Resolume Forum

I'm thinking about getting a microphone for audio reactive visuals.

Previously I have gotten the audio signal straight from DJ mixer with XLR cable to my Roland Rubix22 audio interface, but it's not as reliable method as I thought. Sometimes the DJ might fiddle with line levels or mute them or some DJ might use his own gear and leave my audio input disconnected. Also once a speaker decided to commit a suicide during a gig and sent a voltage spike through the audio cable destroying my audio interface and motherboard usb port.

Do you have any recommendations for some good microphone with reasonable (~100-150€) budget?

I mostly VJ in psytrance or techno/house parties but some heavier psychedelic rock and doom gigs are also possible.

I would get a matrix out from FOH into a Focusrite 2i2 (personally).

If you have to get a mic, I would recommend a nice Dynamic mic with a solid pre-amp (Focusrite ISA One for example) and then some VST's to get the signal to your liking.

What is a matrix?

I'd rather try the microphone because of the reliability issues I mentioned before. Most of the parties that I VJ don't have mixing in FOH so I would have to get the audio signal from DJ mixer or audio processor.

I'll have to check that VST-stuff out. I got a Ableton Live Lite license along with the Rubix22. Can it be used as a VST?

Matrix's are separate out's from the FOH board that can have custom EQ, Gates, Comp's, FX's to YOUR liking. and keeps the FOH mix to the engineer's liking.

Microphones will never, ever, be more stable or reliable than a direct mix. You're asking a capsule to try to grab all of these different frequencies at one time, and when you have 60 subs blaring distorted 120Hz bass from the DJ's iPhone4 mix tape, your mic will be like "Screw this!!!!, All you get is a giant amplitude of 120HZ and won't capture the rest of the spectrum as accurately as a direct line will.

VST's are plugins so they would be plugins for Ableton but not Ableton itself.
If you're DJ keeps changing the levels, I would recommend a Gate and Limiter/Compressor to set the min and max level of your incoming audio. Be careful to leave plenty of headroom for actual dynamics, otherwise you'll just get a flat response and you won't have defined frequencies to play with.

If you're using Version 6, you'll need 64 bit VST's

Here is a DL link of all the one's I use (Freeware):
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1f0gffulv1fu ... rCnua?dl=0

If you haven't added any special VST's into your Resolume folder then I would just copy and paste the afx folder and replace the one in your install directory;
C:\Program Files\Resolume 6\Plugins

There are some spectrum analyzers in there so you can really dial in your EQ's, Comps/Limiters, Filters, and Gates.

Add the VST's to your clips and click the little gear wheel in the pink audio tab next to the FX once it's been added. This will open up the VST.

Be sure to "Show Audio" to get access to your audio FX, audio FX is a small button in your FX tab next to Video FX.

Hope this helps.

In that case I think I'll just get a microphone to act as a backup if I lose the primary audio signal coming from DJ mixer. I'll have to check out that Focusrite you suggested.

Thank you very much for the VSTs! Is it possible to use them with external audio input in Resolume? I dropped the FreqAnalyst to composition effects but it can't see anything. Or can they be used only with the sounds generated or played by Resolume and I'll have to route the signal through some DAW with those VSTs?

As of now, I don't think you can add VST's to your FFT input. I asked about it yesterday but it might be a day or two until I hear back. It would be cool to take an audio device as an input source as well, but this might be more complicated than it sounds?

The audio analyzer should show the freq amplitude response to whatever audio is playing the the clip/layer/group/or comp that it is assigned to.

did you lick the gear wheel once you added it?

Arvol wrote: ↑Sun Aug 12, 2018 19:21 I don't think you can add VST's to your FFT input.

Yeah, that's not possible currently.
You could route your input into a DAW, then add the VST-s, then route the audio out to a virtual sound card, then into Resolume.

I have been using a focusrite USB audio interface with a single XLR from one of the pass throughs on the tops. this way the dj cant mistakenly drop your mono feed since we are only using the base line I have not seen the need for bringing the full range of stereo audio to my set up. I think there are lots of options here even using a rf audio transmitter if running a hard XLR feed is impossible can be a big help. Russsound X1-TX8. just make sure you have adapters handy as sound guys are not likely happy to fill in gaps for vj's. They are also a lot more agreeable when you have everything and just need an open port.

A Live Mic never really captures the drops as it picks up so much ambient crowd noise.

YayFuzzy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 22, 2018 22:08 I have been using a focusrite USB audio interface with a single XLR from one of the pass throughs on the tops. this way the dj cant mistakenly drop your mono feed since we are only using the base line I have not seen the need for bringing the full range of stereo audio to my set up. I think there are lots of options here even using a rf audio transmitter if running a hard XLR feed is impossible can be a big help. Russsound X1-TX8. just make sure you have adapters handy as sound guys are not likely happy to fill in gaps for vj's. They are also a lot more agreeable when you have everything and just need an open port.

A Live Mic never really captures the drops as it picks up so much ambient crowd noise.

That pass through option sounds good! What do you mean with tops? I'm not very familiar with the sound system jargon.

That time We were running with a pair of powered Mackie tops. the Mackies have an output or through put to continue the signal i went into that with xlr and brought the feed to my station. Best on bigger events is to have the sound team patch you in at the amp rack and give you a feed they control this is also where i use the russound RF transmitter. then I can be anywhere. even having a small 4ch mixer can help you control what you are getting and what level resolume is getting it at. if you just want to focus on the lows or the highs then you can adjust on the fly at your station.