Live A/V & Lighting Control Training
(Ableton Live, Videosync & Beam for Live)

DESCRIPTION

Ableton Live can become much more than a simple music production software: it can act as a true audiovisual and lighting control hub for stage work, performance, and installation.

Using VideoSync and Beam for Live, this training teaches you how to generate, synchronize, and control visuals and DMX lighting directly from Ableton Live, without diving into programming, while maintaining a high level of real-time control, precision, and scenic coherence.

You will learn how to design a complete live audiovisual setup, from overall system architecture to real-world implementation, in order to create robust, repeatable, and scalable performances, shows, or installations.

This training covers the fundamental principles of audiovisual synchronization and signal flow, using Ableton Live as the central control environment.

You will learn in particular how to:

• generate and output synchronized visuals using VideoSync
• control DMX / Art-Net lighting systems with Beam for Live
• structure a coherent audiovisual signal flow
• organize fixtures, groups, and mappings
• use Ableton Live clips as visual and lighting events
• design audio-reactive systems
• build a clear setup for stage operation

The approach is deliberately grounded in real-world practice, with a strong focus on stability, clarity, reproducibility, and reliability in performance, live shows, and installation contexts.

No prior knowledge of Max or programming is required. The training is suitable for artists, technicians, and audiovisual system designers who want to use Ableton Live as a central control tool.

At the end of the training, you will be able to design:

• live audiovisual performances
• lighting and video control systems
• synchronized audiovisual installations
• stage setups fully controlled from Ableton Live

PREREQUISITES

A computer is required to take part in this training. If the training takes place on site, you must bring your own computer. Using a laptop is recommended for convenience, but it is also possible to use a desktop computer in our facilities.

Basic knowledge of Ableton Live is a plus but is not mandatory.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES

The so-called “overall” objectives listed here correspond to the standard objectives of the training Live Audiovisual & Lighting Setup Design with Ableton Live, VideoSync & Beam for Live.

• Understand audiovisual and lighting control architectures in live contexts
• Use Ableton Live as a central audiovisual control environment
• Leverage VideoSync and Beam for Live for visual generation and lighting control
• Synchronize sound, video, and lighting within a single system
• Design clear and coherent audiovisual scenes
• Finalize a reliable setup for performance and installation

However, each training action is subject to a specific assessment and an individualized definition of objectives in order to tailor the sessions exclusively to your needs. The overall objectives identified are therefore distributed across a set of knowledge blocks, each block constituting a concrete sub-objective.

PROGRAM & KNOWLEDGE BLOCKS

STRUCTURE VOID delivers its training programmes in the form of knowledge blocks.

The knowledge blocks of the training Live Audiovisual & Lighting Setup Design with Ableton Live are as follows:

• Ableton Live as an audiovisual control environment
• LIVE_AV 01 Install and activate Ableton Live
• LIVE_AV 02 Review the fundamentals of digital audio & MIDI
• LIVE_AV 03 Use Session and Arrangement modes
• LIVE_AV 04 Use clips and scenes as control units
• LIVE_AV 05 Organize and structure time in Live
• LIVE_AV 06 Structure audio tracks, MIDI tracks, and device chains
• LIVE_AV 07 Use instruments, audio effects, and MIDI effects
• LIVE_AV 08 Design and use racks
• LIVE_AV 09 Manage Live sets, presets, and device states
• LIVE_AV 10 Organize routing and data flows
• LIVE_AV 11 Write automations and transitions
• LIVE_AV 12 Generate animations (modulators, envelope follower)
• LIVE_AV 13 Expose parameters and perform MIDI mapping
• LIVE_AV 14 Introduction to Max for Live within Ableton Live

• Real-time visual generation and performance with VideoSync
• LIVE_AV 15 Install and activate VideoSync
• LIVE_AV 16 Understand the general principles of visual systems
• LIVE_AV 17 Understand the real-time video pipeline
• LIVE_AV 18 Explore the overall architecture of VideoSync
• LIVE_AV 19 Understand the core concepts of VideoSync
• LIVE_AV 20 Organize layers, visual states, and transitions
• LIVE_AV 21 Use VideoSync instruments
• LIVE_AV 22 Use VideoSync effects
• LIVE_AV 23 Organize video routing and data flows
• LIVE_AV 24 Compose images using blending and compositing
• LIVE_AV 25 Generate, control, transform, and modulate video streams from Live
• LIVE_AV 26 Synchronize audio and video
• LIVE_AV 27 Approach visual audio-reactivity
• LIVE_AV 28 Use cameras and external video sources
• LIVE_AV 29 Manage video outputs and interoperability
• LIVE_AV 30 Capture video output (internal, Spout, Syphon)
• LIVE_AV 31 Create and reuse ISF shaders
• LIVE_AV 32 Understand network mode and distributed systems
• LIVE_AV 33 Extend VideoSync using the SDK
• LIVE_AV 34 Design a coherent visual setup

• DMX lighting control and performance with Beam for Live
• LIVE_AV 35 Install and activate Beam for Live
• LIVE_AV 36 Understand the principles of DMX and Art-Net control
• LIVE_AV 37 Explore the overall architecture of Beam for Live
• LIVE_AV 38 Build a stage setup using Capture and Beam for Live
• LIVE_AV 39 Understand fixture concepts and abstraction
• LIVE_AV 40 Organize fixture groups and mapping
• LIVE_AV 41 Use Beam for Live instruments
• LIVE_AV 42 Use Beam for Live effects
• LIVE_AV 43 Monitor lighting output with Capture Presenter
• LIVE_AV 44 Understand and organize signal flow in Beam for Live
• LIVE_AV 45 Use clips as lighting events
• LIVE_AV 46 Animate and modulate lighting from Live
• LIVE_AV 47 Map and control lighting in live contexts
• LIVE_AV 48 Use lighting audio-reactivity
• LIVE_AV 49 Extend Beam for Live

• Audiovisual integration: synchronizing video and lighting
• LIVE_AV 50 Position the relationship between video and lighting in a live setup
• LIVE_AV 51 Synchronize video and lighting from Ableton Live
• LIVE_AV 52 Share control logics between VideoSync and Beam for Live
• LIVE_AV 53 Design coherent audiovisual scenes
• LIVE_AV 54 Organize priorities, balance, and scenic readability
• LIVE_AV 55 Finalize an audiovisual setup for live performance
• LIVE_AV 56 Position video & lighting integration at the core of an artistic installation

DURATION

The standard duration of this training is 5 days.

The duration can be adapted according to your training project.

TRAINER: JULIEN BAYLE

Julien Bayle is the founder, director, and expert trainer of Structure Void. He is your pedagogical and administrative point of contact. He is also the sole trainer of Structure Void.

He is both an Ableton Certified Trainer and a Max Certified Trainer.

After studying biology and computer science, leading to a Master’s degree in Computer Science in 2000, Julien Bayle began a technical career as a network and telecommunications engineer with a focus on systems security. A sound creator and visual experimenter, he made a decisive shift in 2010 by founding his own studio and choosing to develop it as a training organization, in order to pass on the knowledge and experience he had gradually built over the years. In 2010, his Ableton Certified Trainer certification gave him visibility in France and internationally, fully complementing the creative dimension of his studio and positioning him at the intersection of art and technology. An expert in Ableton Live, Max for Live, and Max, he has authored several books on these audiovisual creation tools. In 2020, he evolved his training organization into Structure Void, the current framework through which he trains and advises a wide range of profiles, from artists and passionate amateurs to creative studios and acoustic researchers. In 2024, he became the first and only French trainer certified in Max by Cycling ’74.

If needed and upon request via one of the contact methods listed in the footer, we can provide a detailed CV, degrees, and Julien Bayle’s Ableton Live certification.

The trainer’s dedicated page is available here: https://structure-void.com/julien-bayle-ableton-and-max-certified-trainer/

His books on Max for Live and Arduino are available here:

• The Art of Max for Live: https://leanpub.com/max-for-live-en and Gumroad
• Arduino: https://www.packtpub.com/product/c-programming-for-arduino/9781849517584

STRUCTURE VOID provides a full set of technical resources to support the delivery of its training programmes.

All of our on-site training sessions take place in our space located in the city center of Marseille.

Whether the training is delivered on-site or remotely, both the trainer and the participants use their own laptops and take part in the training at the same time (synchronous mode).

Our 10 years of experience have shown that in the field of audiovisual creation, participants prefer to work on their own computer equipment, as it is essential that their tools are configured specifically for their individual needs.

The trainer’s computer is regularly updated, both in terms of the operating system and the software required for the proper delivery of the training.

In particular, the trainer holds the following licenses:

• Ableton Live 12 Suite
• Max 9
• Max for Live

The page detailing on-site and online delivery modalities is updated regularly and can be consulted at the following address: https://structure-void.com/training/

ON-SITE TRAINING

The trainer and participants exchange and work on their own computers. The trainer’s screen is mirrored onto the visual display system available in the training room (large screen or video projector / wall), allowing the image to be displayed at a large scale for optimal visual comfort.

The trainer follows the planned course of the training in order to meet the defined objectives and in accordance with the teaching methods described later in this document.

Participants frequently bring their own hardware equipment to control or provide feedback for the software they are training on, such as MIDI controllers or touch tablets.

REMOTE TRAINING

As training sessions are almost exclusively delivered on a one-to-one basis, the trainer and the participant connect via the ZOOM platform. All technical information required is provided in a connection technical sheet, which is made available to the participant when the training design phase begins.

The trainer follows the planned course of the training in order to meet the defined objectives and in accordance with the teaching methods described later in this document.

Participants also frequently use hardware devices to control or provide feedback for the software they are training on.

NOTE: It is also possible to follow a training programme that combines both remote and on-site sessions. During the specific design phase of the training action, we will define together whether this hybrid format—that is, a combination of on-site sessions and live online sessions with the trainer (Synchronous Blended Learning)—is relevant to your project.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES