How would you control a video projector?

Cubase
#1

Hey, guys.

Thus far, the band project I’m working on has a Cubase laptop at FOH and controls the world via MIDI. Easy peasy.

Now I’m thinking about integrating video into the show at specific points, and things are suddenly not so obvious to me. If you wanted to control video, e.g. play specific clips at specific times, etc., how would you go about doing it?

#2

You will need , e.g., a dmx controller with a midi interface.
Check out Daslight.com. Their Virtual Controller 3 is programable via midi. (Note it still has a few bugs but basically works reasonable well)
I have used it with midi files and midi controllers for live work. I must admit I have not used it with cubase (I use Cubase only in my studio) but I have used it with ableton Live.
Hope this helps

#3

Thanks man, appreciate the thought. However, you’re talking about control of stage lighting (which I currently have in place via DMXIS hardware / VST plugin). I looked at the Daslight site and it seems like standard DMX lighting control, albeit nicely done.

What I’m talking about is playing videos, e.g. a 1920 x 1080 movie, through a standard projector. Are there video players that are DMX controllable, or am I missing some other aspect of this?

#4

Cycling 74’s “Max” is the perfect product for this, but it’s a bit techie. Lots of tutorials and an active community, however.

http://cycling74.com/

The module in Max you want is called Jitter.

http://cycling74.com/docs/max5/tutorials/jit-tut/jitterchapter26.html

There is another module in Max called Gen that will help create Jitter / video widgets.

http://cycling74.com/products/gen/video/

Also, if you get serious with this, one heads up / suggestion … spend the time getting OSC (Open Sound Control) to work between two computers each running your Max project (essentially, MIDI over a network is kinda what it is, to put it simply). It works over a wired or wireless LAN (just needs an IP address).

That way, you can have a computer or laptop dedicated to just the triggered video clip playback (with a projector attached to it, of course).

Start with just one computer first, of course.

Either way, Max will expose virtual MIDI ports that Cubase will see. That’s how you’ll get the real-time MIDI out of Cubase and into Max.

#5

Thanks, man. I actually saw a YouTube video that referenced jitter but I wasn’t sure what they were talking about.