VIDEOPLAYER FOR ABLETON LIVE
Videoplayer is a Max for Live device that allows you to play videos in an external window in an Ableton Live liveset, simply by triggering MIDI clips. It also integrates visual effects: a blur effect, a video delay and a module for controlling brightness, contrast and color saturation.
It’s designed to be very easy to use, allowing you to add a visual dimension to your live performances without leaving Ableton Live and taking advantage of all its control and modulation tools.
DESCRIPTION
Videoplayer is a Max for Live device that you just have to drag’n’drop into a MIDI track in order to play videos. Then, you just have to create as many MIDI clips as you want for triggering these videos during your live performance.
Launching a video in sync with your audio clips is child’s play, and requires no programming. To launch a video, just trigger a clip you previously named with the video filename (video01.mov for example). You’ll then see the video starting to play.
Do you want the video to play in a loop? No settings: simply add the string “_LOOP” after the video name (video01.mov_LOOP, for example). Trigger the clip, and the video will play in a loop.
Clicking on a stop button in the videoplayer track stops all playback and turns the screen completely black.
Stopping Live freezes the video, allowing you to pick up where the video left off when restarting Live’s transport.
The video passes through a stage of 2 effects before ending up in the Brightness, Contrast and color Saturation control module.
The first effect passed through is a Gaussian blur controlled with a single parameter. The higher the parameter, the more blurred the video.
The second effect, treating the image after the blur effect, is a delay. It slows down the evolution of pixel luminosity by means of two parameters: one controlling the darkening speed, the other the lightening speed.
Each parameter can be controlled:
- by assigning it to a MIDI controller,
- by drawing envelopes in MIDI clips,
- by assigning it to modulators such as an LFO or an Envelope Follower.
These parameters are real Live parameters and can be addressed by any of Max for Live’s [live.remote] and [live.modulation] objects.
HOW TO USE THE VIDEOPLAYER
TUTORIAL AND CREATIVE IDEAS
YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE THIS TYPE OF DEVICE ?
Many of our former students have already started designing their own Max for Live devices. Creating audio effects, MIDI sequencers, Live Midi Tools (Generators, Transformation) and instruments, as well as controlling Live in a totally generative way, all of this is possible with the Max for Live environment.
If, like them, you’d like to learn how to create these kinds of modules, we’ve got the training courses for you.
See our training page for more details: https://structure-void.com/training
And in particular the pages dedicated to Max and Max for Live
FEATURES
- Trigger videos directly within Ableton Live
- Loop videos or play them once
- Process video with blur & delay
- Control brightness, contrast & saturation
- Drive parameters with sound (audioreactivity)
LICENSE
WANTS TO LEARN MAX FOR LIVE ?