We released a new VDMX tutorial of our 10 favorite tips for VDMX to improve your workflow and become more efficient with the software. We also discuss some of the less obvious features that users tend to look over.
VDMX Tutorial: 10 Workflow Tips
This VDMX tutorial goes over 10 of our favorite workflow tips. These tips can help improve your workflow, save you some time, and provide additional insight on how to navigate through the VDMX interface to make it work for your needs.
The following are covered in this tutorial: time-saving keyboard shortcuts, easy BPM automation, quicker access to your media, saving and recalling the state of fx & parameters, quick access to user paths, removing backgrounds from your footage, using the control surface for easy access to favorite parameters, triggering media with saved settings, using marks to trigger media playback position, and using applications as media sources.
Live Visuals Session // 031315
These recorded live visuals were part of a test using a “track matte” technique that was shared by Resolume user subpixel. The composition itself consisted of 6 layers, however only 4 layers of footage were actually used for output. The background tiled pyramid layer is horizontally mirrored with a slide effect used to create the illusion of it scrolling endlessly. The stringy, worm-like shapes acts as a track matte or “cut-out” for the wavy lined yellow tunnel that is contained within it. The glowing, dancing lines are the focal point and layered on top of the entire composite. This layer is mirrored and contains a brightness adjustment that reacts to audio. All layers have color adjustments to create a more pleasing composition.
→ Watch Resolume Tutorial on Mask Overlay technique by subpixel
Visuals used in this session:
• DOC000 Light Splatter (Freebies)
• DOC006 Worm Hole (Monomatic One)
• DOC009 Trants (Tunnel Vision)
• DOC010 Violetras (Dream Fields)
TestCard
Platform(s): Mac OSX
What is it?
TestCard is a simple app for the Mac that allows you to display test patterns to an external displays such as projectors or LED walls easily. Simply enable your secondary display in the app and your chosen test image or pattern will be displayed. It features various display types: a customizable grid with shape options and transparency, SMPTE color bars, color spectrum, and even the option of using your own custom image with scaling options.
How does it help me as a VJ or Video DJ?
Rather than having to load up and configure your VJ software to display a test image, you can launch this utility and beam a pixel perfect image instantly. This can help you check color, contrast and distortion to ensure your display is configured prior to mapping or live output. It’s an effective way to get your displays ready for live visuals quickly.
Lemur OSC Controller
Platform(s): iOS, Android (App), Mac/PC (Lemur Editor)
What is it?
Lemur is a MIDI/OSC application that turns your iPad, iPhone or Android device into a multi-touch controller for any VJ and Video DJ software capable of receiving OSC messages or MIDI. It is fully customizable and has scripting features for building even more complex interfaces and automation. Lemur supports CoreMIDI and can be used wirelessly over Wi-Fi or wired USB.
Lemur features an in-app editor (iPad only) allowing users to create custom interfaces in the device itself without touching a computer. If you don’t have an iPad, create custom interfaces using the Lemur editor, free software available on both Mac and PC. Notable features of Lemur are the ability to script custom widgets using complex shapes & animations, skins/color themes, a sequencer, and a user library on Lemur’s website with a variety of custom interface templates free to download.
How does it help me as a VJ or Video DJ?
Having the ability to create a custom controller without the use of hardware allows you to translate your VJing style to the controller rather than adapt to a preconfigured setup. Wi-fi allows for hands-free operation, giving you more room in your workspace. Build your interface on-the-go or in the comfort of your living space with the in-app editor. Using a multi-touch device as a controller also provides visual feedback that is sometimes lacking with a hardware setup – use text labels, highlights, color, and the various toggles in Lemur to serve as indicators and eye candy.
For the tinkerers and users wanting to get deep into the software, Lemur opens up creative possibilities with its built-in scripting. There’s a learning curve for the more advanced features but skies the limit as far as building any controller you can think of.
→ Purchase Lemur from the App Store
→ Purchase Lemur from the Google Play Store
→ Download custom VJ software templates for Lemur at the Liine website
Free Visual “Streaksphere”
We’ve posted “Streaksphere” a new, free VJ loop that seamlessly loops and provides some nice eye candy when you need something with high impact and high energy. Thanks for your support, we really appreciate all of you.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Live Visuals
A website called funnyordie.com released free green screen footage of Jean-Claude Van Damme and the DocOptic team had some fun with it. We composited the footage live using VDMX with a mix of audio reactive and live triggering. For the background, effects parameters were linked to audio analysis filters to trigger on the hit sounds. We triggered the geometric visuals on each hit using mapped buttons and created a stack of effects to give them a bright laser-like quality. We used some TV and RGB shifting effects on the JCVD footage which was contained in a Media Bin set to automatically trigger using the “Next on Movie End” feature of VDMX.
Recorded with Syphon Recorder, one of our recommended VJ apps.
→ Watch VDMX Tutorial on Audio Reactive Techniques
→ Watch Resolume Tutorial on Expressive Live Triggering
Visuals used in this session:
• DOC008 Geoburst (Geoburst)
• DOC010 Unstable Wavetables (Dream Fields)
Syphon Recorder
Platform(s): Mac OSX
What is it?
Syphon Recorder is an application to record live video output from Syphon-enabled software in realtime. Syphon is a widely supported video output Mac OSX technology by various VJ and Video DJ applications such as Resolume, VDMX, MixEmergency, Serato Video, CoGe, Madmapper, GrandVJ, and more.
How does it help me as a VJ or Video DJ?
By using Syphon Recorder, you can record the output of your VJ and Video DJ software to a hard drive along with any audio source from your Mac. Archive your live sets and remixed visuals using various codecs, framerates, and resolutions. Syphon recorded video is a great way to have high quality recordings of your visuals and even use them in a post-production environment.
→ Download Syphon Recorder Free from v002
MixEmergency (Tutorial): Record Video DJ Mixes with Syphon
Serato Video (Tutorial): Record Video DJ Mixes with Syphon
New Set of Generative Visuals for Resolume “Resgen”
We’re excited to announce Resgen, our first generative, realtime visuals set created with Resolume. Resgen consists of 60 generative clips built for layering and customization. Each clip is animated in realtime using the built-in effects and generators of Resolume. Custom dashboard controls provide a quick way to improvise, especially in live situations. Any parameter can be altered to create new visuals or linked to audio and BPM.
Resgen was built to allow for greater flexibility, creativity and improvisation. Generative visuals are a fun and different way to play without the need to stream footage from a hard disk. We’re excited about this one and hope you get a lot of use out of it. As always thank you to our many supporters.
Resolume Tutorial: Resgen Generative Visuals Overview
Resgen is a set of realtime, generative visuals created by the DocOptic team using only Resolume (Arena 4 & 5, Avenue 4) built-in sources and effects. This overview/tutorial goes over the various features and generative visuals included in the set. Also covered are some tips and techniques when using generative visuals in Resolume including creating new visuals based on Resgen clips, using and altering dashboard controls, blending layers using alpha channels, linking parameters to BPM, and a preview of the audio reactive clips included in the set.
This video explores the flexibility and customization of generative visuals inside of Resolume without the need for third-party software or plug-ins.
→ View Resgen Generative Visuals in the DocOptic Shop
Music in this tutorial by:
Mr. Carmack