In this tutorial we will be creating a simple ‘flip’ FX in TouchDesigner to use inside of VDMX6 Plus with a basic set of sliders and buttons to control the composition.
The workflow described here can be used to adapt existing TouchDesigner compositions for use as sources and FX including custom published input parameters.
Read MoreWelcome to this tutorial, where we dive into face-specific effects in VDMX powered by Apple’s Vision SDK and CoreML. We’ll explore how to blur faces, create face overlays, and experiment with pixelation to build dynamic, real-time visuals.
1. Blur Faces
Function: Automatically detects and blurs faces.
Customization:
Adjust blur intensity and radius.
Crossfade to isolate the face or invert the mask.
Example: Perfect for anonymizing faces or adding a dreamy, surreal aesthetic to your visuals.
2. Face Overlay
Function: Duplicates and stacks faces onto other layers.
Usage:
Combine with live input or pre-recorded footage.
Adjust size, position, and blend modes for unique results.
3. Pixelate Faces (Beta)
Function: Pixelates detected faces.
Note: This effect is experimental and may glitch with multiple faces.
Potential Use: Add a retro, 8-bit aesthetic or obscure identities in a stylized way.
4. Creative Stacking and Modular Effects
Layer Count: Add unlimited layers to compound effects.
Experiment: Stack effects, tweak settings, and discover unique combinations.
VDMX’s modular approach lets you craft complex visual experiences, perfect for performances, installations, or experimental art. If you create something cool, tag the team on social media (Instagram / YouTube) or share your work in the forums!
Happy experimenting! 🚀
Use the new Remove Background FX in VDMX6 to automatically key any video stream without having to use a blue / green screen.
Read MoreFor this guest tutorial we are joined by Sarah GHP for a deep dive behind the scenes look at her setup connecting a variety of different video worlds using window capture, Syphon, and digital to analog conversion. You can also read more about her creative process, how she got into feedback loops, and more in the Interview with Sarah GHP! post on our blog.
Watch through the video here:
And follow along below for additional notes and photos of the rig and how everything fits together!
In my practice — whether performing visuals live or creating footage for an edited video — I pull together a number of variously processed layers, which I want to overlay and manipulate improvisationally.
Some things computers are great for, like making complex graphics or applying effects that are more accessible digitally, in terms of both device footprint and complexity. For other aspects — tactile improvisation, working with signals from modular musicians, video timbre — an analog synth is the better choice.
My performance chain aims to make both accessible at the same time in one system.
Within this setup, VDMX plays a keystone role: adding effects, routing signals throughout the system, making previously recorded footage available for remixing, and even recording footage. It can also help fill space for modules that one has not yet been able to buy, which is the focus of another tutorial on this this site..
Here I walk through how my setup works as inspiration for one of your own.
Computer & Software
I use an Apple M1 Macbook or sometimes an M2 Macbook. I livecode SVGs using La Habra, a Clojurescript + Electron framework I wrote, and sometimes use Signal Culture's applications, especially Framebuffer and Interstream. And of course, VDMX.
Video Signal Transformation
To transform the video signal from the HDMI that exits the laptop into an analog format accepted by the Eurorack setup, I use two BlackMagic boxes: HDMI to SDI and SDI to Analog, which can output composite (everything over one wire) or component (Y, Pb, Pr). Sometimes here and there I see a converter that will do HDMI to composite directly, but having two converters can be useful for flexibility. The biggest downside is that the two are powered separately, so I end up needing a six-plug strip.
It is also possible to skip all of these and point an analog camera at a monitor to get the video format you want, but in that case, you need a separate monitor.
Eurorack
This is my case on Modular Grid. The top row is the video row and the most important. In this example, I am focused on using the LZX TBC2 and LZX Memory Palace, plus the Batumi II as an LFO.
The LZX TBC2 can work as a mixer and a gradient generator, but in this setup it is mostly converting analog video signal to the 1V RGB standard used by LZX. It can be replaced with a Syntonie Entree. Likewise, the video manipulation modules can be replaced with any you specifically like to use.
Output, Monitoring & Recording
Finally, there is the output, monitor and the recorder. The monitor is a cheap back-up monitor for a car. (For example only.) Usually the power supply needs to be sourced separately and I recommend the Blackmagic versions, especially if you travel, because they are robust and come with interchangeable plugs.
When performing without recording, the main output can be sent through any inexpensive Composite to HDMI converter. The one I use was a gift that I think came from Amazon. Some venues used to accept composite or S-Video directly, but these days more and more projectors only take HDMI or are only wired for HDMI, even if technically the projector accepts other signals.
When recording, I format the signal back into SDI through a Blackmagic Analog to SDI converter and then send it to a Blackmagic HyperDeck Studio HD Mini. This records on one of two SD cards and can send out HDMI to a projector.
The purpose of the hardware setup is to convert video signals from one format to another. (More detail about how this works and various setups can be found in an earlier post I made.)
Don’t forget the cables!
The general flow here is computer > HDMI to SDI > SDI to Analog > TBC2 > Memory Palace > various outputs.
Software flowchart
Those are the wires outside the computer. Inside the computer, there is a set of more implicit wires, all pulled together by VDMX.
My visuals begin with La Habra, which I live code in Clojurescript in Atom. (Even though it is dead as a project, Atom hasn't broken yet, and I wrote a number of custom code-expansion macros for La Habra, so I still use it.)
These are displayed as an Electron app.
The Electron app is the input to Layer 1 in VDMX.
In the most minimal setup, I add the Movie Recorder to capture the improvisation and I use the Fullscreen setup and Preview windows to monitor and control the output to the synth. I have the Movie Recorder set to save files to the media bin so that if I do not want to record the entire performance, I can also use the Movie Recorder to save elements from earlier in the set to be layered into the set later.
One perk of this setup, of course, is that I can apply VDMX effects to the visuals before they go into the synth or even in more minimal setups, directly into the projector.
Sometimes it is fun to use more extreme, overall effects like the VHS Glitch, Dilate, Displace, or Toon, to give a kind of texture that pure live-coded visuals cannot really provide. I used to struggle a bit with how adding these kinds of changes with just a few button clicks sat within live code as a practice, since it values creating live. But then I remembered that live code musicians use synth sounds and samples all the time, so I stopped worrying!
Beyond making things more fun with big effects, I use VDMX to coordinate input and output among Signal Culture applications, along with more practical effects that augment the capabilities of either the analog synth or another app.
So, for example, here Layer 1 takes in the raw La Habra visuals from Electron, pipes this out of Syphon into the Signal Culture Framebuffer, and then brings in the transformed visuals on Layer 3.
I also usually have the same La Habra visuals in Layer 5, so that if I apply effects to Layer 1 to pass into the effects change, Layer 5 can work as a bypass for clean live coded work should I want it. This same effect can be achieved with an external mixer, but using VDMX means one less box to carry. It also gives access to so many blend modes, including wipes, which are not available in cheaper mixers.
Use the UI Inspector to assign keyboard or MIDI shortcuts to the Hide / Show button for each layer.
I pair the number keys with layer Show/Hide buttons to make it easy to toggle the view when I am playing.
In this setup, I am more likely to use effects that combine well with systems that work on luma keying, like the Motion Mask, or use VDMX to add in more planar motion with the Side Scroller and Flip. Very noisy effects, such as the VHS Glitch, are also quite enjoyable when passed into other applications because they usually cause things to misbehave in interesting ways, but even a simple delay combined with layers and weird blend modes can augment a base animation.
At this point, astute readers may wonder, why make feedback using a VDMX feedback effect, a Signal culture app, multiple VDMX layers plus a delay, AND an analog synth like the Memory Palace? The answer is simple: each kind of feedback looks, different, feels different, and reacts differently. By layering and contrasting feedback types, I feel like we are able to see the grains of various machines in relationship to one another, and for me that is endlessly interesting. (Sometimes I bring in short films from other synths that cannot be part of the live setup as well, and that is usually what goes in Layers 2 and 4.)
Layers 2 & 4 in VDMX
Where and how effects are applied of course also affects how they can be tweaked. When I define effects in VDMX that benefit from a changing signal, especially the Side Scroller and Flip, I use the inbuilt LFO setup. I have one slow and one fast one usually and define a few custom waveforms to use in addition to sine and cosine waves.
Final setup in VDMX
The choice between computer-generated signal and analog signal is mostly decided by where the effect I am modulating lives. When it comes to effects that are available both on the synth and in the computer, the biggest difference is waveforms from the synthesizer they are easier to modulate with other signals, but harder to make precise than computer-based signals.
Now that we have set up the software to layer live computer based images and all the converter boxes to get that video into the Eurorack, the last step is setting up that case.
Synth flowchart
Mostly I work with the LZX Memory Palace, which is a frame store and effects module. It can do quite a lot: It has two primary modes, one based around feedback and one based around writing to a paint buffer, and can work with an external signal, internal masks, or a combination of the both. In this case, I am working with external signal in feedback mode.
To get signal into the Memory Palace, it needs to be converted from the composite signal coming out of the Blackmagic SDI to Analog box into 1V RGB signals. For this, I use the LZX TBC2. It also works as a mixer and a gradient generator, but here I use it to convert signals. On the back, it distributes sync to the Memory Palace.
Memory Palace + Batumi
And this is where the last bit of the performance magic happens. The Memory Palace offers color adjustment functions, spatial adjustment functions, and the feedback control functions, including thresholds for which brightnesses are keyed out and what is represented in the feedback, as well the number of frames repeated in the feedback and key softness. To dynamically change these values, LZX provides inbuilt functions; so for instance the button at the bottom of the Y-axis shift button triggers a Y scroll, and then the slider controls the speed of the scroll. However, the shape of the wave is unchangeable.
That is where the CV inputs above come in. Here I have waves from the Batumi patched into the X position, and I can use the attenuator knobs above to let the signal through.
Once everything is humming away, the Memory Palace output needs to go into a monitor and whatever the main output is. In theory, the two composite outputs on the front of the Memory Palace can be used, but one is loose, so I use one and then use the RGB 1V outputs into the the Syntonie VU007B (A splitter cable would also work or a mult, but I already had the VU007B.)
One output goes into the monitor, a cheap back up camera monitor. The other goes into the projector directly or into a Blackmagic Analog to SDI box and then into the Hyperdeck for recording, before being passed via HDMI to the projector.
While I use one big feedback module, LZX and Syntonie, as well as some smaller producers, make video modules that are smaller and do fewer things alone. These tend to be signal generators and signal combinators and, following the software to synth section of this tutorial, you can use any of them.
Now that we've connected everything up, let's see it what it looks like performed live!
Enjoyed this guest tutorial from Sarah GHP? Next up you can check out the Interview with Sarah GHP! post on our blog to see even more of her work!
Set the Privacy Indicators toggle to off to hide the orange / green dot on external displays.
Good news everyone!
As almost every visual artist on using macOS knows, in recent years Apple has added an orange / green dot that appears in the menubar whenever an application is using the microphone and / or camera for capture. While this privacy feature is generally a fantastically useful tool for people to track which apps may be recording sound and video, it was extremely annoying for anyone trying to perform live visuals. Although there have been several workaround published since then, none of them have been officially from Apple and always came with some additional security risks that were not worth the trouble.
Fortunately as of macOS 14.4 there is now a method provided by Apple for hiding the privacy dot on external displays! The instructions are fairly straightforward and can be found in this Apple support note: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/118449
After you’ve rebooted in Recovery Mode and entered the ‘system-override suppress-sw-camera-indication-on-external-displays=on’ command in the Terminal, the new option available in System Settings under Privacy & Security for the microphone / camera will allow you to turn the privacy dot on and off for external displays on demand. This makes it possible to quickly re-enable or disable the privacy feature temporarily as needed.
Note that this will only remove the privacy dot on external displays - this technique will not work on your main monitor.
One of the most fun aspect of using Eurorack setups is the ability to quickly reroute control data and sound between different modules. Conversely one of the most limiting parts of using Eurorack setups is the ability to quickly swap out different modules from your rack to get different kinds of control data and sound coming and going from your system. In this tutorial we will look at how the Step Sequencer and LFO plugins in VDMX can be used alongside Eurorack setups to provide a versatile approach to generating CV values.
As Eurorack modules are also often a significant investment of money, it can also sometimes be useful to use software tools like VDMX to simulate their abilities to determine if they are a good fit for your needs before purchasing.
This tutorial is broken into three main parts:
Setting up our Eurorack to convert MIDI to CV.
Setting up VDMX to send MIDI to the Eurorack.
Configuring step sequencer and LFOs in VDMX to control parameters on our Eurorack.
Univer Iter MIDI to CV and Tiptop Audio Buchla 258t Eurorack modules.
For this initial demonstration of doing MIDI to CV we are using the Noise Engineering Univer Inter along with a Buchla & Tiptop Audio 258t Dual Oscillator module to generate tones.
The Univer Iter has 8 CV out ports along with a USB port which can be directly connected to a computer for receiving incoming MIDI. Within applications like AudioMIDI Setup and VDMX it appears as a standard MIDI output device option. It also can be configured to use a custom MIDI mapping as needed and can be daisy chained with a second module for another 8x outputs.
A variety of different modules are available for taking MIDI data in one form or another and converting it to CV. As always with Eurorack setups it is prudent to spend some time looking at all of the module options and picking the best for your specific needs.
Most user interface controls in VDMX such as sliders and buttons can be configured to directly send their current value as MIDI output using the “Send” tab of the “UI Inspector” window. When configuring VDMX to drive external devices such as a Eurorack it is often useful to add a “Control Surface” plugin with customized set of UI elements that represent each of our individual CV outputs.
Steps:
Use the “Plugins” tab of the “Workspace Inspector” to add a “Control Surface“ plugin to the project.
Use the sub-inspector to add one or more UI elements (sliders, buttons, pop-up menus, etc). to the control surface interface.
Click on each UI element in the Control Surface main window to inspect it. Use the “Send“ tab of the “UI Inspector” to configure the MIDI mapping and output device.
Now that our Eurorack is receiving MIDI from VDMX and converting it to CV we can begin to set up our Step Sequencer and LFO plugins to drive individual parameters of our synthesizer.
A VDMX setup with a two track step sequencer, an LFO, a clock plugin, and a control surface configured to send MIDI output.
Steps:
Right-click on sliders and buttons to assign data sources.
Use the “Plugins” tab of the “Workspace Inspector” to add a “Step Sequencer“ plugin and an “LFO” plugin to the project.
Use the sub-inspector to customize Step Sequencer / LFO configurations as needed.
Right click on output UI elements in the Control Surface or use the UI Inspector to route generated control data to our MIDI outputs.
Patch the MIDI module CV output to synthesizer input parameters.
Use the “Clock” plugin to adjust the overall BPM.
Once we’ve created our parameter routings on the Eurorack we can also optionally further customize our Control Surface with appropriate labels and display ranges, or continue to leave them as generic 0-1 values that are commonly re-patched on the fly.
So, you've got a projector? Now, let's take your visual installations to the next level! While there's no shortage of inexpensive projector mounts online, some fall short for custom setups and quick turnarounds. Enter GRIP hardware – a tried-and-true solution from the film world that's been revolutionized with 3D printing.
Mount Anywhere! Don’t forget the safety cable!
Image from ‘supercell by slowdanger’ taken at the Flea theather in New York City. January 2024.
Lots of options!
Avenger F810 Baby Plate with 5/8" Swivel Spigot + a Grip Head + 6” Baby Pin Wall Plate
In the film/video realm, GRIP hardware is the unsung hero of lighting and rigging, trusted on film sets, TV shows, and in theaters. This gear, designed to support hefty lighting rigs for extended periods, can be the perfect match for your projector mounting needs.
Lots of metal bits for any type of installation. It only gets strange when explaining to TSA!
3” Baby Pin Wall plate attached with a custom made 3D printed mount for Optoma Projectors that works with Impact and Manfrotto plates.
At the core of this hardware is the ⅝" Baby Pin connector – a versatile link that works wonders for small to medium-sized projectors. If you're dealing with a large event projector, chances are it comes with its own secure cage or mounting structure for a safer installation.
The black coupler is a “Double Female Adapter” made by Kupo. The rest is a mix of Manfrotto Avenger and Impact GRIP hardware.
This type of connection opens the door to hundreds, if not thousands, of mounting possibilities. Trusted manufacturers include Impact Lighting (budget-friendly), Manfrotto Avenger Series, Matthews Lighting, and Kupo Lighting.
Left: Projector + wood mount with super clamp on a swivel head. Right: Projector with magic arm + wood mount and receiver plate.
The Cardellini Clamp, affectionately known as a Mathelini in theatrical circles (or alternatively as a Jaw Vice Clamp online), offers an impressive 6"+ range, making it an indispensable tool for securing projectors in diverse scenarios. When paired with an Impact Baby Pin Swivel Head Mount, complete with a sleek black Kupo connector, and anchored by a Manfrotto Avenger ⅝" baby pin receiver, this setup guarantees both stability and flexibility.
While different brands may come with varying price tags, their performance is generally comparable. However, it's worth noting that complications can arise when mixing brands, as they may have slightly different pin "lock" heights (the indentation at the top of the baby pin). Although it's possible to mix and match, optimal connectivity is often achieved when sticking to the same brand for all components in your hardware ensemble. (Link to 2” vice clamp)
Cardellini Clamp! (or Mathelini) Assuming you bought from Matthews Studio Equipment.
Mounting projectors where ever you want!
This hardware is strong!
Seriously, this Manfrotto Super Clamp survived years outside and even made it through a hurricane! (video) (It was only holding a camera, but still).
Once tightened in place, these components stand firm, even under the weight of heavy projectors. However, for added security, never forget the importance of a safety cable – a 1/16" aircraft cable that ensures your setup stays put, and it is relatively inexpensive to make your own safety cables after purchasing steel cable cutters and a swaging tool.
Beyond the essentials, assembling a well-rounded toolkit is paramount for a flawless installation. Consider expanding your arsenal with beam clamps, spring clamps, additional IEC cables, HDMI over Ethernet adapters, and HDMI cables under 50'. It's crucial to remain mindful of HDMI cable limitations – once you exceed 50 feet, exploring signal boosters or HDMI over Ethernet solutions becomes imperative.
Here's a pro-tip: I highly recommend using an IEC cable tap for added convenience. This allows you to power a media player ( this one offers seemless loop with .mkv files, must used a hidden file cleaner like BlueHarvest to remove hidden “.trash” files from USB drive or SD card before looping a folder of files). , Raspberry Pi, or HDMI over RJ45 adapter with a single cord, streamlining your setup.
Speaking of HDMI over RJ45 adapters (not HDMI over Ethernet!), I found mine for less than $20 USD, featuring both HDMI input and output on the transmitter (TX). While it seems they're currently sold out, there's no need to break the bank; spending $50 or more on this type of adapter is unnecessary. Instead, consider investing in a quality shielded CAT6 cable or making one yourself. A shielded cable helps minimize noise, making it especially beneficial for longer runs, particularly when running cables alongside power cables. This cost-effective approach ensures optimal performance without compromising your budget. (Note: HDMI over Ethernet means you could send the signal over a network, switch, router, etc. HDMI over RJ45 or HDMI over Cat5e requires a “homerun” cable that runs direct from the transmitter (TX) to receiver (RX). The protocol that is used by the manufacturers may be different then others, so you can’t mix and match these RX and TX receivers with different brands.)
Beam Clamps, pipe clamp, super clamps, baby pin adapters, yoke mount, grip head, adjustable magic arms, and a swivel head mount baby pin plate enhance adaptability, offering creative solutions for various mounting scenarios.
Handy for attaching things to “I Beams.” Especially helpful for securing safety cables in place.
Inexpensive, and versatile, and good to have in your bag!
Good for when you’re working in a lighting grid environment.
These are commonly found on C-Stands, and can hold a bunch of things at various angles.
Can position it almost any which way. These tend to sag over time with heavier projectors and in long installations, but great for quick configurations!
Great to have in your kit. A good quality Gaffers tape goes a long way and avoids tape residue after removed.
As you embark on your projector rigging journey, the right accessories make all the difference. This comprehensive guide ensures you're well-equipped for any installation, whether it's for escape rooms, VJing, projection mapping, or visual effects. Elevate your visual installations with the perfect blend of industry-proven hardware and cutting-edge solutions – because your projector deserves nothing less!
This article was written by ProjectileObjects. You can learn more about them at http://projectileobjects.com/ or follow them on Instagram @ProjectileObjects If you find yourself asking, "Which MIDI controller suits me best?" or if you're in search of a new addition to your existing controller lineup, you're in the right place. In this article, we'll explore various MIDI controller options, weigh their pros and cons, and provide insights to help you make an informed decision on the perfect MIDI controller for your visual performances.
Read More
To keep up with the times, we are releasing another VDMX template for the Hercules P32 DJ MIDI controller.
With it’s 32 pads, 19 knobs and three sliders, the P32 DJ is a jam packed MIDI controller for its size. A littler smaller than a 16” MacBook Pro, the P32 has soft pads with a higher quality feel than some entry level MIDI controllers.
For this template, the native 2 channel DJ style layout, is perfect for a VDMX 2-channel video mixer layout.
Additionally, the P32 DJ has a built in audio interface that supports stereo RCA out, and 1/4” TRS port for headphone monitoring, allowing you to DJ and VJ from the same device.
To install templates in VDMX go to: ‘Your Drive’ > Users > ‘username’ > Library > Application Support > VDMX > templates
Download here: Template File
We’ve included templates, project files, and reference images. You will need an active VDMX license to open the project files.
More about the template:
This is a template for the Hercules P32 DJ MIDI controller.
This layout functions as a two channel video mixer.
The 8 x 8 soft pads as linked to the media bin for each layer, Left and Right.
For this template to work, make sure the PADs are set to SAMPLER (not Slicer, Loop or Hot Cue). With defaul midi mappings for this controller, and the pads set to Sampler, you will be able to use all functionality of this template.
From here you can add on, and use the Slicer, Loop, and Hoe Cue, as well as the shift key functions, to make a more robust layout for your own VDMX projects.
The layout is split down the center of the controller, left functions similar to right. You can add additional presets and pages as you desire.
Other common buttons:
- Shift = Fast cut between layers
- Sync = Fade between layers
- Cue starts the track over.
- Pause/Play (pauses and plays the track.
- Cross fader, fades between videos
- Left and Right vertical sliders fade opacity and audio.
- Headphone button, mutes track audio.
- Layer FX are enabled by button under rotary encoder, then each encoder adjusts a parameter within that FX
- Top left and right corner of the controller, the Loop/Tempo, Active/Reset buttons scroll through the media bin pages. Pressing down on this endless rotary encoder will trigger a random video from the media bin.
- To the left and right, the Filter/Move endless rotary encoder will scroll through FX presets for each layer. Be aware, that this will reset the FX each time you move to the next preset. Pressing down on this knob will jump to an empty FX off preset.
- Record button starts recording a video of the master output.
- Slip button captures an image of the master output.
-Load A and B eject the media on each side.
- Browse/Main endless rotary encoder switches between main output FX presets. Pressing down resets to an empty preset.
-High, Mid, Low rotary encoders are currently not mapped to any MIDI controls, but could be mapped to main output FX or an action of your choice.
Mine S running VDMX at the Guggenheim Theater, NYC (photo @ProjectileObjects)
Normally when we write about a new controller, we offer up a template to get you started, but with the Special Waves Mine S controller series, we'll have to take a different approach.
For years now, users have chosen VDMX for it's modular workflow. Build out a project the way you'd like it, so when a modular MIDI controller comes along, we had to try it.
The Special Waves Mine S controller is the most budget friendly if you're out there looking for an inexpensive controller, but it does pack a range of features, quality buttons and faders, and is compact enough to fit inside any bag. Oh, and it's modular! (had to say it again).
Yes, you can build out your VDMX project, map the midi sliders, knobs, and buttons to your VDMX workspace, and then pop them out and move them around as desired without having to reconfigure the MIDI settings inside of VDMX. How cool!
Maybe you've built out a horizontal layout at your desk, but when you get to the show there's only enough space for your laptop and a vertical layout of your controller -- well, just move the buttons around!
Top down: Livid Ohm RGB slip, APC 40 MKII, Mine S, DJ2GO Touch.
The original Livid OHM 64 went for $699 (from from a mass produced APC40MKII at $299), and a Mine S will cost you anywhere from $399-? (There are 32 slots on the controller, a slider takes up 4, and a button or knob takes up one. The Mine S Pro Bundle sitting in front of me with an extra slider will set you back around $516+ ~$30 shipping (I wish I would have purchased an additional 2 Button Module ($14 more) to balance out this setup).
The build design, and packaging are exceptional, but one thing was missing. A case! Luckily, we found this padded case on Amazon for $21.99 USD. Designed for the Donner DMK 25 MIDI Keyboard, this fits the Mine S with some room to spare -- all while fitting in a backpack.
With all that being said, we wanted this tutorial to be informational. Since every setup with the Mine S is different, we can’t give you a preconfigured template with MIDI mappings, but we can show you how to make your own custom UI with the TouchOSC editor and import into VDMX
I’ve made a template for the Mine S controller the way I have it configured, running their default MIDI profile (in the Mine App). You can download that here and install in your VDMX template folder. The Mine supports MIDI or OSC, either can be used for this example.
To install templates in VDMX go to: ‘Your Drive’ > Users > ‘username’ > Library > Application Support > VDMX > templates
The VDMX custom control surface plugin has a great import feature that allows you to import a TouchOSC template. The trick is you have to use the TouchOSC MK1 editor to create a compatible file.
That editor can be downloaded from Hexler’s website here.
From here you can build out your Mine S controller layout using simple vertical and horizontal sliders and faders. Simply right click on the blank interface, select the button, slider, or fader you want, and piece your layout together. Don’t worry about the alignment right now. We’ll reconfigure that in VDMX after import.
Add a new Control Surface using the + icon in the Workspace Inspector
Next, click Import TouchOSC Layout and select the TouchOSC template you saved.
Click IMPORT, the default settings are fine.
When I import my template, the layout has the wrong orientation.
No worries, we’ll fix that in a second.
Return to the Workspace Inspector, select the control surface, and at the bottom of the User Interface Inspector, select the Edit UI box.
Now you can see options to change the sizing and Rotate the UI. Click Rotate, to get the correct orientation for your controller layout.
That’s much better. From here, I can resize, adjust, the buttons, sliders, and layout. I made my UI more compact, but you don’t have to.
Before finishing up. I’ll click Minimize under the control surface User Interface Inspector.
This will cleanup my interface.
When finished make sure you uncheck the Edit UI checkbox to return the control surface back to a locked setup. The UI grid will disappear, and now you’re interface is ready for mapping.
Mapping a custom UI is completely optional. You could skip this step by mapping other aspects of VDMX directly, but from time to time, it’s helpful to map out control surfaces such as this, so you can have a visual representation of what settings your current controller is outputting.
Pros
Modular, but remembers midi settings. Buy more buttons, configure to your hearts desire.
Kensington Lockable
MIDI IN and MIDI OUT
Optional 5V DC power supply (for USB ports that can't handle the setup). I haven't had to use this.
Power on/off button.
Quality buttons, knobs, and sliders.
MIDI Notes, CC, or OSC -- all custom configurable.
Custom colors, and great range of dimmable LEDs
Cons
Only one type of medium resistance slider available, no low resistence option available for a cross-fader. (You'll have to develop stronger fingers)
No USB C port.
Not fully standalone (currently requires the Mine S software to be installed on your machine). Their website says they will release and update to fix this, but right now, you'll have to run another app.
MineApp application required for Mine S run.
If you do end up purchasing a Special Waves Mine S. We recommend buying a case, and a USB B to USB C cable to directly connect.
Here’s a simple tutorial showing how to use Vochela Dubler 2 to trigger note specific clips inside VDMX.
Read MoreWhether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro. Both the Numark DJ2Go2 and Hercules DJ Control Starlight MIDI controllers offer compact features at a great price under $100 USD. Here’s a new template to use in VDMX to get started with!
Read MoreUsing SnapChat lenses for video playback and live performance tutorial by ProjectileObjects.
Read MoreTemplates are a great way to get started with VDMX and with this template you can take an out of the box APC40 MKII and jump right in!
A few things to note about the APC40 MK II before we get started.
The APC40 MK II has three internal MIDI mapping modes.
Generic Mode (Default)
Ableton Live Mode
Alternate Ableton Live Mode
To use this template correctly, you’ll need your APC40 MK II to be set to the default “stock” Generic Mode. More information about these modes can be found here (PDF) Bottom of Page 10.
When you first turn on the controller, it will default to the correct button mapping. To reset the template to all defaults, it is recommended that you hit this button when you start the template to eject all clips and set everything to its default.
This button ejects all media, clears all the FX and syncs the LFO view to the LFO slider. (Warning: You’ll lose FX in Layer A and B if you don’t save them as a new FX chain).
Not all buttons are RGB. When clips are ready to be triggered in your media bin, the 40 RGB button grid will light up blue, then yellow when the clip is selected. You can customize these colors yourself in the media bin options:
Image found on page 10, Akai communication protocol manual.
There are two versions of this template. A blank version without FX and a starter version with one layer of FX presets.
This template is structured to be a 2-channel video mixer. Both video layer A and B flow to a Master output (Projector, TV, etc.) The cross fader blends between both layers and each layer has its own FX chain presets.
The Master output FX are turned on and off by the top 8 rotary knobs. The first vertical slider on the right side of the controller labeled “MASTER” controls the master opacity. If it is all the way down, your screen output will be black. You can change this later to preference or disable it entirely.
Selecting clips for both layers A and B:
Both layers use the same 40 RGB button grid to trigger clips. To switch between Layer A and B, when selecting clips — use the first two buttons on the top right side of the grid under the label “SCENE LAUNCH” They will light up when they are selected. Top goes sets destination for Layer A, bottom for Layer B. The two buttons beneath that (Green) are page up / page down buttons for moving through your media bin. They are also linked to your Audio Analysis Filter 3 and will flicker based on your computers mic peaking. Beneath that (Yellow) is a random clip trigger.
To trigger to the next clip in the media or move up and down the media bin, redirect your eyes to the “BANK SELECT” 4 button arrow keys.
The rest of the buttons should be self explanatory based on the image above, or you can read through the “User Notes” built into the template which explains all of this and more.
If you’re adding new FX to your A and B layer FX chains, make sure to save them as a preset by clicking the + in the top of the FX window. This will save your FX chain and you can assign it to a new FX preset button. You can always disable the FX layers MIDI triggers in your project until you build out the template more to your liking!
Here’s a brief overview video of this template:
Must haves, lifesavers, and everything in between. What’s in your VJ road kit? Chime in and comment below.
There’s never a one size fits all, but hopefully this article will introduce you to a few things to keep in your bag for your next VJ gig. This article comes as a contribution from ProjectileObjects. You can learn more about them at ProjectileObjects.com. This is their opinion and none of the links or tools in this article are sponsored. We’ll also try to keep some of these links up to date, but as technology changes, many of these devices will sell out, discontinue, or newer versions will arrive. Use this article as a guide when piecing together your own VJ road kit and if you have any suggestions, please comment below or share your thoughts in our forum: https://discourse.vidvox.net/
Thanks! and Enjoy!
Over the last decade, I’ve taken my VJ gigs on the road. From local shows, tours, and various installations, you never know what you’re going to walk into until you get there, and so I recommend you prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
I’ll dedicate a separate blog post to my “Projector Road Kit” and try to keep this one shorter. A few of the things I carry have been discontinued over the years, but a few google searches should land you on new (hopefully better) versions of what I carry with me.
Here are the categories:
Hardware
Software
Misc
I primarily use Macs and VDMX, but regardless of what software or hardware you run on, you are likely to find some useful new items for your toolkit.
1. Computer Protection! - A bumper case and a clear garbage bag.
Okay, so you’ll need your computer. And if it’s a laptop (MacBook Pro, PC, whatever) I definitely recommend some sort of case with protection. If you’re working on a crazy punk show with drinks flying all over, a silicone keyboard cover might save your life. That being said, always carry a clear garbage bag with you! Whether you have to wear it as a poncho, pop it over your suitcase when running through a storm, or cover your laptop, a clear plastic bag will allow you to see your laptop screen even if all hell breaks loose.
2. Bootable OSX Drive or Recovery drive.
If you can, I recommend picking up a few USB thumb drives with decent read/write speeds, and then loading bootable versions of Mac OSX onto them as recovery drives. The ones I carry with me are (10.12,10.13,10.14). If not for you, then for others. I was once in Boston and an hour before a show, the DJ’s computer crashed, and one of my bootable thumb drives saved the day. We fixed a few disk utility settings, and they were back up and running with their show computer. On another occasion, I needed to roll forward my OS version to interface with some recent software updates. I had a USB SSD that I could boot from without upgrading my MacBook Pro or partitioning my internal boot drive.
Hardware Tip: No new gear for a new show.
Take this with a gain of salt, but this pre-caution comes from my experience in film and video production. You need time to learn and troubleshoot your hardware. Sometimes adding gear might seem like a dream come true, but I’ve seen it turn into a living nightmare for other VJs and video professionals. Whether it’s learning a new midi controller, or breaking in a new hard drive with thorough testing. If you don’t have time to test it fully, don’t add it to your setup. A few examples of this: I’ve seen external SSDs overheat and fail (I’m not saying which brand, but they weren’t cheap). I had a Samson midi controller go to sleep on me during a performance, which had me scrambling through their awful user manual PDF on my phone trying to figure out how to “wake it up” without ruining the performance mid-way through. I’ve watched multiple VJs introduce a new HDMI dongle, HDMI mixer, or HDMI preview monitor to their setup days before a show only to watch them drop signal throughout their show and lose connection with the projector (which would then reconnect, but the screen would turn “No Signal” blue or black for a few seconds every couple of minutes). Test your gear and push it to the extreme! That and always have a backup.
3. Backup Hardware! Media Players, Raspberry Pis, Recorders.
We can’t all afford (or want) to haul a backup laptop with us for every show, but you can carry my favorite backup VJ tool ever! — A Raspberry Pi (v2, or 3; sorry I don’t have any experience with the RPI 4’s). A Raspberry Pi, HDMI cable, and a USB power supply, plus a few different Micro SD cards and you have a swiss army knife for visuals. You can learn more about some of these tools from this article here: Projection Mapping with the Raspberry Pi. And if you connect a camera to the Pi, you can always use it as a network camera with a little configuration!
If you’re a Madmapper user, I recommend you look into the MiniMad. If you have a MiniMad, you can always swap out the Micro SD card for another one. The MiniMad uses an RPI 2 which does not have built in Wi-Fi like the 3 and 4, but you can hook it up to a wireless device to change that. Even if you’re just using the MiniMad as a looping 1080p video player, you can pre-load some clips onto your pi’s memory card, and make a quick HDMI swap out if your main machine takes a dive during a show — better to have something up on the screen(s) than nothing.
The PocketVJ is another RPI swiss army knife, you can run things on schedule, sync over Wi-Fi or network, projection map, control DMX and more.
I like to keep a micro SD card with a version of Raspbian / or other Linux, pre-loaded with some hardware diagnostic tools: GParted, DD disk rescue, Angry Ip, or other network diagnostic / Wi-Fi tools. (Maybe even a Kali Linux build if you need to “dive deeper” into the surrounding networks). From time to time, Mac’s disk utility craps out on restoring external hard drives and partitions. If you don’t know the difference between APFS, NTFS, HFS+, FAT32, ExFAT, etc. Just know that not all drives are formatted the same — and not all read and writeable by other operating systems without a little extra help. I’ll mention a few more Mac softwares to help with this, but sometimes it just takes a Linux device to see things for what they really are and fix them. You can also take a crack at some Homebrew tools or Terminal command lines to do what the Disk Utilities can’t, but the cost and space of an extra 16GB Micro SD is worth it.
HDMI Recorder / Player. You can buy a BlackMagic or Atomos monitor with built-in recording and playback capabilities (which are super cool, but also relatively expensive and record in large file sizes), but I recommend a less expensive standalone H.264 or H.265 recorder player. You can buy these for under $100 if you shop around. Cloner Alliance makes a model that is regularly available on Amazon. The reason I recommend these over the fancier options is that many of these will break HDCP. I’m not recommending you record copy-written content, but Mac’s have been known from time to time to get finicky with projectors and media servers with HDCP. Last thing you want to do is plug your setup into a house system and end up with a blank screen because HDCP isn’t working correctly. A recorder/player like this kills a few birds with one stone — It lets you record your mixes, and then play them back. A good habit when you first setup, is to play some music, record some visuals, and keep that on one of these devices in case you need to push play later.
Video player. I see the Micca Spec G2 media player everywhere when I travel. It’s affordable and will loop video content easily from a thumb drive or SD card. If you go this route, I recommend having BlueHarvest (or alternative). The Micca will see hidden files that your mac stores on the thumb drive. Hidden Cleaner or BlueHarvest clear these hidden files when you eject your drive. Doing this extra step will make sure the Micca Spec doesn’t stop playback when playing through a folder of media content. Likewise, if you use a PC or Linux Raspberry Pi to load your media, you won’t encounter this problem.
4. HDMI Splitter
Here’s another tool with multiple uses. Find one that you like and test it. Some powered HDMI splitters can act as an HDMI extender, allowing for longer HDMI runs. Obviously, you can split your HDMI signal and send out to two sources at the same time (Into another projector, capture device, or external preview monitor?) A third use is some HDMI splitters also break HDCP, which can get you around some issues I mentioned above. Oh, and they’re only about $20. Just test them and your HDMI cables to make sure you don’t have a defective unit with a weak signal.
5. HDMI Mixers - (Optional)
I have one, but I don’t always take it with me. What’s great is they have become very affordable over the last few years. The Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini is only $295, the Pro version has built in recording capabilities and the Roland Mixers are smooth and packed with great features (such as FX, various fades, blackouts, freezes). There’s even the super-budget Feelworld LIVEPRO L1, which I have mixed feelings about, but ultimately better than nothing. Plus, this allows for multi-machine collaborations, redundancies, and with the Roland with dual outputs, can also work as an HDMI splitter (FYI, The Roland and BlackMagic can still have issues with HDCP), but they offer professional solutions for a wide range of uses. (I’m praying for the HDMI mixer that lets you load and create custom FX for it!)
6. HDMI Cables
I’ve been talking about HDMI a lot in the last few, so I thought I would say, buy QUALITY HDMI cables. You don’t have to spend a fortune on Gold plating, but one simple test to see if an HDMI cable was manufactured properly is to take a conductivity check multi-meter to the outside shielding of the HDMI cable and see if they are connected end to end — this is the ground connection for the HDMI cable and many times in cheaper cables is not wired correctly. Ferrite cores on each end are great for interference, but do yourself a favor and get some good cables. The cheap ones can fail or in some severe cases actually fry HDMI ports on various devices. (In my kit I carry 2x 50’ HDMI cables, 4x 6’ cables, 3x 2’ cables)
7. HDMI to SDI, SDI to HDMI, VGA to SDI, etc. (optional)
This is optional, but can pay off big for longer video runs, or many times a lot of large venue projectors are wired up with SDI. They should have their own HDMI to SDI converter, but it’s good to have one of your own and test it! One thing to look out for is some broadcast HDMI to SDI converters work only in broadcast resolution and frame rate standards. (Like 1280x720 or 1920x1080) and some projectors support different aspect ratios and resolutions (Like 1280x800 or 1920x1200). This usually comes into play when setting up a projector for projection mapping, but it’s something to be aware of. You might have to lose some resolution height from the image coming out of the projector by forcing a 1920x1080 (1080p) out of your laptop, but knowing this might save some time troubleshooting your setup and configuration. (Bi-direction converters are cool! BMD has the Micro Bi-Directional converter for $65)
8. External Monitors / Screens
This has changed a lot over the years. You can buy a portable 15” screen that’s battery powered and as thick as a tablet for about $200, but they are usually mini-HDMI and do not have HDMI thru options. I prefer screens that have an HDMI loop out, so you can monitor the feed that you’re sending out of your device and into the projector. I carry an older SmallHD 4” screen for this very reason. It’s also great for troubleshooting image connections. Once again, a lot of these “on camera” monitors work within the limitations of broadcast resolutions and frame rates, but some of the newer ones have built in HDMI to SDI conversions, record functions, and various levels and adjustments. The larger BlackMagic Video assist is packed with features, but will also set you back $1,000. Pick the screen that works for you, and if you can’t get one with loop thru HDMI, well that’s when the HDMI splitter comes in handy again!
9. Dongles, Converters, Adapters! (USB-C, HDMI, VGA, USB)
This was the first section I wrote when creating this document. It came out to an entire page about dongles. I really don’t want to bore you to death, but let’s face it. Dongles are a mess when it comes to performance and quality. Once again, buy what you need and test! If you’ve found a thunderbolt or USB-C hub that you love that has everything and is inexpensive, great! Test it and if you really love it, then buy two to have as a backup. Last thing you need is your one-of-a-kind hub failing you when you need it most. As for HDMI dongles specifically, buy ACTIVE adapters if you can. Barco (the projector people) has a great article about active vs passive HDMI conversion. Basically, if it doesn’t say Active, it’s probably not. Not that you will need it for everything, but look at the Barco link so you have a better understanding of passive vs. active adapters.
Outside of what your hub has, bring a converter for as many analog or digital video connections that you think you might come in contact with. (They can be small. I have a small pouch dedicated to carrying these when I travel). Here’s a few: HDMI (mini, micro, adjustable angle, short HDMI extension, passive extender (for smaller cable runs). DVI to HDMI, HDMI to DVI (buy good quality versions of these $7 a piece). VGA: M-to-M extension, F-to-F extension, M-to-F extension, Thunderbolt or USB-C to VGA, VGA to DVI-I.
VGA is odd, but still in use. I own a VGA to SDI converter and an HDMI to VGA converter, but I’ve used them twice in my life. A thunderbolt to VGA adapter plus a decent VGA cable can usually carry a decent signal about 75’ before it needs help. I don’t normally buy HDMI cables over 50’, for that I’ll used SDI (or even ethernet and NDI for longer distances), beyond that there is fiber, but that goes into a whole other ballpark and if you’re at a venue using fibre, they’ll most likely have a rack mount converter / scaler for you to plug directly into. I’ve had success with Active HDMI adapters and a high end 100’ HDMI cables (with signal boosters inside), but they cost enough to make the benefits from converting HDMI to SDI more appealing.
USB’s “oh baby!” Once again, try to carry every kind, and I’d recommend carrying two or three of each kind. A to B cable, 2.0, 3.0, USB-C, etc. And if you’re an iOS user, don’t forget the USB to Lightning cable. I like to keep a few 2 or 3 amp USB wall taps hanging around to make use of these cables. I have some HDMI splitters that use Micro USB cables, others that use Mini. A few HDMI capture devices that use a 3.0 A to A cable (which is just weird and kind of annoying). The 2.0 A-B cable is common for a lot of Midi controllers (and home printers :). I’ve seen some cheap multi-converters that break, and some more expensive ones that also break. Just buy a few of every type, test them, and keep them in an easy to sort through zipper pouch.
Powered USB 3.0 hub, always good to have more ports than you need.
10. A mini wireless USB keyboard!
Yes! Despite the obvious benefits of using it as a remote “projection mapping” controller, or changing things up while you’re out on the dance floor, a mini wireless keyboard has saved my butt! In the middle of a show with my ancient 2012 MacBook Pro (which was new at the time), my keyboard stopped working entirely. It would later fix itself after a restart and never happen again, but it happened once, and during a show (of course it would!). Randomly, I had one of these keyboards in my bag, plugged it in, and used it for the rest of the show. Plus, you can also use it with your raspberry pi setup. I recommend the kind that us RF (works much longer range) and take AA or AAA batteries. You can put reusable batteries inside, but built-in rechargeable batteries can leave you stranded if they die.
11. A headlamp (with red LED)
Now we’re getting somewhere. You need this. We work in dark environments, we climb around and install things in crazy places. Having a light on your head (not just a phone light in your hands) is a lifesaver. I recommend one with a red light (to save your night vision and not blind others). Also, with AAA batteries or AA.
12. Batteries
I use rechargeable batteries in just about everything unless it is audio related. I also keep enough AA, AAA, 9V batteries to go inside everything I might need. They usually end up helping someone else who forgot their batteries, but always good to have.
13. Cellphone and external charger / power bank
Another one that seems obvious, but even if you don’t have a phone provider, an Android or iOS phone can be a valuable tool. How about using it as a Wi-Fi Camera? Projection Mapper for Android lets you turn it into a little projection mapping tool. There’s also TouchOSC. If you have a good one, you can use the photos and videos to document you and all of your awesomeness.
USB Power bank is not just for your phone, but can also power a raspberry pi, an HDMI splitter, HDMI to SDI converter, other 5V media player, etc. They can come in handy and there’s even a few that will power your Mac Laptop!
14. External mouse or Touchpad
Similar to the keyboard, these can help. I take a silent-click mouse with me so when I’m on a plane or train, I’m not annoying people with all the clicking.
15. In Ear Monitors or headphones.
I prefer the Shure 215 SE in ear monitors with the memory foam caps. These double as ear plugs in a pinch, sound great when you want to listen to your music, are compact, and if you’re doing any sort of mixing, you can keep one in your ear and disconnect the other one and save it in the carrying pouch they give you. I picked this trick up from a DJ friend who ditched the over the ear headphones that sometimes have to sit awkwardly on your head when mixing. While you might “just be a VJ” I’ve had to manually sync visuals for artists’ performances and variably adjust the rate and speed of visual playback all because the DJ who hit their audio cue didn’t realize that they had their auto-tempo set faster than the original track. And if you’re mixing in music videos, this will happen all the time (for many in-depth reasons such as videos at 48kHz and MP3s at 44.1kHz) or if the DJ wants to up the BPMs to match the next thing in their cue.
Bluetooth headphones or ear buds are fun too, but don’t always count on them working loud enough when you're in a large club (or a bass trap!)
16. Gigabit Travel Router / Ethernet cables
NDI is a great tool for sharing video over network. Between machines, or over long runs. A 2 or 3 port Gigabit travel router can replace an HDMI mixer sometimes. It’s also great for file sharing, Midi and Timecode sync / cues. Ableton link, etc. Make sure you bring some ethernet cables! You can also setup a Raspberry Pi to work as a little network device in a pinch. A plug in play travel router is a great tool to have.
17. Hard drives and SSDs
Your optimized media (whether that’s DXV for Resolume, HAP or MP4s) should be on a fast drive separate from your internal operating system. SSDs have come down in costs over the years, and VJing with MP4s has become better (encode your MP4s with every frame as a keyframe to ease the load on your computer). External hard drives have also come a long way, 4TB for $100, not bad! Just make sure you check the read / write speeds of your drive with something like the BlackMagic Disk Speed test. I feel comfortable with drives in the 200 Mb/s+ read and write speeds for almost any project. That being said, if you’re just mixing two channels of video, even 100 Mb/s read and write was fine. Back in the day, we were lucky if we could pull in 80 Mb/s over Firewire 800 or even USB 2.0 speeds. Just consider yourselves lucky that USB 3.0 is the base standard now. Oh, and test your drives. It’s hard to say which drive is the best / most reliable. I’ve had every brand / manufacturer’s drive fail on me at one point or another. For that I keep backups and travel with redundancies. Hey if all else fails, you can run a music visualizer application :) (see more in the software section).
18. Make a checklist and don’t forget your power supply!
It happens. A checklist helps.
19. USB UVC Capture device.
There are a few write-ups on these, but anything that lets you pull HDMI into your computer with low latency is a great tool to have. You can even use it with the raspberry pi and skip an external screen.
20. Dr. HDMI or EDID troubleshooting device.
I’ve only used this twice, but in both cases we needed it. When your computer connects to a projector or media player, they connect, and the EDID communicates what resolutions and information the projector will accept. Well! sometimes this craps out (I mean literally, I have an old ViewSonic projector that stopped sharing EDID all together). Since the Mac likes to “auto-connect” there are a few cases where HDMI to SDI converters and odd or defective projectors will screw up the EDID and continuously keep disconnecting. This is where I’ve used a Dr. HDMI to force a specific EDID out. My mac connects to the Dr. HDMI and sends a signal, and the Dr. HDMI sends out a standard signal that you pre-set over HDMI. It can take a bit of fiddling to get it right, but it has saved my butt the two times I needed it!
21. Blank thumb drives.
At some point someones going to want to give you files. Give them a thumb drive and don’t always expect to get it back. Having a couple of cheap 32GB thumb drives in your bag will come in handy.
22. Multi-card reader.
Some Thunderbolt or USB-C hubs have these built in, but if they don’t carry one. Someone might give you a Micro SD card from their camera or phone at some point.
23. Laptop stand / Midi Controller Stand
This is a preference, but can also be a wrist saver. I recommend something that’s collapsible and adjustable. I’d avoid using a soft stand like the MOFT (I was a Kickstarter backer and it failed me in less than a year). My favorite is the AVIIQ aluminum laptop stand, but they no longer make it, so find one that fits your preference. Stands are also great for your Midi controller!
24. MIDI CONTROLLER!
Can’t forget one of the most valuable VJ tools there is — your controller. Once again, there’s a lot of preference that goes into this. I’m a long time Livid Ohm owner and user, but since they’ve been discontinued, I go back and forth between repairing one of the two that I have or breaking out into something smaller like the Korg Nano Kontrol, Electrix Tweaker (also discontinued), and newly entered the world of the Akai APC40 MK II which is another fantastic controller (and now has a VDMX template for it!).
25. Travel Surge Protector / Power Strip / Extension cord.
Something to give you more plugs when you need them, and maybe an extension cord to reach those ports when they’re further away!?
9:30 Club D.C.
Please note that many of these tools will change over time. Some may be incompatible with apple silicone macs.
1. VDMX (or Alternative)
Yes, obviously you should have some sort of VJ software installed on your computer, but I’d also recommend you install these other freebees from VIDVOX.
2. SwitchResX or Alternative
Sometimes you’ll plug your mac into a Projector, HDMI converter, or setup that only accepts specific resolutions and frame rates, and sometimes the user-friendly Apple Display preferences get it wrong. It’s good to have an app installed that will give you more advanced display output features.
You may have something else that you prefer, but it’s good to have a network scanner when you’re trying to pull or send data over a network. This JAVA based app is free and works great.
4. OSCulator
If you need it, it’s there. I don’t do as much OSC re-routing these days, but OSCulator has come in handy in the past, especially if you use a WiiMote for your VJ setup.
5. AVF Batch Encoder / ff.works / Adobe Media Encoder / FFMpeg, or other encoder
Your visuals should be in an optimized codec for best performance. Adobe Media Encoder works great, but if you’re not an Adobe user and need something a little more comprehensive than AVF Batch Encoder (which is free from VIDVOX and also works), then maybe look into FF Works which has a easy-to-use GUI for FFMpeg. If you’re using MP4’s encode with every frame as a key-frame!
6. NTFS for Mac / ExFat for Mac
Macs are great, but what happens if someone hands you an NTFS formatted drive that they want you to write to?
For downloading videos in a pinch! (Just encode them before VJing).
8. Audio HiJack or Black Hole
Audio re-routing applications can be useful.
9. OBS Studio
The live streaming standard, also great for previewing USB capture cards and web cameras.
10. BlackMagic Disk Speed Test
Speed isn’t everything, but if your drive is dragging you down, check the speed of it.
11. CamTwist
A fun freebee with some additional features.
12. DeltaWalker
My favorite file / folder comparison. Helps with verifying video files and managing drive backups.
13. NeoFinder (CDWinder is the PC version)
Make and offline catalog of all your drives and easily search to find what and where you are looking for.
14. Disk Inventory X
See what’s taking up too much space and move it. Remember, keep your SSDs as free as possible to reduce slowing down their performance.
15. DiskMaker X (6,7,8,9)
This is for making bootable Mac OSX thumb drives.
16. EtreCheck
This is a mac hardware / software diagnostic tool that does a great job identifying hardware or software issues on your mac.
17. KodeLife
Live coding VJ? This one has syphon out for sharing with other applications.
18. TouchOSC
Another Hexler app (similar to KodeLife), this is great for making your own OSC interfaces (Mac/PC, Android, iOS). You can also import an older TouchOSC layout directly into VDMX to make some custom UIs with the Control Surface plugin.
19. Lumen
Lumen is a fun video synth you share with VDMX or run the app standalone.
20. MadMapper or VPT
If you’re looking for more advanced projection mapping configurations, MadMapper is the best you can get (imho). Resolume Arena is great if you’re a Resolume user, but if you prefer VDMX or Modul8, then MadMapper is great. (If you’re also curious, VPT is free, HeavyM, QLab, Mapio, and Millumin all have projection mapping features).
21. Shazam for Mac
Every show I hear a song I’ve never heard before. It helps to identify what that is and remember it for next time.
22. Veźer
I like Veźer for visual or timeline based OSC commands. You can do a lot with VDMXs built-in data looper or LFO, but sometimes you just want to create in a longer timeline with layers. Once again, something to look into.
23. VLCSyphon
This free app has helped get visuals from some odd codecs into VDMX.
Software Tip: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it an hour before your show.
This tip sounds obvious, but it happens all the time. A new app or OS update is released with a ton of features hours, days, or even a week before your big show. DON’T UPDATE. Unless this update promises to fix something that is already broken for you, I highly recommend you avoid new things unless you have ample time to test and troubleshoot your setup. Over the years, this lens of paranoia has saved me a countless number of times. Especially with operating system updates. Every company is going to tell you what they fixed, not what they broke — that will be up to you to find out and hopefully you have enough time to do so.
1. Organized pouches.
I recommend clear rip stop pouches and a label maker so you’re not searching all over the place.
2. Leatherman / Multi-tool
3. Zip ties, Velcro straps, Elastic Hair ties (better cable management).
4. Gaffers Tape
5. Pen, Sharpie, Notebook, a few blank labels.
6. COVID, extra masks, hand sanitizer.
7. Screen wipes
8. WATER (Stay hydrated)
9. Sunglasses (for the morning! Or if the Lighting Designer puts a bunch of blinders on the stage!)
10. Don’t forget the clear garbage bag! (also mentioned in the Hardware section: #1)
11. Rope or ratchet straps. (Things to tie things down or together, maybe you can VJ through a hurricane?)
12. Little screw drivers (electrical, pry tools, hex keys, etc.).
Introductory tutorial explaining how to link VDMX and QLab for live performances and shows.
Read More
How to use VDMX to add custom effects, visuals, and videos to a Zoom Meeting.
Read MoreProject in Apple Motion using ISF generators and effects from VDMX
For VJs and other visual performers, one of the biggest parts of the job is creating your own original materials for your shows. If you like the workflow of compositing layers, applying effects, and automating values found in VDMX, the interface of Apple Motion offers a similar approach for creating visuals with the intention of exporting as movie files, at an affordable price.
Last month we introduced ISF for Motion, a new plug-in that makes it possible to use the same GLSL shaders supported in VDMX as generators and effects inside of Motion and FCP X. This includes our 200+ standard set of assets, as well as all of the creations shared on https://www.interactiveshaderformat.com/
In this tutorial we will take a look at using these ISF generators and effects in Motion to create short video loops to use in VDMX or other VJ software.
Before beginning, make sure to install both Apple Motion and ISF for Motion from the Mac App Store.
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The technique of using a blurry / zoomed version of an image in the background was popularized by the LiveLeak app and is now commonly used as a solution for working with mixed aspect ratio footage. Photo credit: fish2000
A question that comes up for modern live visualists is how to best work with footage that doesn’t match the aspect ratio that is being used for the final display. Two particularly common situations are when you may be working with older format video that is 4:3 and in other cases it could be camera phone footage captured in vertical mode. In some cases it is okay to use the basic “fill” option within the composition mode settings so that the imagery is scaled to fill the entire output area when needed, but another useful technique is the “LiveLeak” style effect where a blurry version of the image appears blown up in the background.
Read MoreCompleted project file for mixing between RGB->XYZ displacement images for the v002 Rutt Etra generator
Download the completed project file and media files for this tutorial.
One of the most fun visual effects used in live visuals and VJing dates back to the analog Rutt Etra video synthesizer which had many capabilities that have over the years been translated into digital form. Most notable among the digital versions is the v002 Rutt Etra Quartz Composer plugin which was developed by vade along with Bill Etra, one of the original creators of the Rutt Etra system. We’ve included this plugin as an FX, along with several other v002 creations with VDMX for a while now and, over the years we’ve seen a lot of projects that have made use of them… and in this video tutorial we’re hoping to teach you a few new tricks…
Before beginning this tutorial, make sure to use the v002 installer on the VDMX disk image in the Extra folder.
For this demonstration, instead of using the Rutt Etra as an FX, we have a Quartz Composer composition that generates video based on two input video streams. In this case we will create sets of hidden layers that will be used for these inputs: the Video Input will provide the colors for each particle and the Displacement Mask will provide RGB color gradients.
The main technique used here will be using an RGB to XYZ displacement map instead of a luma based displacement map. This means that we both have more flexibility for changing the positions of individual pixels, but we are now also responsible for creating the basic gradients that are needed to draw the basic image in a non-distorted way.
To accomplish this, we included special ISF compositions that are RGB color gradient generators. Each of these sketches includes three different gradients that are combined into a single output. One special feature of the gradient generators is the ability to pass in another video feed as a ‘look up table’ for one of the curves, making it possible to use waveforms and FFTs from audio analysis plugins, or any other image, as data that can modulate the output.
Once the basic setup is complete we can group the layers and add a Two Channel Mixer plugin to mix between different gradient outputs to fade the Rutt Etra generator between shapes and apply FX to the gradient images can create all kinds of different variations in the output. Here we use the VVMotionBlur effect to apply temporal smoothing to images and the Bad TV FX to create ripples.
Audio analysis, camera inputs and other images can also be used as lookup tables for the gradients.
The Video Input will provide the colors for each particle and the Displacement Mask will provide RGB color gradients.
Use basic gradients to create outputs without distortion.
