Videos with MAX and VIZZIE

VIZZIE is a collection of modules that allow you to work with video content. It is an integral part of MAX, so you can also use it together with all other objects and modules.

This session is designed using four introductory videos from the Cycling'74 website. You can access them by clicking on the title of each of the sections one to four below. In most cases you can also just follow the screenshots and instructions to patch the projects together. Furthermore, you find some patches ready for download (cloning) on the top level of the repository.

Happy Patching!

1. A Brief Introduction to Vizzie

This is a first simple patch with a video source and some effects. In order to easily access the modules, click on the v and then find the module by category or typing its name in the Filter field on top.

The following lists allow you to rebuild the patches in order. Each step is a running patch, try it out to make sure that you have patched everything correctly. Further hints on what to look for can be found in the video.

1. Simple Player

1. INPUT/PLAYR - Module allows to change the speed, select a part of the video to be played and set a loop.
2. OUTPUT/PROJECTR

2. Add Effects

1. EFFECT/BRCOSR Allows to modify video’s brightness, contrast and saturation
2. EFFECTS/DELAYR - Delay, apply feedback to the delay and crossfade/mix original and delayed signal.

MAX comes with a video collection.

You find it also on the left side of the screen.

3. Add Randomness to the Effects

1. GENERATE/ATTRACTR

2. Vizzie Visions: Part 2, BEAP Modules

This patch also demonstrates the different ranges for the various signals and signal amplitudes inside MAX. Often they are derived from extisting standards in the analog world. All values are digitized inside the computer.

• VIZZIE Data - Floating Point Numbers between 0V .. 1V
• Audio Signals (MSP) -1.0 .. 1.0
• BEAP “Control Voltage” CV -5V .. 5V, used for analog modular synthezisers
• Ramp (special signal here: 0V .. 5V)

The following lists allow you to rebuild the patches in order. Each step is a running patch, try it out to make sure that you have patched everything correctly. Further hints on what to look for can be found in the video.

1. Basic Video Patch

1. INPUT/PLAYR
2. TRANSFORM/PIXL8R
3. OUTPUT/VIEWR
4. CONTROL/FADR

2. BEAP’s LFO controls the PIXL8R

1. In BEAP get LFO/CV LFO
2. Enable Audio with the ON button on the lower right of the patch window.
3. In VIZZIE get UTILITY/BEAPCONVERTR
4. Set in the converter the range to 0..5V.

3. Add audio source

1. Add audio player
2. add new object (N) live.gain~
3. add new object (N) ezdac~
4. Change range of BEAPCONVERTR to -1V to 1V (audio signal range).

4. Use ATTRACTR to control the LFO

1. Reconnect the CV LFO from step 2
2. GENERATE/ATTRACTR
3. UTILITY/VIZZIECONVERTR

3. Video to Data and Data to Video

Launch the patch “221205_Vid31”.

What to do?

With no patchcord between ANALYSR and PRIMR, change the three sliders and see what happens. Next, reset the sliders to zero by clicking on the button and connect one of the three outlets of ANALYSR to one of the three inlets of PRIMR. Pay attention to the labels of both modules when patching. Predict what will happen when you are choosing different scenarios to patch the two modules.

The three sliders allow to synthezise (mix) the three colour components red, green and blue to get whatever colour you like to get. The result can be seen on VIEWR if there is no signal coming from the ANALYSR module. Reset the sliders and the PRIMR module by banging the button before starting to change the values of the sliders.

The ANALYSR module is extracting / analysing the red, green and blue components of the video and giving values between 0.0 (no colour) to 1.0 (fat red/green/blue) . The number stream coming from its outlets, one for each colour, can be fed into the PRIMR module.

The MAX Documentation has a Tutorial about ARGB Colours (Alpha or Intensity, Red, Green, Blue). Check it out if you want to know more about the subject.

Attention: When you have connected the ANALYSR module to the PRIMR, it will immediatly overwrite the settings of the sliders.

4. Recombinant Patching

Some Vizzie objects are only available as Abstractions, they look like normal MAX/MSP/JITTER objects and are not shown on the Vizzie menu. They are implemented as ordinary objects, they are accessible by typing n and entering their name. Each effect has a Control Panel that can be opened by double-clicking on the object.

MAX will show you available options once you have typed vz..

The video shows you how to get these abstractions and use a matrix (PATCHROUTR) to define a chain of abstractions one executed after the other in an order you describe. Here are two examples.

The first example connects the input and output directly, there are no effects applied. The cell at the junction of IN line and OUT line is selected.

The second example includes one effect. First, the signal is routed from Video In to 4, then from 4 to Video Output. The process of finding the correct cell is similar to identifying (x,y) coordinates, the first value is where the signal is coming from moving along the x axis, the second value where the signal is going to moving along the y axis.

Where to find the modules?

• INPUT/PLAYR
• CONTROL/PATCHROUTR
• OUTPUT/VIEWR
• The abstractions are created by making a new object and then typing the name of the abstraction, see explanations above.

5. Use Your Webcam With Vizzie

This project is a remix of project 4, we replace the PLAYR module by the GRABBR module. This object gets a feed from your webcam and a second video signal from the PLAYR. An effect (Kaleidoscope) is applied to the signal from the player. We are using a fader (CONTROL/FADR) to mix two video signals. As output you can see preview the signal “live” on a VIEWR module, you can also record your video with the RECORDR module.