In the course of making my artwork I build tools that might be useful for others. Unless otherwise noted, they are all free and I invite you to distribute them however you like, as long as you don't alter them or profit from them. (Some will be open-source though.)
MultiScreener (updated May 9, 2008)
MultiScreener is a set of freeware applications that synchronize the playback of Quicktime movies on multiple computers, using a local network to tie them all together.
It is intended for multi-channel video art, video walls, etc. I designed it as an artist-friendly low-budget alternative to the expensive combo of industrial DVD players (Pioneer DVD-V7400, DVD-V5000) and Dave Jones Design sync boxes. Those systems are fantastic, but if you have a few computers and a network hub, MultiScreener is worth a try.
There are two applications: Server and Client. The server plays a movie and sends position information over the network. Each client "listens" to the server and subtly adapts its movie playback speed to stay in sync. There is no limit to the number of clients (but you need a computer for each one).
Looping and de-interlacing are available, and all settings are automatically saved for unattended startup. MultiScreener can output to the computer screen or external video devices (like DV cameras or decks). There is no native resolution or frame-rate, so all Quicktime video formats are supported equally. In my tests, DV NTSC movies synced perfecly on Dual 867 G4 towers through the latest Intel machines, but HD formats will probably demand more horsepower. (HD is untested as of May 2008.)
Download MultiScreener 0.92
(18MB, Mac OSX Universal) + source "patches" for MAX/MSP/Jitter 4.6
Read the release notes for full technical details about this version.
Changes in version 0.92 (May 9, 2008):
- Fixed: reduced CPU load on client and server
- Fixed: The window in which normal tracking operates is now (+/-) 1/4 second, regardless of movie frame-rate or Quicktime time-units/second.
- Added: de-interlacing
- Added: Way Off! indicator to indicate sync mode
- Added: numerous advanced options are now acessible via XML prefs: (mute audio, change server transmit interval, etc.)
- Added: (Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike) license
Changes in version 0.7b (April 9, 2008):
- Bug: sometimes consumes too much CPU after several hours. (working on it!)
- Fixed: client wouldn't always enter fullscreen properly.
First Release 0.7 (April 8, 2008)
Film-O-Sync
Film-O-Sync synchronizes digital sound to 16mm projection. It requires modification to the projector, so I made an instructable to describe the process.
It requires a Mac (G3 400mHz or higher) with sound input and output. The modified projector feeds a tachometer signal to the computer, which plays the sound file in sync with the picture.
Download v. 0.5 (5MB, Mac PPC) with source "patch" for MAX 4.5
The Interactive Soundscapes Project
The Interactive Soundscape Designer was developed by N.B. Aldrich and myself as a computer interface for the Interactive Soundscapes project.
The software was designed as part of a larger effort to encourage investigation of the aural environment. It provides an intuitive interface to organize, mix, and alter sounds within an archive.
Full documentation of this ongoing project can be found here:
www.interactivesoundscapes.org
SingleFramer 2.4 (12-16-2007)
This is a frame-capture application developed in MAX/MSP/JITTER for students at the Cooper Union art school in NYC, USA.
It allows you to capture individual frames from a DV camera, either manually or automatically (time-lapse). You can use "onion-skinning" to see an overlay of your previous frame as you compose your shot. You can load an existing movie so you can match your setup from a previous day. (Useful if you need to break down borrowed equipment between shoots.)
Download SingleFramer 2.4 (8MB, Mac Universal)
Requires a DV camera (not a still camera). Supports PAL and NTSC video.
Changes in version 2.4 (December 2007):
- Fixed: keyboard wouldn't trigger grabbing if number boxes had been recently touched.
- Fixed: after canceling the creation of a movie, frames could still be grabbed.
- New disk image layout for easier installation.
Changes in version 2.3 (November 2007):
- Merged NTSC and PAL versions into one application (select at launch and it will be saved as default for next time)
- Added support for limited Applescript "UI Scripting" (the new menu items can be scripted)
- Added user setting for the number of frames to grab whenever spacebar is pressed (1-3)
- Refined and simplified the user-interface
- Onscreen video window now uses smoother interpolation (does not affect captures).
Changes in version 2.2 (October 2007):
- Now a Universal Binary! (works on Intel or PPC Macintosh)
- Fixed crashes with Quicktime 7, and frame-addressing issues when loading existing movies.
- Added user setting for the number of frames to grab whenever spacebar is pressed (1-3)
- The 1, 2, and 3 keys now grab that many frames respectively.
- Added a lockout so it's impossible to start a new movie while capturing (which would break your current movie.)
Pitch Playground
This software is a quick and dirty demonstrator for audio interference phenomena.
The five sine-wave oscillators can be tuned independently or linked via arbitrary or preset intervals. The amplitudes can also be independent or linked. A calculator keeps track of the ten possible beat-frequencies that are being generated by the interferance between the tones.
Download (8MB, Mac OSX Universal) + source "patch" for MAX 4.6
FrameSubtractor
FrameSubtractor is an application that removes background information from video images.
It compares each frame of the video to the previous frame, and only passes the pixels that have changed. So it reveals moving objects and makes stationary things disappear. (See README for more options.)
These techniques (sometimes called "background subtraction" or "frame differencing") are standard pre-processing stages for machine vision tasks, but they can be beautiful in their own right. I built this software for an artist, Laura Napier, who was investigating the formations of pedestrians on NYC sidewalks in 2007 but perhaps others might find it useful too.
Download (7MB, Mac OSX Universal) + source "patch" for MAX 4.6