(Page 3 of 5 pages for this article  <  1 2 3 4 5 >)

Filed under: Motion Graphics •

Motion + MIDI

Realtime Control

Motion has the ability to respond to - and even record - parameter adjustments on the fly while previewing. Add in a MIDI control surface, and great fun ensues.

VJs have already started to use Motion as a live performance tool. Build an interesting looping project, assign MIDI controllers to parameters such as Opacity or radical Filter adjustments, start playback, and have at it! For us stay-at-home motion graphics designers who nevertheless wish to inject a more human, live feel into our animations, set up your project, enable the Record button (A is the shortcut), hit the spacebar to begin previewing, and start performing

It is possible to generate an insane number of keyframes with real time recording. To cut down on this, first open Mark > Recording Options, and set Keyframe Thinning to Reduced. Also be aware that if you record some keyframes, playback loops back to the start, and then you start moving the same control again, the two sets of keyframes will be overlaid, potentially yielding erratic results. It may be better to create a set of keyframes, watch the playback to see if it’s what you wanted, and if you’re not happy, Undo and try again.

For all this to work smoothly, Motion must be able to play back your project in real time. If you have a complex project, you may need to temporarily disable unused objects. If you are using an Emitter or the Replicator, considering setting the Show Particles As or Show Objects As popup to something other than its default, Image. Other more drastic options include upgrading your video card (visit the Apple web site for a list of recommended cards), or adding more RAM.

If you are having trouble previewing in real time while recording MIDI data, temporarily simplify the project, such as changing Show Objects or Show Particles to Wireframe, Lines, or Points.

The Future?

I am a refugee from the music industry, having grown up in the age of twisting knobs on analog modular synthesizers and using a razor blade to edit tape. Although I love the precision that a computer gives me and have no plans to go back, I do sometimes miss the immediacy of using physical controllers other than a mouse to manipulate my media. This marriage of realtime software and inexpensive hardware controllers is exciting to me; I hope it is a trend that continues.

And There’s More…

The next page contains reviews of a number of MIDI controllers. The last page contains an overview of both Motion and MIDI for the newcomer.

(Page 3 of 5 pages for this article  <  1 2 3 4 5 >)

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Submit the word you see below: