Realising a VU-Meter with MIDI-in instead of Audio-Trigger

[Heiko Fanieng]

Hey Guys,

at the weekend i realised a VU Meter with a RGB-Matrix in QLC+ as described here:
https://sourceforge.net/p/qlcplus/discu ... /fbc535bb/

The problem is, that the sound input must be so loud, that i get in trouble with my wife

Ok, next step was to send the master out Level of Traktor pro via MIDI to QLC+, even to TouchOSC - where i still found a solution.

With TouchOSC i created 16 LEDs:

1. Enabled:Value X, Type:Note, Channel:1, Note:C1, Velocity: 0-7, Color: Green
2. Enabled:Value X, Type:Note, Channel:1, Note:C1, Velocity: 8-15, Color: Green
.
.
.
.
11. Enabled:Value X, Type:Note, Channel:1, Note:C1, Velocity: 80-87, Color: Orange
12. Enabled:Value X, Type:Note, Channel:1, Note:C1, Velocity: 88-95, Color: Orange
.
.
15. Enabled:Value X, Type:Note, Channel:1, Note:C1, Velocity: 114-121, Color: Red
16. Enabled:Value X, Type:Note, Channel:1, Note:C1, Velocity: 122-128, Color: Red

Now i'll try to do it with QLC+ after downloading the latest Manual as PDF, but it seems that i have some problems with understanding it? At first i want to try the following thing with 4 PAR 56 LED Spots:

Note C1 is 16 and 64 and 96 and 112 and <=127 - PAR 4 should light red

I'll be very happy - if anybody can point me to the best practice if there is an (easy) way in QLC+ for that

My goal is to put 2 or 3 PAR-Led or maybe 9-12 RGBW-Pinspots in 4-Point Truss as VU-Meter.

Thanks and a good night,
Heiko

[Darrow]

I also would like to do this but I have not found a way to do it in QLC+

It can be done by using the open source DJ app Mixxx to play your audio file. Mixxx supports user-created midi scripts which can output midi to QLC+ in any way that you want. It would be easy to write a script to read the audio's master output level and send a different midi note for each range to QLC+

I am working on this and will post my solution if successful. If you have not played around with Mixxx I highly recommend that you take a look at it.

[Heiko Fanieng]

Hi Darrow,

thanks for your feedback. I don't have a problem with getting the Midi-Data out of Traktor pro like it also works in Mixxx here.

>If you have not played around with Mixxx I highly recommend that you take >a look at it.

I did it, inspired after some postings here

Here is a short extrakt of Midi-Monitor, triggered on Mac OS X 10.10.2 with Midi-Monitor:

20:58:50.291 From Traktor Virtual Output Note On 1 C0 105
20:58:50.336 From Traktor Virtual Output Note On 1 C0 99
20:58:50.368 From Traktor Virtual Output Note On 1 C0 94
20:58:50.400 From Traktor Virtual Output Note On 1 C0 89
20:58:50.421 From Traktor Virtual Output Note On 1 C0 84
20:58:50.453 From Traktor Virtual Output Note On 1 C0 85
20:58:50.477 From Traktor Virtual Output Note On 1 C0 80

Now im looking for the right way to create a working input profile for QLC+, and after that to linke the note on data to my lights.

I'm also looking forward to your solution, if it works

Regards
Heiko

[Darrow]

A Mixxx script will allow you to output a different midi note for each range of audio master levels, not the same note with different levels. Can you do that with Tractor? Achieving the effect you want is then easy in QLC. Map each note to a different function.

[Heiko Fanieng]

Thank you for pointing me to that Darrow! If i don't find this option in Traktor or even it doesn't exist maybe Apples Quartz Composer can help me to bundle the ranges an send it to QLC+.

[Paul Kluber]

Hello:
I successfully ran 16 par cans, for a music video, in my studio using the audio frequency program. The program was originally picking up the music with the onboard computer mic, not internally from one program to another.
You're right, you have to run the volume so high, no one could hear themselves think.

This was the solution I used:

MacBook Pro loaded with sound track and frequency program in virtual QLC +

Took the headphone output of the Mac and ran it through a four headphone "out" amplified distribution box.

Take a headphone out, but from the four output box and feed it back into the mic input of the Mac.

Raise the volume up or down on the headphone box to trigger the frequencies and subsequent colors in your lighting array. Also turned the computer headphone jack to maximum and controlled the height of the specific frequencies using the headphone box volume control.

The reasons for using the headphone box are: to sequence the lights, monitor the sound without your wife complaining, send the soundtrack to another audio recorder that's also recording live singing and finally sending the fourth headphone output to a powered speaker so the talent could lip sync along with the recording.

I hope this helps and addresses the loudness to trigger the frequencies.
Thanks,
Paul

[Darrow]

There is a way to make the audio trigger work at very low input levels using the new loopback feature. Set up loopback as described by David Garyga here: https://sourceforge.net/p/qlcplus/discu ... c598/#6fd3

Create scenes using the loopback fixtures. Send the audio trigger DMX outputs to the loopback scenes. I have tried this and my lights trigger when the audio spectrum bars are just visible. No threshold setting is necessary. The DMX output of the audio widget triggers the scenes and your lights follow the intensity you set in the scenes.

[Massimo Callegari]

Just want to add my 2 cents here.
On Linux there is a way to route audio playback internally, without hearing it.
Discussed here:
https://sourceforge.net/p/qlcplus/discu ... d/43271f61

In this way I think it's kind of easy to create a VU meter without even speakers connected