Programming a live show with video...to DP or QT?

[wonder]

I want to first preface this post by saying how SMALL of a budget we/the artist has.

So, the options for doing it "properly" aren't available.

I'm helping an artist friend try and do some cool things to add to his live shows.

He's currently playing small venues (The Mint, Hotel Cafe, other L.A. clubs).

We purchased 3 32" Tv's and mounted them into bandstands we built and are designing video to the show.

As of now, what I'm doing is filming/creating content in FCP/AEffects, and adding that to my backing tracks (clicks plus some sounds and stuff we can't cover live) I made in DP.

The show, front to back, is 40mins.

My idea is to simply press a Quicktime file. I send an HDMI cable from my laptop to a splitter. That splitter sends the video via HDMI to the 2 TV screens. For audio = FOH audio on left channel, CLICK/CUES on right channel.

Run that file from a laptop. Send FOH left channel. Send CLICK/CUES to a little headphone amp that feeds everyones in-ears.

I figure thats the most fail-proof way of doing this....unless someone else has ideas?

We'll be getting into programming lights after this test run show on Sunday.

This is basically a 2 man operation ... but planning for the future ... whats the best way to run a live show with video/audio backing tracks/lights?

I know the BIG GUYS have a TON of money in gear to do all of this ... and maybe we'll get there. But can anyone suggest other options or growth options for when we integrate lights ... or the ability to send FOH a stereo file and perhaps stereo IEM stems to the band.

Any thoughts are welcome and appreciated!

[Tidwells@aol.com]

Hey Wonder!

For years, I've run backing tracks and mixed audio for our live show in DP. Some people who use DP live put each song in a separate chunk for flexibility in rearranging show order. Since I am also using DP to mix live audio, I put our whole show in one chunk to prevent audio glitches in the live mix when moving from one song to the next.

I used to have one long, composite video clip which I imported into DP and then used the video firewire out feature to send it out to a camcorder which fed a projector. I think this feature no longer works, but you can still use the regular display connection on a Mac to send video to TV's or projectors. If you are not mixing "in the box", I believe you can now attach a separate video clip to each song chunk in DP. This will be very convenient since when you rearrange the song order, the video clips will be automatically rearranged into the same order.

A few years ago, I bit the bullet and purchased Pro Video Player for about $900. I installed it on a separate Mac, which is connected to my DP Mac via ethernet cable. It's easy to import all kinds of video clips into PVP, then trigger them to play by sending pre-programmed MIDI messages from DP. PVP outputs to a little black box from Matrox called "Triple head 2 Go". This feeds 3 separate video projectors. Video clips can play on one or more projector screens, or be stretched across all 3 screens.

For lighting, for years I used a cheap $199 Behringer lighting controller. I treated it like a musical instrument: I recorded its MIDI output into DP, then played it back for automated lighting changes. It was very difficult to tweak and edit lighting cues this way. Now, I'm mainly using a DMXis box from Enntec (about $200?). Their control software for lighting functions as an AU plugin in DP and is much more user-friendly.

DP is used for live show backing tracks by many big shows. I understand they often create pre-recorded tracks of spoken instructions telling band members what song is starting next, what key it's in, giving them their starting singing note for a-capella intros, and counting in the song (all through in-the-ear monitors so the audience hears nothing). Since DP has an unlimited number of audio tracks, the sky is the limit!

Doug

[Shooshie]

For lights, you may be able to find some ancient Intellibeams and a controller for them. They were great moving lights in the 1990s, running on cues programmed by the operator at the controller box, and sent codes via MIDI to activate cues. I believe it used MIDI Show Control, but it may have been another form of MIDI control using two CC controllers. Having trouble remembering now, but I still have all my notes. I think it was MSC, because MSC sends a hex code with a 3 digit ASCII number for the cue number. That would give either 999 or 1000 possible cues, and I remember we had to change memory cards after 999 cues, for the second half of the show.

Now, I may be grossly mistaken, but I'm thinking those Intellibeams could be picked up for a song these days. Probably in the back lot junk pile of most equipment rental places. Replace the halogen bulb, and you'd probably be in good shape. The motors and servos calibrated from the box, so if they work at all, they'll probably work accurately.

There are also background screens called StarDrop that can do 3/color traveling light displays. Not video quality by any means, but you could program designs that track across the screen, or stationary "stars" that twinkle, etc. It took several of these to cover a whole back wall. They were hell to program, but once you got the codes and the MIDI to match up, they worked every time. Again, old technology may be garage-sale prices today, and it's still a decent light display. You're looking at hella-time-burners to program this stuff. Nothing like the stuff today where you draw something on a computer screen and it comes out up there. But the price is probably pretty good.

Just a thought.

[wonder]

Here's what I did ...

I bought those cheap RGB LED strips off amazon. The ones with the little remotes (NIGHTVISION I think is the company).

I bought a DMX Decoder. I bought a DMXis box/plugin. I soldered cables to connect to the LED strips to give them power and RGB controls.

I assigned MIDI Tracks within DP to the DMX faders and the volume controls control RGB levels.

The DMXis connects via USB and the lights connect to the DMXis box via XLR cable.

Within DP I have a Movie file (40 mins long) running and the MIDI tracks are in sync with the movie.

I'm sending video out via HDMI to an HDMI splitter and that sends to the TV screens.

It all worked.

I'm trying to think of ways to make this more seamless and less strain on the laptop.

[Shooshie]

Great! Necessity (and budget) is the mother of invention. Sounds like you've got it under control! I love stories like this.

Shooshie