Download the example projects for this tutorial. Sample clips from Minuek can be downloaded here and here.
When getting a new MIDI controller to use with VDMX, or other VJ / music making software, one of the most exciting aspects is finding out the best way to map the sliders and buttons to various controls that you want to use during performance, and along with that coming up with new ways that you can configure your software video generators and FX to get the most out of the layout of your instrument.
In this set of technique tutorials we'll be looking at three new example VDMX setups we've come up with for the Livid Base that take advantage of the controller in a few different ways including its multi-color LEDs and pressure sensitive pads.
Each of these sample projects can be used with your existing video clips, or as a starting point for creating your own custom rig with different FX or masking layers. As usual, where possible we've tried to make each template easy to remap to other MIDI controllers in case you don't have Base of your own to use.
And and an extra shout out to Minuek for providing the sample clips used in these video demonstrations.
A video synthesizer in VDMX mapped to the Livid Base MIDI controller.
For the first example we'll begin with a basic single layer video clip triggering setup with multiple pages and preset video filters that can be activated during performance.
Though it is fairly simple, designing a layout like this is a good exercise when considering the possibilities of using VDMX with a new controller. It can also be a useful go-to template for gigs that only involve switching or fading between clips.
The top rows of buttons are used as momentary activators for different combinations of visual FX that are applied to the output. For each individual FX there is an LFO that animates its properties where the rate can be adjusted using the slider below the activator.
In our second template we'll take advantage of the Base's ability to send off pressure information from each of the main pads as MIDI control values to have instrumental control over a video synthesizer created with Quartz Composer. Each pad corresponds to a line particle at an x/y location and the pressure applied adjusts it's brightness and size.
By adding a background layer playing video loops to this setup the generator composition can be used either on its own video instrument or as a masking layer for clips playing to reveal only part of the image at a time. Unlike in our first setup, the vertical slider is used to crossfade between these two visual modes.
For the final example, as an exercise we've created a multi-layer variation on our first template as an demonstration of some of the ways you can modify it for your own needs.
The FX activators and LFOs being used to control their individual rates are the same as in the original, however they are now applied to a group that contains 4 different layers. The media bin cycles through which layer is used next when a pad is pressed to trigger.
