larrymcp
Hi all- a couple of weeks ago I teamed up with a lighting guy. He's a whiz on the house lighting system, a real miracle worker!
We have a quick question about how to display absolute time instead of pitch-adjusted time. My lighting guy plans out the lighting cues at home, and each cue is based on the track time within the song. Then during the show he watches a monitor showing my Virtual DJ screen, and he cues each lighting change based on the elapsed time.
We're having problems because when I play a track pitched-up a bit, Virtual DJ displays the "adjusted" elapsed time rather than the "absolute" elapsed time within the track. We need it to display the absolute time instead, because right now it's throwing off the timing of our lighting cues.
I've been doing experiments in VDJscript to try to accomplish this, but none of them have worked so far. I can't seem to use the "get time" verb within the skin, to change it to absolute time.
I found some threads which were related to this question, but only tangetially. This thread only applies to mapping an external controller, but we use Virtual DJ standalone: (http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/156319/Hardware_Technical_Support/HC4500_Mapping_Issues_-_pitch_reset.html)
Are there other ways of changing the time display, if not supported via VDJscript in the skin? Here's hoping there's an adjustment for this. Thanks!
We have a quick question about how to display absolute time instead of pitch-adjusted time. My lighting guy plans out the lighting cues at home, and each cue is based on the track time within the song. Then during the show he watches a monitor showing my Virtual DJ screen, and he cues each lighting change based on the elapsed time.
We're having problems because when I play a track pitched-up a bit, Virtual DJ displays the "adjusted" elapsed time rather than the "absolute" elapsed time within the track. We need it to display the absolute time instead, because right now it's throwing off the timing of our lighting cues.
I've been doing experiments in VDJscript to try to accomplish this, but none of them have worked so far. I can't seem to use the "get time" verb within the skin, to change it to absolute time.
I found some threads which were related to this question, but only tangetially. This thread only applies to mapping an external controller, but we use Virtual DJ standalone: (http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/156319/Hardware_Technical_Support/HC4500_Mapping_Issues_-_pitch_reset.html)
Are there other ways of changing the time display, if not supported via VDJscript in the skin? Here's hoping there's an adjustment for this. Thanks!
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 3:03 pm
groovindj
So he's writing cues to the track played at normal tempo, and when you play that same track but pitch adjusted, the cues are not timed to the musical event at that point any more?
If I've got my head around this correctly, having an 'absolute time' display isn't going to help.
If you adjust the pitch of a track, the timing of the audio events within that track change - backwards or forwards in time.
So for example if he's written a cue to occur 20s into a track, that cue will be only be correct when the track is played at the original pitch(or the same pitch it was played at when the cue was written).
You change the pitch of a track, all the 'cue points' move - regardless of how the time is being displayed.
If I've got my head around this correctly, having an 'absolute time' display isn't going to help.
If you adjust the pitch of a track, the timing of the audio events within that track change - backwards or forwards in time.
So for example if he's written a cue to occur 20s into a track, that cue will be only be correct when the track is played at the original pitch(or the same pitch it was played at when the cue was written).
You change the pitch of a track, all the 'cue points' move - regardless of how the time is being displayed.
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 4:19 pm
larrymcp
Thanks for the input! My impression from reading the other thread is that "absolute" time is unadjusted for pitch, and it simply shows the current playback position within the sound file. So for example, using absolute time you will see the counter run faster if you're playing the track faster.
And that's exactly what we need. That way, when the elapsed time displays 1:45, we know that we're at position 1:45 in the original sound file, regardless of what speed we're playing it at.
For reference: this is the same way the counters run in Traktor, if anyone is familiar with them. I believe Virtual DJ's term "absolute time" refers to that same mode. I'm just hoping Virtual DJ provides some way to implement it in the display.
Would appreciate any other tips? Definitely wanna stick with Virtual DJ!
And that's exactly what we need. That way, when the elapsed time displays 1:45, we know that we're at position 1:45 in the original sound file, regardless of what speed we're playing it at.
For reference: this is the same way the counters run in Traktor, if anyone is familiar with them. I believe Virtual DJ's term "absolute time" refers to that same mode. I'm just hoping Virtual DJ provides some way to implement it in the display.
Would appreciate any other tips? Definitely wanna stick with Virtual DJ!
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 5:30 pm
djdad
Open the xml file of the skin you currently use, with a Text Editor (e.g. Notepad)
Find-->%Pspent Replace All with -->%spent
Find-->%Pleft Replace All with -->%left
Save the file, rezip (update the zip file)
You can also replace any other relative textzone with absolute, by removing the P letter (e.f. cue times, bpm etc)
Find-->%Pspent Replace All with -->%spent
Find-->%Pleft Replace All with -->%left
Save the file, rezip (update the zip file)
You can also replace any other relative textzone with absolute, by removing the P letter (e.f. cue times, bpm etc)
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 6:07 pm
larrymcp
YOU sir....
.....ROCK!
Thank you so much Bob for the help. This is SO incredibly useful to us.
I mean, I have been working on this for about 5 hours now, trying to figure out what to do... much appreciation for the sweet, sweet relief.
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 6:33 pm
synthet1c
if you register your version of VDJ Pro you could download SBDJ's amazing freestyler plugins to change the lighting scenes with actual cue points in the track as his plugins actually communicate directly with freestyler. There are two plugins in total, the other actually sends the beatgrid information to freestyler's S2L (sound to light) plugin so your lights flash in time with the music coming directly from VDJ... These plugins make it possible to have a real pre-planned beatsynced light show that is individual to the tracks playing and will mean you don't need to hire a lighting guy if you don't want to, or you could make his life a hell of a lot easier and never have a missed cue again.
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 9:37 pm
larrymcp
We have looked at SBDJ's plugins, longingly and greedily! Alas, the club where we work uses Martin Light Jockey. We could theoretically set up a Freestyler system too, but that would mean many hours of (unpaid) work to re-configure all the fixtures & programs in Freestyler.
You're dead-on right, though: the dream would be to one day run the entire light show automated. All songs programmed in advance from the guy's house, and he doesn't even have to come to the club.
Fortunately, it sounds like Freestyler users can already live that dream.
Inviato Fri 10 Aug 12 @ 11:04 pm