Any VJ's on here ???

[jeff wood]

I started VJ'ing back in Feb this yeah, and so far its been good..

I use OTS AV with a Denon 4500 controller.

Use two 42" LCD monitors on my truss.

On a typical gig, probably 80 - 90% of the tunes I play will be on Vid..

anyone else doing it ???

The screens get used for displaying wedding pictures aswell

well assuming the photographer lets me have some..

and also I often show the stag and hen night pics, which the b&g provide me with..


also, pic from behind the booth !

[WWDJ]

I use screens to display pictures too, but I am not a VJ. (A mere 20" LCD's x 2!)

Congratulations on a real neat and tidy setup that looks the dogs nuts!

[SC Events]

I mainly use Music videos as my source of music which is then outputted to a screen, so I suppose I could be classed as a VJ.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

VisualDJMax is the man on here.

[Adam_F]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VJ_(video_performance_artist)



A VJ is a performance artist who creates moving visual art (often video) on large displays or screens, often at events such as concerts, nightclubs and music festivals, and usually in conjunction with other performance art. This results in a live, multimedia performance that can include music, actors or dancers as well as live and pre-recorded video.


If you simply play music videos, are you classed as a VJ?

There's a whole art to creating visual representations for performances, or sourcing your own material for use in live shows.
If you had a chat to Addictive TV, The Light Surgeons, Glamoove, Dan Tait, Coldcut, Hexstatic, Dimension 7, United Visual Artists etc... and told them your a VJ too, as you play music videos, they'd laugh at you.

Not sure myself what I'd class playing music videos as, but certainly wouldn't class it as VJ'ing.

[jeff wood]

if they laughed at me theyde get jolly well told off :)




its an interesting point Adam but...

firstly i dont "simply play music video's", i DJ using music video's.

ie, I mix the same as a normal DJ. play the same songs etc etc..




and if DJ stands for Disc Jockey

then VJ must stand for Video Jockey


so yes, I would class myself as VJ

[Adam_F]

if they laughed at me theyde get jolly well told off :)


LoL



its an interesting point Adam but...

firstly i dont "simply play music video's", i DJ using music video's.

ie, I mix the same as a normal DJ. play the same songs etc etc..

and if DJ stands for Disc Jockey

then VJ must stand for Video Jockey

so yes, I would class myself as VJ


Sorry Jeff, this wasn't aimed at you at all.

To DJ with the videos, do you extend the intro's & outro's so you can mix with them? As all the MixMash DVD promos I get are generally only the radio edits, which are annoying to DJ with, even the monthly Dance ones :bang:

[jeff wood]

haha,,,

the thing is Adam,, unlike all your pioneer mates who can only mix with tracks that are nothing but beats,,,:D

I can mix with radio edits,,

well ok, not everyone obviously,, but most pop dance tracks theres enough beats to do a mix..

also, you need to keep an eye on promo only US issues,,

they often have better versions that are mixable,,

like the "more english" mix of calle ocho..

or the mike d mix of boom boom pow for example...

[DJ James Lake]

I play 99% of my gigs on video, great looking rig as usual Jeff.


To DJ with the videos, do you extend the intro's & outro's so you can mix with them? As all the MixMash DVD promos I get are generally only the radio edits, which are annoying to DJ with, even the monthly Dance ones :bang:

Not with me, just clever use of loops, most are pretty easy to mix.

[jeff wood]

so what do you james ?

is it Traktor with a video plug in or something...

[DJ James Lake]

so what do you james ?

is it Traktor with a video plug in or something...

Virtual DJ running through an Allen & Heath Xone3d so that I can control the video crossfades seperate from the audio using the crossfader as a video fader and running timecoded cd's via Pioneer CDJ 1000 MkIII cd decks.

P.S. You know me from another forum :)

[Javlingames]

Lovely looking rig jeff.

[StarZSoundS]

One of the most balanced set-ups I have seen and the first I have been jealous of....Well done.


Without wishing to appear cheap......you make no mention of Karaoke.Those strategically placed screens would make me want to sing??Not with my back to the audience tho......Need a monitor out front!

[Larry B Entertainment]

One of the most balanced set-ups I have seen and the first I have been jealous of....Well done.


Without wishing to appear cheap......you make no mention of Karaoke.Those strategically placed screens would make me want to sing??Not with my back to the audience tho......Need a monitor out front!

Maybe he doesnt do karaoke, he has already stated he uses the screens for music videos :o

[jeff wood]

Lovely looking rig jeff.

thanks mate !

you know i stripped the monitors down and sprayed the bezels the exact same colour as the isolution scans...

now thats sad i know:D


Maybe he doesnt do karaoke, he has already stated he uses the screens for music videos :o

well, i dont usually do karaoke,,

but i have got quite a few karaoke tracks, and of course you can play them with OTS AV

so, the facility is there, but i dont advertise the fact..


One of the most balanced set-ups I have seen and the first I have been jealous of....Well done.


Without wishing to appear cheap......you make no mention of Karaoke.Those strategically placed screens would make me want to sing??Not with my back to the audience tho......Need a monitor out front!

again, thanks for the nice comment,,

heres another pic...

[Javlingames]

What PA is that?

[StarZSoundS]

again, thanks for the nice comment,,

heres another pic...


Not too convinced about the booth tho......Only because i've been a Sidesaddle KJ for so long.

[jeff wood]

What PA is that?


my PA consists of;

Paid of OHM BR12 tops

pair of OHM TRS118 subs

2 x Lab gruppen amps, fp3400

Opus Analogue 2 way cross over

and a Formula Sound FSM400 mixer

[Happy Jack]

There's a whole art to creating visual representations for performances, or sourcing your own material for use in live shows.

If you had a chat to Addictive TV, The Light Surgeons, Glamoove, Dan Tait, Coldcut, Hexstatic, Dimension 7, United Visual Artists etc... and told them your a VJ too, as you play music videos, they'd laugh at you.

Not sure myself what I'd class playing music videos as, but certainly wouldn't class it as VJ'ing.

I'd echo that, Adam. You're bang on the money.

There's no point trying to call it something it isn't. It's just in this case you have a video send to accompany the audio, data contained within the same file, both controlled simultaneously from the same interface. I think it's point you add the ability to manipulate both video and audio sends individually, and successfully manage the two...

DJ Yoda is another one, perhaps someone who sits somewhere in between. He is no VJ, but his show is fantastic live. This video was the first hit, so maybe not the best example.

YouTube - DJ YODA SHOW PART 1

Carrying on from the names there, I worked alongside one of the Pixel Addicts @ SEOne last year. It was he who originally brought me on to the idea of using Arkaos as an improvement on our current setup. At the time we were using a mixture of Winamp visuals with the line-in plug-in, and a program called G Force. Point it to your favorite presets, and let it run itself - very low maintenance!

We still attempt to mix it up, but for real-time 'on the fly' stuff - the signature of any 'real' VJ - we need a much larger library of loops, stock images, graphics, and a dedicated controller to really get the most from Arkaos. Add to that the time it must take to organize, convert, edit, prepare, etc., it takes on a much larger role than many give it credit for. I have a Novation Remote Zero SL on my wishlist, not that this piece of kit will transform me overnight!

As Solitaire said, maybe Max can offer some honest, real world advice. It's obviously a model that has worked well for him.

...and I apologise if this post upsets or offends anyone.

[jeff wood]

Not too convinced about the booth tho......Only because i've been a Sidesaddle KJ for so long.

wouldnt be without the S&H booth !

:)

[Javlingames]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VJ_(video_performance_artist)



If you simply play music videos, are you classed as a VJ?

There's a whole art to creating visual representations for performances, or sourcing your own material for use in live shows.
If you had a chat to Addictive TV, The Light Surgeons, Glamoove, Dan Tait, Coldcut, Hexstatic, Dimension 7, United Visual Artists etc... and told them your a VJ too, as you play music videos, they'd laugh at you.

Not sure myself what I'd class playing music videos as, but certainly wouldn't class it as VJ'ing.

Just a thought on this, Could the same be said about dj's. To a hip hop scratch dj a bog standard dj who just mixes records would not be a 'real' dj because they dont scratch or perform tricks on the tables?

[jeff wood]

I'd echo that, Adam. You're bang on the money.

There's no point trying to call it something it isn't. It's just in this case you have a video send to accompany the audio, data contained within the same file, both controlled simultaneously from the same interface. I think it's point you add the ability to manipulate both video and audio sends individually, and successfully manage the two...

DJ Yoda is another one, perhaps someone who sits somewhere in between. He is no VJ, but his show is fantastic live. This video was the first hit, so maybe not the best example.

YouTube - DJ YODA SHOW PART 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zybZCqzzbZ8)

Carrying on from the names there, I worked alongside one of the Pixel Addicts @ SEOne last year. It was he who originally brought me on to the idea of using Arkaos as an improvement on our current setup. At the time we were using a mixture of Winamp visuals with the line-in plug-in, and a program called G Force. Point it to your favorite presets, and let it run itself - very low maintenance!

We still attempt to mix it up, but for real-time 'on the fly' stuff - the signature of any 'real' VJ - we need a much larger library of loops, stock images, graphics, and a dedicated controller to really get the most from Arkaos. Add to that the time it must take to organize, convert, edit, prepare, etc., it takes on a much larger role than many give it credit for. I have a Novation Remote Zero SL on my wishlist, not that this piece of kit will transform me overnight!

As Solitaire said, maybe Max can offer some honest, real world advice. It's obviously a model that has worked well for him.

...and I apologise if this post upsets or offends anyone.






yeah,,,,,

so what,, are we arguing here about what is the defination of a "VJ" ?

to me,,its obvious that what I do is "VJ ing"

and to back this up..

I can remember wayyy back in time when nighclubs used to use VHS tapes and the DJs would DJ with them,, and that was years before the pioneer DVJ1000 ( and the other one, forget the model number now ) had been introduced,, and they were called "VJ's" back then !

and im talking early mid 80's here ...



and also,, what about all these companies like mixmash, promo only etc

well they use the term "VJ" for people like myself...

so are they wrong ???



maybe whats needed here is another term to describe people like DJ Yoda,,

[dmckaraoke]

I could be wrong here but as far as i know what i do video/videoclips/live video camera and visuals I'm a VJ aka a Video DJ


But is a Visual DJ different???

[visualdjmax]

Hi there Jeff. You come from a great location. I try and make it up to Soutport at least twice a year for the weekender!!! Anyway back on topic! Nice to see more video guys on here.

[jeff wood]

cheers

well its as happnes I live about 2 minutes from where the soul weekender is,, i can even hear the music from my house :)


and i'd be interested to know where other people get there vids from..

ive been getting mixmash,, but i'm going over to Promo Only as I think they are a lot better..

better versions of songs, ie, remixes,,

and also they remaster the audio of all the vids so they sound great,,,


My plan is to replace all my vids with promo only ones,,

i want to get all the classic series etc etc



i also buy music vids off Itunes, and get the odd one or two off v**e

[DeckstarDeluxe]

wicked set up Jeff good to see another user of the isolution range too :D

Less said about the karaoke the better hey.....;)

[DJ James Lake]

I get my vids from DMC, Mixmash, Promo Only and Video Pool (which I would say are the best but very expensive unless you wait a month after a disc has been released)

[Happy Jack]

yeah,,,,,

so what,, are we arguing here about what is the defination of a "VJ" ?

to me,,its obvious that what I do is "VJ ing"

...

and also,, what about all these companies like mixmash, promo only etc

well they use the term "VJ" for people like myself...

so are they wrong ???

maybe whats needed here is another term to describe people like DJ Yoda,,

No argument! This is a great topic for bringing out differences of opinion and debate.

In my opinion, for the most part the term 'VJ' is a marketing device for any kind of visual media that is intended and /or sold for 'live' use. It's a bit of a misnomer which has attached itself for this purpose, but also serves as a buzzword to cover a wide range of applications for a much wider target market. I think what Adam and I are getting at, is at least for us a VJ and a DJ have different responsibilities that do not crossover.

It's the whole 'You do, therefore you are' notion. People are very quick to tag themselves. I know a friend who rewired his house, ran some mains cable from the consumer board, popped up some trunking and added a few 13a sockets. He knew how to do it, but he isn't an Electrician.

With the convergence of many different roles, disciplines and functions, comes new labels open to varying degrees of interpretation. It feels a little bit like Chinese Whispers, actually.

:beer1:

[jeff wood]

cool...

i mean the term "VJ" suits me,,

But I'm certainly not trying to pass myself off as one of these VJ's like Yoda etc etc..

That sort of thing is fantastic, I could sit and watch them do that for hours !

But its not what I do of course,,,


I spose its the same with the term "DJ"

seems to cover all types of DJ from the DMC turntablists to the bloke down at the dog and duck...

so bottom line,, probably the same with the term "VJ"

maybe the likes of Yoda and Dan Tait need to invent a new description for themselves,, something like "Video Artist" or erm,,,

oh you think of somthing :)

[Adam_F]

Think I'll keep quiet next time I have a thought :sofa:

:D

[Happy Jack]

maybe the likes of Yoda and Dan Tait need to invent a new description for themselves,, something like "Video Artist" or erm,,,

oh you think of somthing :)

:D

Well, all 'tags' aside, keep doing what you do. From the looks of things you look like you do it very well.

Quick question, mind. Your winch stands / truss combo. Is that the Mobiltech SPTek 4000 stands with PAD250 truss? Curious to know what it is, our system is on it's way out. We've been looking at their systems, and a few of the offerings from Terralec. Any hints? Ratings?

:beer1:

[jeff wood]

The stands are Mobilteck sp4000's,, which i highly recommend

they are seriously sturdy !

but a bit heavy to carry,, but then you cant have everything :)

ive had lots of winch up stands over the years, but nothing imo compares to the 4000's


The truss is Manfrotto LITEC TX25, which you can from Thomann.de

again i'd recommend it,, looks really neat and its lightweight

not all truss weighs the same,,


also whats important,, I use the WORK top mounts that Thomann sell

with these you can "adjust" the centre of gravity by shifting the truss back or forth so you get the weight directly over the stand,,

unless have the same weight on the front and back rails of the truss, then i;d recommend these mounts,,


Think I'll keep quiet next time I have a thought :sofa:

:D



haha ,, you know me adam,,

i'm happy to talk/discuss/argue on any subject:D :D :D

[Larry B Entertainment]

We still attempt to mix it up, but for real-time 'on the fly' stuff - the signature of any 'real' VJ - we need a much larger library of loops, stock images, graphics, and a dedicated controller to really get the most from Arkaos. Add to that the time it must take to organize, convert, edit, prepare, etc., it takes on a much larger role than many give it credit for. I have a Novation Remote Zero SL on my wishlist, not that this piece of kit will transform me overnight!



Check out these guys http://www.vision-impossible.nl/

I have seen a few videos of there amazing shows. I would love to see them live. Not only do they play the content out but they also create it all.




i'm happy to talk/discuss/argue on any subject:D :D :D

Thats ok then because so does Rob :D

[DeckstarDeluxe]

if they laughed at me theyde get jolly well told off :)




its an interesting point Adam but...

firstly i dont "simply play music video's", i DJ using music video's.

ie, I mix the same as a normal DJ. play the same songs etc etc..




and if DJ stands for Disc Jockey

then VJ must stand for Video Jockey


so yes, I would class myself as VJ

So does the chap that was in Lloyds :bang: :p

[DJ James Lake]

According to Wikipedia

Origins of the term

The term "video jockey" is a derivative of the term "disc jockey", "DJ" (deejay) as used in radio. The term was popularised in the 1980s by the Music Television Network (MTV). (See List of MTV VJs.)
The founders of MTV got their idea from studying Merrill Aldighieri, the person to invent the job of Video Jockey and its term. Merrill worked in the New York nightclub "HURRAH" which was the first public arena featuring video with music in New York City. When Merrill was invited to show her experimental film in the club, she asked if she could first develop a use for video to compliment the DJ music so that when her film would be played, it would become part of a club ambiance and not be seen as a break in the evening. The experiment was such a success she was offered a full-time job.
Several months later the future-founders of MTV started coming to the club regularly, interviewing her and taking notes. She told them she was a VJ, the term she invented with a staff member to put on her first payslip. Her video jockey memoirs[1] have a complete list of all the live music she documented during her VJ breaks. There are over 100 hours of seminal recordings of new wave, post punk, experimental, jazz, and many musical genres never named.
Her method of performing as a video jockey consisted of improvising live clips using a video camera, projected film loops, and switching between 2 U-matic video decks. Many video artists were showcased and contributed raw and finished works. Stock footage was also incorporated. At this inception, the DJ was already the controller of the music, and the VJ was the visual adjunct. In the next incarnation of Merrill's pioneering work as a VJ she worked at Danceteria where there was a video lounge and the dancefloor was on a separate level. This change in architecture influenced the role of VJ to incorporate any and all sound sources available and be free not to focus on dance music as the only criterion for the audio. Video jockeying then expanded to incorporate live television feeds, music concrete, and other experiments with multi-media crowd participation. Meanwhile, MTV was now well established and focused on the commercially based playlist with their VJ's as TV personalities who were in fact fictionalised - they neither jockied any videos nor even chose them.
Other names include "VDJ" (Video DJ) and "MVJ" (Mobile VJ).

I class myself as a Video DJ simply because most clients dont know what a VJ is.

[jeff wood]

So does the chap that was in Lloyds :bang: :p



well actually he wasnt,,,

lloyds bar just had music vids playing before the dj started,,

when he started dj'ing, he didnt use vids..

remember ????

:beer1: :beer1: :beer1:

[DeckstarDeluxe]

He was on when we arrived from Jimmy Spices..........................

The videos had a error message across the middle for the whole night and he didnt seem to notice but must of had some control over them

[Tom]

Steve, picture please. :D

[welby]

I use two 17" lcd screens, but I wouldn't class myself as a VJ.

I am currently undecided as to get larger screens, but not attach to a truss, but to put them on speaker stands. Either side of my deckstand.

lcd monitors are still relatively expensive still. May go to 32" or 37" as I want to keep my rig as small but effective as possible. Or alternatively opt for rear projection, but then comes the issue of where do you place one rear screen as opposed to 2 balanced lcd screens.

Would love some advice on this.

[jeff wood]

I would suggest LCD screens on a truss

But then I would wouldnt I :)

Seriously,, Even two 37" on a truss will look great,,

Go for it !

[welby]

I would suggest LCD screens on a truss

But then I would wouldnt I :)

Seriously,, Even two 37" on a truss will look great,,

Go for it !

Well If I could get two 37" LCD Monitors for a "good" price I might go for it. Someone said its cheaper to buy 2 37" LCD TVs....:eek:

[jeff wood]

well, for me what was important was the screens didnt look like TV's

I wanted screens that had a small simple bezel, ie, not like a fancy sony or something with Ferguson plasted along the bottom, lol

Didnt want people saying, oh look the DJ's got two tv's hanging up :)

[Happy Jack]

well, for me what was important was the screens didnt look like TV's

I wanted screens that had a small simple bezel, ie, not like a fancy sony or something with Ferguson plasted along the bottom, lol

Didnt want people saying, oh look the DJ's got two tv's hanging up :)

That whole idea really shows. Clearly someone who given a little bit of thought to it, getting those elements to blend in and 'sit back' into the rig is a very nice touch.

:beer1:

The issue we've had with rear projection is, without a wide angle lens, it isn't always possible to bring the rig far forward enough to get the coverage, even on our humble little 4' x 4' screen. I'd rather not bother than have a tiny image that is squeezed and top heavy. In fact, I'd rather do away with our projector entirely and have a pair of screens...

[jeff wood]

Thanks Happy Jack !

and yes I agreee, projectors are a pain in the butt

[welby]

Thanks Happy Jack !

and yes I agreee, projectors are a pain in the butt

Yeah I think I'm coming round to that way of thinking!

But I have to consider the transport issue so a 42" is a no no for me. I use a Zafira for gigging so things are tight as it is.

For small gigs I might get away with a 32", but ideally you would need a 37".

And for the larger gigs 37" and upwards, money and transport space avaialable.

Thanks for your guidance chaps!