
All of the visualizers reviewed allow for at least two displays (where you can work on the visualizer and view the output on another display) and an output resolution of at least 1024×768 or higher, so make sure your screen or projector is up to scratch.Ĭustomizable patterns? Yes, experience recommended The final step is connecting the visualizer to your chosen display. Internal mixers, however, will add significantly to your system overhead so make sure you have the processing power and test extensively before rocking it at your next gig!

You can also use an internal mixer program like Soundflower to re-route audio within your computer. Arguably the best scenario for routing audio input is to have two computers, one running your music with an output to a second computer, which runs the visualizer and is connected to your display. With an external soundcard, sending the audio source from your DJ program of choice is as easy as plugging two outputs from the mixer into two inputs and then selecting the input in your soundcard’s mixer program. The easiest way to do this is with an external sound card (I’m using the Presonus Audio Box, see our round-up from last year).
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In this article, we’ll look at music visualizers you can use to hypnotize your audience and an introduction to Video DJing (VJ) software for some next level displays.Ĭhances are we’ve all used a music visualizer with a media player, but visualizing your DJ set for your audience means finding a way to routing the audio output of your DJ program into the visualizer. Now projected displays in tandem with DJing are popping up at many headliner shows, and even in bars and smaller clubs.
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There might be gaps and errors in my thinking here so feel free to give critique.I remember mashing my keyboard to bits when Winamp launched over 15 years ago with its trippy, keyboard controlled graphics. If you turn the knob 360° (or it's usually less if it's not endless) you will get a rotation with and increment of about 2.8° (360/127) while OSC can sends much smaller increments so that means a smoother rotation. Let's say you're rotating an object 360° in Modul8 with a midi controller. * Just to explain the changes in resolution between MIDI and OSC: Absolute MIDI values goes from 0-127. A lot of nice little increments in between that will allow a much smoother animation in Modul8.Īlso if you record value changes over time you should be able to change the values so it isn't as crude as the input from your MIDI controller.

If I remember it correctly (I haven't been able to reproduce this in Live yet) you can set up a knob to have resistance, so that you for instance have to turn a knob 720° to reach 100%. BUT if you use a MIDI controller that sends a relative value things starts getting interesting. So if you map a MIDI controller to a knob/slider in Live using an absolute MIDI value you won't really gain anything by having the message routed over OSC either (shit in, shit out).

So if you are using midi notes (as in note on/off) to trigger things in Modul8 you might as well just stick to MIDI.īut what Live does is sending OSC messages for all knobs and sliders, on the tracks and on the effects (I'm pretty new at Live so bare with me). MIDI is low res so it wouldn't benefit from being sent over a protocol with higher resolution* like OSC. It's really unnecessary if you think about it. Live doesn't send MIDI messages over OSC (at least not to my knowledge). But let's look at what Live does and doesn't do. Or maybe it could eventually change how people are working.

Whether an OSC module for Live communication is necessary or not depends on how people are working. I really want to discuss this with people that are doing audiovisual stuff with Modul8 and Live.
