garageCube

[chromafresh]

This came out really long! Sorry!

I'm not really a user yet, but tried out the software on a friend's recommendation recently and am about one step away from converting from Motion Dive Tokyo. Just for the record, I'm not a user that requires alot of effects options, just some decent compositing options, video in, and switching features, preferably synced to BPM, and that about does it for me. I haven't gotten to the point of using a MIDI controller yet, but am starting to look at options. For me, the magic of a good performance is in conceptualizing, and in the media creation stage. Still, I can't yet switch from MDT to M8 as there are a couple things about MDT I have trouble doing without, and I thought I would suggest them. If they were implimented in M8, I'd switch in a second.

1) the ability to set a BPM with key-depression "tapping" and sync effects to that BPM
2) the ability to "tap" and switch "A/B" footage. (cross-fading is OK, but straight cuts are also necessary)
3) the color effector/keyer, a palette which allows nudging/selecting colors on the fly
4) expandability of "media sets" frankly I need much more media than is available in M8 currently

One thing about the tapping of the A/B footage in MDT that isn't there yet, but I'd like to see, is that currently they only allow a straight, evenly timed switch between A and B... however if they developed a switch that one could tap an uneven pattern, that pattern could also be treated like a loop to allow for more complex, looped A/B cutting,
that would work with the BPM settings, for example. Or the "sound in" could also be taught to recognize BPMs.

If Modul8 developed something like that, I'd switch over instantly.

Some other comments and suggestions:

first to recap my "necessities":
1) to recap the above, BPM syncing please. at least as an option. sound in -> BPM detection, or at least "tapping" options
2) loopable A/B switching. Looping should be allowed a degree of complexity and looped against the BPM settings. possibly switching could also be affected by "sound in."
3) a color keyer/effector on a palette for live "nudging" of colors. seperate RGB is OK, but seems needlessly time-consuming and not very intuitive.
4) More media set buttons please. If possible, allow for naming of media sets, and additions of sets, and subsets.

More suggestions:
5) I like that there are motion FX, however they are so smooth that they look like a cheap digital video editing effect. Something more static might be easier to use, and not be so "recognizable" as an onboard "effect." Various expressions (Sound In/Sinus/Up/Down etc.) should have a switch to "quantize" the motion to "stepped" (posterized?) values instead of just smooth motion. If BPM was implimented, a "strobing" switch for each effect with 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 BPM settings could offer a similar effect.

6) In general all "speed" settings should be based on a set BPM and quantizable to stepped values. quantizing could be offered as a switch for all motion FX or individual fx

5/6: Anyway, quantizing/strobing for each motion FX, not just rotations!! This is pretty necessary for me. These effects are going to get very tired, very quickly as they are...

7) video input, YAY!!! excellent. Well done! no suggestion here.

Looking forward to checking the Particles and 3D Patching.
Particles definitely must be designed to start on cue or set up with in/out points so they can be looped to a BPM, etc.

9) I'm also hoping that 3D patching will impliment some sort of quantization so everything doesn't look like a variation on a sine curve (or sound wave) transformation... so there would be deformations based on sound waves, but also simplified stepped 3D block versions of sound waves, etc.

I'm sure these are all big suggestions, but the ones especially at the beginning (1-4) are pretty necessary to make this software usable for my live work. Still, I look forward to seeing how the software develops. It looks very promising!!

Cheers, and thanks for your time and hard work! I want to be a customer soon! There is alot of potential!!

[gmint]

As I understand it (check some of the recent threads), BPM quantization will be no problem with the 2.0 version due to the python scripting capabilities. I'm sure someone will whip up a module to do this right quick since it is a big feature request. I would say that the same goes for the tap/switch.

The keying, I don't know...

As for the media sets, I for one, am with you on that. M8 has such a cool interface, but unfortunately, it just doesn't work all that well for the media. In additon to more media, there's got to be some text. Believe it or not, most hip-hop videos look pretty much the same (I occassionally load up a video in my sets). I haven't really heard much word in that area, but if you haven't been able to tell yet, the developers of M8 are pretty damn responsive to user requests, so I would bet it's not that far off!

[yves@garagecube]

Thanks for your constructive suggestions!

1-3, 5-6: can be done using modules. We will create modules for this purpose and I'm sure that some users will also do some cool stuff here.

4: The media window will be entirely revised after the release 2.0.

9: You can map a sinus but you can also use displacement mapping, random values or sound sample mapping. The last three functions can generate object that are not on a sinus curve at all. With displacement mapping you can prepare a movie that will generate the geometry you want. You can also combine all the functions (apply displacement and sound input, etc.).

Yves.

[Bear]

I strongly agree with all of these suggestions - and it's very encouraging that the module functionality means that we may be seeing them before too long.

[chromafresh]

Thanks for the reply! I'm glad to hear that modules will cover alot of my issues. Thats very encouraging. I suppose I tend to be hesitant about my ability to make use of "scripting" solutions for anything... but its good to hear that my bases will mostly be covered by the modules. It might be nice if this site carries a "module gallery" like the way konfabulator.com site distributes widgets designed by users. I guess my main concern then is that modular solutions are easy useable in the GUI... so that they don't require toggling or window swapping, etc.
Other than that. I'm glad the media sets will be revised. I imagine this will be quite a challenge with the way Modul8 appears to load media into memory. But I guess "after the release of 2.0" means with 2.1 or something... ah well... I'm afraid I'll wait til that's done. Unfortunately for me, this one's hard to do without. I like having access to alot of media and need to organize it in a way that I can locate things quickly.

I'm very excited though!! Thanks for building what looks to be absolutely the best performance video software out there for OSX. Excellent!
Cheers!

[chromafresh]

I'm not sure if what I said about loopable A/B switching was worded so that you understood my nuance. I'll try to describe more specifically and perhaps you can tell me if this will be doable with modules as well.

OK. What did I mean by "Loopable A/B switching?" Well I was trying to suggest that one could tap out a complex, but irregular back and forth, back and forth pattern, and that could be recorded "live" and looped back, while synced to the BPM setting. Motion Dive allows for a regular tapped A/B switch, which ends up being a variation on:

A...B...A...B...A...B...A...B... and so on.

But I'd like to be able to do this:

A...B...A.B.ABAB
A...B...A.B.ABAB
A...B...A.B.ABAB
A...B...A.B.ABAB

I hope this makes sense. This tapping should be recordable "on the fly" and then loop from the next bar, or until the tapping stops. It should also be quantizeable to an even fraction of the BPM.

OK thats the idea. I hope I hope I hope that this can be done!

Cheers and regards, no more for today.