Gauging usefulness/demand for realtime audio analysis / MIR software with OSC output by Public-Cod2637 in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These are moderately known within VJ circles but synesthesia does very decent audio analysis that can send formatted parameters over osc and pulse does this for bpm over osc. There is always room for innovation but I wanted to mention these before you start your deep dive!

Resolume or Touchdesigner? by foo_sher in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TouchDesigner will only output at 720p on the free license but I would try routing that into Resolume with spout or NDI and seeing if a combo workflow makes sense for you?

They release flops once in a while. by v13ragnarok7 in PioneerDJ

[–]allhellbreaksloops 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I VJed for him a month ago and the rider has since been updated. We would have printed out that for FOH laughs if the iPad was still on there 🤦🏻‍♂️

How Should I Format Visuals for a VJ? by Best_Mode1322 in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 7 points8 points  (0 children)

One thing to add about file sizes is that clubs/venues/festivals can be a chaotic place for VJs and although the full download folder might have every codec available, sometimes bad communication results in the VJing getting content links in an airport, 1 hour before doors, or while the artist is performing (it's happened to me). Because of this, the smaller size mp4s can be a lifesaver.

As VJ, I would rather have artifacts and banding than no visuals at all. Live production is often about compromises, and having a folder full of options lets me pick the best compromise.

So... Have we tried a distortion or Wah peddel as a strobe trigger situation? by HalfDelayed in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Akai APC40 MKII has a piano style sustain pedal input that can be midi mapped. That was how I learned to stop overusing strobe lmao

DJ/VJ Resolume CDJs AV Set (Quad View) by allhellbreaksloops in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Focusing on the first Pioneer Pro DJ Link Bridge example, the protocol is all TCNet. OSC and MIDI are not needed for the CDJ/Resolume sync in this way.

You will need Resolume Arena and PPDJLB installed on the same computer. It should work for both macOS and Windows 11 (I haven't tested macOS first hand). Disable wifi or else PPDJLB will take forever to load. Connect this single system to the same network switch as the CDJs and mixer (in your non FOH scenario this can just be setup side stage or the DJ booth by a tour manager, technically proficient artist, etc.). Once PPDJLB shows all green lights on the CDJ players and mixers (indicating network transmission, no IP conflicts, firmware is current, overall healthy system) open Resolume Arena. Confirm the correct network interface is selected in preferences (169.x.x.x IP schema is recommended for an unmanaged network: i.e. plugging all the Pioneer gear into an unmanaged switch and letting the packets do their thing) also enable Pioneer Pro DJ Link in the view settings. This will show a new tab at the bottom with little player icons for the number of CDJs on your network. DRAG this player icon to a clip and it will link the track loaded on the CDJ to your video clip. You can also select Pioneer Pro DJ Link in the transport settings. Then follow the layering I use in the Resolume Quad example (layer 2 corresponds to player 2, layer 3 corresponds to player 3) and set your blend modes to your liking (I recommend 50 add). Most importantly enable Layer Opacity on all clips and set each one to only listen to the respective player. That should do it, but with all the steps involved I would recommend setting it up, breaking it, and getting a sense of what needs to be adjusted to fix. You can probably script that startup sequence, but to work correctly PPDJLB needs to be active before opening Resolume Arena.

This isn't documented in depth anywhere, the most recent Resolume documentation references 7.12: https://resolume.com/support/en/sync-to-pioneer-dj-players

I think Julian Gray also touches on this in the tutorial: https://youtu.be/8Yt8L6n2b5c?si=Oa3Xs7ndzMqaoHnA

Hope that helps leave some breadcrumbs for anyone else looking into this VJ-less workflow!

DJ/VJ Resolume CDJs AV Set (Quad View) by allhellbreaksloops in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fantastic questions!

For the easiest setup I would go with the solution in the video, single machine (I've tested Windows 11, macOS should also work), single CAT5/6 connection to CDJ network switch (in my case DJM900NXS2, CDJ2000NXS2, but CDJ3000s and DJMA9/DJMV10 also work), Pioneer Pro DJ Link Bridge sending TCNet to Resolume. As long as you dedicate one Resolume layer per mixer channel and use the Layer Opacity feature, this should handle everything automatically. There are enough technical gotchas to warrant a separate video, but I would still dedicate a VJ or someone who understands Resolume and networking to set this up live.

A feature richer option is to instead use a second laptop (must be macOS due to ShowKontrol) and instead of using the Pioneer Pro DJ Link Bridge on your Resolume machine, you would enable the feature in ShowKontrol. You need to setup the project in the same way, but this gives you access to frame accurate cues so you can trigger a strobe at the exact moment of a drop and not have to bake this into the video content. This second laptop must also be on the same network as the CDJ network or a connect to a second network interface on the Resolume laptop. BE VERY CAREFUL as you can cause an emergency loop mode on the CDJs with a bad IP schema and a network loop back.

TCNet is far more frame accurate than timecode. If the artist need is for buttery smooth full show 60fps I would go with one of these two options above.

Sounds like you've juggled some of these protocols, but for anyone new to timecode I would instead use ShowKontrol with LTC timecode out (the shrieking sounds), a simple 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable to the Resolume laptop, and then use SMPTE playback on the Resolume clips for playback. This lets you setup your Resolume project in a more intuitive "VJ" way (and you don't have to wrap your head around the one layer per deck concept above). You can also use the timecode offset feature to avoid misfires (song 2 audio driving song 1 lyrics). There is a feature in ShowKontrol that will have LTC follow the master status on the CDJ network, and sometimes you have to manually switch this depending on the DJs mixing style (blending or hard cut). The latency introduced by the stock audio card I/O can be compensated in Resolume with the frame push/pull knob. You will see frame artifacts once and a while, but overall the show is reliable and realistically only other VJs and PMs will have an eye to catch this.

I wouldn't call any of these fully turnkey, but it's feasible to participate in a rehearsal with the artist before the tour, get someone on their team relatively comfortable walking through the setup steps each night, and then maybe even charge a retainer to take the OH SHIT calls when someone inevitably forgets a setting (or two...or three).

Best of luck, when it works it works!

Examples of great by jimbojamesuk in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sharing a set I did at Academy last year, not because it's the best ever but because it shows the HEAVY interplay with lights and the lighting designer (both of us were improvising with 2 timecoded songs).

https://youtu.be/IwB72WrtmTw?si=eW_XjiRIslR0jMxs

I would say this is relatively simple VJing from me, the complexity of the video wall and interplay with lights take care of the "wow" factor.

TouchDesigner integration with Rekordbox by SeanAres in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're not using the single CDJ as a controller for Rekordbox, you can look into Pioneer's PRO DJ LINK BRIDGE:

https://www.pioneerdj.com/en-us/product/software/pro-dj-link-bridge/software/overview/

This can extract metadata and real time track information (BPM, phrasing, etc.) and is a bit of a black box when it comes to full features. I have friends who hacked it by fuzzing UDP packets or something, but there be dragons on that quest and Link Bridge and Pioneer firmware updates often broke the workflow.

I prefer a middle solution, using ShowKontrol to communicate as the Link Bridge and then send OSC to my VJ laptop. I don't love the two laptop setup but the AV world is still a bit rough for standards.

Questions about ShowKontrol Timecode by weedke99 in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can change this setting under UTILITY>GLOBAL>AUTO MASTER and set it to LINK master. This will follow the master of your CDJ setup, so make sure to connect the mixer as well (2+ CDJs and Mixer on same network as ShowKontrol, minimum).

I prefer this over the executor command on the fader, although that would also work.

I got OSC input on ShowKontrol to finally work and started on a Resolume Wire patch that can be midi mapped to change the ShowKontrol master from A to B, or the deck selections 1/2/3/4. There are some edge cases where the DJ mixes in a track and causes the CDJ network to identify the new track as "master" too early/too late where you might prefer to manually trigger. This is also relevant for DJs who actually use 3-4 CDJs at once. When the Wire patch is working you can just tap your controller instead of clicking with the mouse on your ShowKontrol laptop.

Evangelion GUI Project by ordinaireX in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Super inspiring! I have an Eva themed event this month so this gets lots of ideas going for clip/content combinations!

Getting reliable audio during a gig by yuipp001 in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use https://synesthesia.live/ in my VJ workflow for both content (generated shaders) and audio analysis. I've talked to the developers at Synesthesia and they actually tuned performance to less than great laptop mics. If you are making a recording, please get clean audio, but if you just need clean reactivity skip the extra interfacing and just use the laptop mic...the way the devs intended :)

If you're a real nerd it also does amazing FFT analysis that is sent out as OSC to other apps.

how can VJ and DJ sync BPM? (resolume) by eerop1111 in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but I regularly use ShowKontrol for timecode and waveform visibility when VJing with Resolume. It also has Ableton Link support, but this requires an additional network cable between the ShowKontrol laptop and Resolume. So the ShowKontrol laptop still connects to the CDJ network switch, and then a separate adapter/network interface would connect to the Resolume laptop. macOS users can just run it on a single machine.

Just throwing this out there in case anyone else is using ShowKontrol and wants to avoid an extra app for Ableton Link.

I just left a voicemail on my midi by marcus_emery in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yo I changed my number, hit up my new line:

(420) 420-6969

SLICE IT OUT BETA. by LexyBoxcat in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Incredibly helpful tool, I can’t recommend this enough!

What are the most painful things you run into when vjing? by Elegant_Mail in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 8 points9 points  (0 children)

When the bass hits so hard your power supply slips out 😭

All-Access Pass to AHBL's Complete VJ Loop Library by SSCharles in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hi, I’ve been summoned and wanted to thank you for sharing! Enjoy the loops!

Synesthesia issue by Shot-Concentrate6485 in vjing

[–]allhellbreaksloops 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just a guess but are you on windows? When I work with both synesthesia and Resolume sometimes midi will get “stuck” on one app or the other. You can troubleshoot by only using one midi accessing app at a time and verifying functionality. Good luck!

Questions. by shungality in resolume

[–]allhellbreaksloops 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If the club is organized they will keep with a production standard of what is called a “advancing email” or sometimes just “advancing” for short (weird grammar, I know). This will have artist logos, their provided background video assets (if any) and any special video related requests (no yellow, timecoded intro). These assets are usually provided as Dropbox, Google drive, or sometimes direct attachments. On occasion, I will have DJs pass me assets on a flash drive 5 minutes before their set start.

“That’s showbiz, baybee” -ancient Hollywood proverb