garageCube

I'm doing a project that uses a layer set of 2 interlocking layers. One is a foreground and one is a background. The foreground is an animation codec quicktime with alpha channel for transparency - 3 seconds long, and the background is a PSD. I scripted a media keyboard module that loads matching foreground and background simultaneously (there are about 16 matched FG and BGs). The issue is, when i hit the trigger, the PSD loads immediately but the animation over it takes a moment or 2 to load. This ruins the effect since it makes it obvious there are 2 layers before the effect happens. I've tried a few workarounds. I turned the background into a quicktime of equal specifications (size and duration) but since its pixels don't move it still loads quicker than the foreground movie. I also tried doing this with the clip cross fade enabled but it still doesn't give a synched effect. At this point, the only sucessfull workaround is to "pre-click" every media key to load them into RAM. But since this is a theatrical project I'm worried about doing this amid all the other things I'm trying to do.

Boris, Yves, any ideas?

Thanks,

Dan

couldn't you just turn the global speed control down to zero and then reset when you wanted to start all your clips? (apologies if I'm not understanding your needs)

chromafresh wrote:couldn't you just turn the global speed control down to zero and then reset when you wanted to start all your clips? (apologies if I'm not understanding your needs)

Thanks for the suggestion, but no, that doesn't work. Modul8 seems to be waiting to fully load the clip into RAM before if puts them on the screen, so you still get the lag, even with zero speed.

its kind of a kludge but you could sync these to BPM perhaps? if the length is right anyway. I did something before where I had a slow pan of a room (the DJ's home studio) divided up into 3 layers and manipulated the layers seperately. the only way to sync these was to use one of the BPM modules, but then all the layers were built at the same length...

how about using A/B groups?

so while one set of images/movies is being shown in A, you will set up the next one in B and simply cut to that when you're ready.
i love this feature with the "group inv" preview and i use it a lot.

Chroma - My clips are of the same length (I converted the psds to clips). I'll give that idea a try. Can you explain a little further how you did it?

Jesper - If these effects were all I was doing in the patch I'd do that, but there are 16 matched sets so i would need all my layersets to do that, as it is I'm using all but 2.

I think the designers are away. hopefully Yves can weigh in.

Dan

There isn't much to explain really, the BPM module can be assigned to multiple layers one at a time. I'd set the BPM module to one layer, then copy that layer and replace footage in the copies... that should do it I think...

I'd get more RAM into your machine, really

Akira wrote:I'd get more RAM into your machine, really

My machine is maxed out (1.25 GB) and all are set to load in RAM, currently compressed memory. Has anyone experienced that as an issue?

Dan

media assets won't load until they are tapped for use. When I load a new file I quickly pop through all of my sets in order to prompt M8 to load the media. That way I don't get lag when switching.

stuart wrote:media assets won't load until they are tapped for use. When I load a new file I quickly pop through all of my sets in order to prompt M8 to load the media. That way I don't get lag when switching.

Yeah that's what I'm doing right now, which would be fine if I was VJing but I'm cueing through a live theater performance and would need everything operation from first load. Looks like this is the only solution I've got until the designers weigh in.

stuart wrote:media assets won't load until they are tapped for use. When I load a new file I quickly pop through all of my sets in order to prompt M8 to load the media. That way I don't get lag when switching.

Yeah that's what I'm doing right now, which would be fine if I was VJing but I'm cueing through a live theater performance and would need everything operation from first load. Looks like this is the only solution I've got until the designers weigh in.

stuart wrote:media assets won't load until they are tapped for use. When I load a new file I quickly pop through all of my sets in order to prompt M8 to load the media. That way I don't get lag when switching.

Yeah that's what I'm doing right now, which would be fine if I was VJing but I'm cueing through a live theater performance and would need everything operation from first load. Looks like this is the only solution I've got until the designers weigh in.

stuart wrote:media assets won't load until they are tapped for use. When I load a new file I quickly pop through all of my sets in order to prompt M8 to load the media. That way I don't get lag when switching.

Yeah that's what I'm doing right now, which would be fine if I was VJing but I'm cueing through a live theater performance and would need everything operation from first load. Looks like this is the only solution I've got until the designers weigh in.

I don't understand why this doesn't work for you. A quick click on each media should do!