joe_blob Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Has anyone tried ArKaos DMX with ArtNet in show ?I tried the demo version at home and it seems to be a great media server at vry low price. As it's a new product I can't get find user feedback at the moment... a stream demo: http://www.arkaos.net/software/vjd_tutorial.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 ArKaos is a really powerful bit of software. Havn't tried out the DMX version yet, but from what I know about the original software I expect probably quite a stable middle market media server and definately a viable option for VJ's. I'm not sure if you know or not, but you can also control ArKaos using MIDI... Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KindredHyperion Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Yeah, it's a good package. Also haven't tried the DMX version but the standard version is great, particularly when used with a midi keyboard, as you can use pitch bend, modulation etc to interactively control the effects. I'm using the trial for a rock gig next week, and it's looking good. Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 To re open the topic (I hope) Has any one got anything more to say about the software, I am looking at using it to project a set for a show in February, Is it stable? I am after a DMX controlled system, having bought 2 Enttec usb to DMX adapters, just want to be sure that it is worth its price tag of 700 euros, I would quite like a catalyst system, but as I have PC's not mac's I have to make the best of the situation! Mk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_blob Posted October 7, 2005 Author Share Posted October 7, 2005 Has any one got anything more to say about the software, I am looking at using it to project a set for a show in February, Is it stable? I am after a DMX controlled system, having bought 2 Enttec usb to DMX adapters, just want to be sure that it is worth its price tag of 700 euros, I would quite like a catalyst system, but as I have PC's not mac's I have to make the best of the situation! Mk Hi, I bought it and I'm using it both in ArtNet network and with Enttec Pro box. It's powerfull stable etc. There is a hardware accelerated version which works with recent graphic cards that gives very high quality (up to 1280x1024).It never crashed for me. I use 2 live cameras and the quality is very good also. I also saw the demo in Plasa with MagicQ console. Very impressive ! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 Apperently High End were meant to be producing a media server for the PC but I dont know if its going to play. I think Arkaos 3.0.2 is great, I havent used it in a show enviroment but from what ive tryed of it I think its a really powerful program at a very good price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3guk Posted November 13, 2005 Share Posted November 13, 2005 Just midway through reviewing it at the moment and its a really great piece of software, the DMX is pretty handy though. That said I do prefer using the midi input it just seems a bit more handson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 I use Arkaos midi, it's excellent. Really intuitive, quite powerful, generally nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambone Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 I'm using Arkaos VJ 3.5 HW on a Mac with a pair of 3500 lumen projectors. Everything is sequenced and controlled in Ableton Live. The Core Image implementation in the HW version is superb. Incredible effects with little CPU load as the GPU on the graphics card processes the Core Image effects. The anti-aliasing in the HW version is fantastic, too. I feed two PAL remote pan/tilt/zoom cameras and a visualizer from a second Mac to video capture cards and output XGA (1024 x 768) from Arkaos. The Arkaos interface is a bit clumsy, but the MIDI implementation is very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKHCKP Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 Apperently High End were meant to be producing a media server for the PC but I dont know if its going to play...High End does have a working PC based media server - DL2 unit. it is a moving projector w/ media server built into the fixture. Also written in a prior post about having a PC versus a MAC to deal with HES Catalyst unit - I use a PC with my Catalyst. I have an external HD running in MAC format. to access my content via PC - I use a software called Mac Drive. it allows my PC to read the HD and view my content within Quicktime Pro. I also can edit my content within Quicktime and then move it back over to the external HD to be played on Catalyst. This has worked well for the last 7 months of touring and programming on Catalyst. I am currently testing the DL2 unit and its server for next years tour. the jury is still out if we will change to the DL2 or keep our DL1s & Catalyst servers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Update, After buying a copy of Arkaos DMX, very impressed with it, I spent a day up at Avolites, testing the implementation with Arkaos and a pearl, the guys there re made the personality to make it a bit more user friendly, a few nice tweaks to make it a bit quicker to program. (should be on their web page, but PM if it's not and you want a copy) Over all very impressed with the power of the software, and now I have spent far to long in front of After effects and premier making content! now I just want Watchout as well, and it will be a beautiful thing! Mk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambone Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 I'm using a poor-man's Media Server/Show Control! I use Arkaos VJ MIDI to sequence and control video, and Ableton Live to sequence and control quad audio, two remote pan/tilt/zoom cameras, 19 lighting fixtures, and Arkaos via Rewire. It's a really powerful combination, and once you understand Live's scenes, tracks, Live Clips, Follow Actions, Virtual MIDI and MIDI effects, there's basically nothing you can't do, and some incredible stuff that you'd find very difficult to do any other way. Launching one scene in Live will do the audio, lights, and video, and that one scene can be launched with a MIDI controller, or with a MIDI clip. For example, I have an effect that I trigger from a drum controller that fires an audio bass drum one-shot, an' 'Earthquake' effect on the live video feed, and a strobe flash and blinder fade-out in the lighting. It's great for lighting, as all fades/pans/tilts/etc are beatmatched, irregardless of tempo. Program a 4-beat left>right sweep, launch it with a MIDI controller or a MIDI clip, and it will start on the downbeat and finish 4 beats later. The time it takes is irrelevant. It will always take 4 beats, irregardless of the tempo of the track. No more programming a '4 second pan,' that only works at one tempo. Live's Follow Actions, along with MIDI effects, makes for random yet controlled lighting. And you can make it as automatic or as manual as you like. The same applies to Arkaos MIDI clips, and Arkaos effects. Program a rapid-fire positive/negative video effect at two per beat, and it will flash two per beat, no matter what the tempo is. I play the main audio track through FOH, and send additional percussion (live and sequenced), FX, MIDI snippets, etc to the rear of the room. They're always in sync and beatmatched, and Live keeps the pitch constant while adjusting the tempo. The Arkaos interface leaves a lot to be desired, but it makes up for it with the Core Image and Arkaos hardware effects. Some of these are spectacular (especially some of the Core Image effects), and draw virtually zero CPU as the effects are rendered on the video card. Using MIDI clips in Arkaos can be really powerful. For example, I put still images on C6-B8 in every patch in Arkaos. I have a variety of drag 'n drop MIDI clips in Live that play these stills with effects. All I have to do is to let Live send a patch change to Arkaos, and I can use the same MIDI clip, but this time it will use the images in the new patch. Anyone doing anything similar, I'd love to swap tips and tricks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lxkev Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 recently been using arkaos via artnet and the enttec usb DMX.... With a frog 2. Arkoas can be used in many way in regards to DMX... The first just uses a DMX channel per video clip/effect 2nd/3rd fixture mode.....full and simple. Basically a fixture is a layer in arkaos. In the full version you end up with 48 DMX channels controlling a layer, these 48 channels control, dimmer, type of media. gobo, pan, tilt. colour, fx.... its great.... (simple just reduce the amount of control and DMX channel to 21 channel, but still very power full) Only thing I found a pain is that every DMX value on a DMX channel is a gobo (video clip, cam, image media), so you need a desk with precise DMX control.... layers....i.e. you can create a look on layer one, create another look on layer x and put them on top of each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 Yeah, I found that, with a pearl its not to bad as it gives you the 0 - 255 value as well, but if your just running on percentages its going to be a mare to operate! It would be nice if there was an option in the software to limit the library to 100, so you can run on a percent rather than increments. but I guess that’s a rather big ask for not a massive number of people that would use the feature. But the plus side is that if your pc will do it you have a vast library of images and video to chose from! Mk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 The problem is that mapping percent to DMX value is difficult, as 100 does not go into 256 an integral number of times, and thus (for example) 37% on one desk may output 94 but on another output 95. One is rounded, the other truncated, and both are valid approaches, and there are more possibilites, for example table lookup with hand smoothed values. Can of worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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