How To: Add Quartz-Composer Effects to MediaMaster
Aug/101
Since version 1.2, ArKaos MediaMaster supports Apple’s Quartz-Composer technology. Depending on its configuration, a Quartz composition can be either a Visual or an Effect in MediaMaster Pro.
In this tutorial we will demonstrate how to add your own Quartz-Composer Effects in MediaMaster.
Remark:
Check out the article “How to: Create audio-reactive effects for GrandVJ using Quartz-Composer” for more details about the creation of Quartz-Composer effects. You will also find lots of resources and how-to’s for Quartz Composer on the web or in the Reference Library from the Mac Dev Center.
Simple Mode (MediaMaster Express and Pro) and Fixture Mode (MediaMaster Pro)
It’s easy to add Quartz effects in MediaMaster 2.0 when in Simple Mode, but in Fixture Mode effect presets are defined within the layer fixture and these fixture files shouldn’t be modified in any circumstances. As a consequence, to make use of new effects we have to add a new custom layer fixture that will include new effect presets..
MediaMaster 2.0 Public Beta
May/100
This year at the Frankfurt Prolight+Sound show we demonstrated a new way of using MediaMaster through a new “Simple Mode” interface inspired from the features that made ArKaos VJ DMX a success.
Recently we wrote an article on this blog to explain the direction we were taking about the development of MediaMaster 2.0 and how we will be releasing it under two different license levels: MediaMaster Express and MediaMaster Pro (read further below)
And today we release the first public beta version of MediaMaster 2.0, you can download if from here:
MAC: ArKaos_Mediamaster_2_0_beta1.dmg
PC: ArKaos_Mediamaster_2_0_beta1.msi
While we finish the documentation, here’s a draft of the Release Note to give you some explanations:
ArKaos_MediaMaster_2_0_Release_Note.pdf
Please report bugs and feedback on this beta in the dedicated forum topic, not by commenting this blog post.
Read more for a brief overview of the Simple Mode and the new features in MediaMaster 2.0
The evolution of MediaMaster
May/101
Here is a video showing MediaMaster 2.0 in Express version, it’s the developer’s beta that was demonstrated at the Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt last month but it will give you a good idea of what it will look like.
We were triggering video loops with an LSC DMX desk and with a small Korg Nano MIDI controller.
ArKaos MediaMaster may be the latest baby in the ArKaos video software family but it carries in its DNA all the best features of its ancestors’ different evolutions. These evolutions have always been triggered by users requests, by the different experimentations we made and by the goals we wanted to reach in terms of performance..
MediaMaster latency test on the A10 Media Server
Apr/100
On the support, we sometimes have to answer questions about the latency between the live input and output on computers running MediaMaster. We know this a concern for most users but actually, there’s no straight answer since the amount of latency you will get will depend on a lot of different hardware and software parameters and therefore will vary depending on your own setup.
In a perfect world, we would have zero frame delay but unfortunately this is not possible with current computer hardware; the simple fact that a computer is processing video already adds one frame of input delay, that frame is needed for the computer to store the complete image before having it processed by the video card. Then you can add another frame of output delay, caused by the video card processing the image. Before or after that, each device that is added to the pipeline – such as a camera, a mixer, a LED controller or a projector – will add some delay into the processing. In the end, if the delay becomes too big you will notice that the sound and the video are out of sync, for example you will hear the voice of the speaker before his lips start moving on the screen.
If we cannot tell what the latency will be with your setup, we can however provide you with a point of comparison by measuring how many frames are needed to process a live input on an ideal setup: MediaMaster running on one of our A10 Media Servers that are specially built and configured to get the most out of our software.
Kling-Net: makes LED devices Plug’n Play
Mar/104
At ArKaos, it’s now many years we’re developing software that drives LEDs in a way or another: our media server software MediaMaster and our VJ software GrandVJ are used every day to drive LED fixtures or LED walls, and of course we have the LED Mapper extension which, combined with MediaMaster, creates a very easy solution to map visuals on complex setups of DMX driven LED walls.
However there is still something that makes it too complicated and / or too expensive for anyone to display visuals on LED devices: setup…
How To: Create audio-reactive effects for GrandVJ with Quartz Composer
Feb/104
In GrandVJ 1.2 we have introduced the support for Quartz Compositions, either as visual or as effect. Note that MediaMaster 1.2 will also support Quartz Compositions, so you can use this with MediaMaster 1.2 too (the beta can be found on our forums)
Quartz Composer is a free graphics and imaging tool on the Mac platform which is available as an optional install that can be found on your Mac OS X DVD since version 10.4.
It allows very easy creation of complex audio-reactive animations or effects which can now be played in GrandVJ (read the previous article about GrandVJ and Quartz Composer). As I’m writing these lines, the last version of Quartz-Composer is 4.0 on Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
In this article we will demonstrate how to quickly create a bass-reactive Zoom/Blur effect like the one you can see below:
Important: This tutorial requires that you have some basic knowledge of Quartz Composer: if you have never used it, you really should first go through the “Getting Started”. You will also find some helpful readings at the Apple Developer Connection web site about Quartz Composer.
To create our effect we will simply edit Quartz-Composer’s default template named “Image Filter” to make it audio reactive. Basically, we will connect bass levels of the computer’s audio input signal to the “Amount” parameter of our Zoom/Blur filter. (Read more below..)
ArKaos MediaMaster 1.2 beta1 with audio
Jan/101
Here’s the first beta version of MediaMaster 1.2.
It comes with support for audio and a few other new features.. more will come in further betas.
Please test it and report any problems you might encounter.
The download links are at the end of this post.
Update: The beta went fine, thanks for your feedback: we have made available the RC1 on the forums
Using the right decoder for your video content
Dec/090
One thing that appears obvious to us after more than 10 years of working with the various solutions that can be used on Mac and Windows to decompress video is that not all solutions are equal.
We believe that our users should be able to play almost any kind of media with the ArKaos software and at the same time we do everything a team of developer can to get the best performance on the platforms supported.
Practically the ArKaos software can play media files through the following decoders: QuickTime, FFmpeg, the Flash plugin, Quartz Composer and Windows Media Player. Currently (December 2009) we don’t allow the user to decide through which solution a media will be decoded, instead we try to make the best decision based on our many years of experience and tests. In the case where several video codecs (such as Mpeg4) can be played through different decoders like QuickTime, FFmpeg and Windows Media Player, we always prefer, no matter the platform, to first try to handle those codecs with FFmpeg as we have always had the best results with FFmpeg during our tests, and here’s why..
Light Show Miami to Atlanta at Mix Club
Dec/090
Things have changed at Mix Club in Paris after Lighting Designer Sebastien Jurkowski has left to embrace a very successful international career (tour with Joachim Garraud, Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, Hennessy Artistry party to mention a few..), they have now replaced their ChamSys MagicQ console with GrandMA Full Size and hired Nicolas Bailly as new Lighting Designer.
If the consoles have changed the club continues to trust the 3 ArKaos media servers installed by Sebastien to display visuals on the LEDs of the DJ / LJ booth and on the various Plasma screens around the place. And apparently, Nicolas Bailly put these to a good use: here’s a video from a light show he set up at the club on Pryda’s track “Miami to Atlanta”.
Nicolas also has a very interesting blog (in French) about lighting design, check it out if you want to know more about him.
Control MediaMaster with the ChamSys MagicQ
Nov/090
As part of the LDI Institute, PRG Distribution are offering a Console Programming class on Wednesday 18th November.
The afternoon session will be lead by Niel Beelen, training manager at ArKaos and Esteban Caracciolo, Product Specialist from PRG. They will teach how to configure and use media servers and ArKaos MediaMaster with the ChamSys MagicQ 100 console.
For more information and booking, please look here.
Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment!
| PRG Console Training Session #L03, Room N210 18 Nov. 2009 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
LDI 2009 Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL, USA |
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