After a simple introduction to controlling your VJX via PureData, Vince has shared with us a slightly more complicated patch, this one is for sequencing the 3 video outputs.

This patch initializes the VJX, and then allows you to sequence which of the four tracks is shown on which output, save and load presets, and change the switching speed via BPM. I don’t have 3 similarly sized monitors to show this off, so Vince was nice enough to shoot us a demo video from Vixid Headquarters:

Triple Output Sequencing - Vixid and PD from Create Digital Media on Vimeo.

It may look like a simple fruit machine, but this displays how fast and flexible the VJX’s routing controls can be.

As before, Vixid have kindly supplied the patch for others to use and modify to their own needs.
Download vixid-OutSeq-v3.zip (8KB).

If you haven’t used PureData before and are feeling nervous, you really should check it out. It’s free, cross-platform, and really will help you get closer to your Vixid. We’ll be releasing more PD patches over time, perhaps eventually combining them into a super-patch which rolls all of this awesomeness into a single Vixid uber-interface!

On the way to creating some more VJX-basics tutorials I have found myself distracted, hopelessly so, by the topic of feedback. Video feedback is of course a very common and simple “technique”, available in many forms, both hardware and software. However, in most incarnations the result is quite similar and recognizable. Not so with the VJX. The combination of 4 layers, per-layer blend modes and effects, and internal routing create a staggering range of possibilities. I’ve previously posted some examples, and now I’d like take apart and explain the most popular of those, the black and white mirror morph effect.

Vixid Advanced: Feedback Setup and Demo from Create Digital Media on Vimeo.

Input/Patch Setup

Camera or other source feed plugged in to Track 4. Select the appropriate input on Track 4.
Output 1: Connect via patch cable to input on Track 3. S-Video or Composite - Each will give different effects, as will using poor-quality cables, as noise in the patch cable will create more interference in the feedback loop.
Output 2: Connect via patch cable to input on track 2.
Output 3: Final Output - Connect to projector, screen, capture or preview.

The Setup

The VJX is in “Compositing” mode.
Outputs: All set to “Master 1″ (this is what builds the feedback, as the composited output is immediately routed back into tracks 2 and 3).

Track 4: Camera Input. Layer Order D (bottom). BCS (Brightness, Contrast, Saturation) Contrast on 255. Opacity at 100%. This effect works best with a moving, high-contrast, white on black source.
Track 3: First feedback layer. Input from Output 1. Blend Mode: Difference. Layer Order C (second from bottom). Opacity around 40%. Gain 255.
Track 2: Second feedback layer. Input from Output 2. Blend mode: Normal. Layer opacity 25%. Gain 220. Effects: Flip Horizontal, Negative.
Track 1: Not used (could be utilized as an additional feedback loop).

How it Works

The key to this effect is the Negative and Flip effects on track 2. Various combinations of a negative layer applied over a negative blend mode will give you other similar looks. Tweaking the opacity of tracks 2 and 3 will change the “bleed” speed, and depending on the brightness of your source input they may need to be tweaked up or down slightly.

I’m very pleased with this effect. It’s relatively simple to setup, and gives a beautiful, organic look. I’m not sure how well it would work on stage, but it has huge potential for post-production work.

While I’m in a sharing mood. I’ve been spending some time with Feedback effects in the VJX this week, as I was planning to do my next “advanced” tutorial on VJX feedback and effects. However, after losing several hours in experimenting with different blend modes, input and output routing - and creating a huge range of effects and looks - I came to the realization that feedback in the VJX is such a huge topic that we couldn’t hope to cover it properly in a single tutorial.

So instead I’m going to focus on some interesting effects I have discovered, and documenting the exact combination of layers, routing, effects, and other parameters are required to achieve them.

This one is rather complicated. Using the mixer in Battle mode it to isolate two layers as a “feedback loop”, it brings a camera input from track 4, over to the feedback loop on layers 1&2, and then composites them back over the camera input with layer 3. With Difference, Subtraction and Negative blend modes used, and an Inverse effect, I can’t really tell you what’s happening here, but it looks great. The entire effect is controlled with just the gain on the camera input, and tweaking this from 1-255 gives all of the various effects you see in the video.

This one is a little easier, and documented on the Vimeo page. The black/white butterfly effect is achieved by overlaying a Difference blend mode over a layer which is flipped horizontally and has Negative effect applied.

I’ll give proper instruction on creating these effects, and more, soon.

Recently I had two matched projectors for a couple of hours, so I decided to try and achieve a seamless scrolling effect with live camera sources.

Through luck rather than planning, all of my video cameras are from Sony, and they all have the same type of cable for composite analog-out. Looking for better quality, I picked up half a dozen of these replacement cables, which have both S-Video and Composite jacks. This allows me to send a single camera output to 2 separate layers, setting the stage for some multi-screen spanning.

The Setup

Put the VJX into Battle Mode (Menu > Video > Mixmode > Battle 2*2)
Set Outputs for separate projectors (Menu > Video > Outputs > Choose “Master 1″ for first projector, “Master 2″ for second)

Plug one output from each camera into each side of the mixer:
Camera 1:
Composite Output - Track 1, Input 1
S-Video Output - Track 3, Input 3
Camera 2:
Composite Output - Track 2, Input 1
S-Video Output - Track 4, Input 3
… and then hold down the “Input” button and select these inputs.
For each track in turn:
Enable Background Alpha
Enable Scroll FX

Midi Control

The VJX has a complete midi map, covering almost every function available (apart from saving and loading of presets). The VJX has a pretty intuitive control setup for the huge amount of options available, but it would be physically impossible to control independent parameters for 4 tracks concurrently, which is where external midi enters the picture.