Why did you decide to make your own interface?

This all started as a research paper conducted by me and Joao Pitte for a final project for our post-graduate studies, we were supposed to do research on interface design and decided to explore realtime video controllers. I had been vjing for some time and was one of the many who had always felt unhappy with the standard interfaces in live visuals performances. Except for kicking and triggering some clips i never liked much the keyboard and controlling effects with a mouse seemed always too limiting. Midi controllers allowed an infinite number of possibilities nevertheless their format was standardized by/for audio applications.

Another strong point of the project was its resources limits, the technology used had to be available, cheap, durable and responsive to our actions. After researching technology and the vj’ing activity, specifically in controlling video loops, there was a proposed design and a bunch of sketches. I couldn’t keep on going without testing the physical tool, so a prototype had to be made and loop-R was born.

How long have you been working on this project?

The project started in May 2004, the first fully functional prototype was built during the summer of 2004 and presented in december at ShowSkills Festival (uk). Then the project went through some minor hardware revisions, new paintings, some software tweaks and a lot of performances! Though the prototype was finished there was still a lot of tweaks going on and new ideas, too. After moving to New York I started studying again and some other projects took hold of my focus, but in one way or the other Loop-R was always present and I’m now finishing a new model.

Where did you get the parts?

I got most of the parts second-hand, through online sources like eBay. The first version was built from an industrial 3m touchscreen and its metal enclosure and a Doepfer Pocket Dial midi controller. The software system was made using Isadora.

Did the hardware lead the software design, or the other way around?

I guess none did.. from the beginning i saw them as pretty much the same thing. One of my concerns was the barrier between our main point of focus (the screen) and what we’re doing with our hands, there’s a lot of focus-shifting going on and there was a need to end that. Also, natural mappings between the user actions, the controllers and the system were studied according to the media we wanted to control. The elements had to be blended as one, controllers melting over the GUI, no distinction between software and hardware.
All of this contributed to the conceptual model and from that it was just a matter of picking the right hardware and software. Of course, all of this was constrained by not having much knowledge of electronics, little money and even less time.

Are you interested in mass-producing this or selling the idea?

I don’t think i’d say “no” to mass production if i have the chance, nevertheless there’s much involved to do that. Maybe producing it in a small scale… we’ll see. The heart of the project has always been a DIY approach so i’d be really happy if it showed the people that they don’t need one just like this, but they can build their own controllers, their own tools customized precisely for their needs and ideas. There’s a lot of people doing this and there has never been a better time to do it than now. the amount of tools and information we have available to us is amazing, easily accessible and contains huge creative power. The possibilities are infinite!

How easy is it to travel with the loop-r?

Well, lets just say it’s not a laptop…6kg (13 lbs) in an aluminum tool case with all cables, power adapter. plus computer (says my roadie). I’ve travelled over Europe with few problems besides some strange looks from the customs officers.

Who or what inspires you?

This is going to sound geeky but in this project i couldn’t forget Bill Buxton, Fitzmaurice and D.Norman’s researches and writings and give thanks for sharing them. They were extremely influential in my interface design approach. Zachary Lieberman and Golan Levin are amazing creators of expressive interfaces.

Maybe the whole history of artists and creators throughout the visual performance history and synaesthesia pursuit who always looked for more. Currently David Dessens (SanchTV) and his VVVV custom high-resolution multi-projection systems is one of the shows I most want to see. And, of course, a lot of inspiration comes from music!

What do you do for a living?

Interaction-media-creative-researcher-artist-vj-student-boy, currently enrolled in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at Tisch-NYU.

How did you get started with Video Mixing?

I always had a strong passion for music and performance. Though I could never play any musical instrument, I was always making video clips in my mind. By ‘97 I got a hold of the VJamm and X-Pose demos and, naturally, got crazy and thought i just had found my tool. By 2000 I had moved to VJing outside my bedroom and never stopped.

Where are you from? What is ‘the scene’ for video mixing like where you are?

I’m from Portugal but i have been living in NYC for almost one year now. In Portugal the scene is growing and becoming more mature. There are lots of new VJs every year with really nice ideas and work going on. Also Music, Cinema and other Arts festivals are acknowledging live visual performance and investing in it, promoting workshops, competitions and performances.

Where do you see video performance heading?

Vjs are building their own software and controllers bringing a lot of innovation to the arena and multi-projection has been the buzzword for the past years. Also, generative graphics and coded visuals are becoming more popular than ever.The interaction with sound has been directing live visuals, not disregarding it, more collaborative interactions with the audience and space are being explored and enriching the experience.

THE CHALLENGE

Arm yourself with your favorite video clips – from video sites, email forwards, film compilations and dusty old VHS tapes. Pit your choices against a friend’s in a head-to-head battle of Top This! played in realtime on our custom-built Rumbletron. If you’re playing with a friend, you can decide on a category beforehand – perhaps music videos, or the 80’s, or videos with the color red – and challenge each other to put together a better collection by the time the Maker Faire rolls around.

WHAT TO BRING

Bring at least five of your best Internet Video gems on any sort of removable media – CD, DVD, External HD, USB Flash Drive, etc. Prep them using the tech specs at the bottom of this document.

HOW TO PLAY

Take a look at the video above to get an idea of how it will work. Here are the steps for clarification:

• Each player loads their videos into the interface.
• Player 1 begins by playing a clip.
• Player 2 observes the video and queues an appropriate follow-up video by pressing the corresponding button on the NuVJ.
• When Player 1’s video is done, s/he flicks the crossfader all the way over to Player 2, which automatically triggers the clip that Player 2 has queued earlier.
• Now Player 1 watches Player 2’s clip and picks a follow-up, queuing it via button-press.
• When Player 2’s video is done, s/he flicks the crossfader back to Player 1, triggering the queued movie, and watching so s/he can pick a follow-up
• Play continues in this matter, crossfade and queue, crossfade and queue, until each player has shown 5 videos.
• After the last video, players should perform a victory dance.

CONTENT GUIDELINES

There will be innocent young eyes roaming the fairgrounds, taking in all the amazing sights. Let your conscience be your guide, yeah? In case of warped conscience, avoid the following: realistic blood/gore, p0rn, swearing, hate speech, Dark Crystal (scared the crap out of me as a kid).

More details coming – Sign Up as a VJ Kung Fu Contributor to stay in the know.

TECH INFO

Your clips should be at between 10 and 60 seconds long, and compressed using the following settings:

640×480 Pixels
Motion-JPEG B Codec
29.97 FPS
PCM Audio

You cannot edit start points once they have been loaded, so do that beforehand with your favorite editing program.

BANNERS

Embeddable YouTube Video:

<span class=”mceItemObject” width=”425″ height=”350″><span name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/KBVG7o1Ta-s” class=”mceItemParam”></span></param> <span class=”mceItemEmbed” xsrc=”http://www.youtube.com/v/KBVG7o1Ta-s” mce_src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/KBVG7o1Ta-s” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”425″ height=”350″></span></span>

I started by videotaping the footage during my family-focused trip to Minnesota. Once home, I cut the video up into the best bits, transcoded to 640×480 MJPEG clips, and loaded them all up into Grid Pro. From there, I experimented with FX chains and outputted all sorts of clips. I then started composing the music in Ableton Live, and took about a week going back and forth between arranging the music and combining my Grid Pro renders to create the flow of the piece. The assembly was done in Final Cut.

You can download the full version from Archive.org – Staring Into The Snow (direct link – 213MB Quicktime Movie).