VJcontroller

Bro, does your rig even lift?

What protocol should VJcontroller talk to Resolume?

Poll ended at Thu Sep 01, 2022 04:06

MIDI
1
25%
OSC
2
50%
DMX over ArtNet
0
No votes
Webserver commands
0
No votes
Some of above
1
25%
All of above
0
No votes
Something different
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 4

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cosmowe
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by cosmowe »

Thanks for updating us.....I really enjoy your updates 🤗
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jim
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by jim »

I was talking about progress of this today with lighting designer friend and I don't think I need to have a DMX port this day and age.

So I have board and I just have to do some testing of components mainly RGBAWUV LEDs and drivers.

But I was thinking once I have a working prototype, I might start a kickstarter. I was thinking about the price and I thought if I set a price of US$150 per unit, as I think it would be a good price point for all different types of vjs. Then use reaching goals as points were all controllers gets upgraded. Ie as I sell more I can utilise economies of scale to up grade.

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cosmowe
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by cosmowe »

150$ sounds very cheap..... with what features did you calculated?

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jim
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by jim »

I will give a proper run down once prototype is built but this is essentially my wish list:

3* groups of 8 rotary encoders,

On desk lights, ether in the backlighting or around the edge or something, but the main thing is that will be artnet addressable, so you can ether send colours to it from resolume or you can receive the colours and levels from lighting desk, ether scan or artnet (I found a code libary that does both).

I have also been testing different types of buttons and keyboard keys, I think I actually want to use keyboard switches, so that users can change and adapt the response of keys/buttons. Also using a standard part means that it is easy to fix/replace.
These switches typically come in packs of 45, from $5-hundrads of dollars a pack, so vj can choose really the quality of switches they want to use.
https://www.rtings.com/keyboard/learn/m ... l-switches


I am in the middle of designing a show and I went to two different midi controllers that were arrays of buttons and nether are now compatible with my mac, which has really impressed the need to keep the device working on standard signals, Midi, osc, ect

Faders:
Probably more then anything else the number of faders will depend on the budget, the wiring is all there on board for them and is same as the rotary encoders, but faders are 10 * the price of rotary encoders. I want a good high quality cross fader at bottom of board for A/B mixing (slaming), but interms of number of level faders, for layer and Audio ect, I'm not sure if they are worth the cost and space, if you can have 4 rotary encoders in space of a single fader. So I am thinking of just 2 or 4 vertical faders.

This is definitely a strech goal I also would like to include a small audio interface with audio in and out, mainly because macs no longer have a line in interface If you need to get a click track or you want a copy of the audio to control effects, you need to use an external audio device. So it makes it easier only having to have one device. In its raw form this costs about $17 so if doesn't end up getting priced into the board, I would like to make it an easy add-on.

I have been VJing for 20 years and have done clubs, festivals, national and international touring with acts, worked with Symphony Orchestras, theatre troups, DJs, bands, ballet companies, ect
And I am drawing on my experiences to try and make the controller that would have been useful in all these different settings.

$150 is a cheap price point yes, but I want it to be accessible to everyone. I want to aim for a profit margin around the 10% mark, though I do have a commerce degree and understand there are a lot of metrics in working out margin.

It might creap up to $200, but I'll give a firmer number once prototype is done, this is currently on hiatus while designing formentioned show, but I have also been taking a lot of notes for controller while working on this show.

I would also like to get any opinions about features you are anyone else thinks the controller should have. As the users of resolume are so numerous and I have enough hubris to suggest that I know what ever VJ in every situation might want.


To be clear I'm not an electronics designer by trade, But I spent the last year learning how to build and program adrino(well I started on Raspberry Pi).

Also let's be real the VJ community isn't the size of say the DJ community where a company can sell products to millions of people.

I want to try and keep my hardware as open as possible so people can change and adapt, so maybe I could do a module system for faders.

jim
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by jim »

I should also note that I have been working with suppliers on China for years mainly focused around cameras and lighting but I know enough to know how to get a board daughter boad made cheaply.

jim
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by jim »

So I have been doing some work and research on faders and linear encoders.

Liniar encoders are way too expensive. But I'm discussing with some engineering friends using linier encoder ribbon, which is cheap, due to mass production. Because it's used in the printers to got absolute location of print head.

I'm also testing out a couple of low cost DMX controllers, mainly for just all the surface mounted faders already there.

Because my current VJ residency is also lighting controls I am thinking of keeping the dmx system in place with a switch between processors, or even split between the DMX processor and my osc/midi rasberry pi.

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OdyPody
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by OdyPody »

regular DMX Input XLR to convert to Midi Out would be a Killer feature....

jim
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by jim »

OdyPody wrote: Tue Jun 13, 2023 18:47 regular DMX Input XLR to convert to Midi Out would be a Killer feature....
Har, I just thought about that one and it is a good idea and it wouldn't be that hard to implement. But you can map resolume with DMX. What would you want to be able to achieve that you can't achieve with DMX mapping.

I have started working with a chinease manufacturer, pretty much have the body and system at 50%


Will include some dmx movement stuff, focus, ect, the stuff not handled by resolume dmx.

But will integrate together on machine.

At the moment it's going to be an i7, in a sort of laptop configuration, with though screen and faders and buttons where there would normally be a keyboard.

I am working out the fader layout, what is the average amount of layers that people use while vjing?


Jim

jim
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by jim »

[flash=1]How many layers of video do you use when VJing?I am working out the fader layout, what is the average amount of layers that people use while vjing?how many video Layers do you use?

I am working on layout for my prototype vjcontroller.com

I am wondering how I should layout the layer faders. Inital research has suggested around 10 layers should be good for most things. Anyone disagree? Why? Or should I only have a smaller number layer faders?

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Arvol
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Re: VJcontroller

Post by Arvol »

As someone who travels for a living while VJ'ing, space and weight is more important than functionality for me. So for that reason I use a F1 by NI, it has what i need without extra things I don't.

Other VJ's will say the more buttons the better, others will say the more encoders the better.

The smarter option would be to have a couple of "bases" with "x" amount of i_o then have the i_o be modular. then people can scale up to a larger base if they need it all the while continuing to use the modular pieces from the smaller base during the upgrade. But with VJ's these components need to be robust. I blow through APC40's in a month or less, so quality components are the only way to go, otherwise you're building the same thing as all the other alibaba sellers.

Also, your URL doesn't take you to your site ;)

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