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Microsoft powers a DJ’s live show with a Surface Book and Kinects
When it comes to live shows, the visuals are key to making a lasting impression. I'd even argue that what you see is just as important as the quality of the music. It is a performance, after all. Touring musicians employ all kinds of A/V gear in an attempt to offer a unique experience for concertgoers. For years, some acts have turned to Microsoft's Kinect camera to capture movement live, translating that to graphics on a video display, among other things. To make the camera-based setup more portable, Microsoft teamed up with DJ Alison Wonderland to create a simplified Kinect-driven system that runs primarily on a Surface Book.
Algoriddim's djay Pro app isn't just for the desktop anymore
Apple's laptops have yet to adopt touchscreen capabilities, so when the super-sized iPad Pro was released, DJ software maker Algoriddim saw an opportunity. All that screen real estate could be well-served by bringing the djay Pro mixing app over from OS X to iOS. The new slate's processing power provides a robust platform for features like video mixing, four tracks of audio and the ability to multitask during a gig (because email isn't going to check itself). Starting today, you can download djay Pro for iPad from the App Store for a special limited time offer of just $19.99 (retail $29.99). It helps if you have an iPad Pro to truly enjoy the enhanced features and spacious layout, but the app is backwards compatible with any iPad running iOS 8 or later.
Quantum VJ puts a glitchy audio visualizer around your neck
Do pendants and other wearable ornaments lack pizzazz for you? Alexander Zolotov has a way to spice things up... if you're fond of 8-bit graphics gone haywire, at least. His Quantum VJ is small enough to hang around your neck, but clever enough to turn audio into wonderfully glitchy visuals on its 128 x 64 OLED display. As you'll see below, the result is at once modest yet mesmerizing -- plug in some tunes and you'll have a tiny, synchronized light show several inches away from your face. It runs for 20 hours on a typical coin-sized battery, too, so it can distract passers-by all day long. This is currently a one-of-a-kind device that doesn't even have video out, but Zolotov tells The Creators Project that future models might have output. If so, you may one day have a dance party backdrop dangling around your chest.
Daily iPad App: Algoriddim's vjay brings real-time video mixing to the iPad
If your creative expressions include mixing and cutting videos, then you're going to love vjay, the latest app from the folks at Algoriddim. The company's known for its popular djay app, and it has brought a similar experience to video with vjay. The vjay app leverages the processing power of the iPad (current or previous-gen; it does not work on the iPad 1) and lets you mix two video clips on the fly. The app ties into iTunes and lets you select videos and audio clips from your library. You can also record your own source video using the camera on the iPad. If you don't want to bother with all that, Algoriddim includes a handful of stock clips for you to use. Once you select your video and audio, all the mixing is done in real-time, so there's no worrying about splicing at the right frame or picking the perfect transition. The app uses two scratch pads, one for each video, and has a center mixing window where all the action happens. Each scratch pad has a variety of effects that you can add to your videos on the fly. You can add a strobe, twirl, fisheye, and crush. Moving your finger on each video scratch pad will adjust the effect as well as let you speed up or slow down the clip. You can also run the clip in reverse. The mixing window also has several transitions that control how the final, mixed video appears. You can blend the two videos and use a slider to adjust the blend from one video to the other. There's also cube, grid, swap, push and mosaic transitions that let's you get creative with the your final clip. While mixing, you can record the video and save it to your camera roll. For live VJ sessions, you can output the app's mix to a TV using an HDMI cable or stream it to an Apple TV using AirPlay. You'll spend $9.99 to get vjay; it is available now in the iOS App Store. If you have even the slightest inclination towards playing with video, you're going to love vjay. Not only is it a blast to be able to mix videos on the fly, the performance is amazingly smooth on the iPad 3. I didn't see any perceptible lag and any stuttering was from user error. More than once in the middle of a mix, I clicked on the wrong effect or slide the mixing slider too far to the left or right, but that's all part of the fun. You can see how vjay works in the video below and read more about it on Algoriddim's website.
MTV crowns its first Twitter jockey, remains mum on the prospect of actually showing music videos
So yeah, Jersey Shore deserves its own channel and all, but MTV has most certainly strayed from its roots over the years. Not that following the ol' dollar sign is a bad thing, but we digress. After a lengthy search-and-vote process, the network has selected its first-ever Twitter jockey, one Gabi Gregg from Detroit. She'll purportedly be relocated to New York City and given a six-figure salary, all while reporting on "pop culture news using Twitter, Facebook, blogs and MTV's website." MTV calls this position a "modern-day re-imagining of the pioneering MTV VJ," with Gabi's first assignment being at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12th. So, did social networking just kill the video star?
The Engadget Show: Inside chiptunes and 8-bit visuals
Greetings humans! If you've seen The Engadget Show, then you've been privy to some pretty incredible performances by a group of musicians and artists who eschew familiar instruments in exchange for hacked and modded handheld gaming devices. We grabbed our cameras and got a brief look at the history of the chiptunes movement, the difference between Game Boy music and music from Game Boys, and most importantly, how these artists and visualists make it all happen. Kick back and take a look at the segment (featuring the likes of Glomag, Paris, and Outpt) -- you'll be glad you did! Special guests: Glomag, Paris, and Outpt Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Michael Slavens Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Download the Show: The Engadget Show Segment - 005 (HD) / The Engadget Show Segment - 005 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Two joysticks and 40 buttons: Steel Battalion controller as VJ tool
It might be silly to keep a giant Steel Battalion controller around for use with two games (Steel Battalion and ... the other Steel Battalion). But to use one for those two games and a custom VJ setup -- that's ... well, it's still kind of silly, but it's also pretty awesome. One "visual performance unit" called Bonsajo rigged up one of Capcom's indulgent Xbox controllers to control an audiovisual display. It turns out that with all those crazy, light-up buttons, the controller is well suited to use for VJing in dark environments! And it also looks really cool, in a way that we wouldn't expect of a mech game controller at a party. See the controller in action after the break. [Via Kotaku, GSW]
VPlay brings video mixing to Surface, seriously improves Microsoft's office parties
For most people, there is only one name that matters in the world of Microsoft Surface / "rave" integration. And that name? Al Roker. But that hasn't stopped the company from continuing to develop new and innovative ways to show off its super-sized touchscreen device in the milieu of clubland. VPlay, for instance, is a live video mixing tool that allows one to display video clips and live images, manipulate effects, and concoct some pretty complex signal paths with your bare hands. Interested in giving this one a spin? No word yet on a commercial release, but do make sure you peep the video after the break.
Video effects wizardry app CamTwist revved to 1.7
Steve Green's free and fascinating video effect utility CamTwist has been updated to version 1.7, including fixes for several bugs, adding AppleScript support and Flickr slideshows, as well as an entirely new tool called CamTwist Studio for live mixing. If you've got any curiosity about video effects on the Mac, you are in for a real treat with CamTwist.The new piece of the puzzle, CamTwist Studio, lets you take preset effects, overlays, slide shows/canned video and camera mixes and do on-the-fly, multicamera previewing and switching, with only a couple of clicks -- a "television studio in a box." CamTwist leverages Quartz compositions to do its graphic magic, so it does require 10.4 or better and a reasonably speedy Quartz Extreme-capable machine (not to mention a video source like a webcam or iSight). While it isn't directly compatible with iChat, it works with almost every other live video service, including Skype, uStream and Yahoo! Live.CamTwist can be a little bit sparse on first glance, but if you want to ramp up quickly to getting RSS feeds, lower thirds or fancy effects on your video with professional aplomb, check out Ben's excellent training clip on the documentation page. Our buddy Chris Pirillo did a walkthrough of CamTwist's functionality in his production setup ("I tried all the [video effect] software for Windows, and they all suck -- there's nothing close to CamTwist on Windows"), and Metacafe has a thorough rundown.If you're having fun exploring CamTwist, you might also be interested in Stone Design's Videator ($49), Varasoft's Wirecast 3 ($450, cross-platform) or CamCamX from blackop ($59 for a one-year subscription). All three have a following for VJ and live mixing use, and are commercially supported. Still, for sheer mix-it-up fun you can't beat CamTwist.[via Download Squad/MacUpdate]
Shiro readies trio of ho hum PMPs
We'll spare you the obvious here -- we're quite aware that Shiro's VJ (pictured) looks an awful lot like something else -- but nevertheless, the outfit is hoping that its forthcoming trio of portable media players can somehow get traction in the overly saturated market. The aforementioned VJ reportedly rocks a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, up to 8GB of internal storage space, a microSD expansion slot, built-in microphone for voice recording, an FM radio, up to 20 hours of music playback (5 hours of video) and support for MP3, WMA, WAV, BMP and JPEG files. As for the MR, look for similar features in a smaller (2-inch display) package with a maximum capacity of 4GB, while the MD boasts an even tinier screen (1.8-inch) and a fair bit less battery life. Regrettably, no pricing details were mentioned, but we get the feeling Shiro will be saving those tidbits for CES.[Via Wired]
