GrandVJ: The feature request thread

[PhasedMedia]

-Full screen on load checkbox option like (mediamaster) for installations without DMX.
-Next/previous cell buttons for powerpoint emulation or for simple next cue.
-Fade time (or transitions) on cells for synth mode.

[pointless dav]

-Next/previous cell buttons for powerpoint emulation or for simple next cue.

+1

[absentcinema]

BPM syncing for effect parameters and layer opacity!!! PLEASE!!!! just a BPM tap in button will do..

Yeah, being able to specify linking of individual effect parameters to the audio input would be a major addition adding a whole new dimension of GrandVJ's flexibility.

[opcode66]

My feature requests should be very simple to implement. And, they would sure make the software a lot more functional...

1. The thumbnail displayed for a clip should be generated using the loop start point and not the start point of the clip itself. I have a lot of clips that I want to be able to trigger little bits of. But, it gets confusing to see the same thumbnail for each instance of the clip even though the cells/keys are triggering the clip to play at different start times. In a pinch, I can't easily grab the little bit I want. I have to trigger each one until I see the correct bit in the preview window. That is a pain and is time consuming. It would so much easier to identify which clip is which if the thumbnail displayed was associated with the start time of the loop. That way multiple instances of the same clip with different start times would look different in the cells/keys.

2. Can you PLEASE add a button to the interface (MIDI mappable) for each layer that would clear the effect if any is currently applied? That way, I could easily clear the effects for a running clip. Currently, I have to use the mouse to right click on the clip preview window for the layer and then use the keyboard to do a ctrl+e to clear the effects. I like to work mostly with MIDI controllers and don't like to use the mouse much. And, it is always a stretch to reach the keyboard to type ctrl+e. If you had a button for each layer that would just clear the effects, I could assign them to one of my MIDI controllers and could clear the layer effects easily without reaching for the laptop. You already have a button that clears both the clip and the effect. How about adding another for clearing just the effect?

Thanks Much,

Opcode66

[opcode66]

1. Button to clear the effects for each layer that is MIDI assignable. That way I can clear the effects from a particular layer with one button press.

2. Make the thumbnail displayed for a clip user selectable. Or, generate the thumbnail using the selected Start Time and not the beginning of the clip. I often want to play little bits of a given video clip and those cells/keys all look the same. It is confusing and takes a lot of time to find the bit I actually want to play.

Thanks,

Opcode66

[absentcinema]

Being able to alter the curve on the crossfade and apply different transitions to it would be great.

[fb2003]

* BPM button (beattime parameter in flash)
* Refresh clip thumbnail function (black thumbnails are.... )
* Custom unlimited flash parameters
* Possibility to link parameter value in grand vj to inputs (besides midi) such as mircophone level.
* More effects

[aaintveld]

Mentioned before, but maybe to add some tips:

Make a thumbnail tell / show you in one glance, what clip is behind it.
Either with a picture (user selectable jpg), but for me, the filename would already do ! And then I mean, not needing to put the mouse on the clip, but PERMANENTLY showing the filename right below the thumbnail. Maybe have the option 'show filenames yes/no'.

Next:
- link an mp3 to a clip, triggering the clip will trigger and play the audio from the linked mp3.
- When in synth mode, let the thumbnail of a clip reflect the start point (asked by others), also meaning when the clip is cued to a later start point, showing that later point

[jcbklyny]

An update of any kind at this point would be great!

[aschwin]

EVENT RECORDER
+ export/render to disk
like (or better THAN) Arkaos VJ

Why is it left out? I also used Arkaos VJ for pre-editting please upgrade!

[apache]

vjdmx is dead , grand vj gonna die ?
only media master will survive .

[jcbklyny]

vjdmx is dead , grand vj gonna die ?
only media master will survive .

If that was the case I better get a free upgrade to Express!

[Moabyte]

It would be nice if a layer in mixer mode could be set to synth mode. I know GVJ has an 8 layer limit, so maybe it could be programmed to use remaining off layers. If for example 3 layers were on, that would leave 5 layers to use as a synth layer.

[neoproject]

Hi
I believe these important implementations grandvj:
large preview of the selected clip
allow more effects or combined effects on a single clip
entry apply to all types of audio effects selected
save, export and load bank as in NuVJ
hold the clip and then scretch as NuVJ
thanks
Neoproject

[Riley333]

I would like what seems to be the number 1 request, change the license policy to one that makes sense and does not hurt your customers.
I have spent $600.00 with Arkaos since 2005 and after a hard drive crash this week. Have nothing to show for it.

I have seen people at trade shows using it, I go up to them and say, Hey! That's Arkaos, I use that too! We geek out for a while then they lean over and whisper in my ear....you can get it free at blahblah.com. I get pissed and walk away because I prefer to support the good works of others and ask that people support my good works. BUT! Akaos is making us pay for someone else's crime... It just doesn't make sense?

Riley

[FrankySpanky]

Hi Arkaos,
Any news on the new release of GrandVJ?

I really really really hope you implemented these highly demanded preformance requests

• Refreshable Thumbnails. (highly performance recommandation)
• 4 extra flash parameters (equals 8 parameters). They should not interfere with the applied effects parameter(s).
• A beattime (BPM tap button) option like nuvj for flash.
• A replacement for Quartz Composer for the windows version of Grand VJ. Off course use of external parameters are essential.
• Custom effects

Good luck

PS. When a new clip is triggered, the initial effects (or flash) parameter value's should be that value of the corresponding knobs and or sliders.

[shado]

Hello Arkaos!

I use GrandVJ almost daily and despite being completely enamored overall with the software, I occasionally notice certain things that I feel could use some refinement/improvement.

1. My biggest issue is the preview window. Multi-projector shows running through a triplehead2go make everything in the preview extremely squashed, essentially rendering the preview window worthless. One would think there must be better options for previewing different configurations besides keeping everything in 4:3 mode. Modul8 and VDMX both have a flexible preview system that works great with less common display modes, like 4:1.

2. Automation! Give us some kind of way to sync parameters to other parameters. Once again, both Modul8 and VDMX have interesting ways to automate parameters without having to constantly turn a controller knob. VDMX can pretty much sync anything to anything. I realize that GrandVJ is built to satisfy different marketplace demands yet I feel that the lack of any automation is a major bummer.

3. Your registration/authorization system is honestly one of the most awful that I have ever had to deal with. It's not that it is overly complicated or anything...it just really is lame being forced to unexpectedly buy a new license because of hardware/software upgrades. In just a matter of a few days, I recently managed to lose my remaining serials due to upgrading my hard drive and operating system and had to drop a wad of cash on another license. I understand why you guys are protective of your product and your current protection system is certainly effective but sheesh, cut us some slack.

4. Third major thing I would love changed is the file handling. There have been many times where I accidentally moved some files while organizing and then had to tediously search out each missing file individually the next time I booted GrandVJ. A simple time-saving approach would be to have GrandVJ automatically search out missing files and allow the user the option to ensure the proper files are being found. I've resorted to storing all my files directly in the GrandVJ folder, so that they are all in one spot and I can find them easily.

5. I love the new transitions that are in the new GrandVJ beta, although I feel that there should be more of them available. Also, several of them could stand to have a crossfader adjustment curve parameter, since the curve is way too extreme. This is especially true of the Pixellate Fade. In fact, I don't understand why many of the transitions have absolutely nothing in the way of adjustable parameters.

6. Effects! There can always be more effects with more adjustable parameters too. You don't have to build them all yourselves...give us FreeFrame back! Also, it's great that Quartz Comps are compatible with GrandVJ but there is pretty much zilch about how to set up QC's for use within the program. Same for AS3 Flash files...I'm pretty comfortable with Flash AS3 yet there is practically no info/tutorials available. There are a few posts on the Arkaos blog that briefly touch on setting up QC's and AS3 Flash files, yet the info presented is far from in depth. And, the AS3 sample files are missing so I cannot even peer into the FLA to see how things work (EDIT, the AS3 sample file link has been fixed). Help us learn how to do this stuff ourselves and maybe we'll pester you guys less.

7. TouchOSC feedback. There has got to be a way to have GrandVJ allow bi-directional communication on TouchOSC enabled devices. I would love for my iPad and iPhone to function as my APC40 does, showing me which layers are activated and which clips are launched.

8. More projection mapping options. It would be awesome to be able to projection map each individual layer, with flexible shape options. Modul8 is currently smoking Arkaos in this arena.

9. Greater audio control of visuals. There should be a tap tempo button and a way to generate rhythmic parameters without the necessity for sound. Also, it would be fantastic if there were more audio-reactive sources. I guess this ties in with automation again. There wouldn't be a need for more audio-reactive sources if there was parameter automation.

Anyway, that's all the major stuff I can think of to address. I'm sure you guys get weary of hearing everyone's exhaustive list of wants and desires

[FrankySpanky]

Great improvements from shado! I hope they get implemented!

[absentcinema]

Are we ever going to get a 64-bit Windows version? Surely being able to access more that 4GB of memory and use 64-bit codecs would be highly advantageous for GrandVJ?

[PhasedMedia]

Love the preview tab and other improvements, still would like prev/next cell buttons for fashion shows/auctions/ etc.

[jannypan]

if we had more input parameters for flash movies, then we could perhaps achieve the same results.

[ravenmoon]

-mapping of Fulldome to display output for five projectors
see:
http://7thsensedesign.com/markets-fulldome.php

-Visual Mapping masks ( bezier anchor points to create more complex masks)

[FrankySpanky]

Currently GrandVJ has a Visual-, Effect-, Mixing- and Position/Size tab.

Adding a Parameter tab would be a great improvement to control clips with their own internal script and variable parameters, e.g. flash-, Quartz Composer clips.

This tab displays all external input parameters defined in a currently selected layer's flash- or QC clip.

The Effect tab is then purely functional for the parameters of applied effect of a clip, this way internal and external parameters don't mess up each others functionality.

Bottomline: devide effect parameters and clip parameters into two seperate tabs, and thereby gaining functionality.

[VJKatza]

Here are my most needed features for The next Major GrandVJ release:
1. Layer/Clip Crop Feature (Without Stretching the Image like the Crop Effect).
2. Hold Last Frame (Pauses the clip at the last frame of the segment).
3. Auto Transition (Automatic transition from the active layer to the new triggered cell) [Mixer Mode].
4. Lock Layer (locking a layer in mixer mode to prevent accidently changes).
5. USB Midi dropout support.
6. Allow Keystone drag points be controlled with keyboard curser keys as pixel by pixel moving (Like in Media Master).
7. Layer MASK support (Allows importing a B&W mask file).
8. Playlist (Allows defining a Playlist as a cell).
9. Ability to define the Cell Thumbnail .

Love Grand VJ!
Thanks!

[aaintveld]

I would like to see the option to mute the audio on specific clips.
So, as a default, each clip containing audio will output that audio, unless specified on the specific clip/cell.

[Moabyte]

I would like to see the option to mute the audio on specific clips.
So, as a default, each clip containing audio will output that audio, unless specified on the specific clip/cell.

You can set the volume on each clip now, but what we really need is the ability to lock and unlock the transparency audio levels. I've been trying different things with clips that have audio and so far that's a must have feature if we now have per clip audio.

[cassioac]

1- Remote control using another computer (through the network).
2- Automatic transitions!!
3- Remote control transitions using iPhone or iPad, that would be sooo nice

[rama1]

please make it possible to import 3d models ie 3ds, obj, or .x "direct x that would take arkaos grand vj to the highest level & the capability's of what will be achievable will truly be awsome

[vostek]

I love how GVJ is progressing, but I'm sorely missing some simple features that users of other common VJ software take for granted.
1. Blending Modes. Difference blending mode is the most awesome blending mode in the Universe. It is aesthetically striking, and it can turn drab content into signal with excellent depth, complexity and color. Please add it. I imagine it would be pretty simple to code in.
2. A regular-old hue shifter. I'm not talking about the included GVJ hue 'effect' or RGB cycle. In the old Arkaos I was able to accomplish a faithful hue shifter using one of the classic Pete's plugins.
3. While we are on the subject of the Pete's plugins, there are some other quality effects in that pack that have no equivalent in GVJ - the kaleidoscope comes to mind as an example- the GVJ kaleidoscope is very limited in applicability, and aesthetically it doesn't have the qualities that make normal kaleidescopes so pleasing (say what you want about cliche signal, but there will always be a time and a place for kaleidoscope effects!). If the dev team is not going to implement FFGL or a way to create custom effects, please at least make some for us!

[knaval]

Hi! is it possible to add timecode chase on clips or even a timeline? that will make Grand VJ a the ultimate software for playback

[hypnotica]

Why not add an extra option to playback mode called play group (sequential). When user selects that option it just plays the clip then next one from the same bank with the same layer no.

[SoupVisuals]

give us a new update that has an appropriate map for the new OHM 64 RGB!

Especially crucial, obviously, is having the bank select buttons glow one color when a clip is in them but inactive and then switching to green when that clip is playing, the default of them all being unlite except the selected one is unacceptable.

[deep]

Dear please be so kind and provide an GrandVJ Control Skin for AKAI APC40.
We (the owners) of this great controller will be happy to have the opportunity to buy the skin.
It's good that you provide accessories for Arkaos GrandVJ and the controllers with bidirectional support (template and feedback), but not just only for APC20.
Thank you in advance.

[paul-h]

A nice and simple thing could be to store and recall the master keystone parameters (preferences > output) or at least save them on a per-project level. I use a screen capured bitmap for each club to have a clue, doesn't seem very pro

[vjpulp]

Dear please be so kind and provide an GrandVJ Control Skin for AKAI APC40.
We (the owners) of this great controller will be happy to have the opportunity to buy the skin.
It's good that you provide accessories for Arkaos GrandVJ and the controllers with bidirectional support (template and feedback), but not just only for APC20.
Thank you in advance.

Where is the "LIKE"-Button?

[Skibit]

I use a AverMedia HD DVR capture card with analog and hdmi input how ever GranVJ only seems to be able to use the "live input" with an analog signal not the hdmi signal

[VJSubliminalTwin]

This is my first post here, hi everyone. I've been using the GVJ demo for about a month or so, I love it and plan to purchase it as soon as I get my performance laptop in the next few weeks. It's a great program, but I still think it could benefit from a lot of upgrades. Some of them might sound super specific, but I really think they'd be helpful. These are in order from my most to least important suggestions:

1. Freeframe/OpenGL support. I want to be able to use Pete's plugins for effects!

1a. More effects! Being a PC user I can't take advantage of the QC effects that come with the Mac OS version(though I have played with them, and I'm totally jealous. I want some of those effects for PC!) I've demo'd Res Avenue and CellDNA on PC and they both have tons more effects. For example, more feedback effects, 3d effects, particle effects, etc...

2. I would really like to see a "reverse clip" trigger/button that I can midi-map. Just to be able to tap a button to reverse the clip on the current layer (and to tap it again to turn it off and have it play in normal forward playback again.) Under the Visual tab, I can technically "play the loop backward/forward" under the loop control, but it's frustrating because I can't assign a different midi trigger button to each part of the loop control; I can only assign it to the entire line of controls (play loop forward, backward, play once forward, backward, back and forth, etc). So I can map it to a midi knob, but it seems really silly to have to scroll through each mode to get to the one I want. This is also how the midi mapping currently works for "copy" and "mask" mode under the Mixing tab (which I frequently use!) I feel like I should be able to assign one midi/keyboard trigger button to each separate mode (addition/subtraction copy, luminance pass/reject, etc), instead of having to assign it to a knob and scroll through all of them. Hope that made sense!

3. Since it seems like you guys won't budge with licenses for multiple computers, could you please add SAVING CAPABILITIES to the Demo Mode? You already have the obnoxiously large watermark for the demo, I think that's enough. We should be able to save our projects, like most other VJ software demos allow. I have demo mode on my desktop computer and it is beyond frustrating to have to reload and rearrange all of my clips every time I want to practice with it.

4. "Saturation" and "hue" control. Preferably layer specific, like the RGB controls. We shouldn't have to use an effect to do this.

5. Some kind of 3d/projection mapping control would be awesome. More advanced keystoning (12 point instead of 4 point, at least) would help.

5a. Import custom masks. And/or some kind of masking effect that we could edit within the interface.

6. The ability to rearrange different windows within the interface (clip bank, preview window, layers window, etc.) There are 6 different windows within GVJ mixer mode and I want to be able to move them around and resize them the way I want. For example, in mixing mode, I don't like the layers window being beneath the preview window because I like to stretch out my layer window so I can see the preview thumbnail clips on each layer as big as possible. But the bigger I stretch the layers window, the smaller the preview window becomes, which sucks. If I could rearrange and resize each window this wouldn't be an issue.

8. The ability to switch the layers live in mixer mode. It seems simple enough to be able to drag one layer underneath or above another layer to change it's layer status.

9. Record output capabilities! (Not super important because there are other ways around it.)

Really hope GrandVJ 2.0 gets released soon! GrandVJ 1.x has been around for so long! I've read through this entire forum already, which has been going for over 2 years... This software deserves a big upgrade by now.

[Jonas]

I was thinking of an add layer button to be able to have more layers when doing a mapping visual show because 8 eight is a bit short.

Mayby use a little side bar to slide down or up when you have 20 layers because if you show them all at once it might be a bit tiny!.

Jonas

[lighttch]

Another request, size and position control as a master layer same as keystone correction. This would be helpful when deeling with irregular shaped projections such as ovals and circles where the center of the projection field is not quite the center of the circle.

Also will rehash this request of going away from a computer ID and registration code to a USB dongle for software activation

Andrew Miller
USA

[VJSubliminalTwin]

I just used synth mode with my new Akai MPK Mini keyboard for the first time. I cannot accept how much empty grey space there is in the interface. I've said this before but I have to repeat myself - you MUST implement a way where we can rearrange/reorganize the different windows and tabs in the interface. I hate grey space because it's useless and should be filled with something. In my synth mode setup I have a 4x2 matrix since the keyboard also comes with 8 drum pads, but now there's a bunch of grey space stretching out on either side. And in order for me to have a decent sized preview output window on the top right, I have to stretch it out, which leaves a ton of grey space in all of the effect/visuals/mixing/etc tabs to the left of that. I just want to be able to click and drag each separate window and arrange and resize them however I want.

I also think it would be nice to adjust the size of the keyboard in GrandVJ. I have a 25 key keyboard, so there are a ton of unused keys showing in the interface. I can zoom it in and out to fill only what I need but it's still kind of annoying. And my keyboard starts in the middle of the GrandVJ keyboard. It'd be nice to downsize it for smaller midi keyboards.

[hypnotica]

Need to add a mapping option for hotkey In point and out point for keyboard shortcut based on the current segment position.

[hypnotica]

Another reason to have a lock button on visuals, is the need when coping a clip to another cell in the matrix bank to keep cells link to layers.

Also need new option the multi select a cell visual to multiple layers. Need grandvj to support better mixing with multi screen in all aspect.

Somme transitions have the center point set middle like the circle. Not good for multi screen. Will require addition button to lock to center or to pos/size of the grid.

[Raygraph]

Hola Amigos -

I see you're announcing plans to support the turntables for 'scratching' video clips on a specific brand of DJ mixing deck. What about support for other DJ mixing decks your users may already own?

I have a Numark Mixtrack pro, and tried using the turntables to control the speed of my clips, but it didn't work the way I had hoped. I'm excited about this new feature, as controlling the speed of clips is something I use a lot in my shows, but I currently have to use midi knobs to do this. It would be awesome to have this turntable control with other brands of DJ mixing decks.

Thanks!

Dr. Raygraph

[lighttch]

How about being able to set the video clip to play through once and be able to stop on the final frame. Also rehashing an older request of being able to pause a clip without it going black. There seems to be a lot of good suggestions, and while many seem specialized, a lot of the same suggestions keep getting repeated. Maybe it's time to add some of these suggestions.

Andrew

[Raygraph]

Great to hear about the upcoming release having the ability to 'scratch' clips with a specific brand DJ mixing deck. Can this feature be made to work on other DJ decks with 'turntables?' I would love to use the Numark Mixtrack Pro deck I already have for controlling the speed of video clips. I do this a lot in my shows, but have to use potentiometers on other MIDI interfaces.

Keep up the great work, and Thanks!

Dr. Raygraph

[lighttch]

Rather than VJing in a club setting, I tend to use grand VJ in a corporate show setting for backgrounds, and themed playback. It would be great if you could have the layer fader trigger the start of a clip. This way I can drop a clip (say for a speakers entrance) on a layer, and it won't start playing till I start bringing up the intensity. while I know the majority of users are using this in a club setting, it is a great, affordable product that allows me to offer a media content driven show to clients who don't have the budget to afford more expensive media servers.

Andrew

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

I was messing around with the new scratch feature and thought of a new feature that I think would be really awesome if you could work it in...

Somehow set it up so you could set a layer or specific clip to play forwards and in reverse to the beat of the music from the sound input via the mic input. I am not sure but this could be tied to the scratch feature somehow or as a new and separate feature.

BTW...I have been a user of GrandVJ since just about the beginning and think it is TOTALLY AWESOME how far you have come with it!!! LOVING THE NEW FEATURES!!!

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

Can you somehow integrate the Milkdrop Visualizer plugin from Winamp? It has some wicked sick visuals that sync to the beat of the music. I like having my visuals but also like the ability to beat sync the visuals.

[Rakesh]

Just jumped the wagon from NuVJ to GrandVJ since the midi controller is now supported. Just had a gig and thought I give some of my findings before I hit to bed and forget all about it. For me NuVJ is still more easy to use then GrandVJ, at the moment I feel I can only VJ with one hand using Grand VJ.
My first GrandVJ was good non the less, since it was stable, with QC plugz, lots of effects and 1920 output. So I'm happy enough.

• Split screen Video Bank! With NuVJ I am able to roll two banks and select 2 videos instantly. Now I can only change 1 bank at a time, this is crazy! Please make a split screen ASAP, just like NuVJ has so I am able to switch two video-banks and select two new videos at once. Now I can only select two videos if they are located in the same bank. And they NEVER are. Either have the option of splitting the same Matrix bankset or create a second NEW Matrix like NuVJ has.

• Where are my monitors! NuVJ has 2 monitors showing the two selected videos. So now I need two monitors each showing one layer with the option of selecting layer 1 to 8. Next to the Visual/Mixing/Effects/Position panel there is a an empty space where these two monitors can go. Right now I'm VJ'ing like a blind man.
Second reason why this is important is that I can see when I want to fade in the selected layer so I can get the timing right of the video.
So make Two more monitors each having the option to show layer 1 to 8.

• The output monitor is TINY! What are these buttons A & B doing there. They are taking away the space that could have been used to make the video more wide. Just now I used 1920x480 video ouput. With the projections behind me. So the output window is way to small to actually see anything.

• Selecting videos to place them in the Matrix is still useless. I've always used the finder for this simply because I need to have a video thumbnail shown. I have so many videos that I select on the fly, that it is impossible to remember each different version just by name. Clicking each one is way to much hassle. So Please ad the option to select specific folders that need to show a video thumbnail of all the videos in that specific folder.
With NuVJ this was never a problem but with GrandVJ the whole screen is covered with the program, so using the finder window is a lot more difficult.
Also let me be able to use the keyboard to select a file by name more quickly, scrolling is terrible, typing first letters is so much more easy.

• Where is that darn video I'm playing! With NuVJ I only had to click on the monitor and BOOM I was right at the bank where that video is located. So as soon as you add those two monitors you can add that function to so I'm able to return to that bank as easy as that. Also add this option to the layers, so when you double click on the layer thumbnail, you jump to that bank in the matrix.
By the way that layer thumbnail should also get a Midi link. So there are two ways of selecting a layer. Since I use multiple midi controllers, this would make my life so much more easy.

• Preview the MIDI keyboard! The preview window bottom left is not doing much for me. Why not let it preview the MIDI keyboard. The thumbnails on the keyboard are so tiny, I have no clue what's what. So let me right-click it o see in the preview window left. I'm using the keyboard for effects but on my 15" screen all the effects look the same grey button, it's to small to distinguish.

• Where is my AUTO button! Used to be able to go to the toilet with my NuVJ, what to do now?? The auto feature was great to automatically select another video when it was finished or by BeatSync. It made my life so easy, now I don't even have time to talk to the ladies anymore. What's that!


Got plenty of other stuff to tell, but hey it's 5am and I'm beat.

Hope this helps to improve for others as well.