow you to change each bulb on the strand of lights separately, making it possible to run video and other cool effects on top of it. There are three types of controllers, relays, decoders, and pixel controllers. Pixel controllers translate information from the computer to a format that the smart pixel lights can understand, allowing each individual light to change on its own.
Once the information comes from the computer to the controller, it then goes from the controller to the lights or pixels. Adding in power means that the light is able to light up, and the pixels are able to change with the music and other information you’re sending via the sequencing software.
Creating a musical Christmas light show might seem complicated, but doing this type of show has never been more within reach of the average person technology-wise and cost-wise. With a little bit of effort, you can create a show that will amaze your neighbors and spread holiday cheer.
In conclusion, you now know the basics of how to sync Christmas lights to a radio station. With a computer sequencing software, controllers, and the right type of lights, you can create your own show and spread holiday cheer to your community.