Compleate Newbie Seeks help !!

[eightseventhree]

Hello im new !!

i have been asked to look into setting up a vj system for a nightclub which is is current developpment. . . .

the owners are unsure wether they should do this so at first we are on a budget.

the kinda setup we are looking towards is . . . . .

Live video mixing things like visuals (like u get in winamp etc . . ) that go with the music,

Also playing Video footage that we have edited our selfs like speeded up jorunys . . sports stuffs etc . .

Putting Text live on the Screens, For example Shout outs to people in the night club names of tracks etc . . .

Also in future we are wanting to have a camera crew walking round the club so we can switch to live crowed shots .

Never done anyhting like this before and i know its an ambisious project but would be really sweet if we can make it work . .

any one got any ideas on how we would string this together we are based in the UK

thanks for any help in advance !!

[myogenic]

it seems like you've got a fair amount to sort out..............

Its very difficult to recommend particular systems to use without more information. All the answers are out there. Have you spent any time searching the forums/vj central in the reviews section?

Alternatively, what sort of system are you going to run it on? ie pc or mac? will you have a resident vj or be hiring in on an event by event basis? But you'll definately need projectors, computer, mixer, backup devices. Search for all the individual items to get a rough idea on whats available.

Unfortunately, its not like being a dj, where you can spec a couple of 1210's and know its going to work!

Good luck, and feel free to pm me if you want to ask further questions.

Jim

[xiayu]

damn, do they have schools over there in the u.k?

[myogenic]

xiayu: damn, do they have schools over there in the u.k?




er no, but pay me enough, and i'll sort something out

[filtered]

Hi eightseventhree,

Good to see clubs showing an interest in live visuals... Theres quite a few things you need to think about, and going by what you mentioned in your post i would suggest something along the lines of the following:

1 x mac / pc laptop - What you get depends really on what your comfortable with, there seems to be more VJ software availiable for the PC, however theres some good packages for the mac. Unless you want to buy a scan connverter, you'll need to make sure it has a tv / svhs output on it, an dprob running XP that will allow you to mimic a duel output (I may be wrong on this guys please correct me if i am!!)

1 x VJ Software - Again depends on wether mac or PC, i would say gop for something like resolme on the PC and motion dive on the mac. Motion Dive is good for your 'shout outs'/ track listings etc.. as you can just imput the text you want on the fly, you can do this as well in resolme but its a little bit more fiddly. You can run the videos you've made through this software, meaning you dont neccessarily need dvd/vhs players. However ive dound in the past they can come in handy (!)

1 x Video Mixer - We run Panasonic MX50's , and i would recomend these every time, however they can be a bit pricey. MX10's / 20's are cheaper but have less imputs and if you are evntually going to be doing all the things you mentioned you will need at least four inputs. (i.e for video cams, laptop etc..)

You didnt mention wether they already had TV's / projectors in the club, if they dont then obviously you need to think about these as well. Because of the smoky atmosphere in the club projectorsa tend to not last years and years, and will need servicing, if not replacing frequently.

All in all i think your talking at a minimum of around ?3000 for a basic setup from scratch, and thats probably a bit low. It all depends on how far your going to go with it, i.e more than one projector / tv etc... 2nd hand gear is cheaper, but has obvious drawbacks.


Anyway theres my 2 pence, If you have any q's just drop me an email.

Where abouts in the UK are you by the way?

Cheers,

Tim
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[eightseventhree]

thanks . . .

will be running a PC most probs . .

we have roughly 15 ft by 15 ft projection system to display visuals then also gonna be linked to roughly 15, 15" dotted arround the club, behind bar etc . .

the projection system is sorted even though the club is currently being done out at moment.


being a DJ dident think there was so much behind Doing visuals . . somthing im intrested in getting into as i do video editing in spare time and never had an excuse to look into it this deep but now i have . .

so let me get this straight the PC is to run the software that u will be choosing the visuals on doing all the hard stuff . . this will link to the mixing Desk through some sort of Video out . . . from there i guess that links upto like all the screens etc . .

what does the mixer do other than that . . .(sorry for all the dumb questions !!) and also how would we do like the live vid feed ?

thanks for this guys

[edit] im based in sheffield area [edit]

[myogenic]

sounds like a nice set up.

yes the pc can run all the software. (try downloading a demo version of resolume from www.resolume.com).

You need to get a pc with a tv out (although i'd recommend one with a dual head for resolume). This then feeds into the mixer, where you can blend different sources.

The live cam feed can also run through the mixer. (resolume will also do it, but its very processor hungry).
The extras you get on a mixer, depends on which one you get. If you can afford it go for the edirol V4 which seems to be designed soemwhat for vjing.

Have fun spending some cash!

Jim

[wellREDman]

I d recommend for the first few times, hiring in a vj and his rig (if you can find one local) cos there are so many different ways of going about this game

if you hire in a coupla different ppl for the first few times you can see the different possibilities in action then decide which way you wanna go

plus creating enough content for a whole night takes quite a while

this isnt like djing where u can just buy some records

[murph]

Originally posted by genic
Unfortunately, its not like being a dj, where you can spec a couple of 1210's and know its going to work!

Actually, I personally think it is. a V-4 is the instant standard video mixer, I'd get two VCRs and two DVD players, on switches for inputs 3 & 4, and a PC running resolume on input 1 or 2. Then you've got the playback of your own stuff, text or logo overlay from resolume, and a spare input for anything special the VJ wants to bring in, like his own laptop or hippotiser or whatever. He'll be able to plug in and run, and will already know the V-4, or if he doesn't, it'll take a full 5 minutes to learn.

If you want cameras running around, you'll probably want wireless transmitters, which AFAIK for ones that work well in clubs, are a bit spendy, but I'm sure someone can recommend a good setup. Stick that on input 2.

It's a setup that the lighting guy can run when you don't want anything particularly fancy going, and the VJ can bend to his will when you've got someone doing it live. I'm recommending a similar system for a new club here in Minneapolis, should work out well.

[filtered]

Yeah, getting a VJ in for the first few times would be a good idea, you'll be able to see how its done, and what works, and then how you would like to do it.

The mixer can be used in a number of ways, depending on what you get, the FX on board will help (the mx50's are very customisable as opposed to pre-set 1,2,3,4,5 etc) If you are using live cams then you'll need a desk to mix in video and comp signals, esp. helpfull if you have more than 1 cam. If you dont just stick with the comp ad want to put in a few dvd players then you'll have to mix them in simhow as well, which is where the mixer will come in.

Tim
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