Creating the right look for Halloween and other spooky themed events is one of those tricks that every visual artists needs to have in their go to bag of tricks. There are lots of different techniques that can be used and in this guest tutorial we are joined once again by Colin Evoy Sebestyen for a demonstration of how to use a combination of LUT based FX, real-time video generators and logo images to create a retro horror film graphic scene in VDMX. In particular this look is inspired by intro sequences like the one from The Gate and more recently Stranger Things.
Read MoreKalma Shows How To Get Started With VDMX
One our favorite questions for people who have been using VDMX is to ask them how they would show it to someone who has never used it before and we are especially excited to see how teachers are introducing the software in classrooms and workshops. Everyone learns best in a different way and it is always helpful for us to see new approaches to VJ techniques.
For this guest video tutorial we are joined by Kalma who has been organizing workshops in Europe on topics including VJing and 3D Mapping, covering a wide variety of software including VDMX.
Read MoreMixing, Adjusting and Generating Complementary Color Data-Sources in VDMX
While Quartz Composer is mainly used for creating interactive video sources and FX, one of of the other powerful ways it can be used in VDMX is to create your own custom plugins that can generate values or manipulate data-sources that can be used to drive other parameters in your setup. Another great thing about this feature is that once these compositions are created they can be shared and easily installed on different computers so that other people can take advantage of the new functionality.
For this tutorial we'll be looking at three very simple Quartz Composer compositions can be used within VDMX for manipulating color data-sources in particular.
Read MoreUsing Display Capture as a Video Source in VDMX
One of the common problems that visuals artists working with software for real-time video is how to connect the output of one application into another. In the best case scenario every application you use would support Syphon for sharing video streams, but since that isn't the case there are a few other useful techniques that can be used in VDMX.
In this tutorial we will be looking at using the Display capture feature that makes it possible to use the entire contents of any screen as a video feed.
Read MoreUsing Ableton Link in VDMX
One of the common questions for VJs working alongside musicians is what is the best way to keep the tempo of all of the software being used by the different performers perfectly in sync. Ableton Link is a new technology developed by Ableton that answers this by synchronizing musical beat, tempo, and phase across multiple applications running on multiple devices, including VDMX.
Read MoreHow to do a NYE Countdown
One of the biggest nights for live visual performers is New Years Eve and in particular there is responsibility in particular that can be unexpectedly tricky to get right. That is handling the countdown to midnight. Often it can mean coordinating with other performers or workers at the venue. Depending on what is required of you during the show there are a few different approaches you may want to take when setting up your projects. It also helps to have an idea in advance of what your options are for running a visual countdown.
Read MoreStreaming the output of a VDMX VJ set to Twitch
For VJs with access to a fast upstream Internet connection one of the places that can be a place to perform is over the net by streaming the output of VDMX (or any other Syphon output enabled application) with Twitch. In this video tutorial we'll look at the basic steps involved in getting this set up.
Read MoreUsing an iOS Device as a Live Camera Source in VDMX
Now that iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices are readily available as extra mini-computers in our everyday lives, VJs and other video artists can take advantage of this by using them as additional live camera inputs in VDMX.
Read MoreGuest Tutorial: Using Lumen and VDMX together with Syphon
Today we have special guest Wiley Wiggins bringing us a video tutorial showing off how to use the video synth Lumen alongside VDMX by connecting them over Syphon.
Read MoreIntroduction to The Timecode Plugin
When designing preplanned shows and working alongside other software, one of the common tasks is keeping the timing of everything in sync. Within VDMX there are two main ways of working with time – the Clock plugin which is used for working in measures and beats and the Timecode plugin which counts in SMPTE time.
In this set of tutorials we'll cover the basics of using the Timecode plugin which publishes several data sources in VDMX, and is capable of both receiving and sending SMPTE timecode in a variety of formats.
Read MoreGesture Recording With the Data Looper
The Data Looper plugin in VDMX lets you create tracks that record data (values) from a data source, and then loop that data back, publishing it to the track's data source. Recording and playback is always quantized to the chosen clock, and the plugin also has a built-in editor that allows for quick and extensive modification of the recorded data, including scaling, warping, translation, and deletion.
In this tutorial we'll be looking at how to use the Data Looper to record incoming MIDI data and loop it quantized to the VDMX clock.
Read MoreUsing LUT FX in VDMX
One of the common types of image filters that are found in the workflow for photo and video editing are LUTs, also know as "Look Up Table" based FX. LUT FX are used to change the color palette of an image to create a different stylized look or feel, or in some cases to mimic the look of different print film types.
In this video tutorial we'll be looking at how to use each of the three different ways to use LUT FX in VDMX and how to add your own ".cube" LUT files.
Read MoreUsing VDMX as a Syphon Mixer
One of the best things about being a VJ on the Mac these days is Syphon which makes it possible for all of the different tools that are available to work together in countless ways. Within VDMX it is possible to have as many Syphon inputs and outputs as your computer can handle, which allows for it to be used as a source, mixer, FX processor or final output for other software you may want to work with.
In this video tutorial we'll look at a simple use case for connecting several Syphon enabled applications to and from VDMX by creating a two channel mixer that fades between two Syphon sources and publishes back out for other applications to use.
Read MoreUsing ProjectMilkSyphon With VDMX
ProjectMilkSyphon is a free standalone app for the Mac that can be used alongside any Mac VJ application that support Syphon inputs. In this video tutorial we'll begin by looking at the options available within ProjectMilkSyphon and demonstrating how to receive the video feed in VDMX.
Read MoreMedia Bins: Triggering Multiple Clips At The Same Time
One of the common things you may want to set up using media bin plugins is the ability to trigger multiple clips to different layers at the same time. Within VDMX this can be configured in a few different ways depending on your use case.
Read MoreUsing the ISF Editor To Create GLSL Generators and FX
When creating new ISF based generators and FX for use in VDMX or other supported applications, one of the most useful tools is the free ISF Editor. In this video tutorial we'll be looking at the basics of using the ISF Editor to create a basic generator and FX.
Read More4 Layer Korg nanoKONTROL2 template
One of the popular controllers used by VJs is the Korg nanoKONTROL, a versatile set of sliders, knobs and buttons that can be easily mapped to different setups. The goal of this more setup is to provide a good standard VJ rig for this controller that includes 4 layers with playback / mixing / color adjustment, clip / page switching along with a set of both manual and audio reactive FX that can be individually enabled.
Read MoreAnalyzing multi-track audio from Live in VDMX using Soundflower
For musicians working in Ableton Live or other multitrack production software one of the most useful tricks for driving real-time visuals is to output each sound track on a different set of audio channels before they are mixed together to get more accurate results for each sound when performing audio analysis in VDMX.
Read MoreGuest Tutorial: 10 Workflow Tips from DocOptic
This guest tutorial from the DocOptic team goes over some of their favorite tips to improve our workflow while using VDMX including keyboard shortcuts, BPM automation, presets, and more. Also covered are a few techniques using features of VDMX such as the Alpha Mask effect and using application windows as media sources.
Read MoreConnecting VDMX and Unity3D by Syphon
While mainly designed for cross platform game development many Mac VJs take advantage of the Unity3D engine for the purposes for creating 3D worlds and other real-time generated graphics for use in visual performance. By connecting these environments to other VJ applications like VDMX over Syphon and OSC we can control these worlds and mix, process and output the virtual camera signals from a scene like any other live media source.
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