When it comes to controlling software, let’s put it bluntly: OSC good, MIDI bad. With OSC, it’s possible to control the array of things software might do, with easy use of high-resolution data, descriptive names in plain English (or your language of choice), a path hierarchy that makes it easier to structure messages in modular software, and smart networking features that makes assignment and communication a breeze. With MIDI, um… well, prepare for lots of mucking around.

Happily, visual software developers proprietary and open source alike have done what music developers generally haven’t - embrace OSC. Thanks to the fact that this community is unburdened by tradition and commercial development tends to involve small, responsive teams, change hasn’t been so tough.

So, visualists, it’s time to reap the fruit of that development work, and make the live performance rig work the way you’ve always dreamt it should work. Our friend Gian Pablo (check out his fantastic blog) clues us in to some recent developments with Resolume 3 “Avenue.”

You know the types - I’d say I had a music video made in MS Paint, and you’d watch it and it’d turn out to be made by some hypergenius insomniac who made some intricate animated film using only the spraycan tool. Happily, that is not the case here. “jono” writes to tell us about his Microsoft Paint music video, which he made while he had the flu. And you may feel a wave of nostalgia for MS Paint or the Bill Atkinson-created MacPaint that Microsoft cloned, because the illustrations look like the illustrations you did while bored in computer class. (I may be projecting here.)

And then there’s a flying copy machine. It’s sublime.

klerical team - by New Zealand’s EFT
Electronic Masters of Tapestry [MySpace]

I am also really feeling the lyrics - seriously. I have so, so much to do … so much follow-up to do. Off to Gmail.

Also, they’re from New Zealand, so expect an HBO show next week.

See full report…

Jim Myogenic talks to SPIN about doing live visuals with Jon Hopkins during Club Transmediale. Everything about these visuals looks great, even from a low-res online video and chat: prominent projection behind the stage, lots of thoughtful and original content, intelligent focus on materials instead of just a chaotic assemblage of things, and what sounds like the right balance of pre-set preparation and live triggering. Jim and Jon, if you’re ever passing through New York… hope you say hi.

Jim’s setup is Resolume, both The Original Series and The Next Generation. That is, the saucy new MacBook Pro with its more powerful GPU runs the new Resolume Avenue, and the old PC runs the tried-and-true Resolume 2.x. It’s funny, as a lot of Resolume users I know are hanging on to their old sets, which I think says a lot about that tool – you live with it even as the technology ages.

Found via Resolume on Twitter.

Memo’s ongoing quest to get his application MSARemote on the iTunes App Store has hit what is hopefully its last rejection today, this time because one of the screens “infringes an Apple trademark image.”

This is a reasonably well documented failure mode, so hopefully this is the final invisible, electrified hurdle they expect Memo to sense and clear before MSA Remote is made available.

In the meantime, Memo has published a new video displaying the app controlling VDMX [on CDMo] and Ableton Live [on CDMo, on CDMu], and showcasing its velocity sensitive keyboard.

MSA Remote + VDMX + Ableton Live from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

Via: Twitter @memotv. The CDM account is @cdmblogs. I’m @jaymis, and Peter is @peterkirn.

D-func, one third of German DVJ trio Weissgold.TV, picked up a Lemur [on CDMo, on CDMu] a couple of weeks ago, and has put together a fantastic custom interface which controls VDMX [on CDMo] over two machines.

VIDVOX Forums - I finally found my perfect set-up!

VDMX’s UI customization is one of its biggest strengths, allowing you to create the setup which is just right for the job you’re doing. Combining this with the Lemur - a controller whose interface you create to fit the job you want it to do - gives a very sleek, unique setup. Weissgold are projecting on a pyramid, and have a tab of the interface devoted to setting this up: