Moving from a consumer 1.4 show to an AOP show - questions

[MontanaMike]

Our show has grown to the point where I think we might need to consider the "next step" of moving up to an AOP-based show. We currently spend about $3000 on our show, it runs about 18-19 minutes with music. We use a Cobra system with 9 mods and an audiobox. The show currently consists of mostly 500g cakes, with a bunch of roman candles and a finale composed of mortars + a couple more cakes. We've gotten about 98% of our fireworks from wfboom over the years.

Could we expect to put on a similar length show using AOP? Is there any kind of an online guide on the differences between setting up the two types of shows? I'm sure we can handle the setup part, but I'm more wondering if we will get us 18 or 19 minutes worth.

Is there anyone out there who'd be willing to send me a script I could take a look at (that has a video to view online)? Would we need to add equipment? Any advice for a longtime pyro but total AOP newbie would be much appreciated! (And no hurry, I know you guys are all busy getting ready for the 4th.... our prep is done so I'm getting antsy already!)

[Birdman]

AOP is not much different besides a lot of it has an e-port and you need to brace it. There are many options for bracing that range from specialized racks to improvised methods like wooden stakes and duct tape. The big thing to consider is the amount of cues you can burn up if you start using lots of single shots and fan slices. You can reduce the amount of cues needed by wiring MJG's in parallel or series. Sequencers are another option to reduce cues. AOP cakes are pretty much the same any other cake but again most will need to be braced.

If you are not aware, Dave has an AOP certification course that you can take which is accepted by a couple of the wholesalers that advertise here so you can be authorized to purchase it.

I used a good amount of AOP last year for the first time. If you PM me your email address I can send you my script and anything else I have that I think you will find helpful.

[Scotty Rockets]

I’ve used a lot of it in my shows and currently I use about 98% AOP. Because it’s a lot of single shots, slices, ground effects and individual pre-loads shells, you’ll need lots of cues especially for a 18 minute show. You also will probably want to invest in specialize racks for AOP.

[Greenville Pyro]

AOP is not much different besides a lot of it has an e-port and you need to brace it. There are many options for bracing that range from specialized racks to improvised methods like wooden stakes and duct tape. The big thing to consider is the amount of cues you can burn up if you start using lots of single shots and fan slices. You can reduce the amount of cues needed by wiring MJG's in parallel or series. Sequencers are another option to reduce cues. AOP cakes are pretty much the same any other cake but again most will need to be braced.

If you are not aware, Dave has an AOP certification course that you can take which is accepted by a couple of the wholesalers that advertise here so you can be authorized to purchase it.

I used a good amount of AOP last year for the first time. If you PM me your email address I can send you my script and anything else I have that I think you will find helpful.

I echo everything Birdman says. Right now I'm doing a hybrid with some comets/fan slices as "punctuation" to the music, while letting cakes/mortars handle the bulk of the show. This is the first year that I stepped into sequencers and breakout boards. The first thing you'll notice is that a nicely scripted short comet sequence can EASILY eat 20 cues if not more. I'd plan to start small then figure out what you need. For me, I was trying to add Cobra mods and it just became insanely expensive, hence the sequencers this year. I brace my AOP cakes and regular ones all the same (excessively). Comets go in metal modular racks (C****C*), and fan slices go into a plywood slider brace.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Your setup and mine are pretty close. I use 12 Cobra mods with slats. I also use an Audiobox and I shoot a bunch of AOP stuff. My show this year is 28min.

Don't get wrapped around the axel worrying about the difference in cakes. The only difference between a 500G AOP cake and a 500G "regular" cake is the AOP cake has a port to attach an initiator or ematch.

As others have mentioned, the rest of the AOP items all have their own stabilizing requirements. You can get as fancy and expensive as you want. I purchased fan racks because I use a lot of fans. When I could get comets I would tape 4 together and use wooden dowel rods to position them in the ground. A lot cheaper than pyrolamas and just as effective. Wooden stakes or rods and zip-ties work great for mines, and gerbs and flame pots and strobes too.

None of this has anything to do with how long your show will last. That depends on how much stuff you want in the air at any given time and your budget. My budget is $5K and I use 12 mods and I have a MINIMUM of two cakes going off at any one time. Like I said, my show is 28 min this year. With your budget and 9 mods you shouldn't have any problem doing an 18 min show.