Not everyone wants loads of advanced video processing, compositing, custom programming visual tools in their software. For dedicated visualists, a tool you can grow into has major advantages. But some people just want some straightforward video triggering. I regularly get questions about what a simple, cheap solution is. In the past, I tended to direct people to Vidvox’s Grid, but that tool has been effectively replaced by their new application, VDMX. I love VDMX, and think it could be a great choice to “grow into.” But for people who want a basic but flexible solution, I’ll definitely be taking a closer look at Livid’s Cell, which clearly fits a Grid-like niche:

Livid Instruments Cell

US$99 gets you a nice set of bread-and-butter tools:

• Basic grid playback of various video formats
• Integrated, OpenGL-accelerated video effects
• Full MIDI control
• Automated triggering and sequencing
• Included clips

It sounds like just the right combination of ingredients for someone adding live visuals to an existing music or DJ set, or who needs just the basics, without lots of more advanced features and customization to get in the way. The interface also seems to be nicely laid out. We’ll take a closer look soon.

Incidentally, back to Grid, note that one of the really nice things about VDMX5 is that you can use a window layout to get all the simple video-triggering properties of Grid, but with the added flexibility of customizing the interface to exactly what you want — or switching to a more “advanced” mode for sets that require it. We’ll be looking more at this soon, as well.

Live visualists get one tasty upgrade in the form of Modul8 2.5, with lots of Mac-centric exclusives:

1. Hardware-accelerated rendering: Built on Core Video (requires OS X 10.4 or later), Modul8 has switched entirely to GPU-accelerated rendering. While other software offers bits of acceleration as an option, the new Modul8 will actually require 10.4 and a Core Video-capable machine; others will have to stick with 2.0.3. Unforgiving of older hardware, yes, but could be great for getting the performance you crave. (I’ve seen these features work just fine on the integrated Intel chips on the MacBooks, etc., so generally you don’t even need a high-end machine.)
2. Freeframe, Core Image Filters: Custom image processing is now opened up both to the increasingly-popular, cross-platform Freeframe standard, as well as the Mac’s own Core Image.



Don your mask: 2.5 now has cropping, alpha-channel filters, and a fully-featured masking system.
3. Crop, mask, and key: (Sorry; somehow that came out naughty-sounding.) Here’s where Modul8 starts to set itself apart: the new release includes lots of new alpha-channel filtering options (alpha blur, alpha crop), plus an entirely-integrated masking system. It really moves Modul8 closer to true, live image compositing, which has always been a goal of this package.
4. Multi-projection: Via PCI-Express, you can run up to four graphics cards on a single Mac, for up to eight projectors, a configuration fully supported by Modul8. That’s the good news; the bad news is this means lugging around your G5 or MacPro for those of you on the road.
5. Intel-native: Gentlemen, start your MacBooks.

And there’s more … new, more programmable modules and compositing, color pickers everywhere, a revised media window that lets you delete in-place, move to the Finder, and adjust quality settings, improved recording, and other enhancements. This comes on top of other unique settings in Modul8: per-pixel transparency, a built-in drawing module for text and graphics, BPM sync, and (particularly unique) extensible modules that can be customized at the UI level or built in Python.

garageCUBE Modul8 [Product Page; Upgrade Details]

Modul8 looks to me like it’s become the VJ app to beat on Mac. Hope to have a review soon. And this heats up the cross-platform battle, too, as Windows users wait on more hardware acceleration in an upcoming release of Resolume.

Of course, the other route to go is to build your own app using tools like Jitter (which just got easier thanks to v001). You’re unlikely to recreate something like this — but you could build only what you need, just the way you like it, and nothing more.

Thanks, Anton! Now, can we quit all our other jobs and just do this, please?

Out of the lab, and into the world: Flash 9 is now official and no longer beta.

Flash Player 9

Linux is still in beta, but coming. (I’ll be really interested to do some Windows vs. Mac vs. Linux benchmarking. Linux as a deployment platform has some real appeal.)

I’m personally finding that the combination of Flash and Processing for visuals is making me very happy indeed. Flash works for certain 2D image processing and drawing applications, while Processing excels at 3D and anything involving lots of number-crunching for the drawing routines.

Currently, I’m tackling the ActionScript 3.0 way of drawing, so while I’ll be on “vacation” for the rest of the week, I’ll be doing a lot of coding on my laptop. Expect some results some time after Thanksgiving. I’ve begun digging into the ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook, which is about the only AS3 source in print now (aside from the official Adobe stuff, which is online rather than on dead tree carcasses).

Fortunately, thanks to O’Reilly and Safari, you don’t have to wait for the books. moock points out that Essential ActionScript 3.0 is available in “rough cut” form. (Hey, speaking as an author, maybe that’s all we should ever publish! No copy editors, no publishers.)

Essential ActionScript 3.0: Three More Chapters [moockblog]

I really want to get at the display API stuff, which is completely new in AS3 (a good thing, as just layering different images was a total pain in previous versions). Unfortunately, O’Reilly doesn’t want to charge my credit cards, so hopefully I’ll sort that out soon.

While looking to the future of Flash, Daniel Hai has a great piece on what he’d like to see added to FLV. I agree on all points, especially the caching idea:

The future of FLV? [Daniel Hai]

[tags]flash, upgrades, software, mactel, universal, Mac, Windows[/tags]

Cycling ‘74 has made the final version of Jitter 1.6 for Mac (and its corresponding SDK) available, concluding a public beta test. You can download the beefed-up new Jitter for Mac as a free update, provided you own Jitter 1.5. Intel Mac owners, this is the release you’ve been waiting for, with native support for Intel Macs. (See also Max/MSP 4.6.) But there are other features, too: better shader support, audio/video recording, multiple instances of 3D objects, Mac Image Unit support, more Java and JavaScript, plus bugfixes and OpenGL improvements.

We’ve looked previously at what’s new in this release:

What’s New and Cool in Jitter 1.6: OpenGL 3D and Video Goodies, More

Now, we’re just waiting on a Windows release, which is due “soon.” I’m holding out for uyvy video support on Windows. Fingers crossed.

(Update: I bought one of these controllers soon after they became available in Australia, and found that it had some compatibility issues with various VJ software. Definitely try before you buy. Jaymis.)

Numark launched their NuVJ VJ product, a combination of a DJ-style MIDI controller with software from Arkaos, back at Musikmesse in April. The hardware is now nearing release, and it’s priced at only US$300.

The gear is aimed at DJs, but it may appeal to anyone who wants a hardware controller well-suited to live electronic music and VJing. With driver support for both Mac and Windows and full MIDI support, it has the compatibility apparently lacking in Behringer’s BCD-2000, as reviewed here on CDM.

Numark NuVJ

The control surface itself looks terrific: two banks of 9 trigger pads each (for a total of 18) for triggering clips, big, solid-looking DJ mixer-style faders, knobs (which appear to be endless encoders) that should be useful for effects, and most importantly, two large wheels for scratching, speed control, or other effects.

The software side is a Numark-branded version of ArKaos VJ, the tried-and-true VJ software for Mac and Windows. No word yet on if or how this might differ from the full release, but there are a number of reasons why ArKaos may be a good choice on Numark’s part. Unlike motion dive .tokyo, the software bundled with Edirol’s competing hardware/software combination, recent versions of ArKaos support graphics card GPU acceleration, which is essentially for getting higher resolutions and framerates. ArKaos isn’t the only software to do this (Livid Union is one example), but it is to me an essential feature. ArKaos has gotten a bad rap among some VJs because it’s been used for a lot of really cheezy effects over the years, but if that were the standard, I don’t think we could talk about any software. With full support for FreeFrame effects (the open source effects standard) and Core Image plug-ins, this could be a strong VJ software choice, and US$300 is a new low in cost for software/hardware bundles. Good news for Intel Mac users: this app is already Universal.

Of course, there’s nothing saying you have to use ArKaos; this is still a competitively-priced controller even if you throw away the software and just use MIDI to control something else.

You might be confused by Numark’s product site; many of the features mentioned (camera input, BPM sync, effects) are in fact features of the ArKaos software, not the hardware itself. The NuVJ hardware is just a MIDI interface; there’s no onboard video processing of any kind. But no complaints here: the price is right, and this hardware could be a fantastic controller for both music and visuals alike.

I hope to test this hardware so we can see if it lives up to its claims; stay tuned.

Updated: Here’s a closer view and a complete list of controls, a number of which you could easily reassign if you don’t want these particular functions or if you use other software:

Jeff Carlson reviews Final Cut Express HD 3.5 for Macworld.com. (Note that our full reviews at Macworld are now largely online-only and free.) This is a significant release in that it delivers a number of features from Final Cut Pro and is Universal for Intel Macs, bringing both the Express and Pro suites from Apple full Intel Mac compatibility. (Now, if we just had some Intel-based desktop machines…)

If you can’t afford to spring for the full Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Studio, the Express HD version is looking better all the time. It now supports dynamic real-time previews so you’ll spend less time rendering, especially if you have a fast machine, and the previously pro-only keyframe features. My bet is that Express should be perfect for live visualists, VJs, and artists on many counts; the big reason to switch to Studio would be to take advantage of the full Apple bundle with DVD Studio Pro, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro.

The other nice surprise in the new Express release is that Apple has built a new Soundtrack on the codebase of Soundtrack Pro. Soundtrack 1.5 looks like basically the same application as Soundtrack Pro, with Apple Loops support, multitrack editing, scoring markers, and lots of effects. I’m guessing some of the advanced editing features and Logic Pro effects in Soundtrack Pro are missing, but I have to confirm that with Apple.

I’m not giving up my Final Cut Studio any time soon, particularly since I’m a big fan of DVD Studio Pro and Motion, but this looks like a great budget option. More on Soundtrack 1.5 once I can confirm that feature set with Apple. In the meantime, you can hear me and other readers lament about the loss of Soundtrack Pro as a standalone project on Create Digital Music.