SteamSHIFT

I decided to create a new blog for my MA work - you can find it at http://mdatblog.steamshift.com. Alternatively, just grab the feed.

Quick post with a handy little counting macro; on receiving a signal it counts from 0 to 1 (over the specified time period), and then stops. When it receives another signal, it counts back down again. I’m sure there are other ways of doing this, but it works.

Technorati Tags:
VJ, quartz composer, mac, osx

Building on Steve Mokris’ great patches, here is a quartz composer macro with all of the controls of the Behringer BCF2000 midi controller mapped on (based on Steve’s Sysex files). All of the outputs are normalised to QC (0-1). It takes a single input to set the channel (defaults to 0).

NB: This is nothing that anyone else couldn’t do, it’s just posted here as a timesaver for anyone else! Also, you must have Steve Mokris’ plugins installed.

Technorati Tags:
VJ, quartz composer, hardware, midi, mac, osx, gear, performance, Peripherals, bcf2000

Perhaps it would be useful if I also linked the zip archive of the materials!

Due to the excellent work done by Steve Mokris with his MIDI CC in and out patches, I present a tiny little proof of concept…

This has 3 parts:-

1. a midi pipe (you’ll need the MidiPipe application) which (in this case) just routes an input to an output.
2. An output composition:- included is just one that sends a looping controller value from 0-127 and back again.
3. An input composition:- this simple receives the controller value and shows the value on screen

You will need to run all 3 at the same time. This allows you to control 1 composition from another. Why would I want to do this? Well here’s one scenario …

I have a VJ presentation running full screen on a projector, and I want to be able to choose from a list of movies to play. The list of movies could be on the midi output composition with thumbnails, running on my laptop’s built in screen. When I click on an thumbnail in the output composition, it sends a midi message with a numeric reference to the movie requested. The input composition receives the message, looks up the number in a list of movies and swaps it into the composition.

The big advantage of this way of doing things over creating an application? Both compositions can be edited on the fly, and I don’t have to learn how to create applications!!

SteamSHIFT out.

Technorati Tags:
VJ, quartz composer, mac, osx, motion graphics, experiments

Over at Create Digital Motion a while ago there was a post about Better quality projection over longer wires: S-Video to CAT5 Baluns

A staple of the security industry, video baluns allow you to send S-Video, Composite, Component or even VGA signals through normal CAT5 ethernet cable. This allows a far greater cable run with less loss of quality. They’re reasonably inexpensive and since discovering them I’ve taken a couple and a hefty coil of CAT5 to every gig, locally and internationally. They’ve saved my signal many times, both from the ignominy of composite and the embarassment of "What? The stage manager didn’t say that you’d have to bring your own cable for the projector? Well no, we do’t make the DJ bring his own speakers and hook up foldback 15 minutes before the doors upen, but you’re a VJ, you should be used to backbreaking toil and endless disappointment."

To Anglicise it a little:

These are VGA versions (£ 105 + VAT), you can also get any number of variations of s-video, component video etc. A good UK supplier seems to be CyberSelect.

(Via Create Digital Motion.)

Technorati Tags:
VJ, hardware, technology, accessories, cables, gear, performance

As part of the Invisible Architecture module for m.i-dat, one of the practising artists we are looking at is Shaun Murray; but is this the same person as Shaun Murray? Actually no, but Google is no discriminator of what you are looking for (only you can try to enable that by your search); but the latter is more connected in readership than the former and is therefore at the top. It inevitably raises some questions as to the nature of (projected?) identity in the web sphere.

These have been sat in my blog drafts box for a while so I’m just reblogging them, as much as anything because they amuse me!

Sket One takes on food culture

Graffiti artist and toymaker Sket One has created five fantastic little creatures for the Subcultures show (which is on now at Channel 1 in New Haven CT until mid-August), blending his own breed of toy design with everyday household products.  [Via NotCot]

 

(Via FEED.)

Technorati Tags:
art, design, toys

So, some time after I first decided I would do an MA, I am finally enrolled on a course. I am doing the Masters in Digital Art and Technology at Plymouth University (m.i-dat.org). Very excited. Much to post over the next few days.

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digital art, technology

My friend Joe has recently released his first mac application (a plugin actually):

WordpressExport

If you have a mac, use iPhoto and wish you had an easy way to upload photos to your Wordpress blog then look no futher than WordpressExport. Its an iPhoto plugin that lets you easily select and upload photos.

This is a work in progress so may still contain a few bugs, if you do find any un-expected behaviour please let me know so I can fix/improve it. Registration will be available as soon as I get time to sort it out.

Give it a go - it works pretty well! Laters. SteamSHIFT out.

Technorati Tags:
mac, osx, wordpress