VJ'ing equipment and suggestions

hey there forum members,

I have been djing for 5 years. have tried my hand at production but I do not have the time to produce anything with school and jobs and djing so ive decided to venture into vj'ing. I do not need a projector or lights (as the venues ill be playing at either have monitors projectors all that etc) and I have a shit ton of short video clips and have the demo for Livid Cell DNA. considering buying the livid ohm rbg slim. just need some advice, personal experience, stuff like that

:D

taylortailor

I dont have any VJ advice but my rgb slim is my baby. I think you will like it.

Livid Cell DNA isn't the best software to be honest. I would recommend Resolume Avenue, or VDMX. Resolume is great for starting out, it has a nice easy to understand layout, and quite a few tutorials available. VDMX is much more complex, but you can do a lot more with it. It is not so user friendly open up & go tho.

I recommend going to docoptic.com and watching the tutorials on there. also Zyper visuals on youtube.

When using Resolume it's important to convert all your videos to .DXV format. this offloads the decompression to your GPU instead of your CPU, something that's extremely useful when mixing multiple layers of HD video.
If you use VDMX, or Modul8, you want to convert your videos to HAP format.

As for hardware. it's completely up to you. VJ software is completely MIDI mappable so any MIDI controllers work. Right now I use an APC40mk2 and MIDI Fighter 3D. but have seen people use Maschine, Livid OhmRGB, iPad with TouchOSC or Lemur.

The biggest thing with VJing is finding content. you can either buy content off websites like VJloops.com or Resolumes website, or you can get crafty & learn how to animate your own in After Effects (and then turn around and sell them to others)

just curious dsquare, why not cell dna?

Dammit I swear I posted yesterday (damn timeout) .. ah well

Cell is solid for playback, simple to use interface and that really is its strength.

I admit loved Resolume back in the day (the $99 days that is). 10+ years on I guess I expected to be able to do more with visuals for the same money - cars would fly as well of course :D

Arkaos is another solid software choice as well, at around the same price as Resolume.

Controller wise I'd consider an APC40 MK1 and spend the rest on other toys/software - unless you are also gonna be using it for production. I cant imagine really doing any more with an OHM when it comes to video.

Another thing you might consider are some Action cams that you can strategically place around the venue to mix in live scenes from the stage / dance floor, you can pick up 3 or 4 wi-fi SJ4000's (same indoor quality) for the price of a Go pro (I'll be receiving one during the week) would not break the bank and add a new dimension - you might need a small HDMI switcher and HDMI Capture card if you use multiple cams

No harm in loading up the likes of Vjay as a backup as well on your iPhone and as always get loads of various cables and convertors - Murphy's law n' all that.

Consider getting a DVR for recording gigs ;)

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Originally Posted by taylortailor

just curious dsquare, why not cell dna?

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It's just very basic & limited on what you can do. The layout isn't the greatest & the midi mapping is is subpar

Anyone tried it yet ive had great success hacking the Kinect and having it do my instant mapping for my interactive program with dual projectors the crowd loves it

i love millumin:
http://www.millumin.com

Vdmx + apc40 mk1 <3

Besides a good video card and software (Resolume is pretty comprehensive), all you really need is a midi controller. Anything that has pads, faders, and knobs is good enough. The Akai APC40 is actually very intuitive if used with Resolume. You could get dedicated VJ controllers, but those cost a pretty penny. Might be worth it though if you're serious about VJing.