ArKaos VJ User Guide

Documentation by Synkron M&D AB: Roger Wiklander, Ernst Nathorst-
Bs, Ludvig Carlson and Anders Nordmark. Additional documentation by

Jeffrey Paul Burger. The information in this document is subject to change
without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
Arkaos S.A. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or
otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written
permission by Arkaos S.A.
All product and company names are or trademarks of their respective
owners.
Arkaos S.A. 2003.
All rights reserved.
ARKAOS VJ
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ARKAOS VJ
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1 TABLE OF CONTENTS
5 Introduction, installation and registration
6 Welcome!
7 About the ArKaos family of products
8 Installing ArKaos VJ
10 Launching ArKaos VJ
11 Registering ArKaos VJ
12 Registration process
21 Configuration Windows
22 Configuring ArKaos VJ under Windows
22 Recommended system configuration
24 Setting up the displays
27 Setting up MIDI
30 Setting up audio input
31 Configuration Mac
32 Configuring ArKaos VJ under Mac OS
32 Recommended system configuration
35 Setting up the displays
40 Setting up MIDI
46 Setting up audio input
47 Trying out Arkaos VJ

48 Trying out ArKaos VJ
50 Playing a Patch
58 Exploring the Preset Synths
61 Basic concepts
62 Introduction
71 Managing Synths and Patches

72 Introduction
72 Creating a Synth
73 Saving, Opening and Closing Synths
75 Making screen settings for aSynth
78 Making MIDI settings for aSynth
79 Specifying a location for movies
80 Managing Patches
ARKAOS VJ
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS
83 Setting up the visuals
84 Preparations
86 The Visuals window
91 Visuals - general handling
95 The Visual Info dialog
109 The effects

110 Introduction
110 The Effects window
111 Effects - general
113 Factory effect parameters
169 Performing with ArKaos VJ

170 Introduction
170 Preparations
172 Performing
174 Controlling ArKaos from a MIDI controller
175 Controlling ArKaos from the computer keyboard
176 Controlling ArKaos VJ from a MIDI sequencer
181 Using Automation
185 The Event Recorder

186 Introduction
186 Recording a performance
188 Capturing a performance from another MIDI source
189 Importing MIDI files
191 Playing back a recorded performance
192 Additional options for playing back and recording performances
193 Managing recordings
194 Rendering a Performance to a movie
199 Index
ARKAOS VJ
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
ARKAOS VJ
4 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION,
INSTALLATION AND
REGISTRATION
WELCOME!
Congratulations on your choice of ArKaos VJ.
Why just play music when you can immerse your audience in complete au-
dio-visual experiences? ArKaos VJ does for images and video what samplers
and synths do for musicand it does it in real time. This means that DJs,
VJs, performing musicians and multimedia producers now have the ability to
easily create and project dazzling interactive imagery to take live perform-
ances, dance events, videos and other media productions to new levels of
creative expression.
Displaying, projecting and recording dazzling visuals to accompany your mu-
sic is just the beginning. Now you can perform with visuals (still images, an-
imations, videos, live video feeds and special effects) just like playing an
instrument, by using the computer keyboard, a MIDI controller or a MIDI
sequencer. All of the animations are automatically synchronized to MIDI
Time Clock or to audio via advanced beat-matching technology. Program
your show in advance, jam live or just let ArKaos VJ generate the whole vis-
ual show. Your audience wont believe their eyes.
ARKAOS VJ
6 INTRODUCTION, INSTALLATION AND REGISTRATION
ABOUT THE ARKAOS FAMILY OF PRODUCTS
There are currently four products in the ArKaos family of software. All are
built around the core ArKaos Engine that optimizes full-screen motion
graphics.
ArKaos VJ
This is the version described in this documentation. VJ stands for Video
Jockey. This version will allow you to use all of the functions in ArKaos, in-
cluding movies, MIDI control and live video input.
ArKaos VJ Lite
This is a limited version of ArKaos VJ that comes bundled with other prod-
ucts for the purpose of acquainting people with the ArKaos VJ experience.
It differs from ArKaos VJ in that it does not support movie playback and
video input, the number of available effects is limited, and the number of ef-
fects that can be used simultaneously is limited to 2.
VMP
VMP stands for visual MP3. In this version you can use all of the functions
available in VJ, except movies, MIDI control and live video input. There are
also some other differences between the versions, mainly in the form of
limitations to certain functions in ArKaos VMP.
ArKaos Visualizer
ArKaos Visualizer is a plug-in version of the ArKaos Engine that integrates
seamlessly and transparently into several major MP3 and digital media play-
ers. ArKaos Visualizer features a beat detection function, which means that
it analyzes the spectrum of the music from the player and triggers visuals at
each new beat, effectively letting you create stunning visual shows to ac-
company any audio in perfect sync with the music. This makes ArKaos Visu-
alizer the perfect tool for distributing all the cool visuals you create with
ArKaos VJ. More information about the ArKaos Visualizer is available at
www.arkaos.net.
ARKAOS VJ
INTRODUCTION, INSTALLATION AND REGISTRATION 7
INSTALLING ARKAOS VJ
Minimum system requirements
Below are the minimum system requirements for running ArKaos VJ. If your
system meets these specifications, you can run ArKaos VJ.
For information about the recommended system configuration, which will let
you work the most efficiently and make full use of all the programs capabil-
ities, please refer to the chapter Configuration Windows and the chap-
ter Configuration Mac.
Windows
Pentium III / 500 MHz.
Windows 98se (second edition).
DirectX version 8.0.
Apple QuickTime 6.x.
128 MB of RAM.
Windows Media Player 7.1.
Mac OS
A Power Macintosh G3/400 MHz.
OS 9.x.
Apple QuickTime 6.x.
128 MB of RAM.
Installing ArKaos VJ under Windows

1. Close all active applications.
2. If necessary, disable any Virus protection software.
3. Locate and double click the installer file, called ArKaos VJ 3.0.
The installer window appears.
4. Use the Browse button in the Destination Folder section to select a hard disk and
folder for installation.
5. When you have decided on a destination folder, click Next.
The installation will include all necessary files and a selection of pictures and movies for you to
work with.
ARKAOS VJ
Installing ArKaos VJ under Mac OS
1. Quit all applications so that you return to the Finder.
2. If necessary, disable any Virus protection software.
3. Locate and double click the installer file, called ArKaos VJ 3.0.
The installer window appears.
4. Use the pop-up in the Install Location section to select a hard disk and folder for in-
stallation.
5. Check that Easy Install is selected, and click Install.
This performs a standard installation, including all necessary files and a selection of pictures
and movies for you to work with.
Custom Installation
If you select Custom Install in the Installation dialog, you will be shown
check-boxes for the elements to be installed. By checking and unchecking
these boxes, you can decide which files to install (the amount of disk space
needed is shown and updated when you check and uncheck the options).
The following elements are available:
The ArKaos VJ Application file.
You have to install this in order to run the program.
The Preset Synths folder.

This contains a number of preset Synth files. A Synth is the main document used in ArKaos
VJ, as described in the operation manual. Apart from playing these Synth files and using them
as examples, you can use the included pictures and movies in your own Synths.
ReadMe files and documentation

Read the Read Me file!
In the ArKaos VJ folder that was created on your hard disk during installa-
tion you may find a file called Read Me. This will contain any late-breaking
updates that didnt make it into the manual. Please double click on it and
read it before proceeding.
ARKAOS VJ
LAUNCHING ARKAOS VJ
Windows
You launch the program in any of the following ways:
Use the Start menu to navigate to the ArKaos VJ program folder and select the
ArKaos VJ 3.0 program icon
Double click the shortcut added to the desktop during the installation.
Double click the program icon in the ArKaos VJ folder on your hard disk.
Mac OS
You can launch the program in any of the following ways:
Open the ArKaos VJ folder in the location you specified during the installation and
double-click the ArKaos VJ 3.0 program icon.
Double-click the ArKaos VJ alias added to the desktop during the installation.
After you have installed ArKaos VJ and launch the program for the first time, the
registration dialog will appear. In this dialog, you can select one of a few different
ways to register your copy of ArKaos VJ, should you so wish. See below for
more information.
ARKAOS VJ
REGISTERING ARKAOS VJ
Eventhough you can run ArKaos VJ without registering it (in free mode),
you get the absolute most out of the program by purchasing a serial num-
ber and becoming a registered user.
About the trial period and running ArKaos VJ in Free or Registered

mode
ArKaos VJ can be run in Free or Registered mode. Even if you enter no se-
rial number you are still able to use the full version of the program for a trial
period of 20 days, with a temporary license. During this period, all of the
functions of the program are available. After the trial period has expired
however, you are only able to use the program in Free mode, until you reg-
ister it. In Free Mode, you can use most of the functions in ArKaos VJ, in-
cluding saving your work. However, there will always be a banner with the
text www.arkaos.net displayed in both full-screen mode and in the Pre-
view window, and you can not use MIDI control.
About serial numbers

Before describing the registration process, we need to clarify the difference
between the different kinds of serial numbers for registering. There are two
categories of serial numbers, temporary and full:
A temporary serial number lets you use all of the features of the software for a lim-
ited period of time only, on up to three different computers.
A full serial number lets you use all of the features of the software indefinitely, on
one specific computer only.
ARKAOS VJ
REGISTRATION PROCESS
When you have installed and launch ArKaos VJ for the first time, the Regis-
tration dialog appears:
From here, there are a few different ways to go, depending on whether you
want to register ArKaos VJ or not, and where you obtained the program:
ARKAOS VJ
If you want to buy a serial number on our secured online shop
Use this option if you have downloaded and installed ArKaos VJ from the
ArKaos web site, and want to register the program. For this, you need to
have a working Internet connection.
1. Click the button.
Your Internet browser is launched and you are taken to the online shop on the ArKaos Web
site.
2. On the web site, click Make Order.
The ID of your computer is then sent to ArKaos secured web shop (when you download
ArKaos VJ, the downloading computer automatically receives a unique ID). The web shop
then generates a serial number for that particular ID, and you can use the serial number to
register your copy of ArKaos VJ (proceed to If you have received a serial number for this
computer below for information on how to do this).
If you have received a purchase key from an online shop or on your CD

Use this option if you want to register the program when you have either:
Downloaded ArKaos VJ from a web site other than the ArKaos web shop.
Purchased a packaged version of ArKaos VJ on the Internet.
Purchased a packaged version of ArKaos VJ over the counter in a store.
In any of these cases you will have received a purchase key, which you can
use to receive a full serial number (if you have purchased a packaged ver-
sion of the program, the purchase key is found on a sticker on the CD jewel
case). When you click this button, the Purchase Key Usage dialog opens.
This contains three different options for receiving a full serial number (pro-
ceed to Purchase key usage below for information on these).
Note that a purchase key can also be used as a temporary serial number (as
opposed to a full serial number) by entering it instead of a serial number in the
ArKaos VJ registration dialog (see Serial Activation below).
If you have received a serial number for this computer

Use this option when you have received a full serial number for registering
ArKaos VJ on a specific computer (or if you want to use a purchase key as
a temporary serial number). Clicking this button opens the Serial Activation
dialog in which you register the program using the serial number or pur-
chase key (proceed to Serial Activation below for information about this).
ARKAOS VJ
If you want to continue trying the software
Use this option if you do not want to register ArKaos VJ yet. As previously
described you can still use the program for 20 days with full functionality
even if you choose not to register it. After the 20 day trial period has ex-
pired you can still continue using the program in Free mode by selecting this
option. You will still have access to all of the functions, including saving your
work, but there will always be a banner with the text www.arkaos.net visi-
ble on the screen when the visuals are displayed in full-screen mode, and
you will not be able to use MIDI control.
ARKAOS VJ
Purchase Key Usage
When you use the If you have received a purchase key... option in the
Registration dialog, this dialog opens. Here you specify how you want to
use your purchase key. All three options in the dialog can be used for re-
ceiving a full serial number with which you can then register the program, as
described under If you have received a serial number for this computer
above.
The differences between the options are as follows:
If you are connected to the Internet and want to generate a serial number for
this computer
This option is used if the computer on which you have installed and intend
to use ArKaos VJ has a working Internet connection. Clicking this button will
open the Online Activation dialog (proceed to Online Activation below
for more information).
ARKAOS VJ
If you want to receive a serial number for another computer (you will need an
Internet connection)
This second option is used if the computer on which you have installed
ArKaos VJ does not have a working Internet connection, but you have also
installed the program on another computer that does have a working Inter-
net connection and you are using that computer (you can install ArKaos VJ
on up to three different computers by using a purchase key as a temporary
serial number, but you can only register the program with a full serial num-
ber on one specific computer). Clicking this option takes you to the ArKaos
Website where you will then receive a full serial number.
To be able to receive a serial number in this case you will need to provide
the purchase key, and the unique ID of the computer for which you want
to generate a serial number.
The computer ID can be found in the Online Activation dialog, the Offline Regis-
tration dialog or the Serial Activation dialog.
If you want to receive a serial number for this computer and have no Internet
connection
This third option is used if you do not have access to the Internet. If that is
the case, you can e-mail or fax your computer ID and the purchase key to
ArKaos, and you will receive a serial number by fax or e-mail. When you
click the button, the Offline Registration dialog will appear (proceed to Of-
fline Registration below for more information).
ARKAOS VJ
Online Activation
This dialog opens if you select the first option in the Purchase Key Usage
dialog. Use this dialog to receive a full serial number via e-mail:
1. Fill in the fields with your purchase key, name, company (if any) and e-mail.
To receive your serial number, a valid e-mail address must be provided.
2. Enter a password of your own choice.
This is very important, since it will give you access to a user zone on the ArKaos web site.
3. Click the Activate online button.
The data is sent encrypted to the ArKaos web site. If everything is in order, a serial number
will automatically be generated and you will receive an e-mail with a confirmation message
and the serial number.
4. Quit ArKaos VJ and then relaunch the program.
This is to ensure that the Preferences file is saved with the correct information.
5. In ArKaos VJ, pull down the Edit menu, and from the Preferences submenu, select
Registration...
The Serial Activation dialog opens (proceed to Serial Activation below for information on
how to complete the registration).
ARKAOS VJ
Offline Registration
This window opens when you click the third option in the Purchase Key
Usage dialog. Take note of what it says and send the information required
here to ArKaos, and a full serial number will be sent to you. You can either
use e-mail or fax. The e-mail address or fax number to use is displayed at
the bottom of the window.
Dont forget to supply ArKaos with a means of contacting you by either e-mail
or fax, otherwise we have no means of sending the serial number to you. Please
also note that these are the only two ways of communication possible. ArKaos
will not provide serial numbers over the phone or by mail.
ARKAOS VJ
Serial Activation
This dialog opens when you click the If you have received a serial num-
ber... button in the main registration screen, or if you select Registration...
from the Edit-Preferences menu. If you have a valid full serial number (or a
purchase key you want to use as a temporary serial number) you use this
dialog to register ArKaos VJ in the following way:
1. Fill in the fields with your name, company (if any) and e-mail address.
Do not make any changes in the Machine ID field!
2. Enter the serial number (or purchase key).

If you have received a full serial number from ArKaos and it has been sent to you by e-mail,
the easiest way to do this is to simply copy the serial number from the e-mail and then paste
it into the dialog.
3. Click the OK button.
The dialog closes.
4. Quit and restart ArKaos VJ
You are now a registered user of ArKaos VJ 3.0.
As mentioned, you can also enter a purchase key instead of a full serial number.
The purchase key will then work as a temporary serial number.
There is a significant difference between using a purchase key and a serial number: A pur-
chase key allows you to install and use the full version of the program on up to three different
computers, but only for a limited period of time. A serial number allows you to install and use
the full version of the program indefinitely, but on one computer only.
ARKAOS VJ
ARKAOS VJ
2 CONFIGURATION
WINDOWS
CONFIGURING ARKAOS VJ UNDER WINDOWS
This chapter will guide you through the basic preparation procedures
needed to run ArKaos on a Windows machine, and will provide some rec-
ommendations for getting the absolute most out of ArKaos VJ.
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

Below are the recommended system requirements, as well as descriptions
of optional equipment and the system configuration that will allow you to
make full use of the capabilities of ArKaos VJ.
Recommended system
Pentium 4 / 1.2 GHz or better.
An AGP 4X graphics card or better.
Windows 98se, ME, 2000 or XP.
Running ArKaos VJ continuously for an extended period of time requires an operating system
with very efficient memory management. Therefore Windows 2000 or XP is recommended.
These operating systems also feature more extensive support for video devices.
Direct X 9.0 or better.

Apple QuickTime 6.x or better.
Windows Media Player 9 or better.
256 MB RAM or more.
ARKAOS VJ
22 CONFIGURATION WINDOWS
Optional equipment
ArKaos VJ will operate with nothing more than a notebook or desktop PC.
However, to take full advantage of the program, you will probably want
some additional equipment:
A MIDI controller and a MIDI interface.
This is essential for controlling ArKaos VJs visual effects in real-time (you can do this from the
computer keyboard as well, but then you will not have access to velocity, pitch bend and
modulation wheel). For details about the MIDI equipment and installation, see Setting Up
MIDI on page 27.
A projector or a second monitor.

The program can display the visual effects on a projector or a monitor other than the main
display. The ability to take advantage of this depends on whether your computer can handle
more than one monitor or not. Most PC notebooks have a built-in external monitor connec-
tion. PCs need to have two separate graphics cards or a dual-head graphics card. See Set-
ting Up The Displays below for more information.
A MIDI sequencer program.

Recording your MIDI control messages in a MIDI sequencer gives you complete automatic
playback of the visual effects. ArKaos VJ handles internal MIDI communication within the
computer via ReWire (see page 178). Alternatively this can be done using a virtual MIDI
Driver that enables multiple MIDI programs to use the same MIDI device simultaneously (see
page 178). You can also connect an external sequencer (either a hardware sequencer or a
second computer running a software sequencer) to ArKaos VJ via the MIDI interface.
A Firewire- or USB-compatible video camera.

ArKaos VJ can grab still images, and also supports streaming video input, from a Firewire or
USB video camera. This requires that your PC has the appropriate port or card - Firewire or
USB.
ARKAOS VJ
CONFIGURATION WINDOWS 23
SETTING UP THE DISPLAYS
Modern computers offer a number of choices regarding display resolution
and color depth. Both of these settings determine the amount of data that
ArKaos VJ has to manipulate. The greater the amount of data, the faster
your processor and system buses must be.
ArKaos VJ also offers the possibility of setting the display resolution and
color depth separately for each synth (ArKaos document) within ArKaos it-
self, and this determines the amount of data that needs to be processed by
your system as well. See page 75 for information about setting the resolu-
tion separately for each synth.
General considerations
In most cases, you should use a resolution of 640 x 480 for your ArKaos synths be-
cause it is a standard trade-off between resolution and bandwidth. 800 x 600 or
higher may work on fast machines, however the increase in resolution is usually not
worth the trade-off in throughput for applications such as projecting motion graphics.
ArKaos VJs synths can have a color depth setting of thousands of colors (16 bit) or
millions of colors (32 bit).
ArKaos VJ synths use a default resolution setting of 640 x 480 and millions of colors.
Regardless of what resolution you otherwise use, ArKaos VJ will automatically
switch the monitor to the Synths screen size (e.g. 640 x 480) when you activate the
ArKaos Engine (the full screen display - see page 69), and then switch it back to your
preferred working resolution when you return to ArKaos VJ. So you dont need to
change your usual system resolution to adapt it to what ArKaos VJ visuals use.
ARKAOS VJ
Setting up one display
As mentioned above, ArKaos VJ automatically switches the monitor resolu-
tion when activating the ArKaos Engine, and then switches it back again
when you return to work in ArKaos VJ. This is because ArKaos VJ uses Di-
rectDraw to communicate directly with your graphics hardware when dis-
playing visuals, and therefore you dont need to make any settings except
for the following:
1. Open the Display Properties dialog from the Windows control panel or by right-
clicking on your desktop, and set the number of colors to at least High Color (16
bits).
Note that this does not affect the ArKaos engine, but it does affect the ArKaos VJ work and
preview windows.
On most modern PCs, the video card is connected to a port called AGP
(Accelerated Graphics Port). If the video card in your system is not con-
nected via AGP however, then you also need to do the following:
2. In ArKaos VJ, select Preferences from the Edit menu, and from the submenu that
appears, select Monitors....
The Monitor information dialog opens.
3. In the dialog that appears, click in the Use Mode X box to activate this function.
This informs ArKaos VJ that you are using a non-AGP video card.
ARKAOS VJ
Setting up two displays
ArKaos VJ can display the visuals on a second monitor or a projector, leav-
ing the first monitor for the work windows and for other programs win-
dows. If you are fortunate enough to own (and have a system that supports
the use of) a projector or two monitors, proceed as follows:
1. Select Preferences from the Edit menu and then select Monitors.
The Monitors dialog opens. The dialog contains a drop-down menu from which you can
choose a primary and a secondary display driver to use. It also displays a list of all the graphic
modes (resolutions and color depths) they are capable of using.
Note that this list is for reference only, and selecting an option in it does not affect neither
ArKaos VJ nor your system in any way. It can however be used for checking whether your
computer can actually handle a certain resolution before switching an ArKaos synth to that
resolution.
2. From the Select your monitor drop-down list, select the monitor that you want
to use for displaying the visuals.
If your system is set up correctly, both your primary and secondary display driver will be listed
for you to choose from. If not, consult the troubleshooting manual for your operating system.
3. If any monitor is connected to a non-AGP video card, be sure to activate the Use
Mode X option for it, as described under Setting up one display above.
There may be situations when you are not absolutely sure which monitor is
selected for the display. If that is the case, just select Start Full Screen from
the ArKaos menu and check which monitor the visuals appear on.
See Setting up one display above, and consult the help section for your
operating system for information about how to set up resolution and color
depth for a second monitor.
ARKAOS VJ
SETTING UP MIDI
While it is possible to operate ArKaos VJ using only the computer keyboard
and mouse (see page 175), triggering via a MIDI controller or from a MIDI
sequencer offers much more flexibility.
The following is a description of how ArKaos VJ communicates via MIDI
and how to set things up.
Controlling ArKaos VJ from external devices

When you want to control ArKaos VJ from an external controller such as
a keyboard, a MIDI guitar or similar, or when you want to send MIDI signals
to ArKaos VJ from either a stand-alone sequencer or a sequencer running
on another computer, proceed as follows:
1. Connect and set up the MIDI interface as described in its documentation.
2. Connect a MIDI cable from the MIDI Out port on the MIDI controller to MIDI In
on the interface.
3. Turn on the MIDI interface (if needed) and the MIDI controller.
Make sure the MIDI controller is actually transmitting MIDI data when you play it (refer to the
documentation for the MIDI controller).
4. Launch ArKaos VJ.
5. Pull down the Edit menu and select MIDI Setup from the Preferences submenu.
The MIDI Setup dialog opens.
ARKAOS VJ
6. If youre running under Windows, make sure Microsoft MIDI is selected.
If you have a ReWire compatible sequencer program running on the same computer, you
will also have the possibility of selecting ReWire. However, this option is for controlling
ArKaos VJ from other programs (see page 178).
7. From the drop-down list, select the MIDI device to which you have connected your
MIDI equipment.
8. If you have multiple MIDI devices installed in your system and want to use them all
simultaneously, check the Use all devices box.
9. When youre done, Click OK.
You have now set up ArKaos VJ, so that it responds to MIDI signals from
the correct device. You must however also make sure that ArKaos VJ is set
to receive on the same MIDI channel the external MIDI device transmits on.
This is done separately for each Synth (ArKaos VJ file), and is described on
page 78.
You can check whether ArKaos receives incoming MIDI signals by observing the
MIDI activity indicator in the top right corner of the ArKaos VJ interface.
When ArKaos VJ receives MIDI signals, the indicator lights up.
ARKAOS VJ
Controlling ArKaos VJ from programs running on the same
computer
If you want to control ArKaos VJ from a MIDI sequencer program running
on the same computer, the most convenient solution is to use ReWire (this
is described on page 178).
If using ReWire isnt possible, you need to install a third-party application
that enables multiple MIDI programs to use the same MIDI device simulta-
neously, by providing virtual MIDI ports. There are various such programs
available as freeware (one of the most well known is called Hubis Loop-
Back Device).
From here on, the application required will be referred to as the MIDI ap-
plication.
1. Make sure you have installed and properly set up the MIDI application of your
choice.
Please refer to the documentation included with it.
3. Select Preferences from the Edit menu and choose MIDI Setup.
4. In the dialog that appears, pull down the drop down menu and select one of the in-
puts provided by the MIDI application.
If the MIDI application was installed and set up properly, the virtual MIDI ports made available
by it should be listed.
5. Launch the MIDI sequencer program from which you want to control ArKaos VJ.
Make sure that the virtual MIDI ports provided by the MIDI application are available as out-
puts.
6. In the MIDI sequencer, set the MIDI Output of each channel containing MIDI data
you wish to send to ArKaos VJ to any one of the virtual MIDI ports.
This connects the output of the MIDI sequencer to the input of ArKaos VJ.
7. In ArKaos VJ, select Get Synth Info from the Synth menu and set the current
ArKaos VJ Synth to receive on the appropriate MIDI channels.
See page 78 for more information about this.
ARKAOS VJ
Testing the MIDI settings
You can verify that the MIDI settings you have made are OK in the follow-
ing way:
1. Select a Preset synth from the File menu.
The available Preset Synths are listed near the bottom of the File menu.
2. Set your MIDI controller to transmit on channel 1.
3. Open the Get Synth Info dialog from the Synth menu, and make sure the Preset
synth is set to receive on channel 1.
See page 78 for more information.
4. If the Preview window isnt open, select Show Preview from the ArKaos menu
(or use the keyboard shortcut [Ctrl]-[P]).
In the Preview window, you can check your visuals and effects while you are working.
5. Try playing different keys on your MIDI controller.
The MIDI activity indicator in the top right corner should blink, and you should see various
images and effects in the Preview window while you are playing. If not, go back and redo the
connections and settings. You may also try running other MIDI software to make sure that
your MIDI interface is working correctly.
SETTING UP AUDIO INPUT

It is possible to synchronize your performances to an audio signal using the
built-in Beat detection algorithm. Some effects can also be affected by in-
coming audio in various ways.
How to set things up so that ArKaos VJ receives the correct audio signal de-
pends on your audio card, but generally you need to activate recording of
the desired source signal in the audio cards control panel. Most audio cards
come with a control panel or mixer application where you can specify the
source signal to be recorded. This could be a signal routed the audio cards
physical inputs, or the output from a built-in CD player for example.
Consult the documentation that came with your audio card for specific in-
formation about your audio card and how to select a recording source.
ARKAOS VJ
3 CONFIGURATION MAC
CONFIGURING ARKAOS VJ UNDER MAC OS
This chapter will guide you through the basic preparation procedures
needed to run ArKaos VJ on a Macintosh, and will provide some recom-
mendations for getting the absolute most out of ArKaos VJ.
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

Below are the recommended system requirements, as well as descriptions
of optional equipment and the system configuration that will allow you to
make full use of the capabilities of ArKaos VJ.
Recommended system
G4 / 800MHz or better.
OS 9.2.2 or 10.2 and up.
Apple QuickTime 6.x or better.
256MB of RAM or more.
Memory considerations under Mac OS 9.x

If you are running ArKaos VJ under OS 9.x, there are a few things related to
system memory that you should consider.
Virtual memory
ArKaos VJ (like other memory intensive applications) works best with vir-
tual memory turned off.
To ensure that virtual memory is turned off, do the following:
1. Select Control Panels from the Apple menu and choose Memory.
The Memory panel appears.
2. If Virtual Memory is turned on, click the Off button to turn it off.
3. Restart your computer.
ARKAOS VJ
32 CONFIGURATION MAC
Assigning system memory to ArKaos VJ
Under OS 9.x, every Macintosh program has a memory setting. This is used
for telling the computer how much memory to allocate to a particular pro-
gram. (This is not a consideration under OS X.) This setting can be changed
from the Mac OS Finder as described below.
When ArKaos VJ is installed, the memory assignment is automatically set to
the optimal value for your type of Macintosh. You can, however, raise or
lower this value as you see fit. Bear in mind that the more memory you as-
sign to the program, the more pictures you will be able to use. We there-
fore strongly advice you not to lower the value.
When the program displays pictures, it tries to preload them into RAM for
quick access. However, since preloading all pictures can potentially require
quite a lot of memory, ArKaos VJ uses a dynamic memory allocation
scheme that works like a memory cache. As many pictures are preloaded
into this cache as the available memory can accommodate. When a new
picture is to be displayed, ArKaos VJ moves it into the cache, while another
picture is removed from the cache to make room. This allows you to use a
lot more pictures than the available RAM can accommodate.
This transfer of pictures in and out of the cache can cause a slight delay,
however. Assigning more memory to the program enables a larger cache,
and therefore less transfers and faster performance. So, if you have RAM to
spare, dont hesitate to raise the amount of memory assigned to ArKaos VJ.
Movies are not loaded into RAM unless you specify this in the program for a par-
ticular movie. See page 107 for more information.
To change the amount of RAM dedicated to ArKaos VJ under OS 9.x, pro-
ceed as follows:
1. Quit ArKaos VJ if it is running.
2. Locate the ArKaos VJ program icon in the Finder and click on it once to select it.
3. Select Get Info from the File menu.
4. Select Memory from the pop-up menu.
5. Change the memory setting by clicking on it and typing in a new value.
6. Now, ArKaos VJ will use this amount of RAM, if it is available.
If the requested amount of memory isnt available for the program to grab (you might have
other programs running which already occupy some of your memory), it will use as much as
it can get. If the program cant even find the minimum amount of RAM, it wont start.
ARKAOS VJ
CONFIGURATION MAC 33
About the Memory window (Os 9.x and OS X)
If you open this window (located on the Edit menu) and activate the full
screen display, the meter continuously displays how much RAM is being
used. Since ArKaos uses a dynamic memory allocation scheme (see above),
the amount of memory in use will change depending on which visuals are
displayed and which effects are activated. You can use the Memory meter
to pinpoint effect combinations that are particularily memory demanding.
This way you can determine if you need to alter your Patch or assign more
memory to the program (OS 9.x only).
Optional equipment
ArKaos VJ will operate with nothing more than a Macintosh computer.
However, to take full advantage of the program, you will probably want
some additional equipment:
A MIDI controller and a MIDI interface.
This is essential for controlling ArKaos VJs visual effects in real-time (you can do this from the
computer keyboard as well, but then you will not have access to velocity, pitch bend and
modulation wheel). For details about the MIDI equipment and installation, see Setting up
MIDI on page 40.
A projector or a second monitor.

The program can display the visual effects on a projector or a monitor other than the main
display. The ability to take advantage of this depends on whether your computer can handle
more than one monitor or not. Most Macintosh desktop models have a dual head graphics
card to manage a second monitor. Macintosh Powerbooks and iBooks also have a built-in ex-
ternal monitor connection. See Setting Up The Displays below for more information.
A MIDI sequencer program.

Recording your MIDI control messages in a MIDI sequencer gives you complete automatic
playback of the visual effects. ArKaos VJ handles internal MIDI communication within the
computer via ReWire (see page 178) or OMS under Mac OS 9.x and via CoreMIDI or Re-
Wire (see page 178) under Mac OS X. You can also connect an external sequencer (either
a hardware sequencer or a second computer running a software sequencer) to ArKaos VJ via
a MIDI interface.
A Firewire- or USB-compatible video camera.

ArKaos VJ can grab still images, and also supports streaming video input, from a Firewire or
USB video camera. This requires that your Mac has a built-in Firewire or USB port.
ARKAOS VJ
SETTING UP THE DISPLAYS
Modern computers offer a number of choices regarding display resolution
and color depth. Both of these settings determine the amount of data that
ArKaos VJ has to manipulate. The greater the amount of data, the faster
your processor and system buses must be.
ArKaos VJ also offers the possibility of setting the display resolution and
color depth separately for each synth (ArKaos document) within ArKaos it-
self, and this determines the amount of data that needs to be processed by
your system as well. See page 75 for information about setting the resolu-
tion separately for each synth.
General considerations
In most cases, you should use a resolution of 640 x 480 for your ArKaos synths be-
cause it is a standard trade-off between resolution and bandwidth. 800 x 600 or
higher may work on fast machines, however the increase in resolution is usually not
worth the trade-off in throughput for applications such as projecting motion graphics.
ArKaos VJs synths can have a color depth setting of millions of colors (32 bit) or
thousands of colors (16 bit).
Considerations for adjusting display settings

ArKaos VJ synths use a default resolution setting of 640 x 480 and millions
of colors. If your monitor is already set to this resolution, then you dont
need to change anything. If you normally use a higher resolution in your
other work, however, you need to make some considerations for adjusting
display settings for optimum performance with ArKaos VJ.
If you have set your monitor to use a higher resolution than ArKaos VJs
standard synth resolution 640 x 480, the visuals projected by ArKaos VJ will
not fill the entire screen when you activate the ArKaos Engine (the full-
screen display - see page 69).
ARKAOS VJ
To remedy the above situation, you can do one of the following:
Manually change the monitors resolution to 640 x 480.
This works, but will make the letters and windows on the screen look rather big and clumsy,
if you use a fairly large monitor. If your particular Macintosh doesnt support 640 x 480 reso-
lution, you can either select the next higher resolution (this will not do any harm to your sys-
tem, but it will cause 640 x 480 images to not cover the entire screen) or use one of the
other two methods described below.
To change the resolution under OS 9.x, select Control Panels from the Apple menu and
choose Monitors. Under OS X, select System Preferences from the Apple menu and choose
Displays.
Set up each Synth that you create to work in the same resolution and pixel depth
your monitor is set to.
You then also need to make sure all your visuals are this size. (See page 75 for information
about setting display resolution within a Synth).
Set up ArKaos VJ so that it automatically switches the monitor to the Synths screen
size (640 x 480 in this example) when you activate the full-screen display, and then
switches it back to your preferred working resolution when you return to ArKaos
VJ.
This is ArKaos VJs default setting, as it is the optimal solution for most situations. See below
for instructions.
ARKAOS VJ
Setting up one display with automatic monitor switching
As mentioned above, you can set things up so that ArKaos VJ automatically
switches monitor resolution when activating the ArKaos Engine, and then
switches back to your working resolution again when you return to work in
ArKaos VJ. This means that all work windows are affected by your working
resolution setting, but visuals displayed in the ArKaos engine are not.
To set this up, proceed as follows:
1. In ArKaos VJ, select Preferences from the Edit menu, and then select the Moni-
tors option.
The Monitor Preferences dialog opens.
2. If you have a Power Macintosh with AGP or PCI bus you can simply activate Auto
detect monitor, and you will get a list of all the monitor modes your Macintosh
model is capable of using.
This step is necessary for informing ArKaos VJ about which resolutions your particular mon-
itor is capable of using. Note however that the ability to actually use all the resolution modes
listed depends on the monitor, the amount of video RAM etc. ArKaos VJ also identifies your
current working resolution and displays it in this dialog.
Note that not all brands of monitors support the auto detection function. If you
have such a monitor, you will instead have to manually inform ArKaos VJ about
which resolutions your monitor can use (see step 3 below).
ARKAOS VJ
3. If you cant, or for some reason dont want to, use the automatic option, you can in-
stead manually build a list of the resolutions available.
To do so, first make sure Auto detect monitors is not activated. Then access your Monitor
control panel (OS 9) or Display panel (OS X) (without closing the Monitor Preferences dialog in
ArKaos VJ) and click on each available resolution. Then switch back to ArKaos VJ. Each reso-
lution you clicked on now appears in the ArKaos VJ Monitor Preferences dialog.
4. When youre done, close the Monitor Preferences dialog.
You have now provided ArKaos VJ with information about the resolutions your monitor is
capable of using.
5. Now select Preferences from the Edit menu and choose ArKaos Engine.
The ArKaos Engine dialog appears.
6. Click the option Try to set monitor resolution and pixel depth to activate it (put
a checkmark in the box).
When this is activated, the ArKaos Engine will switch to the resolution the currently used
synth is set to when displaying visuals, regardless of what working resolution your system is
set to.
7. Most often, you will probably also want to activate Restore Monitor when deacti-
vating ArKaos.
If this option is activated, the resolution and pixel depth will be restored to your original
working settings when you return from the full-screen display to ArKaos VJ. Otherwise, the
resolution setting of the current synth will remain in effect.
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
You will now experience one of three results, depending on the screen size
setting for the current synth:
If the Synth you are working with is set to operate at the same screen size as the
monitor is set to, there will be no change.
ARKAOS VJ
If the Synth is set to a resolution other than what the monitor is currently set to, and
that desired resolution is available in the list in the Monitor Preferences dialog (as
described above), the resolution is automatically switched (and optionally switched
back when you exit ArKaos).
If the Synth is set to a resolution other than what the monitor is currently set to, but
this desired resolution is not available in the Monitor Preferences list, the resolution
is not switched, and the images will only occupy part of the screen.
Setting up two displays with automatic monitor switching

ArKaos VJ can display the visuals on a second monitor or projector, leaving
the first monitor for the work windows and for other applications.
Automatic monitor switching works basically the same way with two dis-
plays as it does with one. There is just one additional step required, and that
is informing ArKaos VJ about which monitor you want to use for displaying
visuals.
If you are fortunate enough to own (and have a system that supports the
use of) a projector or two monitors, proceed as follows:
1. In ArKaos VJ, select Preferences from the Edit menu and then select Monitors.
The Monitor Preferences dialog opens. The settings for the primary monitor is shown, but if
your system is set up properly and the program has detected the second monitor, the
Next button is available (not greyed-out), allowing you to select the second monitor. If it
isnt available, your system is probably not set up correctly. If so, consult the troubleshooting
manual for your operating system.
2. Use the Previous and Next buttons to select the monitor that you want to display
the visuals on,
3. Follow the procedure described on page 37 for setting up a list of available resolu-
tions and activating automatic switching for the monitor you want to use for dis-
playing the visuals.
There may be situations when you are not absolutely sure which monitor is
selected for the display. If that is the case, just select Start Full Screen from
the ArKaos menu and check which monitor the visuals appear on.
ARKAOS VJ
SETTING UP MIDI
While it is possible to operate ArKaos VJ using only the computer keyboard
and mouse (see page 175), triggering via a MIDI controller or from a MIDI
sequencer offers much more flexibility.
The following is a description of how ArKaos VJ communicates with MIDI
devices and programs, and how to set things up.
Configuring MIDI under OS 9.x

Under OS 9.x, ArKaos VJ can use one of three possible systems for com-
municating via MIDI: OMS, ReWire or Direct Driver. The difference be-
tween these systems and how to use them is described below.
OMS
OMS (Open Music System), co-developed by Steinberg and Opcode Sys-
tems Inc., is a free system extension that standardizes MIDI communication
both with MIDI interfaces and between programs. It also lets multiple MIDI
applications communicate and share resources, such as instrument Patch
names and timing information.
OMS supports multi-port interfaces and can be used for receiving MIDI
data both from external MIDI devices and from other (OMS-compatible)
MIDI programs.
ArKaos VJ requires OMS 2.3.7.
Set things up as follows:

1. Make sure you have installed and set up your MIDI interface and OMS correctly.
See the OMS documentation for details.
2. Connect a MIDI keyboard or other controller to the MIDI In on your interface and
set it to transmit on channel 1.
Refer to the hardware documentation if necessary.
Note that ArKaos VJ must also be set to receive on the same MIDI channel
that the MIDI controller is transmitting on. This is done individually for each
ArKaos VJ Synth. For instructions on this, see page 78.
ARKAOS VJ
4. Pull down the Edit menu and select MIDI System from the Preferences submenu.
The MIDI System dialog opens.
5. In the MIDI System dialog, select OMS and click OK.

6. Quit ArKaos VJ and launch it again for your settings to take effect.
Direct Driver
Direct Driver specifies either the Printer or Modem serial port for connecting a
MIDI interface. Hence, newer Macs equipped with USB ports cannot use Di-
rect Driver.
Direct Driver can be used when you wish to use MIDI signals from an ex-
ternal device, connected to a regular (as opposed to multi-port) MIDI inter-
face, in its turn connected to either the Modem port or Printer port on
your computer. This could for example be an external MIDI controller such
as a keyboard, a stand-alone hardware sequencer or a MIDI sequencer pro-
gram running on another computer.
Direct Driver can, unlike OMS, not be used for multi-port interfaces or pro-
grams running on the same computer (see page 43).
Set things up as follows:
1. Connect and set up the MIDI Interface as described in its documentation.
A standard single interface can be connected to either the Modem port or the Printer port.
Which one to choose depends on if you have any other equipment (such as a printer or a
modem) already connected to one of the ports.
2. Connect the MIDI Cable from the MIDI Out port on the MIDI controller to MIDI In
on the interface, and set the controller to transmit on channel 1.
Refer to the hardware documentation if necessary.
ARKAOS VJ
Note that ArKaos VJ must also be set to receive on the same MIDI channel
that the MIDI controller is transmitting on. This is done individually for each
ArKaos VJ Synth. For instructions on this, see page 78.
3. Turn on the MIDI interface (if needed) and the MIDI Controller.
5. Pull down the Edit menu and select MIDI System from the Preferences submenu.
The MIDI System dialog opens.
6. Select Direct Driver, if it isnt already selected, and click OK.
7. If you changed the MIDI driver setting in step 6 above, quit ArKaos VJ and restart it
for the changes to take effect.
The MIDI Setup Direct Driver dialog opens.
9. Select the port on your computer (Modem or Printer) to which you have con-
nected your MIDI equipment, and click OK.
If either MIDI port is not available, this is because it is occupied by some other
software. For example, if you have a printer which uses AppleTalk connected to
the printer port, the printer port can not be used for MIDI.
ARKAOS VJ
Controlling ArKaos VJ from programs running on the same computer
on the same computer under OS 9.x, the most convenient solution is to
use ReWire (see page 178).
However, if you want to control ArKaos VJ from another program running
on the same computer via OMS, proceed as follows:
1. Launch the other program and make sure it uses OMS.
2. In ArKaos VJ, select Preferences from the Edit menu and choose MIDI Setup.
The MIDI Setup OMS dialog appears.
3. Pull down the pop-up menu and select the desired OMS input.
The name of the MIDI program you launched and made settings for in step 7 above should
now be available on the menu, and you can select it as an input. If that application is not avail-
able on the pop-up menu, choose the IAC driver. This serves as a virtual MIDI cable con-
necting applications within your computer. (See the OMS documentation for more info).
4. In the other MIDI program, set the MIDI output you want to use to the same value
as the input you set in ArKaos VJ - the program name or IAC.
This connects the output of the MIDI program to the input of ArKaos VJ.
ARKAOS VJ
Configuring MIDI under OS X
Under Mac OS X, ArKaos VJ uses the CoreMIDI protocol to communicate
with MIDI devices.
When you want to control ArKaos VJ from an external controller such as
a keyboard, a MIDI guitar or similar, or when you want to send MIDI signals
to ArKaos VJ from either a stand-alone sequencer or a sequencer running
on another computer, proceed as follows:
1. Connect and set up the MIDI interface as described in its documentation.
2. Connect a MIDI cable from the MIDI Out port on the MIDI controller, to MIDI In
on the interface.
3. Turn on the MIDI interface (if needed) and the MIDI controller.
6. Make sure CoreMIDI is selected.

If you have a MIDI sequencer program running on the same computer, you will also have the
possibility of selecting ReWire. However, this option is for controlling ArKaos VJ from
other programs running on the same computer (see page 178).
7. From the drop-down list, select the MIDI device to which you have connected your
MIDI equipment.
8. When youre done, Click OK.
Note that ArKaos VJ must be set to receive on the same MIDI channel that the
MIDI controller is transmitting on. For instructions on this, see page 78.
ARKAOS VJ
Controlling ArKaos VJ from programs running on the same computer
on the same computer under OS X, ReWire is used (see page 178 for in-
structions on how to set up ReWire).
Testing the MIDI settings

You can verify that the MIDI settings you have made are OK in the follow-
ing way:
1. Select a Preset synth from the File menu.
2. Set your MIDI controller to transmit on channel 1.
3. Open the Get Synth Info dialog on the Synth menu, and make sure the Preset synth
is set to receive on channel 1.
4. If the Preview window isnt open, select Show Preview from the ArKaos menu (or
use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[P]).
In the Preview window, you can check your visuals and effects while you are working.
5. Try playing different keys on your MIDI controller.
The MIDI activity indicator in the top right corner should blink, and you should see various
images and effects in the Preview window while you are playing. If not, go back and redo the
connections and settings. You may also try running other MIDI software to make sure that
your MIDI interface is working correctly.
ARKAOS VJ
SETTING UP AUDIO INPUT
It is possible to synchronize your performances to an audio signal using the
built-in Beat detection algorithm. Some effects can also be affected by in-
coming audio in various ways.
How to set up so that ArKaos VJ receives the audio signal depends on your
Mac OS version and whether the Mac is equipped with audio inputs.
Setting up under Mac OS 9.x

There are three possible ways to select sound input under Mac OS 9.x:
By selecting the built-in CD player as the source in the Sound Input control panel.
By selecting the signal fed into the Macs audio inputs as the source in the same con-
trol panel.
By selecting an installed audio card as the input source in the same control panel.
It is not possible to internally route the output from a MP3 player or similar run-
ning on the same Mac to ArKaos VJ.
Setting up under Mac OS X

There are two possible ways to select sound input under Mac OS X:
By selecting the Macs built-in audio inputs as the source in the System Preferences
Sound Inputs dialog.
By selecting an installed audio card as the input source in the same dialog.
It is not possible to internally route the output from a MP3 player or CD player
running on the same Mac to ArKaos VJ.
ARKAOS VJ
4 TRYING OUT ARKAOS
VJ
TRYING OUT ARKAOS VJ
This chapter provides a simple tutorial designed to give you a brief over-
view of how you work with ArKaos VJ. The tutorial assumes the following:
That your monitor is set to at least a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels in thousands of
colors.
That you have a MIDI interface connected to your computer, and a MIDI keyboard
(or other controller) connected to this interface.
If you dont have a MIDI controller however, you can use the computer keyboard instead
(see page 175 for instructions).
That you have made the basic preparations for using ArKaos VJ on the PC or Mac
as described in the chapter Configuration Windows and the chapter Configu-
ration Mac.
Interactive help
The ArKaos VJ interface offers several ways for you to get help using the
software:
Contextual help.
You can position the cursor over any element in the ArKaos VJ interface and a description
will pop up after a short period of time.
Electronic help.
The items on the Help menu provide several on-screen documentation options for ArKaos
VJ.
Web access.
The ArKaos web site features a wealth of valuable information for ArKaos VJ users. You can
reach the ArKaos web site via a direct web link in the program, accessible either via the Help
menu (the Check ArKaos Web Site item) or the ArKaos VJ interface (the ArKaos VJ logo
in the upper left corner of the Synth window). Just click either of these to launch your Inter-
net browser and access the ArKaos web site.
The Help menu also contains a direct web link to the ArKaos Support web site, where you
can receive help should you run into problems with the software.
ARKAOS VJ
48 TRYING OUT ARKAOS VJ
The above mentioned interactive help options contextual help and web
access can be activated and deactivated at your own leisure, as follows:
1. Pull down the Edit menu, and from the Preferences submenu select Interface....
The Interface Preferences dialog opens.
2. Check or uncheck the items Show interactive help and Use web link on synth
window in the dialog to activate/deactivate the corresponding help option.
You might for example want to deactivate the web link option so as not to accidentally
launch your Internet browser if you happen to click on the ArKaos VJ logo on the program
interface.
Note however that deactivating the web link option does not affect the Check ArKaos Web
Site item on the Help menu, but just the web link on the interface.
ARKAOS VJ
TRYING OUT ARKAOS VJ 49
PLAYING A PATCH
In ArKaos VJ, the main document is called a Synth file, and has the file ex-
tension .kos. A Synth contains all of the visuals used in a performance and
stores one or more Patches containing the keyboard assignments for visuals
and effects.
The factory Preset Synth Adventure.kos file loads automatically. If not, just select Adven-
ture.kos from the File menu.
This is one of the Preset synths, complete with visuals and effects, included in a standard
ArKaos VJ installation.
Mac OS note: This assumes that you have used Easy Install or included Pre-
set Synths in your Custom Install. If not, you can launch the Installer again,
select Custom Install, and use the checkbox to install Preset Synths.
The Synth window
The Patch window The scrolling control
ARKAOS VJ
You will see several windows. The one at the top is the Synth window. It
displays the current Patch name and provides access to other Patches
stored in the Synth, as well as shortcuts to some fundamental functions in
ArKaos VJ. The window at the bottom with the keyboard is the Patch win-
dow, showing which visuals (pictures, movies, video feeds or flash text ani-
mations) and effects are assigned to the different keys in the current Patch.
The MIDI keyboard also contains a scrolling control to allow you to access
the full range of keys.
2. Decide whether you want to play the Patch via MIDI or via the computer keyboard,
and click on the corresponding icon in the Patch window.
The Patch Window changes appearance accordingly when you click an icon.
3. Pull down the ArKaos menu and select Start Full Screen.
This starts the ArKaos engine, the heart of ArKaos VJ, which displays the visuals in full-
screen mode.
ARKAOS VJ
Alternatively, you can click the Start Full Screen button in the Synth window.
4. Try playing different keys.

You will see different visuals and effects as a result. Some of the effects are apparent almost
instantaneously, while others require that you hold the key for a while.
Note that if youre using a second monitor or projector dedicated to displaying

the visuals, you can also audition the images and effects by clicking on the on-
screen keyboard on your work window monitor.
5. Exit the full-screen display.
If you only have one monitor, simply click the mouse button (Macintosh) or the left mouse
button (PC). If you have two monitors, select Stop Full Screen from the ArKaos menu on
your work window monitor.
Switching Patches
A Patch contains settings for each key on the keyboard, as displayed in the
Patch window. A Synth can contain up to 128 Patches.
Next, well switch to a different Patch within the same Synth:
1. Click on the Synth window at the top of the screen to activate it.
2. Click on the Next Patch (up arrow) button. This selects the next Patch, entitled
Empty: 1.
Patch name Next Patch Previous Patch Show Patch window
3. Click on the Show Patch Window button to the right of the selection arrows.
A new Patch window opens for this Patch.
ARKAOS VJ
If you now activate the ArKaos Engine as previously described, you will play
the new Patch, with the effects and visuals laid out as shown in the new
Patch window. However, as you can see, the keyboard of the new Patch is
blank, since no visuals or effects are assigned to it. We will look into how to
add visuals and effects to a Patch next.
When you activate the full-screen display, the currently selected, open Patch is
always the one that will be played. You select an open Patch with the arrow but-
tons and the Show Patch Window button as described above, or by clicking di-
rectly on the corresponding Patch window.
Adding a visual to a Patch

Next well add a visual to the new Patch you opened previously:
1. Click on the Visuals window to make it active. If the Visuals window is not visible,
select Visuals from the Synth menu (or use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[1] on the
Mac; [Ctrl]-[1] on the PC).
The Visuals window contains lists of all visuals used in the Synth.
2. Click the movie tab at the top of the Visuals window to make sure the list of movies
is displayed.
The visuals are organized into four different categories, accessed by clicking the correspond-
ing tab at the top of the Visuals window. These are, from left to right: Static pictures, movies,
live video feeds and Flash text animations.
ARKAOS VJ
3. Click and drag any icon from the list of movies in the Visuals window onto the bot-
tom part of any key in the Patch window.
The bottom part, or cell, of each key holds visual icons, while the upper cell of each key holds
effect icons (see below). ArKaos VJ only allows you to drop the appropriate icon type in
these cells. If you drop an icon in a cell already containing an icon of the same type (visual or
effect), it will replace the previous icon.
Effect cells
Visual cells
4. Make sure the Preview window is open. If it isnt, select Show Preview on the
ArKaos menu (or use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[P] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[P] on the
PC).
The Preview window is useful if you dont want to switch to full-screen mode to audition vi-
suals and effects, as described on page 50.
5. Press the key on which you placed the visual, or click on it in the on-screen key-
board.
You should see the image appear in the Preview window. Also note that you get a visual in-
dication of the key stroke - the key you press lights up in red in the Patch window.
ARKAOS VJ
Adding an effect to a Patch
Next, well add an effect to the same key you previously placed a visual on.
1. Click on the Effects window to make it active. If the Effects window is not visible, se-
lect Effects from the Synth menu (or use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[3] on the
Mac; [Ctrl]-[3] on the PC).
The Effects window contains icons for all of ArKaos VJs visual effects. The effects are orga-
nized into four different categories, accessed by clicking the corresponding tab at the top of
the Visuals window. These are, from left to right: 3D effects, Video effects, Transition effects
and Artistic effects.
2. Click the leftmost tab in the upper half of the Effects window to select the first cat-
egory of effects (3D).
3. Click and drag the second icon in the Effects window onto the upper cell of the key
in the Patch window.
This is an effect called Galactic Scrolling. Note that if you position the pointer over an effect
icon and keep it there for a moment, a tool-tip with the name of the effect will appear (pro-
vided you havent chosen to disable this help feature, as described on page 48).
ARKAOS VJ
4. Press and hold the key on which you placed the effect.
The key now holds both the effect and the visual you previously added. This means that
when you press the key, you will not only display the visual In the Preview window, but it will
also be processed by the effect. The result of this particular effect, as you can see, is that the
visual scrolls in a slanting fashion into the distance, as long as you keep the key pressed.
Changing the settings for visuals and effects

Now, we will edit the settings of the visual and the effect you assigned.
Visual settings
1. Double-click on the visual icon in the bottom cell of the key in the Patch window
(alternatively you can click on the visual to select it and then select Get Visual Info
from the Patch menu, or use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[I] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[I] on
the PC).
A dialog opens, presenting the display options for the visual.
Note that the settings in this dialog can be used not only for visuals, but also ef-
fects placed alone on keys. An effect can be placed on a key even if there is no vi-
sual on it, and vice versa. This way, you can process a visual placed on one key
with an effect placed on another key. For detailed information about this, see
page 95.
ARKAOS VJ
2. Locate the Latch option in the lower left corner, click in the box to put a check-
mark in it and click OK.
3. Press the key and then release it.

Youll notice that you dont have to keep the key pressed to make the visual scroll anymore.
Normally, a visual or effect will only play as long as the key is pressed. With Latch activated,
the visual or effect on the key will instead run continuously until you press the key a second
time to stop it.
4. Press the key again.
The visual stops scrolling.
Effect settings
1. Double-click on the icon in the upper cell of the key in the Patch window.
A dialog opens, presenting the options for the effect Galactic Scrolling.
2. Click on the radio-button for Downwards in the Scrolling section in the lower
left corner and click OK.
3. Press the key.
As you can see, the visual now scrolls in a different direction.
4. Press the key again.
The visual stops scrolling.
ARKAOS VJ
EXPLORING THE PRESET SYNTHS
ArKaos VJ comes with numerous Synths ready to play. You can learn a
great deal about how to harness the incredible power of ArKaos VJ by ex-
ploring how these Synths are set up.
Mac OS note: For the Preset Synths to be available, you must use the Easy In-
stall or include Preset Synths in your Custom Install.
1. Pull down the File menu and either select a Synth from the list in the bottom of the
menu, or select Open and browse for a Synth.
The selected Synth will open.
2. Experiment by pressing various keys and observing the results in the Preview win-
dow.
Note that some keys only have effects mapped to them and must be used in conjunction
with keys that have visuals assigned to them, and vice versa. See page 91 for more informa-
tion.
3. Double-click any of the visual or effects cells in the Patch window to check their
settings and determine how they work.
ARKAOS VJ
4. Select Start Full Screen from the ArKaos menu to start the ArKaos engine in full
screen mode.
You can also use the shortcut [ ]-[A] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[A] under Windows, or click the
Start Full Screen button in the Synth window.
5. Perform on the keyboard and observe the results on your display.
6. Exit the full-screen display.
If you only have one monitor, simply click the mouse button (Macintosh) or the left mouse
button (PC). If you have two monitors, select Stop Full Screen from the ArKaos menu on
the work window monitor.
7. If there is a song title and Play button in the bottom right corner of the Patch win-
dow, this means that the Synth contains a prerecorded event sequence.
You can then click the Play button to play back the sequence. For detailed information about
recording event sequences, see the chapter The Event Recorder.
8. Either start the full screen display, as previously described, or watch the sequence in
the Preview window.
9. After viewing the prerecorded sequence, exit the full screen display as previously
described, if youve been watching in full-screen mode.
10. Click the Play button again to stop the sequence.
Now, you have seen a brief glimpse of the amazing capabilities of ArKaos
VJ. The following chapters describe how to set up your own Synths and
Patches for the program, and how to create visual performances of your
own.
ARKAOS VJ
ARKAOS VJ
5 BASIC CONCEPTS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter introduces you to the basic concepts of ArKaos VJ and its
building blocks. The information in this chapter will give you the founda-
tion for understanding the subsequent chapters. If you have not already
done so, we recommend that you read the tutorial in the previous chapter
as well.
Visuals
This is a general name for pictures and movies. As you probably know by
now, ArKaos VJ allows you to display pictures and movies in real-time,
and lets you manipulate these in a number of ways, to create a complete
performance or show.
ArKaos VJ accepts pictures in PICT, BMP and JPEG file format and movies in
QuickTime (MOV), Video for Windows (AVI) and Flash Animation (SWF)
format. For more information on how to prepare pictures and movies, see
page 84.
The Visuals window
ARKAOS VJ
62 BASIC CONCEPTS
The Visuals window is open by default. It can also be made visible by select-
ing Visuals from the Synth menu (or using the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[1]
on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[1] on the PC). The Visuals window contains a list of all
images, movies and animations used in a Synth.
The different kinds of visuals are stored in separate panes for easy organiza-
tion and access:
The first, leftmost pane is for static images.
The second pane is for movies.
The third pane is for streaming movies captured by a connected FireWire or USB
camera.
The fourth and last pane is for Flash animations with rendered text.
ArKaos VJ lets you add text to Flash animations, which will then be displayed along with the
visual.
You switch between the different panes by clicking the corresponding tab at the
top of the window.
You import visuals into a pane in the Visuals window by one of three meth-
ods:
Dragging-and-dropping from the Finder in Mac OS or from the Explorer in Windows.
Using the Import command from the File menu in ArKaos VJ.
Clicking the Import Visual button (the folder icon) in the Visuals window.
This is not available on the tabs for streaming video input and Flash animations with rendered
text.
If a video device is connected and properly set up, an icon representing the
device is available in the Streaming Video list in the Visuals window.
For more details about the Visuals window and importing visuals, see page 86.
ARKAOS VJ
BASIC CONCEPTS 63
Effects
An effect does something to alter a visual shown on screen. This can be
anything from shattering the image into little pieces or changing its shape or
colors.
Many effect types are included, and ArKaos VJs open architecture allows
new effects to be added at any time. If you register your version of ArKaos
VJ, as described on page 12, you will be able to get new effects from a user
zone on the ArKaos website as they are developed and made available.
Most of the effects have a number of parameters so that you can adjust
them to your liking.
The Effects window
The Effects window is open by default. It can also be made visible by select-
ing Effects from the Synth menu (or using the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[2]
on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[2] on the PC). The Effects window contains icons for all
effects in the program. The effects are organized into four different catego-
ries: 3D, Video, Transitions and Artistic. You switch between these catego-
ries by clicking the tabs at the top of the Effects window.
ARKAOS VJ
64 BASIC CONCEPTS
Layers
The purpose of Layers is to allow you to combine multiple effects by allow-
ing them to process the active contents of the screen simultaneously.
You open the Layers dialog by selecting Layers from the Synth menu.
Use the dialog to specify the number of Layers you want ArKaos to be able
to display simultaneously. The maximum number of Layers is 50. If you for
example use three Layers, you will be able to use three effects simulta-
neously.
Note that larger numbers of layers can slow down performance, depending on
your processor, system buses and the resolution and screen size with which
youre working (see page 75).
Patch
You set up visuals and effects you want to use in a Patch window (much like
how you set up a Patch on an audio synth). You can have up to 128
Patches per Synth (see below), and switch between them using the mouse,
MIDI or the Automation function. You can also name Patches in the Patch
Info dialog. For more information, see page 81.
ARKAOS VJ
BASIC CONCEPTS 65
The Patch window
The Patch window is where you set up Patches by assigning images and ef-
fects to the representation of the keyboard. Each key in the Patch window
corresponds to a key on your MIDI keyboard.
You can also use the computer keyboard if you so wish. For instance if you
dont have access to a MIDI keyboard. You switch between using the MIDI
keyboard and the computer keyboard by clicking the corresponding icon at
the bottom left of the Patch window.
There are two cells on each key - the lower one is for assigning a visual and
the upper one is for assigning an effect to the key. You make these assign-
ments by dragging-and-dropping elements onto the keyboard from the Vis-
uals and Effects windows.
Any given key can have one or both elements assigned. Separating the two
gives you the flexibility of displaying a visual by pressing one key, and
processing it in various ways by playing other keys with only effects assigned
to them.
The Patch window also contains a slider to let you scroll across the entire
expanse of the keyboard, and an Event sequence list and play control that
lets you play back recordings made with the Event Recorder (see page 186).
Note that you can have multiple Patch windows open simultaneously
one for each Patch in a Synth.
ARKAOS VJ
66 BASIC CONCEPTS
Synth
A Synth consists of up to 128 Patches, a Visuals window with your images
and movies, and various other settings. You could think of the Synth as a
traditional synthesizer able to play different patches in various ways given
the same core set of sounds.
Synths are also ArKaos VJs document format. I.e. when you save an ArKaos
document, you save a Synth file, distinguished by the .kos extension.
You can have several Synths open at the same time, but only one Synth can
be active.
The Synth window
The Synth window displays the current Patch name and allows you to se-
lect other Patches. The currently selected, active Patch is the one that will
be played when you activate the full-screen or Preview display.
The Synth window also features short-cut buttons for a couple of funda-
mental ArKaos VJ functions: The Start Full Screen and Show Automation
window options.
In addition, it also contains a MIDI activity indicator, a button for opening a
Patch (or activating an already open Patch window) and a clickable direct
link to the ArKaos web site.
ARKAOS VJ
BASIC CONCEPTS 67
Preview window
The Preview window lets you audition the visuals and effects while setting
up the Patch. Just play any keys to which you have assigned visuals and effects
and check the result in the Preview window.
Note that a few complex effects will not be displayed in the Preview window. If in
doubt, audition the effect in full-screen mode (see below).
You can position the Preview window anywhere on your display(s) for con-
venience.
The Preview window is open by default. In the event that the Preview win-
dow is closed, and you wish to open it, select Show Preview from the
ArKaos menu (or use the keyboard short-cut [ ]-[P] under Mac OS;
[Ctrl]-[P] under Windows).
ARKAOS VJ
68 BASIC CONCEPTS
Full-screen display
The ArKaos Engine allows you to display your visuals in full-screen mode. If
you have two monitors, the full-screen visuals will appear on the display you
have specified in your monitor configuration (for more information on set-
ting up your displays, see page 24 for Windows users and page 35 for Mac
users).
To activate full-screen mode, use one of the following methods:
Select Start Full Screen from the ArKaos menu.
Use one of the following keyboard shortcuts: [ ]-[A] or [ ]-[Enter] under Mac
OS. [Ctrl]-[A], [Ctrl]-[Enter] or [Ctrl]-[Return] under Windows.
Click on the Start Full Screen button in the Synth window.
To deactivate full-screen mode when using a single display:

Click the mouse button (Mac) or left mouse button (Windows).
To deactivate full-screen mode when using two displays:
Select Stop Full Screen from the ArKaos menu.
Use one of the following keyboard shortcuts: [ ]-[A] or [ ]-[Enter] under Mac
OS. [Ctrl]-[A], [Ctrl]-[Enter] or [Ctrl]-[Return] under Windows.
ARKAOS VJ
BASIC CONCEPTS 69
The Event Recorder
The Event Recorder allows you to record performances directly in ArKaos

VJ without using any external program. It also allows you to work together
with a MIDI program to transfer performances into ArKaos VJ so that
they can be played back without the other application.
The Event Recorder can also render your recordings to QuickTime movies
or Windows Media Video movies for use in ArKaos VJ or other programs
that can read these movie formats.
You open the Event Recorder by pulling down the ArKaos Menu and se-
lecting Event Recorder (or by using the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[R] under
Mac OS); [Ctrl]-[R] under Windows). For more information, see page 185.
ARKAOS VJ
70 BASIC CONCEPTS
6 MANAGING SYNTHS
AND PATCHES
INTRODUCTION
As mentioned in the previous chapter, Basic Concepts, the main ArKaos
VJ document is the Synth. A Synth contains a list of visuals, up to 128
Patches and additional settings.
In this chapter you will learn how to create and manage Synths and what
settings are available for each. You will also learn some basics about
Patches. In the subsequent chapters, you will learn how to actually set up
the Patches including the effects and visuals they use.
CREATING A SYNTH
You create a new Synth in the following way:
1. Select New from the File menu.
A standard file dialog opens.
2. Enter a name and location for your Synth file.
It is often convenient to use the New Folder button and create a new project folder for the
Synth file and visuals. Visual files you add to the Synth will then be saved in this folder.
3. Click on Save.
The new Synth file is created and a Synth panel window is opened, along with the other
Arkaos VJ windows.
ARKAOS VJ
72 MANAGING SYNTHS AND PATCHES
The other, related ArKaos VJ windows can be opened (or activated, if they
already are open) in the following way:
Effects window: Select Effects from the Synth Menu.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[2] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[2] on the PC.
Visuals window: Select Visuals from the Synth menu.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[1] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[1] on the PC.
Patch window: Click on the Show Patch Window icon in the Synth window.
Preview window: Select Show Preview from the ArKaos menu.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[P] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[P] under Windows.
SAVING, OPENING AND CLOSING SYNTHS

Opening Synths
To open a Synth that has been saved to disk, do one of the following:
Select Open from the File menu and navigate to the desired .kos file.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[O] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[O] under Windows.
or...
Double-click a Synth file in the Finder (Mac OS) or the Explorer (Windows).
or...
Select a Synth file from the list of recent files on the File menu.
ArKaos VJ keeps the last 10 .kos files you have opened and worked with on a list on the File
menu for quick access.
ArKaos VJ allows you to have several Synths open at the same time.
This version of ArKaos VJ has the same file format as the previous versions,
hence it is possible to open Synth documents created with older versions of the
program. Synth documents created with this version of the program, on the
other hand, should not be opened with older versions, because of the new
features and effects implemented in this version.
ARKAOS VJ
MANAGING SYNTHS AND PATCHES 73
Closing an open Synth
To close a Synth, do one of the following:
Click on the Synth windows Close Box.
or...
Select Close from the File menu.
You can also use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[W] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[W] under Windows.
Note that the Synth window has to be the active window. If any other window is active, se-
lecting Close will only close that window, not the Synth.
If more than one Synth window is open, only the currently active Synth will be closed.
If the Synth contains unsaved changes, you will be asked if you want to save
it before closing.
Saving a Synth
To save a Synth, select Save from the File menu (or use the keyboard shortcut
[ ]-[S] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[S] under Windows).
Saving a Synth saves any event sequences recorded with the Event Recorder as
well (see page 186).
To save a Synth under a different name and/or in another location, select Save As
from the File menu.
This is useful if you want to make a copy of the Synth, or save a modified, existing Synth but
also want to keep the original intact.
If the Synth includes movies and you save it in a different location on your hard
disk, make sure to activate the Anywhere option in the Movie Folder dialog so
that the Synth can find the related movies (see page 79).
ARKAOS VJ
MAKING SCREEN SETTINGS FOR ASYNTH
You can make screen settings separately for each Synth, independently
from the master display settings described in the chapters Configuration -
Windows and Configuration - Mac on page 21 and page 31 respectively.
Proceed as follows to make screen settings for a Synth:
1. Select Get Synth Info from the Synth menu.
The Synth Info dialog opens.
2. Select the desired Screen Size.

This should be matched to the visuals you plan to use. You should also select a size that your
monitor can actually handle, taking into account that higher resolutions require more data
throughput and therefore place greater demand on the processor and your system buses.
640 x 480 is a classic size/resolution, used in many documents and applications.

This makes for a good compromise between computer power requirement and visual quality.
720 x 576 is the best resolution when displaying on standard PAL/SECAM televi-
sion or video monitors.
800 x 600 & 1024 x 768 are best reserved for use on machines with fast proces-
sors and graphics throughput.
ARKAOS VJ
3. Select the desired Screen Depth.
This is the number of colors used for displaying the visuals. As with higher screen size/resolu-
tion, higher color depths require more processor power and faster system buses.
Optionally, activate Use double buffering in full screen.

See below for details.
4. When you are done, click OK to close the dialog.
About Double Buffering

Activating the option Use double buffering in full screen causes everything
displayed in the ArKaos engine to first be drawn in an off-screen memory
buffer before it is written directly to the screen. This feature has both ad-
vantages and drawbacks:
Activating double-buffering makes it possible to play several keys, or layers (see
page 65), simultaneously without the flickering that might occur if this option is not
activated.
On the other hand, having an extra memory buffer will put an increased load on
your computer and system, thereby decreasing its performance.
If you are running under Windows and choose to activate Use double
buffering in full screen, you also have to decide whether the graphics buffer
should use system memory or video memory (RAM on your video card).
See below for information about this.
This is not an issue on the Mac, which always uses system memory for the graph-
ics buffer.
PC memory issues for Double Buffering

There are some technical considerations to be made regarding the use of
system memory or video memory for graphics buffering on the PC:
If you only have the minimum amount of system memory required to run ArKaos VJ
(see page 8) you should use video memory provided that there is enough on
your video card (see below).
If you decide to use video memory, you should make sure that you have a sufficient
amount of memory on your video card to accommodate the frame buffer (the
amount of memory needed to store the contents of the screen) while still leaving
an ample amount for computation. The required size of the frame buffer depends
on what resolution you use and the memory access-rate (8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit etc.)
of your video card. As a loose rule, it is estimated that a resolution of 1024 x 768
with 64-bit memory access requires 4 MB of video memory for the frame buffer.
ARKAOS VJ
At present, video memory is generally faster than system memory, although this de-
pends on the type of memory on your video card. If you have a video card with
conventional DRAM, it does not make any difference, but if you have VRAM on
your video card, for instance, the speed is significantly higher since that type of
memory is dual-ported (allows read and write operations at the same time).
If your video card is connected through AGP and has a fair amount of RAM, you will
definitely benefit from using video memory for the buffer, since AGP lets the video
card use conventional system memory for computing, leaving all of the video mem-
ory for the frame buffer.
If you are using the Feedback mechanism (see page 100), you should use system
memory. Otherwise, system performance will be severely degraded and noticeably
slower.
If in doubt about what type of memory to use you can test which option gives the
best performance by activating Display Statistics on the ArKaos menu and playing
back a video in Full Screen mode. Compare the displayed frame rate using both
Video and System memory. The higher the frame rate the better the performance.
ARKAOS VJ
MAKING MIDI SETTINGS FOR ASYNTH
In the chapters Configuration - Windows and Configuration - Mac on
page 21 and page 31 respectively, you learned how to set up ArKaos VJ so
that it responds to MIDI signals from the correct source. This setting is valid
for all Synths you create and use. However, there are a number of MIDI
settings that can be set independently for each Synth:
1. If needed, click on the Synth Panel window to make it active.
The Synth Info dialog opens, with the MIDI settings in the upper part of the dialog.
3. Set the MIDI Channel value to the channel your MIDI source is transmitting on.
Now, ArKaos VJ will only react to MIDI messages on this MIDI Channel.
4. Activate Omni On if you want to be absolutely sure that ArKaos VJ will respond
to the signals from your MIDI controller, no matter which MIDI channel it is trans-
mitting on.
This makes ArKaos VJ respond to messages on all 16 MIDI channels. If you plan to run other
MIDI devices in the same MIDI chain and want to be able to separate the messages to differ-
ent devices, Omni On should not be activated.
5. If you want to be able to switch between Patches using MIDI Program Change
messages, activate the Receive Program Change option.
This is described in more detail on page 174.
6. If you want to have the visuals of a new patch preloaded into memory for faster dis-
play, activate the Load Visuals On Program Change option.
This is described in more detail on page 174.
7. Click OK.
ARKAOS VJ
SPECIFYING A LOCATION FOR MOVIES
While ArKaos VJ will allow you to put your movie files anywhere on your
hard disk(s), placing them in the same folder as the Synth file can make for
faster retrieval (this may not be a concern if you have a very fast system
though).
To specify a location for your movie files, proceed as follows:
Select Movie Folder... from the Synth menu.
In the dialog that appears, you have two options:
Select In the same folder... if you wish to keep your movies in the same folder as
the Synth file for the fastest possible retrieval.
Select Anywhere if you want to allow your movies to be located anywhere on
your disk(s).
Note that if you later wish to relocate your movies to the same folder as the
Synth file but still have this option activated, the movie will still be found. This is
because the ArKaos Engine will first try to find the movie in its original location,
then look in the same folder as the Synth file.
ARKAOS VJ
MANAGING PATCHES
This short section only shows you some basic management procedures in
the Synth window that relate to Patches. See the chapter Setting up the vi-
suals to learn how to actually set up and create Patches.
Opening a Patch window

To open the Patch window for a Patch, proceed as follows:
1. Click on the up and down arrows on the Synth panel to select the desired Patch.
The up and down arrow buttons let you switch to the next/previous Patch in the Synth.
2. Click the Show Patch Window button in the Synth window.
A new Patch window opens with the selected Patch.
Selecting Patches
There can be up to 128 Patches in a Synth (though you will probably rarely,
if ever, use that many), and you can have as many of these 128 Patches as
you like open at the same time.
The name of the current Patch is displayed in the Synth window. It also ap-
pears in the titles of the Visuals, Patch and Preview windows helpful in
identifying the associated windows when you have multiple Synths and/or
Patches open. There are three ways to select an open Patch in ArKaos VJ:
Click the up and down arrow buttons in the Synth window to select the desired
patch and then click the Show Patch Window button.
Click directly on an open Patch window to select the corresponding Patch.
See above for instructions on how to open a Patch window.
Switch between Patches via MIDI Program Change messages.

For more information, see page 174.
ARKAOS VJ
Copying Patches
You can copy an entire Patch and paste it into a new, empty Patch. Make
sure that nothing is selected in the Patch you want to copy, and then use
the Copy and Paste commands as usual.
Naming and getting info about a Patch

Since you can have up to 128 different Patches in a Synth, it is practical to
give them names corresponding to their contents and use.
This can be done in the Patch Info window, which also provides you with
information about the total amount of memory occupied by a Patch - a
useful feature for Patch management purposes:
1. Open and select the desired Patch window using any of the methods described
above, to make sure it is active.
2. Select Get Patch Info from the Patch menu.
The Patch Info window opens. This contains information about the number of pictures and
movies used in the Patch, and the total amount of memory occupied by these. It also con-
tains a name box for the Patch.
3. To rename the Patch, type in a new name and click OK.

The new name is displayed in the title bar of the Patch window, and in the Patch field in the
Synth control panel window.
The default names for the Patches are Empty 0 to Empty 127. Since these
numbers also correspond to the MIDI Program Change numbers for each Patch,
it might be a good idea to keep the numbers at the end of the Patch names. That
way, it will be easier to find the right Program Change number for each Patch, if
you want to change Patches via MIDI later on. For more information on MIDI
Program Changes, see page 174.
ARKAOS VJ
ARKAOS VJ
7 SETTINGUP THE
VISUALS
PREPARATIONS
When you prepare your visuals, please consider the following guidelines:
General
The size of each visual should match the screen size specified for the Synth
(see page 75). This is required in order for the picture, as is, to cover the
whole screen. ArKaos VJ has features for changing the size of any visual, but
the results are better if the original size is as close to the desired size as pos-
sible.
Static picture file formats

ArKaos VJ can read picture files in the following formats:
PICT: A standard picture format for the Macintosh.
BMP: A standard picture format for the Windows platform.
JPEG: A compressed picture format, popularly used on the Internet.
Picture file considerations

Here are some considerations when using picture files:
Picture files can be located anywhere on your hard disk(s), but it is often convenient
to gather all your pictures along with the Synth file in a folder specially created for
the project.
For a good balance between computer speed requirements and visual quality, we
recommend that you use full-screen images of the size 640 x 480 pixels (or even di-
visions thereof) and the resolution 72 dpi.
Consider using the JPEG file format exclusively for your visuals, since it is the small-
est in size of the three supported formats. JPEG pictures use a compression algo-
rithm, and most picture editing applications let you specify the rate of compression
when converting pictures to this format. The compression scale used differs from
application to application, but as a rule of thumb you should use a low compression
ratio if you want visuals of a high quality. If your foremost priority is reducing the pic-
tures in size, you should use a high compression ratio.
You may use 16-bit (thousands of colors) or 32-bit (millions of colors) picture files.
While millions of colors give the highest picture quality, they put a greater demand
on your computer and result in larger Synth files. 16-bit pictures are smaller and are
loaded more quickly.
ARKAOS VJ
84 SETTING UP THE VISUALS
Movie file formats
ArKaos VJ can use moving visuals in the following formats:
QuickTime movies (MOV)
Video for Windows movies (AVI)
Flash Animations (SWF)
Movie file considerations

The following are some considerations when using movie files:
Movies should ideally be in a size that is a multiple of the Synths screen size. For ex-
ample, a movie in 160 x 120 can be displayed in four times its original size, to cover
a 640 x 480 screen.
Make sure all movies are saved in self-contained format (rather than with pointers
to other movies).
We recommend that you place the movies you want to use in the same folder as
the Synth file, since this provides the fastest access. However, you can also use the
Movie folder dialog on the Synth menu (see page 79) to specify that the movies
are located anywhere on your hard disk(s).
It is generally a good idea to fine-tune your movies using a pre-processing tool. It is,
for example, always beneficial to remove the audio track of a movie.
ARKAOS VJ
SETTING UP THE VISUALS 85
THE VISUALS WINDOW
The Visuals window contains lists of all the visuals (pictures, movies, live
video feeds and Flash animations with rendered text) used in a Synth. Note
that the Visuals window is common to all Patches in your Synth.
Show streaming
video feeds
Show videos Show Flash text
Show Pictures animations
Delete visual
Import visual
Opening the Visuals window

To open the Visuals window, select Visuals from the Synth menu (or use
the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[1] under Mac OS; [Ctrl]-[1] under Windows).
Switching between the different types of image lists

The Visuals window consists of four lists in four different panes, one for
static pictures, one for movies, one for streaming video feeds and one for
Flash text animations. To select one of these panes, click on the associated
tab at the top of the Visuals window.
ARKAOS VJ
Importing visuals
There are several ways to import visuals into ArKaos VJ:
Using drag & drop

1. Open the Visuals window.
2. Locate the visuals you want to import in the Mac OS Finder or the Windows Ex-
plorer.
Youll need to arrange the windows so that they are both visible when ArKaos VJ is active.
3. Drag the file icon from the Finder or Explorer to the Visuals window.
ArKaos VJ automatically puts the visual in the correct list.
Using the Import command

1. Select Import from the File menu.
A dialog appears.
2. Select whether you want to import a movie or a picture by clicking the corresponding
button.
A standard file dialog appears.
3. Locate the file you want to import and click Open.
The visual icon is added to the correct list in the Visuals window.
ARKAOS VJ
Using the Import button
1. Select whether you want to import a static image or a movie by clicking the corre-
sponding tab in the Visuals window.
2. Click on the Import button in the Visuals window.

The visual icon is added to the list in the Visuals window.
Importing directly into the Patch window

You can import visuals directly onto the Patch window in one of two ways.
By dragging and dropping files onto the keyboard in the Patch window:
1. Locate the visuals you want to import in either the Mac OS Finder or the Windows
Explorer.
Youll need to arrange the windows so that they are both visible when ArKaos VJ is active.
2. Drag the icon directly onto the desired key in the Patch window.
The corresponding icon is also placed in the correct list in the Visuals window.
By importing files onto the keyboard in the Patch window:
1. Double-click in the Visual cell of a key in the Patch window.
The Import dialog appears.
2. Select whether you want to import a movie or a picture by clicking the corresponding
button.
The visual icon is placed on the key, and also in the correct list in the Visuals window.
ARKAOS VJ
Streaming video into ArKaos VJ
You can stream a live video feed into ArKaos VJ. This can then be assigned
to a key, and you can process it with effects and display it just like a regular
visual.
This requires that you have connected and correctly set up a USB or
FireWire video device, such as a web cam.
If the video device is connected and properly set up, an icon representing the de-
vice is available in the Streaming Video list in the Visuals window.
You can double-click the icon to open a separate window where you can preview
the video feed.
Select the streaming video feed icon in the list and click the icon in the top right
corner of the visuals window if you wish to configure the device for ArKaos VJ.
This opens a configuration dialog for the device, allowing you to specify for example its frame
rate, resolution, video standard etc. The exact contents of the dialog depend on the connected
device and the operating system.
Click here to open the configuration dialog for the video device.
When you have assigned a streaming video feed to a key, you might often want to
activate the Latch function for it (see page 107) so that the video plays contin-
uously.
ARKAOS VJ
Removing visuals from the Visuals window
Visuals can be removed from the Visuals window in three ways:
Click on the desired visual to select it, and then select Clear from the Edit menu.
Select the desired visual and use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[Delete] under Mac
OS; [Ctrl]-[Delete] under Windows.
Select the desired visual and click on the Delete icon in the Visuals window.
Removing a visual from the Visuals window will also remove all references to it in
every Patch in the Synth.
Note that it is not possible to remove visuals from the streaming video list! This
is because the icons in the Streaming Video list are actually not visuals per se,
but representations of your connected Video equipment.
ARKAOS VJ
VISUALS - GENERAL HANDLING
Assigning a visual to a key
Assigned effect Assigned visual
Various assigned visuals and effects in the keyboard layout.

ArKaos VJ allows each key on the MIDI keyboard or computer keyboard to
have an associated visual and/or an effect. Each key contains two cells -
one can hold a visual, and one can hold an effect.
On the MIDI keyboard the upper cell is for effects, and the lower is for visuals.
On the computer keyboard, the left cell contains the visual and the right cell con-
tains the effect.
When a visual is assigned to a key, the cell contains the icon for that visual.
As described below, there are several ways to assign a visual to a key:
ARKAOS VJ
Dragging the visual icon from the Visuals window.
Click on the desired icon in the Visuals window, drag it onto the Patch window, and drop it
on the lower cell of the key to which you wish to assign it.
Click and drag a

visual icon from
the list...
...and drop it on
the lower cell of
the desired key
in the Patch win-
dow.
Dragging the visual icon from the Finder (Mac OS) or the Explorer (Windows).
Click and drag the icon in the same way as above, but from the Finder/Explorer, and drop it
on the cell.
Double-clicking on an empty cell on the Patch window keyboard.

This opens a dialog, where you can choose to import a picture file or a movie, just like when
you select Import from the File menu.
Copying a visual icon from one key to another in the Patch window keyboard.
If you drag a visual icon from one cell to another, you will create a copy of it. This feature
works between different Patch windows as well.
Using the Cut, Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu.
First select the source cell and use the Cut or Copy command. Then select the destination
cell and use the Paste command. You can repeat the Paste operation with other cells if you
like.
ARKAOS VJ
Checking the visuals
If you have a large number of visuals in your Visuals window, it can be very
hard to remember how they all look. However, you can check a visual by
displaying it without actually triggering it:
1. Double-click on a Visual icon in the Visuals window.
The Visual opens in a separate window. This window will be in one of two sizes depending
on whether the Preview window is open or not. For a larger size, close the Preview window
first.
2. If the visual is a movie, you can use the controls at the bottom of the window to
view it.
These consist of (from left to right) a Play/Stop button, a movie transport slider (that lets you
view any segment of the movie at any speed) and buttons for stepping through the movie
one frame at a time, forwards or backwards.
3. Click on the windows Close Box when youre finished.
ARKAOS VJ
Removing a visual from a key
If you just want to replace one visual with another, there is no need to
remove the first one. However, there may be situations when you need
empty keys, and therefore wish to remove a visual from a key.
You can remove a visual from a key in several ways:
Click on the visual icon in the Patch window keyboard, and then select Clear
from the Edit menu.
Click on the visual icon in the Patch window keyboard, and then select Cut from
the Edit menu.
This will remove the icon from the cell, and place it on the clipboard where it can be used for
subsequent pasting operations.
Click on the visual icon in the Patch window keyboard and use the keyboard short-
cut [ ]-[Delete] under Mac OS; [Ctrl]-[Delete] under Windows.
ARKAOS VJ
THE VISUAL INFO DIALOG
The Visual Info dialog allows you to make a number of settings for each
visual, such as specifying its size and position for example:
1. Click on the visual cell of the desired key in the Patch window.
A selected visual is displayed with a highlight.
2. Select Get Visual Info from the Patch menu.
or...
Use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[I] under Mac OS; [Ctrl]-[I] under Windows).
or...
Just double-click on the desired cell.
This is only possible if there actually is a visual assigned to the cell, though.
3. Make the desired settings and click OK to exit the dialog and save the changes.
See below for descriptions of the settings.
Note that you can open the Visual Info dialog for a key even if there is no visual
assigned to it! This is because certain settings in the dialog are also applicable to
effects placed alone on keys. This way, you can make settings for an effect on a
key without also having to place a visual on it.
ARKAOS VJ
Size and Position settings
You use the position box to the top left and the three drop-down menus
to the right (Horizontal position, Vertical position and Size, to deter-
mine the size and position of the visual in the full-screen display.
The menus contain the following options:
Horizontal position
Horizontal position Function
Left The visual is aligned with the left side of the screen.
Center The visual is centered horizontally.
Right The visual is aligned with the right side of the screen.
Any In this mode you can position the visual freely along the
horizontal axis, by dragging the picture square in the box
to the left. You can also specify a value in the box to the
right of the menu to position the visual horizontally. Click
in the box and type in the desired value. You can specify
any value you wish and observe the result in the position
box. However - if you dont want any part of the visual to
be outside the screen - you should enter a value be-
tween 1-320, where 1 means the visual will be aligned
with the left side of the screen, and 320 means the visual
will be aligned with the right side of the screen.
To be able to position the visual freely, it has to be smaller than the screen! This
is accomplished by changing the Size settings, as described below.
ARKAOS VJ
Vertical position
Vertical position Function
Top The visual is aligned with the top of the screen.
Center The visual is centered vertically.
Bottom The visual is aligned with the bottom of the screen.
Any In this mode you can position the visual freely along the
vertical axis, by dragging the picture square in the box to
the left. You can also specify a value in the box to the right
of the menu to position the visual vertically. Click in the box
and type in the desired value. You can specify any value you
wish and observe the result in the position box. However -
if you dont want any part of the visual to be outside the
screen - you should enter a value between 1-240, where 1
means the visual will be aligned with the top of the screen,
and 240 means the visual will be aligned with the bottom of
the screen.
To be able to position the visual freely, it has to be smaller than the screen! This
is accomplished by changing the Size settings, as described below.
ARKAOS VJ
Size
Size Function
Half The visual will be displayed in half its normal size.
Original The visual will be displayed in its normal size.
Double The visual will be displayed in twice its normal size.
Full Screen The visual will be made to fit the screen.
Arbitrary Size In this mode you can resize the visual freely without propor-
tional constraints. Use the value boxes to the right of the
menu to specify the width and the height of the visual. The up-
per box controls the width and the lower controls the height.
Click in any of the boxes and type in the desired value. You
can specify any value you want and observe the result in the
position box. However - if you dont want any part of the vi-
sual to be outside the screen - you should enter a maximum
value of 640 for width and 480 for height.
Proportional Size In this mode you can resize the visual freely by specifying ei-
ther a width or a height in the value boxes to the right of the
menu. However, the resizing is proportional, meaning that if
you resize a visuals width, its height will automatically be re-
sized as well, and vice versa. This way, the original proportions
of the visual are retained. Click in any of the boxes and type in
the desired value - the upper box controls the width and the
lower controls the height. You can specify any value you want
and observe the result in the position box. However - if you
dont want any part of the visual to be outside the screen -
you should enter a maximum value of 640 for width and 480
for height.
ARKAOS VJ
Layer priority
This menu contains a couple of options that can be very useful when you
take advantage of the multi-layering capabilities of ArKaos VJ (as described
on page 65). By using several layers, you can display several visuals or effects
simultaneously - one for each layer. In such a case, you might for example
want to force an effect that occupies the entire screen (such as 3D Tunnel)
to always play in the background so that other effects can be played on top
of it, at the same time. You can use the Layer Priority settings to achieve
this.
The drop-down menu contains the following options:
Option Function
None No layer priority is activated for the key.
Always in front When this option is activated, ArKaos VJ will always con-
sider the associated key as the last key played, regardless
of how many keys you play simultaneously and in which
order. As a result, the visual or effect on the key will al-
ways be displayed in the foreground, forcing other visuals
or effects to be displayed behind it.
Always in background When this option is activated, ArKaos VJ will always con-
sider the associated key as the first key played, regardless
of how many keys you play simultaneously and in which
order. As a result, the visual or effect on the key will al-
ways be displayed in the background, allowing other visu-
als or effects to be displayed on top of it.
Note that its not necessary to have a visual on the key if you want to apply Layer
Priority. It can be applied to an effect placed alone on a key, if desired. To access
the above parameters on a key with no visual, just click on the key and open the
Visual Info dialog from the Patch menu, or use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[I] un-
der Mac OS; [Ctrl]-[I] under Windows).
Also note that if you play more than one key simultaneously that has the same
Layer Priority option activated (front or background), the visual or effect on the
first pressed key will be stopped and replaced by the visual or effect on the sec-
ond pressed key. They will not both play at once.
ARKAOS VJ
Feedback
The feedback mechanism in ArKaos VJ can be used to create interesting
repetition effects.
When a feedback option is activated for a key, the output from the key (a
visual combined with an effect, or an effect only) is sent into a temporary
memory buffer, and then fed back to the input of the key. This causes an
image identical to the original one, only with a time delay and a slightly dif-
ferent shape, to appear on the screen along with the original.
The following Feedback options are available:
Feedback setting Description
None No feedback is applied.
Local When playing multiple layers at once (see page 65), only
the current layer (the one triggered by the key with this
option selected) is affected by the feedback.
Global When playing multiple layers at once, all active layers are
affected by the feedback, even if only one of the layers
has this option activated.
Note that its not necessary to have a visual on the key if you want to apply Feed-
back. It can be applied to an effect placed alone on a key, if desired. To access the
above parameters on a key with no visual, just click on the key and open the Vi-
sual Info dialog from the Patch menu, or use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[I] under
Mac OS; [Ctrl]-[I] under Windows).
ARKAOS VJ
Masking settings
If youre using multiple layers (as described on page 65), Masking can be
used to make certain areas of a visual completely or partially transparent,
thereby revealing parts of underlying visuals, to create a composite image.
The following masking parameters are available:
Mask
This is where you select a Mask type:
Mask type Function
None No mask is applied.
Background Copy The background parts of the visual will be masked, causing
only the foreground parts to be visible. The background
equals the first color in the visuals color information palette.
If a visual for instance consists of mostly black with only a few
brighter colors, the first color in the palette is black, meaning
that the black parts of the visual will be masked and not visible.
Luminance With this mask type, the mask is based on brightness infor-
mation of the visual. This means that you can specify a bright-
ness range, and all areas of the visual that fall within the
specified range will be masked (see below for information on
how to specify the mask range).
Chrominance With this mask type, the mask is based on color information
of the visual. This means that you specify a color range, and all
areas of the visual that fall within this range are masked (see
below for information on how to specify the mask range).
Alpha from Source Many image editing applications allow you to save transpar-
ency information as an Alpha channel within the image. The
Alpha channel can consist of for instance a color range or a
selection. If a visual you import into ArKaos VJ contains an Al-
pha channel, you can specify this option for it. The Alpha
channel will then be transparent when the visual is displayed
in ArKaos VJ.
ARKAOS VJ
Luminance/Hue
This is only available if you select Luminance or Chrominance as Mask
type (see above). This value controls the range position of the mask - i.e.
which range of brightness or color values should be affected by the mask.
From the menu you can select whether the range position of the Lumi-
nance or Chrominance mask should be static or controlled in real-time with
a MIDI controller.
Select Constant from the drop-down menu if you want to use a static range po-
sition value for the mask.
In this case, you specify the Luminance or Chrominance range for the mask with the range
sliders or the top value box to the right (see below).
Select Controller if you want to be able to change the range position value for
the Luminance or Chrominance mask in real-time with a MIDI controller.
In this case, enter the desired MIDI controller number in the top value box to the right.
Filter Type
This is available only if you select Luminance or Chrominance as Mask
type (see above). The options on this menu let you specify whether the
mask should be applied to the brightness or color range you specify, or all
values outside of the range.
If you select Band Reject, the brightness or color range you specify for the mask
will be masked and transparent when the visual is displayed.
If you select Band Pass, all parts of the visual that fall outside of the brightness or
color range you specify for the mask will be masked and transparent when the vi-
sual is displayed.
Filter Width
This is only available if you select Luminance or Chrominance as Mask
type (see above). This value controls the width of the brightness or color
range you specify with the Luminance/Hue parameter (see above).
From the menu you can select whether the width of the Luminance or
Chrominance mask range should be static or controlled in real-time with a
MIDI controller.
ARKAOS VJ
Select Constant from the drop-down menu if you want to use a static mask range
width.
In this case, you specify the width of the Luminance or Chrominance range for the mask with
the sliders or the bottom value box to the right (see below).
Select Controller if you want to be able to change the width of the Luminance or
Chrominance mask range in real-time with a MIDI controller.
In this case, enter the desired MIDI controller number in the bottom value box to the right.
Range sliders
The sliders to the right in the dialog can be used for setting the position and
width of the mask range, if you use either Luminance or Chrominance
as mask type, and have specified Constant under Luminance/Hue and/
or Filter Width.
Click and drag the upper sliders to change the range boundaries.
If you have based the mask on Luminance the scale shows brightness.
Drag to the left to make the brightness range include darker nuances, and to the right if you
want it to include lighter nuances.
If you have based the mask on Chrominance, the scale shows color ranges.
Click and drag to make the mask range include the desired color(s).
The lower sliders can be used for changing the Smooth value.
The Smooth option softens the edges of the Mask boundaries by including adjacent nuances
outside the actual value range. Click and drag either of the lower sliders to extend the
Smooth range.
You can observe the values in the value boxes to the left when you use the slid-
ers to make settings. Alternatively, you can type in the desired values directly.
Note that the Masking settings work in conjunction with the Copy Mode settings
(see below). That is, the actual result of the Masking settings also depends on the
Copy Mode settings and vice versa. Experiment with different combinations of
both to find the result that works best.
ARKAOS VJ
Copy Mode
If youre using multiple layers (as described on page 65), you can use the
Copy Mode settings for determining how a visual is displayed when super-
imposed on another visual - that is, how the different layers should be
combined, or blended, together.
The result is based on different computations and combinations of the nu-
merical color values of the respective visuals. An image actually consists of a
combination of three different color channels - red, green and blue. What
determines the actual color of an element within an image is the values of
these three channels - the RGB value. If for example all three color channels
have the maximum value at the same time, the resulting color will be white.
If they all have the minimum value, the resulting color will be black.
So different colors are produced by specifying different values for the three
separate color channels. When blending visuals together in ArKaos VJ, the
result depends on how the color channel values of one visual are computed
with the values of the other visual.
The following options, available on the Copy Mode pop-up menu, all cause
different computations of the visuals color values:
Copy Mode Description
Source Copy The screen will be completely redrawn with the visual, mean-
ing that the visual will cover any previous visual completely
rather than blend with it.
Transparent The visual will be shown in different degrees of transparency,

allowing you to see the previous visual through it. The degree
of transparency can either be constant or controlled in real-
time with MIDI controller messages. Choose Constant or
Controller from the Transparence drop-down menu, and
then type in a value in the value box to the right. If you
choose Constant, you specify a fixed transparency value,
and if you choose Controller, you specify which MIDI con-
troller number you want to use.
Addition With this mode, each color channel value of the visual will be
added to the corresponding channel value of the previous,
underlying visual.
ARKAOS VJ
Copy Mode Description
Subtraction With this mode, each color channel value of the visual will be
subtracted from the corresponding channel value of the pre-
vious visual. This can produce negative color values which in-
vert or drastically change the colors of the visual.
Multiplication With this mode, each color channel value of the visual will be
multiplied with the corresponding channel value of the previ-
ous visual. This always produces darker colors.
Minimum With this mode, the minimum value produced by combining

the color channel values of the respective visuals is added to
all color channel values. I.e. the darkest color produced (the
lowest value) is used, thereby enhancing the dark areas of
both visuals.
Maximum With this mode, the maximum value produced by combining

the color channel values of the respective visuals is added to
all color channel values. I.e. the lightest color produced (the
highest value) is used, thereby enhancing the light areas of
both visuals.
Note that the Copy Mode settings work in conjunction with the Masking settings
(see page 101). That is, the actual result of the Copy Mode settings also depends
on the Masking settings and vice versa. Experiment with different combinations of
both to find the result that works best.
ARKAOS VJ
Movie Speed
The items on this menu let you control either the playback speed or the
playback position of a movie:
If you select Constant, the movie will be played back at a fixed speed when you
press the key.
Specify the desired speed in the value box to the right. 100 equals normal speed, meaning
that values below 100 cause the movie to be played back slower, and values above 100
speed up playback.
If you select Speed Controller, you will be able to control the playback speed of
the movie with MIDI controller messages.
Use the value box to the right to specify which MIDI controller number you want to use for
controlling the playback speed.
If you select Position Controller, you can control the playback position of the
movie, i.e. step from frame to frame - forwards and backwards, with MIDI controller
messages.
Use the value box to the right to specify which MIDI controller number you want to use for
controlling the playback position.
Flash Text
This text field lets you add and edit text to a Flash animation placed on the
key. The text you enter here will then be rendered and displayed with the
Flash animation when you press the key.
ArKaos VJ comes with several flash animations specifically made for display-
ing and animating text in various ways. These are available in a special Flash
Text folder in the ArKaos VJ program folder, and can be imported into the
Flash Text pane in the Visuals window (see page 86). You can then assign
the Flash animations to keys as usual (see page 87), and enter any text you
want to accompany them.
ARKAOS VJ
Latch
Normally, a visual or effect will only play as long as the key is pressed. When
you release the key, it will stop playing. With Latch engaged however, the
visual or effect on the key will instead run continuously until you press the
key a second time to stop it.
This can be very useful for instance if you stream video directly into ArKaos
VJ (see page 89), and want the video feed to run continuously while you
display other visuals and effects at the same time.
All Notes Off

Pressing a key with this option activated causes any and all visuals and
effects on other keys currently playing to be stopped.
This is useful for instance if youre using multiple layers (see page 65) and
have Latch engaged (see above), and want to clear all layers before launch-
ing a new visual. In such a case you can activate this option for the new visual.
Load into RAM

This option is available for movies only.
If Load into RAM is activated, the movie will be loaded into memory before the
Patch is played.
This will make it easier for the computer to display the movie, sometimes resulting in the
movie running smoother. Note that a movie loaded into RAM requires the same amount of
free RAM as the hard disk space it occupies. I.e. if a movie occupies 1 MB on your hard disk,
it will also require 1 MB of free RAM.
If Load into RAM is not activated, the movie will be played back directly from the
hard disk.
This is good if you are short on RAM, but may result in jumpy movie playback if your hard
disk is not sufficiently fast. We recommend that you first try to run movies without Load into
RAM activated. If the movie playback is OK then, all is well; otherwise, try activating Load
into RAM.
ARKAOS VJ
ARKAOS VJ
8 THE EFFECTS
INTRODUCTION
ArKaos VJ includes 62 different effects (63 on the Macintosh) and a plug-in
architecture that can accommodate even more. This chapter describes
the effects and their usage in great detail.
THE EFFECTS WINDOW

The Effects window contains icons for all the internal effects, as well as the
external effects in the Plug-In folder inside your ArKaos VJ folder.
To open the Effects window, pull down the Synth menu and select Effects...
(or use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[3] under Mac OS or [Ctrl]-[3] under
Windows).
The effects are divided into four different categories. To switch between
the categories, click on the corresponding tabs at the top of the Effects win-
dow.
Video effects
3D effects Transition Artistic effects
effects
The effect category tabs.
ARKAOS VJ
110 THE EFFECTS
EFFECTS - GENERAL
About Plug-in effects
ArKaos VJ has a number of built-in effects. In addition, the program uses a
plug-in architecture that allows new effects to be added. Included with the
program are a number of Plug-in effects, placed in a subfolder in the ArKaos
VJ program folder. Additional plug-ins will be made available to ArKaos VJ
users as they are developed. Please monitor the ArKaos web page for more
information.
To install a plug-in effect, simply drag it to ArKaos VJs Plug In folder be-
fore launching the program.
Assigning an effect to a key

You assign an effect to a key by placing its icon in the appropriate cell on
the desired key in the Patch window. Effects reside in the upper cell on the
MIDI keyboard, and in the right cell on the computer keyboard.
You can assign effects in the following ways:
Drag the desired effect icon from the Effects window.
Click on the icon in the Effects window, drag it to the Patch window, and drop it on the
desired key.
Drag the effect icon from one key to another in the Patch keyboard window.
The effect (and its settings) will be copied, with the original remaining intact.
Use the standard Cut, Copy and Paste commands within the Patch window.
Effects strategies
You may place an effect on a key together with a visual or on a separate
key with no visual. Please note the following:
An effect combined with a visual on the same key affects that visual only.
With small visuals, this means that any image in the surrounding background is unaffected.
Placing an effect on its own key allows you to apply it to the entire screen, and you
can also combine it with other effects by triggering several keys simultaneously.
The Hypersize, Vortex, Warp and Size effects will only work when combined
with a visual on the same key.
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Removing an effect from a key
If you just want to replace one effect with another, there is no need to re-
move the first one. Simply assign the new effect to the key, and it will re-
place the old one. However, there may be situations when you need empty
keys, and therefore wish to remove the effect from a key. This can be done
in several ways:
Click on the effect icon and select Clear from the Edit menu.
Click on the effect icon and select Cut from the Edit menu.
This will remove the icon from the cell, and place it on the clipboard. This makes it possible
to subsequently paste the effect onto other keys.
Click on the effect icon and press [ ]-[Delete] on the Mac or [Ctrl]-[Delete] under
Windows.
Editing effects
If you have already placed an effect on a key in the Patch window, you can
easily edit the effects settings for that individual key:
1. In the Patch window, double-click on the icon for the effect you want to edit.
A dialog with additional settings opens (a few effects have no settings, in which case nothing
will happen).
The options dialog for the Larsen plug-in effect.

2. Make the desired settings, then click OK.
To exit the dialog without keeping your changes, click Cancel.
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112 THE EFFECTS
FACTORY EFFECT PARAMETERS
On the following pages, the built-in effects included with ArKaos VJ are
listed, together with their icons and parameters:
3D effects
Aspheroids
This effect turns the image into a number of swirling and bouncing orbs
(planets).
The options for this effect are as follows:
Option Description
Orbit This controls how the planets move on the screen. You can
choose between four different animations.
Planets Number: Selects the number of planets. The maximum

number is 10.
Transparency: Activate this to make the planets trans-
parent, making the background visible through them.
Swap Images: Normally the planets consist of the image,
and are placed on the background color of the ArKaos En-
gine.
With this activated, the image will be the background, and
the planets will consist of the background color.
Orbital Speed This lets you decide how fast the planets will move around
on the screen. You can either specify a constant number, in
milliseconds (the lower the number, the faster the move-
ment), or any MIDI controller number to use for determining
the speed.
Revolution Speed This lets you decide how fast the planets will revolve around
their own axes. You can either specify a constant number, in
milliseconds (the lower the number, the faster the revolu-
tion), or any MIDI controller number to use for determining
the speed.
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THE EFFECTS 113
Galactic Scrolling
This effect scrolls the image across the screen, in a slanting fashion.
Option Description
Control The time it takes for the effect to complete a scroll.

Constant Speed of: This lets you specify a time between
1 and 65000 milliseconds.
Modulation Wheel: This lets you use the modulation
wheel on your MIDI keyboard to control the scrolling.
Pitch Wheel: This lets you use the pitch bend wheel on
your MIDI keyboard to control the scrolling.
MIDI Controller: This lets you assign any MIDI controller
number to control the scrolling in real-time.
Scrolling Sets the scrolling direction. The options are: Upwards,

Downwards, Back & Forth, Forth & Back.
Wrapping One Image: With this setting, the image will scroll once
across the screen and then disappear.
Wrap Image: With this setting, several instances of the
image will scroll across the screen continuously.
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114 THE EFFECTS
PlanetWorks
This effect turns the image into a planetarium, with a number of planets and
satellites revolving around one another.
Option Description
Planets This lets you specify the number of planets (and orbiting Sat-
ellites). The maximum number is 10.
Transparency: Activate this to make the planets trans-
parent.
Swap Images: Normally the planets consist of the image,
and are placed on the background color of the ArKaos En-
gine. With this activated, the image will be the background,
and the planets will consist of the background color.
Planet Speed This lets you decide how fast the planets will move around
on the screen. You can either specify a constant number, in
milliseconds (the lower the number, the faster the move-
ment), or any MIDI controller number to use for determining
the speed.
Planet Size This lets you decide how big the planets will be. You can ei-
ther specify a constant number, in percent, or any MIDI con-
troller number to be able to change the planet size in real
time.
Planet Orbit Radius This lets you specify how far apart the planets should be, if
you have several on screen. You can specify either a constant
percentage or any MIDI controller number, to change the dis-
tance between planets in real-time.
Revolution Speed This lets you decide how fast the planets and satellites will re-
volve around their own axes. You can either specify a con-
stant number, in milliseconds (the lower the number, the
faster the revolution), or any MIDI controller number to use
for determining the speed.
ARKAOS VJ
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Option Description
Satellite Speed This lets you decide how fast a satellite will rotate around its
planet. You can either specify a constant number, in millisec-
onds (the lower the number, the faster the rotation), or any
MIDI controller number to use for determining the speed.
Satellite Size This lets you decide how big the satellites will be. You can
specify either a constant percentage or any MIDI controller
number to change the satellite size in real-time.
Satellite Orbit This lets you specify how far away from its planet a satellite
Radius should be. You can either specify a constant number (in per-
cent) or any MIDI controller number to be able to change
the distance in real-time.
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116 THE EFFECTS
Particles
This effect shatters the image into small fragments, which are then animated
in various ways. The options for this effect are as follows:
Option Description
Effect Effect: Here you can choose from a number of preset an-
imations.
New Image On Particles: Indicates that the particles
will be made out of the image, and the background will be of
the background color (by default black).
New Image In Background: Indicates that the image
will be shown in the background, while the particles will be of
the background color (by default black).
Animation Control Constant Speed of: This lets you specify the speed of
the animation. You can enter a number between 1-65000
milliseconds.
number, with which you can change the animation speed.
Reverse Animation: This option reverses the entire ani-
mation sequence. If an animation for instance starts with a
whole image which is then shattered into particles, activating
this option will instead turn the animation into particles gath-
ering to form a whole image.
Sea-Sick Animation: This will make the animation less
fluid, and cause it to periodically and rhythmically come to a
near halt before proceeding.
Lighting No Lighting: With this option activated there will be no

lighting.
Static Light: With this option activated there will be a
continuous, static lighting effect.
MIDI Controller: With this option you can assign any
MIDI controller number to control the lighting effects.
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THE EFFECTS 117
Option Description
Translucency Opaque: With this setting, the particles are solid rather
than translucent.
Dissolve Far Stuff: With this setting, the particles are
translucent and blended into the background.
MIDI Controller: This setting lets you assign any MIDI
controller number for controlling the translucency of the par-
ticles in real-time.
Number Of Particles This lets you chose between four different levels of detail,
with Sluggish Myriad being the best but also the most de-
manding on your system.
Particles Rotation Random: This means that the particles will rotate at ran-
dom intervals and speed, independent of the speed set under
Animation Control.
Time-dependent: This means that the particles will ro-
tate in sync with the speed set under Animation Control
(Constant or MIDI controller).
controller number for controlling the rotation of the particles
in real-time.
Particles Size Constant: This means that the size of the particles will
never change during the animation.
Shrink Then Vanish: This causes the particles to slowly
be reduced in size during the animation, to eventually disap-
pear completely.
controller number for controlling the size of the particles in
real-time.
(Experts Only) - Z- This is an algorithm used in 3-D graphics. It controls how ob-
Sorting jects are displayed, in front of, and behind other objects. The
way it works is basically that it starts by displaying the most far
away objects in a 3-D image, and then displays each closer
object over the previous. Experiment at your own leisure
with this function, but bear in mind that it consumes quite a
bit of CPU capacity.
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118 THE EFFECTS
Tunnel 3D
This effect transforms the image into a tunnel, giving the viewer a feeling of
moving through it.
Option Description
Scrolling MIDI Controller: This lets you assign any MIDI controller
number to control the speed of movement through the
tunnel.
Constant Speed Of: This lets you specify a number be-
tween 1 and 65000 milliseconds to determine the speed. The
lower the number, the faster the speed.
Sea-Sick Motion: With this option activated, the move-
ment through the tunnel is made in short dashes, periodi-
cally and rhythmically coming to a near halt before
proceeding.
Resolution This lets you decide between four different levels of detail. If
you have a reasonably fast machine, always use Sluggishly
Neat since it gives the best appearance. It is however also the
most demanding on your system.

lighting on the tunnel walls.
Static Light: A static lighting effect will highlight the tunnel
walls.
MIDI controller number to control the lighting of the tunnel
walls in real-time.
Tunnel Direction Turn Left: With this activated, the tunnel will turn con-
stantly to the left.
Smooth Curve: With this activated, the tunnel will twist
and turn in random directions.
number to control the twists and turns of the tunnel in real-
time.
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Option Description
Position In Tunnel Stay In Center: The viewer will have the feeling of always
being in the exact center of the tunnel.
Move Slowly: The viewer will have the feeling of moving
slowly from wall to wall of the tunnel.
Circle Around: The viewer will have the feeling of mov-
ing in a spiralling motion through the tunnel.
Centrifugated: The viewer will have the feeling of always
being thrown up against the farthest wall of the tunnel at
every turn.
number to control the viewers perceived position in the tun-
nel in real-time.
Translucency Opaque: With this setting, the tunnel walls are solid rather
than translucent.
Dissolve Tunnel Ends: With this setting, the tunnel walls
are translucent and blended into the background.
Controller: This setting lets you assign any MIDI control-
ler number for controlling the translucency of the tunnel walls
in real-time.
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120 THE EFFECTS
Turnix 3D
Transforms the image into a cube that rotates and zooms into view.
Option Description
Duration The time (in milliseconds) it takes for the image to reach full
size.
Transparency Makes the image transparent.

Rotation Around Makes the image rotate into view in a spiralling motion
Center around the center of the screen.
Rotation Left & Sets the direction of rotation.

Right
Rotation Angle You can choose a value between 10 and 60. A higher num-
ber results in a more radical angle of rotation.
Rotation Around You can specify a value between 1 and 10 for both the X-axis
Cube (horizontal) and the Y-axis (vertical). A higher number results
in a faster rotation along that particular axis.
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Usix 3D
This effect transforms the image into a cube which zooms in and out in a
rotating motion.
Option Description
Transparency Makes the image transparent.
Zoom This sets how far away from the screen the cube will be. You
can specify a constant value between -10 and +10, in which
case there will be no zooming effect. The cube will instead be
in a static position at a certain distance from the screen. Pos-
itive values cause the cube to be located farther away from
the screen. The higher the value, the farther away the cube
will be. You can also enter any MIDI controller number with
which you then will be able to zoom the cube in and out in
real-time.
Rotation a These parameters govern the speed and direction of rotation

along the a-axis of the cube. You can either enter a constant
value, any MIDI controller number or choose to use the Pitch
Bend wheel on your MIDI keyboard to control the rotation.
When entering a constant value, the direction and speed of
rotation changes depending on whether you enter a negative
or a positive value, and how high the value is. A value of 0
means that no rotation will occur.
Rotation b These parameters regulate the speed and direction of rota-

tion along the b-axis of the cube. The options are the same
as for rotation a, with the exception that you can choose to
use the Modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard instead of
the Pitch Bend wheel to control the rotation.
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122 THE EFFECTS
Waving Flag
This effect makes the image act like an unfurled flag, billowing in the wind.
Option Description
Waves Amplitude: Enter a percentage value to determine how
much the flag will billow.
Constant Speed of: Enter a value between 0 and 65000
milliseconds to determine the speed with which the flag will
billow. The lower the number, the faster the movement.
MIDI Controller: Enter any MIDI controller number with
which to control the billowing speed in real-time.
lighting across the flag.
Static Light: A static lighting effect will highlight parts of
the flag in sync with its movements.
MIDI controller number to control the lighting of the flag in
real-time.
Translucency Opaque: With this setting, the flag is solid rather than
translucent.
Dissolve Far Stuff: With this setting, the farthest ends of
the flag are translucent and blended into the background, to
create a subtle shading and a more lifelike billowing motion.
controller number for controlling the translucency of the flag
in real time.
Resolution This lets you decide between four different levels of detail. If
you have a reasonably fast machine, always use Sluggishly
Neat since it gives the best appearance. It is however also the
most demanding on your system.
Full Screen If you activate this option, the flag will be increased in size to
occupy the entire screen.
Distance To Screen Constant: This means that the flag is always the same size.
number, with which you can increase and decrease the size
of the flag in real-time.
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Plane
Creates the illusion of flying above the image. The options for this effect are
as follows:
Option Description
Speed Determines the speed and direction of movement. Positive
values generates forward movement, and negative values
backward movement. The higher the positive/negative value,
the faster the movement. There are three speed options:
Constant: If this is selected the speed will be constant.
Cyclic: If this is selected the speed will change cyclically, ac-
cording to the values entered in the two range fields. If a neg-
ative and positive value make up the range, the movement
will cycle between forward/backward direction.
which to control the speed in real-time.
Curve This determines the curvature of movement. Positive values
generates a curve to the left, and vice versa. The higher the
positive/negative value, the wider the curve. There are three
curve options:
Constant: If this is selected the curve will be constant.
Cyclic: If this is selected the curve will change cyclically, ac-
cording to the values entered in the two range fields. If a neg-
ative and positive value make up the range, the curve will
cycle between a left and right direction.
which to control the curve in real-time.
Zoom This zooms the image in or out. Constant, Cyclic and MIDI
Controller options can be used to control the zoom range.
Altitude Controls the altitude of the flight. The higher the value the
higher the altitude. Constant, Cyclic and MIDI Controller op-
tions can be used to control this parameter.
View angle This sets the viewing perspective. Constant, Cyclic and MIDI
Controller options can be used to control this parameter.
Symmetric Mapping If this is checked, the visual pattern will be repeated symmet-
rically.
Double surface This adds a second pattern surface, above the flight.
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124 THE EFFECTS
Infinite Zoom
Creates a constantly changing pattern by repeating and rotating the image

which is also zoomed in during the pattern. The options for this effect are
as follows:
Option Description
Rotation control Determines the speed of rotation. There are three options:
Constant Speed: If this is selected the rotation speed will
be constant.
Position MIDI: Enter any MIDI controller number with
which to control the position of the image in real-time.
Speed MIDI: Enter any MIDI controller number with
which to control the rotation speed in real-time.
Zoom control This determines the rate of the zoom effect. There are three
zoom options:
Constant: If this is selected, the rate of the zooming in/out
will be constant.
Position MIDI: Enter any MIDI controller number with
which to control the zoom position in real-time.
Speed MIDI: Enter any MIDI controller number with
which to control the zoom rate in real-time.
Zoom granularity This determines the number of repeated images the effect
Level 1- 4 produces. The lower the number, the more repeated images
you will get.
Texture size Governs the resolution of the image used in the effect. Big
(Big/Medium/Small) represents the highest resolution.
Update buffer If this is ticked it allows videos to be used as the Image with
(slower) the Infinite Zoom effect.
Internal blur This adds a blur effect to the animation, making the rendering
(slower) smoother.
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Rhythmix
This effect allows you mix two video sources with different shapes. The
shapes can also be distorted by an incoming audio source.
Option Description
Shape This sets the basic shape of the effect. Available shapes in-
clude Circles, Lozenges, Helix, Arrows etc. Other Shape op-
tions are:
Repetitions: Sets the number of repetitions of the shape.
Blending: This allows you to choose the transition mode
between the two video sources. If None is selected, the
borders of the shapes will not blend at all.
Width: This defines the width of the foreground shapes.
By using MIDI controllers, the user can display the foreground
video unaffected and gradually mix in the effect (and the
background visual).
Background This selects the background source. The first two options In-
verse colors/Component inversion will simply use inversions
of the foreground visual, whereas the Black/White options
will use a black or white picture as the background. If Back-
ground is selected here, the video generated with a previ-
ously activated key will be the background video. I.e., if you
first hold down a key where a visual is placed and then press
the key where the foreground visual and Rhythmics effect is
placed the visuals will play simultaneously, with the transition
between the two controllable by the effect parameters.
Audio input This is used to select whether an audio input source should
be used to distort the shape. Options are None, Audio,
Spectrum or Beat detection. Note that for the latter two op-
tions to work, Beat detection must be activated in the Auto-
mation dialog (see page 181).
The Amplitude parameter governs the intensity of the effect.
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126 THE EFFECTS
Option Description
Move This parameter controls the movement cycle of the selected

shape.
Speed: The cycle speed can be controlled either via a set
cycle time in ms, or via MIDI controllers.
Pattern: Changes the way a shape cycle is played back.
Continuous will produce a smooth linear movement cycle,
and the other options will change the direction of the cycle in
various ways.
Inverse direction Reverses the direction of the movement cycle.
Delirium
This effect distorts the input image by using different pixel displacement
tables.
Option Description
Horizontal/Vertical Both the horizontal and vertical displacement parameters can

Displacement be set manually or be MIDI controlled.
Cyclic Factor Sets the cyclic factor for the effect, either manually or MIDI
controlled.
Displacement type This pop-up sets the basic type of displacement effect.
High Quality Check this for higher resolution rendering of the effects.
(slower)
Density (1-10) This governs the effect displacement density. The higher the
density, the more displacement patches there will be.
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Contrast
This effect changes the contrast of the visual.

A graph shows the influence of the available parameters. These parameters
define three contrast level values: Low, Mid & High. Values can be set as a
fixed numbers between 0-127 or be MIDI controlled.
The pixels luminosity are governed by the level parameter settings. For ex-
ample, pixels with a luminosity under the value defined by the Low param-
eter will be black and pixels with a luminosity greater than the value defined
by the High parameter will be white. The Mid level value is defined
relatively to the set Low and High values and is expressed as a percentage
value.
If Negative is checked the contrast is inverted so that white pixels will be-
come black and vice versa.
Color Rainbow
This effect generates a radial color cycle animation from the center of the
screen.
Option Description
Arithmetic If Blend is checked, the animation is mixed with any image or

Blend/Copy video placed on the same key. In Copy mode only the anima-
tion is shown.
Color Cycle The sliders in this section allow you to modify cycle mix of
each color component separately.
Intensity The sliders in this section allow you to modify the intensity
for each color component separately.
Speed The speed parameter governs the animation cycle rate, and
can be set manually or be MIDI controlled.
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128 THE EFFECTS
Video effects
RGB (Color)
A computer-generated image basically consists of a combination of three

colors; red, green and blue. This effect splits up the image into these three
basic components, or layers, and cycles through them, thereby creating vari-
ations in color.
Option Description
Use Cycle Activate this if you want the cycling intervals between the
components to be time specific. For each of the three com-
ponents, you can then specify if they should be used at all,
and if so how long it will take (in milliseconds) for the image
to cycle from being displayed in its original color, to being dis-
played through a layer of only that particular component.
Use Controllers Activate this if you want to control the cycling between the
components in real-time with MIDI controller messages. For
each of the three components, you can then decide whether
they should be used, and assign any MIDI controller number
to control them. Note that youre not restricted to using ei-
ther Cycle or Controllers. You can use both in conjunction if
you wish.
Effect Here, you can select between three options to determine

how the different layers are superimposed onto the original
image. Cycle produces an effect where the layers are clearly
visible as superimposed, while Multiply blends the layers with
the original image for a more subtle effect. Smooth Shift, fi-
nally, works like Cycle but produces an effect with smoother
transitions between the layers.
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Hue Shift
This effect continuously changes the colors on the screen.

Option Description
Hue Modulation None: With this option selected, there will be no effect.
Cycle In: This lets you specify a time between 1 and
30,000 milliseconds. This is the interval at which the colors
will change, so the lower the value, the faster the color
change.
number to control the changing of colors in real-time.
High Quality Select this for increased level of detail.
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130 THE EFFECTS
Irisation
This effect splits the image into three layers, one for each of the three com-
ponents red, blue and green. You can then choose to either have the layers
merge or divide.
Option Description
Control Fade In: This gradually merges the three layers, to eventu-
ally form the original image.
Fade Out: This works just the other way around.
Modulation Wheel: This lets you control the merging
with the modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
Pitch Wheel: This lets you control the merging with the
pitch bend wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
number to control the merging in real-time.
Intensity: This regulates how strongly accentuated the lay-
ers should be. You can enter a value between 0 and 100.The
higher the number, the more visible the layers are.
Duration: This lets you specify how fast the merging will
be when you use the Fade In or Fade Out option.
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Invert
This effect inverts the colors of an image and makes them negative. For ex-
ample; black turns into white and vice versa.
Option Description
Invert You can choose to invert all, or any combination of, the three
components (red, green and blue) that make up an image. If
you dont choose any component, no effect will occur.
Inversion Mode Simply Invert: Inverts the image according to the settings
you have made in the invert dialog, i.e. which components
you have activated for inversion.
Random Invert: Creates a possible new inversion every
time you press the key, based on which components you
have activated. You need to have at least two components
activated for this to have any effect.
Random Flashes: Rapidly cycles between all possible in-
versions for as long as you press the key, based on which
components you have activated. You need to have at least
two components activated for this to have any effect.
Stroboscope Stroboscope On: This causes the inversion to be con-

stantly toggled on and off while you press the key.
Period: Lets you define the interval (in milliseconds) be-
tween the toggling.
Motion Blur
This effect does exactly what it says - it creates the blurred effect of motion.
It is particularly useful with video streams. The only option allows you to
choose whether it should be a light blur or a strong blur.
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132 THE EFFECTS
Old Film
This effect simulates the look of old and scratchy black and white movies. It
works equally well on both movies and images.
Option Description
Black &White Activate this to make the image black and white.
Irregular Exposure Activate this to make the image flicker between different lev-
Time els of darkness and brightness.
Background Noise Activate this to simulate poor film quality, with speckles and
dust etc.
Pick Black & Pick These buttons open a standard color picker dialog to let you
White define the hues of black and white in an image. This way you
can, for instance, give the image an old-looking, yellowish
tone.
Unsteady Image Activate this to make the image wobbly and shaky.
Scratches Activate this to add scratches and lines on the image.
Limit Frame Rate To The Frame Rate is the number of frames per second at which
a movie is being played back. You can enter a value between
1 and 200 fps. The lower the value, the more choppy the
playback.
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Pixxicato
Pixxicato lets you zoom a visual in and out to make it more or less pixel-
lated. A pixel is a picture element that is a single point in a graphic image,
and an image is displayed on a computer monitor by means of a large num-
ber of pixels organized in rows and columns. If you magnify an image, the
pixels are increasingly distinguishable as squares of different colors. There-
fore, zooming in on an image makes it more coarse in detail.
Option Description
Control Fade In: This starts at a high magnification, and zooms out,
thereby creating a Fade-in.
Fade Out: This works just the other way around.
Modulation Wheel: This lets you control the zooming
with the modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
Pitch Wheel: This lets you control the zooming with the
pitch bend wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
number to control the zooming in real-time.
Intensity: This regulates the amount of pixellation, and the
size of the pixels. You can enter a value between 0 and 100.
The higher the number, the larger the pixels.
Duration: This lets you specify how fast the zooming will
be when you use the Fade In or Fade Out option.
Pixify Use the check boxes to stretch the pixels either horizontally
or vertically upon zooming. If both are checked, the pixels will
keep their original proportions. If neither are checked, there
will be no zooming at all.
Tile Size Linear: With this option, the zooming will be made in a
smooth, fluent motion.
Fit To Screen: With this option, the zooming will be
more choppy, since it is made in increments, pixel by pixel.
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134 THE EFFECTS
Video Split
This effect splits the image into a number of smaller images.

Option Description
Number Of Sub- Lets you specify how many instances of the image you want
screens on the screen. The maximum number is 20 images along
each axis.
Refresh Mode The refresh rate of a computer monitor is the frequency,

measured in Hertz, with which the screen is redrawn every
second. Lower frequencies result in more screen flickering.
These three options determine how the screen is redrawn
with the image. Experiment to see the differences.
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THE EFFECTS 135
Whirl
Turns the image into a whirlpool of colors.

Option Description
Inner Speed This controls the rotation speed of the center of the whirl-
pool. You can choose to either enter a number between 0
and 65000 milliseconds (the lower the number, the faster the
rotation), or assign any MIDI controller number to control
the speed in real-time. Note that it is possible to enter a neg-
ative value, for example -2000 ms, to make the rotation
clockwise instead of counterclockwise.
Outer Speed This controls the rotation speed of the outer rim of the whirl-
pool. You can choose to either enter a number between 0
and 65000 milliseconds (the lower the number, the faster the
rotation), or assign any MIDI controller number to control
the speed in real-time. Note that it is possible to enter a neg-
ative value, for example -2000 ms, to make the rotation
clockwise instead of counterclockwise.
Central Star Size You can enter a value between 0 and 200 pixels. With any
value higher than zero, the center of the whirlpool will take
on the shape of a six pointed star. The higher the value you
enter, the bigger the star will be. You can also assign any MIDI
controller number to control this effect in real-time.
Central Star Speed This controls the rotation speed of the star. You can choose
to either enter a number between 0 and 65000 milliseconds
(the lower the number, the faster the rotation), or assign any
MIDI controller number to control the speed in real-time.
Note that it is possible to enter a negative value, for example
-2000 ms, to make the rotation clockwise instead of counter-
clockwise.
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136 THE EFFECTS
Option Description
Zero-Centered With this option activated, a MIDI controller value of 64 is

Controllers: considered as 0. This means that, in the case of rotation
speed, a MIDI controller message with a value over 64 is a
positive value and causes counterclockwise rotation. A MIDI
controller message with a value below 64, on the other hand,
is a negative value and causes clockwise rotation.
Grab (Mac OS only)
This effect requires that you have a Macintosh in the AV series! It can be
used with an AV series Macintosh with a video card and a connected cam-
era to grab any image from the computers video input, on-the-fly, and
process it with other effects.
For this effect to work properly, you must inform the program about what
type of signal to expect. The following options are available:
Option Description
Source This lets you select the basic type of video signal, Composite,
S-Video or RGB.
Format This only applies to Composite video signals. It is used to se-
lect the format of the signal: PAL (most of Europe), NTSC
(US and other parts of the world) or SECAM (France only).
Photo
This effect takes a snapshot of the image currently on the screen (Preview
window or full screen display).
When you press the key to which you have assigned this effect, the snap-
shot is taken and saved as a Bitmap file (a common high resolution picture
file format) on your hard disk, in the same folder as the current Synth.
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QuickTime effects
This effect gives you access to a number of QuickTime effects, usable on

both movies and pictures.
The dialog that opens has the following options:
Option Description
Transition Duration Some of the QuickTime effects are transitions. This lets you
determine the length (in milliseconds) of those transitions.
Use Transparence Makes the currently selected effect transparent. This makes it
possible to use the effect on one key and a visual on another
key simultaneously.
Call QuickTime By clicking this button you open another dialog with a list of
Set-up all the available effects. There is also a preview window, and
parameters to set for each effect. Double-clicking the name
of an effect in the list brings up a brief description of what the
effect does.
QuickTime Controller
This lets you control the playback of QuickTime movies in various ways.
Option Description
Play Selection This option lets you play back only a part of the movie. You
specify the length of the part by using the start and end sliders
(see below). If you do not activate this option, the movie will
play back in its entire length.
First Loop If you choose to play back a part of the movie as a loop (see
From Start below), activating this option will cause the movie to start
from the beginning and then initiate looping when it reaches
the start position of the loop (see below).
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138 THE EFFECTS
Option Description
Start & End Use these sliders to set the start and end positions for playing
Sliders or looping only a part of the movie.
Speed/Position Constant Speed: You can choose to have a movie play
back in its original speed by activating this option and entering
100% as speed ratio. You can also enter a lower value to
make the movie play back in slow motion, or a higher value
to make it play back in rapid motion.
Speed Controller: Activating this option lets you assign
any MIDI controller number to control the speed of movie
playback in real-time.
Position Controller: Activating this option lets you as-
sign any MIDI controller number for moving forward and
backward in a movie, frame by frame, in real-time.
Speed Direction Optionally, you can reverse movie playback. Choose whether
you want to play back the movie from start to end (+), or
from end to start (-). You can also assign any MIDI controller
number to control the playback direction in real-time.
Loop Sequence This option (in combination with Play Selection and the Start
& End Sliders) lets you loop a part of the movie over and
over for as long as you press the key.
High Resolution MIDI controller messages send values between 0 and 127.
Controllers This can also be referred to as the resolution with which the
controller is able to make real-time changes. If you, for exam-
ple, send a message on MIDI Controller 7 (volume) in order
to increase the volume, the increase is made in whole steps
from one value to the next, i.e. from 0 to 1, then from 1 to 2,
etc. Sometimes, these real-time changes may be perceived as
not being smooth enough, and heres where High Resolution
Controllers come into play. These controllers send values be-
tween 0 and 31, and actually send two messages simultaneously,
(one from the so-called MSB block - 0-31, and one from the
so-called LSB block - 32- 63). To put it simply, High Resolu-
tion Controllers split up each value or step between 0 and
127 into an additional 128 steps. This gives a higher resolu-
tion and a smoother real-time change.
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Wave
This effect animates the visual with several layers of wave-like, undulating
movements. You can superimpose up to 6 layers horizontally and/or verti-
cally with different frequencies and amplitudes.
Option Description
Quality Specifies the quality of the definition of the waves. Can be

Fine (slow), Medium or Coarse (fast).
Waves Specifies the (sinusoidal) wave edited (from 1 to 6).
Unused Specifies whether the wave is used or not (which allows you
to superimpose several waves). If this box is checked, the
wave does not have any effect (and its parameters are hidden
in the interface).
Direction Lets you specify whether the waves movements should be

horizontal or vertical.
Frequency For each wave, you can specify the length as a percentage in
relation to the size of the visual.
Speed Specifies the speed at which each wave propagates. This

speed can be constant or controlled by a MIDI controller.
Amplitude Specifies the amplitude of the propagation of each wave. This

amplitude can be constant or controlled by a MIDI controller.
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140 THE EFFECTS
Pixel Slide
This effect slides the pixels diagonally in four directions at once at cyclic
intervals. The speed of the cycles, the amount of slide and the type of mo-
tion can be changed.
Option Description
Cycle This parameter defines the maximum amount of slide. I.e.

how much the pixels should slide during a cycle.
Motion These radio buttons allow you to select a type of motion, or

cycle, for the slide:
Cyclic: Continuous slide cycle.
Pistonning: Continuous slide cycle back and forth be-
tween the original visual and the maximum amount of slide.
Go and return: Works in the same way as the Pistonning
option, but stops after the first cycle.
Pitch wheel & Modulation wheel: Lets you control the
slide with the Pitch bend wheel or the Modulation wheel on
your MIDI keyboard.
Speed This parameter specifies how long it should take (in millisec-
onds) for a slide cycle to be completed. You can either spec-
ify a fixed speed or you can specify a minimum and a
maximum value to control the speed with MIDI velocity -
how hard you press the key on your MIDI keyboard..The
value you enter in the first box (from) is how long the cycle
will take if you press the key very softly - i.e. a velocity value
of 0. The value in the second box (to) is how long the cycle
will take if you press the key very hard - i.e. a velocity value of
127. In between these extremes, the time it will take for the
cycle to be completed varies accordingly depending on the
velocity value.
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Puzzle
This effect transforms the image into a type of mosaic, and the pattern and
speed of this can be changed.
Option Description
Speed Lets you specify the speed of the effect in milliseconds. This
speed can be constant or vary between two limits you define
in the from (minimum speed) and to (maximum speed)
boxes.
Constant: Lets you specify a constant speed for the effect.
Enter the desired speed in the box to the right
MIDI Controller: Specify the number of the controller
you wish to use for controlling the speed. The speed will then
vary between to minimum and maximum value you specify.
Pitch wheel: Lets you control the speed with the Pitch
bend wheel on you MIDI keyboard. The wheel turned fully to
the left equals the minimum speed and the wheel turned fully
to the right equals the maximum speed.
Modulation wheel: Lets you control the speed with the
modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard. The wheel in its
neutral position equals the minimum speed and the wheel
pushed fully forward equals the maximum speed.
Velocity: The speed depends on how hard the key is
pressed. If you press the key very softly - i.e. with a velocity
value of 0, the speed of the effects will be the minimum
speed you specify in the from box. If you press the key very
hard - i.e. with a velocity value of 127, the speed of the effect
will be the maximum speed you specify in the to box. In
between these extremes, the speed will vary accordingly de-
pending on the velocity value.
Pattern Defines the pattern type used to modify the image - 1 or 2.
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142 THE EFFECTS
Size
This effect changes the size of the visual. Size does not work if placed on a
key with no visual assigned.
Option Description
Velocity In this mode, the size of the visual will change depending on
how hard you press the key on the MIDI controller. The
harder you press it, the larger the visual.
Use Modulation In this mode, the size of the visual will change with the mod-
Wheel ulation wheel value sent from the MIDI controller. Pushing
the modulation wheel forwards will result in a larger visual.
Hyper Size
Zooms the image continuously in and out. The image will first be displayed
in the Start Size, and zoom to the End Size (in increments determined by
the Delta Size parameter). This procedure is then reversed (zooming from
End Size back to Start Size) and repeated for as long as you keep the key
pressed. This effect does not work if placed on a key with no visual as-
signed.
Option Description
Start Size The size (in percent) of the image when the zoom cycle starts.
End Size: The size (in percent) of the image at the turning point of the
zoom cycle.
Delta Size The increment in size (in percent). Low values will cause the
image to zoom slowly and smoothly, while high values will
cause fast, abrupt changes in size.
Synchronization If this is set to No Synchronization, the effect just runs as fast
as possible. You can also set this to one of the specified frame
rates. Choose the fastest rate the playback system can handle
with an even and smooth result.
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Vortex
Causes the image to rotate, automatically or controlled by Pitch Bend. For

smooth rotation, we recommend that you use small pictures. This effect
does not work if placed alone on a key.
Option Description
Use Pitch Bend In this mode, the rotation of the image is controlled by Pitch
Bend messages. Raising the Pitch Bend (positive values) will
rotate the image clockwise, while lowering it will rotate the
image counter-clockwise. Moving the Pitch Bend control to
either end point will rotate the image 180.
Auto Increment In this mode, the image rotates automatically, clockwise, as

long as you keep the key pressed.
Start Angle In the Auto Increment mode, the image will initially be dis-
played at this angle when you press the key.
Delta Angle The increment in degrees. Low values will cause the image to
rotate slowly and smoothly, while high values will cause a fast,
abrupt rotation.
Synchronization If this is set to No Synchronization, the effect simply runs as

fast as possible. You can also set this to one of the specified
frame rates. Choose the fastest rate the playback system can
handle with an even and smooth result. The options are 10,
20 and 30 frames/second.
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144 THE EFFECTS
Transition effects
Blur
This effect fades the image in or out by blurring or unblurring the image.
Option Description
Blur Control Blur Control Fade In: Makes the image blur into view.
Fade Out: Makes the image blur out of view.
Modulation Wheel: Lets you control the blur with the
modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
Pitch Wheel: Lets you control the blur with the pitch bend
wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
MIDI Controller: Lets you control the blur with any MIDI
controller number.
Intensity: Lets you specify a percentage value to determine
how much the image is blurred. It also affects the speed of
the blurring effect.
Duration: Determines the length of the blurring process.
High Quality: Check this box for a higher level of detail.
Direction You can choose to make the blur effect either horizontal or
vertical.
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Directional transition
This effect creates a smooth transition, or crossfade, between a previous

image and the image you use along with this effect.
Option Description
Transition Type With Time: This means that the transition takes place over
a period of time, specified in milliseconds. The lower the
value, the faster the transition.
Controller: This lets you assign any MIDI controller number
to control the transition in real-time.
Constant: With this option, the transition is practically in-
stantaneous, and you can also choose to let the transition be
only partly completed. You can enter a number between 0
and 100. The lower the number, the less complete the tran-
sition will be.
Rotation Speed This parameter only affects the following Shape settings (see
below): Triangle, Cross and Star.
These shapes cause the transition to be made in a rotating
fashion, and this parameter regulates the speed of that rota-
tion.
Constant: Enter a number in milliseconds. The lower the
number, the faster the rotation.
Controller: This lets you assign any MIDI controller number
to control the rotation speed in real-time.
Repetition You can choose to split up the image into two or four parts.
The transition is then applied to each part.
Polarity Choose between making the transition from right to left (+)
or from left to right (-).
Shape This lets you choose between eight preset transition shapes.
Slope Use the slider to control the visibility of the border between
the image and the background color during the transition.
A low value results in blurred borders and a high value results
in well defined borders.
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146 THE EFFECTS
Fade to black
This effect fades the image in or out.

Option Description
Fade Control Fade In: Makes the image fade into view.
Fade Out: Makes the image fade out of view.
Modulation Wheel: Lets you control the fade with the
modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
Pitch Wheel: Lets you control the fade with the pitch bend
MIDI Controller: Lets you control the fade with any MIDI
controller number.
Duration: Lets you specify how long it will take to complete
a fade.
Final Color The fade does not necessarily have to be to/from black. The
Choose Color button in this dialog opens up a standard color
menu from which you can choose any color you like.
Scroller
This effect scrolls the image into view.

Option Description
Duration The time (in milliseconds) it takes to complete the scroll.
Direction: Choose one of four directions from which the scrolling will
start.
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Shutter
This effect places a new image on top of any previous one, in the form of a
number of shutters closing on the previous image.
Option Description
Transparency Activate this to make the shutters transparent.
Duration Enter a value between 100 and 2000 milliseconds to specify

how fast the shutters will close.
Shutters Rotation Here you determine whether the rotation of the shutters
should be vertical or horizontal.
Shutters Speed Choose between Fast, Medium or Slow to determine the ro-
tation speed of the shutters.
Number of Shutters: Specify how many shutters you want along the X-axis (hori-
zontal) and the Y-axis (vertical). Choose a number between
1 and 16, in multiples of two, from the drop down list.
Shutter II (Shutter N)
This effect places a new image on top of any previous one, in the form of a
number of shutters closing on the previous image.
Option Description
Transparency Activate this to make the shutters transparent.
Duration Enter a value between 100 and 2000 milliseconds to specify

how fast the shutters will close.
Shutters Rotation Here you determine whether the rotation of the shutters
should be vertical or horizontal.
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148 THE EFFECTS
Option Description
Rotation By Shutter You can have the shutters swing around before settling.
Choose between 1 to 4 swings from the drop down list.
Number of Shutters You can have between 2 and 64 shutters, in multiples of two,
to form the new image.
Slide
This transition effect turns any previous image into a pair of sliding doors
that open to reveal the image placed along with this effect.
Option Description
Duration This lets you specify how long it will take for the doors to
open. You can enter a value between 500 and 1000 millisec-
onds. The lower the number, the faster the effect.
Cycling This cycles the effect over and over again, as if there is always
a new pair of doors behind the ones that open.
Compression This option makes the image appear in a compressed shape

through the center of any previous image, and then stretch to
full size, thereby forcing the previous image apart.
Scrolling Direction You can choose whether you want the sliding doors to
open vertically or horizontally.
Transition
This effect is a simplified version of the Directional Transition effect (see

page 146). The only option is Transition Type, which works in exactly the
same way as in Directional Transition.
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Flying Object
This effect puts you in complete control of how an image behaves on the
screen. You control its movement, size and opacity.
Option Description
Position Here you specify how you want to control the horizontal &
vertical movement of the image. You can choose between
using the modulation or pitch bend wheel on your MIDI key-
board, or you can use any MIDI controller number.
Size Control Here you specify how you want to control the size of the im-
age. The options are the same as for controlling the position.
Opacity Opaque: With this setting, the image is completely solid.

Transparent White: Activating this option makes the color
white transparent, causing only colors other than white in the
visual to be visible.
Translucent: Makes the image transparent.
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150 THE EFFECTS
Turnix
This effect rotates and zooms the image into view.

Option Description
Duration The time (in milliseconds) it takes for the image to reach full
size.
Transparency Makes the image transparent..

Rotation Left or Sets the direction of rotation.
Right
Rotation Angle Enter a number between 1 and 60. A higher number means
that the rotation will be closer to the center of the screen,
producing a more narrow effect.
Flow
This effect makes it look like the elements of the image are being poured
into it as liquid matter which then solidifies.
Option Description
Flow movement This lets you decide the direction of the flow. You can either
have the elements of the image poured into it from the top
or from the bottom.
Flow speed This simply lets you decide how fast the flow should be; Slow,
Medium or Fast.
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Artistic effects
Bubble
This effect is similar to throwing stones in water to make rings spread on

the surface.
Option Description
High Resolution When this is activated, the effect will be more detailed, but it
will also require more computer power.
Density This changes the way the water is calculated by increasing

the apparent density.
Main effect Here you can set how the motion is controlled:
Surf: A linear effect, like throwing stones at a narrow angle
to the surface.
Rain: Like when dropping stones straight into water.
Trash: Like when throwing a handful of gravel in the water.
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152 THE EFFECTS
Diffuse
Primarily, this effect uses Feedback (see page 100) to blur and distort a
visual in various ways. The options for this effect are as follows:
Option Description
Diffuse type Lets you choose between six different types of Diffusion.
Effect Sets the intensity of the effect, and determines the direction
of movement for the Diffusion types, rotating or otherwise.
You can enter any value between -1000 +1000. The direc-
tion of movement is altered depending on whether you enter
a negative or a positive value. Note that a value of 0 means
that no effect will be produced at all. You can also enter any
MIDI controller number to control the intensity of the effect
in real-time.
Rotation This causes the visual to rotate clockwise or counterclock-
wise. Either enter a fixed value or any MIDI controller num-
ber for controlling rotation in real-time. Click the radio-
button of your choice and then enter a value. When using
the Constant option, negative values cause counter-clockwise
rotation and positive values cause clockwise rotation.
Zoom X & Zoom Y These parameters let you zoom the visual in and out along
the X-axis (horizontal) and the Y-axis (vertical). You can en-
ter either a constant value or any MIDI controller number to
control the zooming. Values above 100 zoom in on an image
the higher the value, the faster the zooming. Values below
100 zoom out on an image the lower the value, the faster
the zooming.
Center X & Center Y Having these parameters set to anything other than 0
causes the visual to move across the screen. You set the di-
rection and speed along the X-axis (horizontal) and the Y-
axis (vertical). Negative values make the visual move left/up
and positive values make it move right/ down. The higher the
value you enter, the faster movement will be. You can also
enter any MIDI controller number with which to control this
in real-time.
Special effects Check this box to activate the optional filter. For a descrip-
tion of the various filter parameters, see the documentation
for the effect Filter below.
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Filter
This effect lets you apply various filters on an image to alter its appearance.
Filter is also featured in a couple of other effects, namely the Larsen effect
(see page 156) and the Diffusion effect (see above).
Option Description
Filter Type From the drop-down menu you can select one of five differ-
ent filter types or none. The None option does not mean
that there will be no effect. It only means that no specific filter
type is applied. You can still use the Gain, Mix and Clip result
parameters.
Gain This lets you control the amount of effect applied to the
visual. The higher the value, the more effect. High values
(over 100) cause the original colors of the image to be
heavily oversaturated, burning the image.
Mix This controls the balance between the original image and the
effect. High values cause the effect to be more predominant.
Clip result With this option activated, the output of the effect will be
attenuated, which is useful if you want to prevent wild color
cycling when burning a visual with the Gain parameter.
Kernel This section is used when you select Kernel as Filter Type.
You can then either choose from seven different presets or
create a custom Kernel setup by entering values in the nine
Kernel boxes. You can enter any value between -1024 and
+1024. Kernel filtering is a complex issue, and this manual can
by no means provide any in depth tutorial on the subject.
What can be said is that this kind of filtering lets you change
the gain of a center pixel and its eight surrounding pixels, to
make an image sharper, blurred, saturated etc. You can prob-
ably find extensive reading material about Kernel filtering in
your local bookstore or on the Internet, if you wish to learn
more about it.
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154 THE EFFECTS
Kaleidoscope
This effect is similar to looking into a kaleidoscope.

The options for this effect are different combinations of the following:
Option Description
Type Select a pattern type from the menu. The visual will then be
transformed into a number of rotating repetitions of this pattern.
Repetition Lets you set a zoom factor to determine how many repeti-
tions of the pattern should be displayed. The zoom factor
goes from 25% (minimum zoom - many repetitions) to 100%
(maximum zoom - few repetitions). If you choose Constant,
enter the desired zoom factor. If you choose MIDI Controller,
enter the desired MIDI controller number. If you choose Cyclic,
enter how long time, in ms, it should take for the cycle to
zoom back and forth between the minimum and the maxi-
mum zoom factor.
Texture Rotation This option controls the rotation of the image within each
pattern repetition. Either enter a value in ms for a fixed, con-
stant rotation speed, or specify a MIDI controller number
with which to control the rotation in real-time.
Splitter Rotation This option controls the rotation of each pattern repetition.
Either enter a value in ms, for a fixed, constant rotation
speed, or specify a MIDI controller number with which to
control the rotation in real-time.
Texture scale Lets you decide if the size of the visual within each pattern
should be constant or changed by a MIDI controller.
Texture position Lets you decide if the position of the visual within each pat-
tern should be constant or changed by a MIDI controller. The
position can be controlled both along the horizontal (x) and
the vertical (y) axis.
Shear Lets you decide if the shear factor of the visual within each
pattern should be constant or changed by a MIDI controller.
Distortion This works in conjunction with texture rotation, and stretches
and distorts the image in each pattern.
ARKAOS VJ
THE EFFECTS 155
Larsen
This effect, in its fundamental form, is built upon the concept of Feedback
(see page 100). It lets you zoom, rotate and position a visual freely on the
screen, and it also features an optional filter.
Option Description
Rotation This parameter controls the speed and direction of rotation.

You can choose to either enter a constant value, or any MIDI
controller number to control rotation. Just click the corre-
sponding radio-button, and enter a value. Negative values
cause clockwise rotation, and positive values cause counter-
clockwise rotation.
Zoom X & Zoom Y These parameters govern the zoom-factor of the visual along
its X-axis (horizontal) and its Y-axis (vertical). You can either
enter a constant value or any MIDI controller number to con-
trol zooming, by clicking either radio-button and entering a
value. MIDI controllers, as opposed to constant values, let
you effectively zoom an image in and out in real-time.
Center X & Center Y Use these parameters to determine the visuals position on
the screen along the X-axis (horizontal) and the Y-axis (verti-
cal). Click the radio-button of your choice (constant or con-
troller) and enter a value. With the constant option, negative
values move the visual left/up and positive values move it
right/down.
Special effects Check this box to activate the optional filter. For a descrip-
tion of the various filter parameters, see the documentation
for the effect Filter on page 154.
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156 THE EFFECTS
Fire (Mega Fire)
Burns and melts the image.

Option Description
Up Slow & Hard The image moves slowly upwards while dissipating.
Edge
Up Slow & Smooth The same as above but in a warmer, smoother manner.
Edge
Up Fast The image moves upwards, dissipating quickly.
Left Slow As Up Slow & Hard Edge, but the image moves to the left as
well as upwards.
Color Fire The image burns quickly and then fades out in a flash of col-
ors.
Morphosis
This effect stretches an image dynamically, in any direction or with a num-

ber of controls. The basic idea is to position one or more Vectors on the
image. A Vector is indicated by an arrow that indicates in which direction
the image will stretch.
To add a Vector, click the Add Vector button.
To select a Vector, click on it. It turns red.
To delete a Vector, select it and click the Delete Vector button.
To move, change the direction of, or change the length of a Vector, drag the arrow
by the head or tail. To move it, you need to drag both end points, one at a time.
ARKAOS VJ
THE EFFECTS 157
To make settings for a Vector, select it and use the radio buttons on the
side of the dialog. There are certain rules you must follow for the Vector
positions. If you make illegal settings for the Vectors, the program will in-
form you. The Vector(s) that need to be adjusted will also flash in red. Note
the following:
The area a Vector affects must not overlap the area of any other Vector.
Circular movements affect larger areas than linear. It is therefore easier to run into
illegal situations with circular movements.
The maximum number of Vectors is four.
Option Description
Motion Here you can choose between Linear and Circular. To get a
feel for the difference, experiment!
Control Here you can set how the motion is controlled, per Vector:
Automatic: The stretch happens automatically, which gives
a pulsating effect.
Velocity: The amount of stretch depends on the velocity of
the note.
Wheel: The stretch can be controlled in real time via a
modulation wheel.
Controller: The stretch can be controlled in real time via
any MIDI Controller number. When you select this, another
dialog appears asking you to specify which controller number
to use to control this vector.
Tunnel
Transforms the image into a revolving tunnel.

Option Description
Symmetry This allows you to select if the picture should be split along
the horizontal axis (Double) or along both the horizontal axis
and the vertical axis (Quad).
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158 THE EFFECTS
Option Description
Movement The effect of these two options is more apparent on static

images than movies. If Angle is activated, the sections will
turn. If Distance is activated it will appear as if you travel in-
wards, towards the center of the image.
Quality This allows you to select from three levels of detail.
Pixel Vortex
This effect Smudges each pixel in the image, gradually distorting the pic-
ture in various ways.
Option Description
Pudding The image is slowly garbled in many places at once.
Rotation Rotates the image clockwise, smudging it along the way.
Classical Vortex The image transforms into a whirlpool, being sucked into it-
self.
Expansion Makes the image expand slowly outwards from the center of
the screen.
Spiral Turns the image into a slow spiral.
Filter In addition to the main effect, three types of filter effect can
also be applied to the visual; Blur, which gradually blurs the
image, Sharpen which gradually sharpens the image, and
Saturate which gradually saturates the image.
Refresh Refresh mixes the current image with the previously shown
image in different ways. Options are as follows:
None - no effect.
Low/High feedback - new and previous images are mixed
entirely.
Squares low/high - multiple squares from the previous im-
age, taken at random positions, are copied into the new im-
age.
Random squares - same as Squares above, but the size of
the squares are randomized.
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Yin and Yang
The image distorts in waves, resembling the classic Yin & Yang symbol.
Option Description
Rectangle The image slowly takes on a rectangular shape.
Use Original Image The image remains close to its original shape.
Filter In addition to the main effect, three types of filter effect can
also be applied to the visual; Blur, which gradually blurs the
image, Sharpen which gradually sharpens the image, and
Saturate which gradually saturates the image.
Refresh Refresh mixes the current image with the previously shown
image in different ways. Options are as follows:
None - no effect.
Low/High feedback - new and previous images are mixed
entirely.
Squares low/high - multiple squares from the previous im-
age, taken at random positions, are copied into the new im-
age.
Random squares - same as above, but the size of the
squares are randomized.
ARKAOS VJ
160 THE EFFECTS
Earthquake
This effect makes the image shake and rumble.

Option Description
Quake Mode Choose between Exponential or Linear for two different

time based effects. When you select any of these two, you
can also enter a value in the Decay Time box, to determine
the length of the quake.
Constant: If you activate this option, the effect will continue
for as long as you press the key.
number to control the effect in real-time.
Amplitude You can enter a value between 1 and 700 pixels to deter-
mine the width of the shake. The higher the value you en-
ter, the farther the image will move in each direction.
Jerkiness You can enter a value between 1 and 200 to determine how
many times per second the image will shake.
ARKAOS VJ
THE EFFECTS 161
Invert Color
This effect works just like the Invert effect (see page 132), in that it inverts
the colors of an image and makes them negative. The difference is that this
is more basic, not allowing the inversion of separate color components.
Option Description
Always Invert The image is constantly inverted when it is displayed.
Flash This causes the inversion to be constantly toggled on and off

while you press the key.
Constant Speed Lets you define the interval (in milliseconds) between the
toggling on and off.
Controller Lets you assign any MIDI controller number to toggle the
color inversion on and off in real-time.
Plasma
This effect turns the image into floating, psychedelic plasma.
ARKAOS VJ
162 THE EFFECTS
Spectrum
This effect uses incoming audio to visualize your music in different ways.
The parameters for this effect are as follows:
Option Description
Effect This parameter determines the way the audio signal will be
displayed. The options are Waveform, Shape, Bars, Polar and
Filled polar.
Input This determines how an audio signal affects the visual.

Audio: This will use the waveform of the audio signal.
Frequency: This will use the frequency spectrum of the
audio signal.
Beat detection: This will use the output of the beat de-
tection engine (note that Beat detection must be activated in
the Automation dialog for this to work - see page 181).
Use color If this is activated, the current shape will be drawn with the
colors specified in the 4 color boxes. If the Cycle/min pa-
rameter is set to 4 or less, only the color specified in the left-
most box will be used. With higher values, the current shape
will smoothly cycle between the 4 specified colors. To
change a color, just click on the box and select a new color
from the standard color dialog that appears.
Use picture If this is activated, the shape will be drawn using the associated
visual (either a picture or a movie). If there is no associated
visual, the shape will be drawn using the background image.
Repetitions (1-100) The Repetition parameter duplicates the shape. Each repeti-
tion also rotates the shape 360 degrees.
Rotation/X and Y These 4 parameters govern the position and the size of the
Scaling/Translation shape. The parameter values can either be constant or con-
trolled by the audio input or by MIDI controllers. For best
results, do not enter zero values for the Scale and Translation
parameters.
ARKAOS VJ
THE EFFECTS 163
Spiral
The Spiral effect allows you to distort the visual in the form of a ribbon
which rolls up on itself.
Option Description
Band width Lets you define the size of the ribbon in percentages.
Number of spirals Allows you to specify the number of ribbons (from 1 to 4)

which will unroll side by side. Each ribbon will be of the size
specified under Band Width (see above). If you want more
than one ribbon to be visible, you should specify a smaller
size than 100%.
Mapping Allows you to specify the number of times (2 to 4) the visual

is displayed each cycle.
Draw new picture Allows you to specify whether the unprocessed visual should
on background be shown in the background, behind the effect. If this is not
activated, the effect will be displayed in front of the back-
ground color specified for the ArKaos Engine.
Speed Specifies the rolling speed of the spiral:

Constant: Lets you enter a constant speed.
Controller: Specify the number of the MIDI controller with
which to control the speed.
Pitch wheel: Lets you control the speed with the Pitch bend
Modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
Velocity: The speed depends on how hard you press the key.
Central position Allows you to define the center position of the spiral on the
screen. Click and drag to position the crosshair along the
horizontal and vertical axis.
ARKAOS VJ
164 THE EFFECTS
Option Description
Direction Specifies the rolling direction of the spiral:

Inward: The spiral starts from the edge of the screen and
rolls inwards towards the central position, its radius becoming
smaller and smaller.
Outwards: The spiral starts at the specified central position
and becomes larger and larger until it reaches the edge of the
screen.
Flipflop by: The spiral first rolls inward towards the central
position and then rolls outward again in cycles. The more
cycles you specify, the farther out the spiral starts.
Radius increment Specifies how much the radius of the spiral should increase
with each cycle.
ARKAOS VJ
THE EFFECTS 165
Spiral Tunnel
This effect generates a tunnel in the form of a spiral.

Option Description
Rotation speed Defines the speed at which the tunnel rotates. The options
are:
Constant: Enter a speed in ms. Negative values can also be
used - e.g. -2000.
MIDI Controller: Specify the number of a MIDI controller
with which to control the speed.
Pitch wheel: Lets you control the speed with the Pitch bend
Modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard..
Zoom speed Defines the speed at which the tunnel moves forwards or
backwards. The options are:
Constant: Enter a positive value to make the tunnel move
forwards. Enter a negative value to make the tunnel move
backwards.
MIDI Controller: Specify the number of a MIDI controller
with which to control movement direction and speed.
Pitch wheel: Lets you control movement direction and
speed with the Pitch bend wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
Pitch wheel: Lets you control movement direction and
speed with the Modulation wheel on your MIDI keyboard.
Direction Lets you specify the rolling direction of the tunnel - clockwise
or counter-clockwise.
Quality Lets you set the quality level for the effect - Fine (slower) or
Jaggy (faster).
Radius increment Specifies how much the radius of the tunnel should increase
with each cycle.
Mapping Allows you to specify the number of times (2 to 4) the visual

is displayed each cycle.
ARKAOS VJ
166 THE EFFECTS
Warp
This effect will gradually fill the visual with thin lines or squares, and you can
determine the size and orientation of these. Note that Warp does not
work if placed on a key with no visual assigned.
Option Description
Horizontal The lines will be horizontal.
Vertical: The lines will be vertical.
H and V: There will be both horizontal and vertical lines.
From Center The lines will appear to spread evenly from the starting point,
set with the crosshair that appears when you select this option.
Square The image will be filled with squares instead of lines.
Warp Size The length of the lines (or size of the squares). Use the slider
to change the value.
Fill Screen (Color Fill)
This effect fills the screen, or part of it, with a color of your choice.
Option Description
Position If 1/2 screen or 1/4 screen is selected below, you can position
the fill area by dragging the square in the box to the desired
position.
Size Determines the size of the fill area. Choose between Full
screen, 1/2 screen and 1/4 screen.
Select Color Click on the color square to open a standard Color Picker
where you can select the desired fill color.
ARKAOS VJ
THE EFFECTS 167
Bombo Blaster
Explodes the visual into squares that will move outwards from the visual.
You can determine the size of the squares and also add special effects such
as rotation.
Option Description
Grid Width This value determines into how many parts the screen ex-
plodes along the x-axis (horizontal).
Grid Height This value determines into how many parts the screen ex-
plodes along the y-axis (vertical).
Random Moves Causes the pieces of the visual to move at random.
Rotation Causes the pieces to rotate.
Synchronization If this is set to No Synchronization, the effect simply runs as

fast as possible. You can also set this to one of the specified
frame rates. Choose the fastest rate the playback system can
handle with an even and smooth result. The options are 10,
20 and 30 frames/second.
ARKAOS VJ
168 THE EFFECTS
9 PERFORMING WITH
ARKAOS VJ
INTRODUCTION
This chapter describes different ways to perform with ArKaos VJ, and also
provides you with details about various settings you can make that affect
your performances.
PREPARATIONS
Before performing in full-screen mode with ArKaos VJ, you will probably
want to make a few settings that determine the performance of the ArKaos
Engine, and the appearance of the full-screen display.
ArKaos Engine settings

You can make the following settings to optimize the performance of the
ArKaos engine:
1. Select Preferences from the Edit menu and then select ArKaos Engine from the
submenu.
The ArKaos Engine Preferences dialog opens.
2. Check the options you want to activate and click OK.

The options are as follows:
Disable background processing:
If you activate this option, the ArKaos engine will use the entire operating system, making the
engine faster. However, locking up the system also means that no other programs can run at
the same time. For example, this makes it impossible to run a MIDI sequencer program
simultaneously on the same computer.
ARKAOS VJ
170 PERFORMING WITH ARKAOS VJ
Try to set Monitor resolution and pixel depth (Mac OS only).
Attempts to set the monitor resolution and color depth automatically. For more information,
see page 37.
Restore Monitor when deactivating ArKaos (Mac OS only).

Restores the monitor resolution and color depth to the original settings when you deactivate
full-screen mode. For more information, see page 37.
Use Sub-Space manager to sync your mind to ArKaos.

Channels your brain waves and links them to the computer via meta-space for a heightened
visual experience.
Startup screen settings

When full-screen mode is activated, ArKaos VJ will first preload the visuals
in the active Patch. You can specify whether file loading information should
be displayed or not during the preloading, and you can also specify which
background color ArKaos VJ should display in full-screen mode when no
visual is shown.
Proceed as follows to set preferences for file loading info and background
color:
1. Select Preferences from the Edit menu and then choose ArKaos Startup from
the submenu.
The ArKaos Startup dialog opens.
2. Select whether you want file loading information to be displayed or not, by checking
or unchecking the Display File Loading Information box.
If this is activated when you activate the ArKaos full-screen display, you will be shown which
files are being loaded into memory, and how much memory is left.
This is practical when you are working and trying out your Patches, since it can help you op-
timize the available memory. When you are running ArKaos VJ for an audience, however, you
will probably not want this information to be displayed.
ARKAOS VJ
PERFORMING WITH ARKAOS VJ 171
3. Click (Mac OS) or double-click (Windows) on the colored square to select a back-
ground color.
This opens a standard color picker dialog in which you can select any color you like.
4. Choose the background color you want and click OK.
The color you specify will be displayed in the background when full-screen mode is activated.
5. Click OK to close the dialog.
PERFORMING
This section contains descriptions of different ways you can perform with
ArKaos VJ - i.e. different ways of controlling ArKaos VJ to trigger the visuals
- and how to set things up.
First of all though, is a brief run-through of the basic procedures needed for
starting and stopping a full-screen performance.
Selecting the right Synth and Patch

As described previously in this manual, you can have multiple Synths with
multiple Patch windows open simultaneously, and you can also use multiple
Synths and multiple Patches in a performance.
Before going into full-screen display mode to start a performance though,
you need to make sure that the correct starting Synth and Patch are selected:
1. Click on the Synth window for the Synth you want to start performing with.
2. Select a starting Patch with the Next Patch and Previous Patch arrow buttons in the
Synth window.
3. Click the Show Patch Window button to activate (or open) the Patch window
for the selected Patch.
You can also select a Patch by clicking on the corresponding Patch window, if it is open.
Synths as well as Patches can be changed during the actual performance, either
manually or automatically, depending on which of the below described methods
of triggering the visuals youre using.
ARKAOS VJ
Activating full-screen mode
The ArKaos Engine allows you to perform with your visuals in full-screen
mode. If you have two monitors, the full-screen visuals will appear on the
display you have specified in your monitor configuration. For more informa-
tion on setting up your displays, see the chapters Configuration - Windows
and Configuration - Mac on page 21 and page 31 respectively.
To activate full-screen mode, use one of the following methods:
Select Start Full Screen from the ArKaos menu.
Use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[A] or [ ]-[Enter] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[A] or [Ctrl]-
[Enter] or [Ctrl]-[Return] under Windows.
The Start Full Screen button.

When the full-screen display is activated, the screen will be filled with a
background color, and the visuals in the Patch will be loaded into memory.
You can choose a background color and decide whether the file loading
information should be displayed or not, as described on page page 171.
Deactivating full-screen mode

To deactivate full-screen mode when using a single display:
Click the mouse button (Mac) or left mouse button (Windows).
To deactivate full-screen mode when using two displays, use one of the
following methods:
Select Stop Full Screen from the ArKaos menu on your working area display.
Use the keyboard shortcut [ ]-[A] or [ ]-[Enter] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[A] or [Ctrl]-
[Enter] or [Ctrl]-[Return] under Windows.
Click on the Stop Full Screen button in the Synth window on your working area
display.
This is the same button used for starting the full screen display, described above.
ARKAOS VJ
CONTROLLING ARKAOS FROM A MIDI
CONTROLLER
If you have set up your MIDI equipment as described in the Chapters Con-
figuration - Windows and Configuration - Mac on page 21 and page 31
respectively, just activate full-screen mode as described above, press the
keys on your MIDI keyboard (or other MIDI controller) and watch the
visuals on the monitor.
There are a few things to consider when using a MIDI controller:
The keys on the MIDI keyboard in the ArKaos VJ Patch window are labeled C-2
to G-8, corresponding to the MIDI note numbers 0-127.
Different MIDI controller manufacturers variously define middle C as either C3 or C4, so
your key assignments may be offset by an octave.
Some of the effects use MIDI velocity, pitch bend and modulation and other controllers.
Make sure that your MIDI controller is set to transmit these messages.
You can verify that ArKaos VJ is receiving MIDI by observing the MIDI indicator to
the top right in the Synth window.
The MIDI indicator will light up to indicate incoming MIDI signals.
Switching Patches via MIDI

As described in the chapter Managing Synths and Patches, each ArKaos VJ
Synth can hold up to 128 Patches. These correspond to MIDI Program
Change numbers 0-127. If your MIDI controller can send Program Change
messages, you can use these to automatically switch to another Patch.
To enable MIDI Program Change in ArKaos VJ, make the following settings
before activating full-screen mode:
1. Click on the Synth window to select it.
The Synth Info dialog opens.
3. Make sure that Receive Program Change is checked.
4. Optionally activate Load visuals on PGM change.
If this is activated, the visuals of the new Patch will be preloaded into memory before switch-
ing Patches. If a visual is not preloaded in this way, there will be a slight delay each time it is used.
5. Click OK to exit the dialog.
Now you can send Program Change messages from your MIDI controller to switch Patches.
ARKAOS VJ
CONTROLLING ARKAOS FROM THE COMPUTER
KEYBOARD
There may be situations when you dont have access to a MIDI controller,
but still want to display your work. If this is the case, you can trigger the
visuals from your computer keyboard, and also use the mouse to emulate
MIDI controller messages.
Note however that using the computer keyboard slightly decreases the performance
of ArKaos VJ.
MIDI controllers also provide velocity control of certain effects, which is not possible with the
computer keyboard. We recommend using a MIDI controller if possible.
Heres how to set up options for the computer keyboard:
1. Select Preferences from the Edit menu, and then select Keyboard from the sub-
menu.
The Keyboard Setup window opens.
2. Make sure the Use Computer keyboard option is activated (checked).

3. Activate the Indicate pressed keys in Patch window option if you want ArKaos VJ
to indicate pressed keys in the Patch window in Preview mode (and in your work
windows display, if youre using two monitors).
When this is activated, the pressed keys are highlighted in red.
4. Activate the Mouse generates MIDI controllers option if you wish to use the
mouse for emulating MIDI controller messages.
Enter the numbers of any MIDI controllers you wish. ArKaos will then respond to horizontal
(X) and vertical (Y) movements of your mouse as if they were MIDI controller messages.
5. Click OK to exit the dialog.
ARKAOS VJ
CONTROLLING ARKAOS VJ FROM A MIDI
SEQUENCER
You can trigger the visuals in ArKaos VJ with incoming MIDI signals from a
MIDI sequencer or a MIDI sequencer program.
The following are the means by which you can to transmit MIDI to ArKaos VJ:
From an external sequencer.
By external we mean a stand alone sequencer or a software based sequencer running on a
different computer. Connect the MIDI out from the external device or computer to the MIDI
in port on the computer hosting ArKaos VJ.
From an internal sequencer.

By internal we mean a software based MIDI sequencer program running on the same com-
puter as ArKaos VJ.
Depending on which of the above you use, and depending on what compu-
ter operating system you are running, there are different methods that can
be used for establishing MIDI communication between the device or pro-
gram and ArKaos VJ. These are all described below.
Windows
The following methods can be used to control ArKaos VJ from a MIDI se-
quencer under Windows.
External sequencer
For instructions on how to set up communication between a stand alone
sequencer or a software based sequencer running on another computer
and ArKaos VJ, please refer to page 27.
Internal sequencer
If you want to control ArKaos VJ from a sequencer program running on the
same computer, you have the following two options:
ReWire.
This is described on page 178.
Installing and using a third-party application that enables multiple MIDI programs to
use the same MIDI device simultaneously.
There are various such programs available as freeware. See page 29 for instructions.
ARKAOS VJ
Mac OS X
The following are the methods you can use for controlling ArKaos VJ from
a MIDI sequencer under Mac OS X.
External sequencer
If you want to use a stand alone sequencer or a software based sequencer
running on another computer for transmitting MIDI to ArKaos VJ, the
CoreMIDI protocol is used.
How to set up CoreMIDI in ArKaos VJ is described on page 44.
Internal sequencer
same computer, the communication is handled via ReWire.
See page 178 for instructions on how to set up ReWire.
Mac OS 9.x
The following are the methods you can use for controlling ArKaos VJ from
a MIDI sequencer under Mac OS 9.x.
External sequencer
If you want to use a stand alone sequencer or a software based sequencer
running on another computer for transmitting MIDI to ArKaos VJ, you can
use one of the following methods for MIDI communication:
OMS (Open Music System).
How to set up MIDI communication with this system is thoroughly described on page 40.
Direct Driver.
How to set things up for using Direct Driver is described on page 41.
Internal sequencer
same computer, you have the following two options:
ReWire.
OMS.
ARKAOS VJ
Setting the sequencer to transmit to ArKaos VJ
ArKaos VJ receives MIDI either on a single specified channel, or on all
channels if Omni On is checked in the Synth Info dialog (see page 78).
If different sequencer tracks transmit on different MIDI channels, this means
that you can either have ArKaos VJ respond only to information on sequencer
tracks that transmit on the Synths receive channel, or to all data on all
tracks of the sequencer, regardless of which channels they transmit on.
To connect a sequencer and set up its communication with ArKaos VJ, pro-
ceed as follows:
1. Connect the sequencer to the MIDI interface on your computer (external sequencer)
or route the software sequencer output to the appropriate software port (internal
sequencer software).
2. Choose the method you want to use for communication between the sequencer
and ArKaos VJ (as described above), and make sure you have made the correct
settings for it.
3. In ArKaos VJ, select Preferences from the Edit menu and choose MIDI Setup.
4. Select the sequencer or the MIDI port the sequencer is connected to.
5. Make sure that the sequencer track you wish to use for controlling ArKaos VJ is set
to transmit on the same channel as the ArKaos VJ Synth is set to receive on.
You can also set the ArKaos VJ Synth to Omni On, in which case it will respond to data from
all channels (see above).
Under Windows, if you have multiple MIDI devices installed in your system and
want to be able to use them all simultaneously, click in the Use all devices box.
Using ReWire to transmit MIDI to ArKaos VJ

The ReWire 2 protocol offers the possibility to route MIDI from a ReWire 2
compatible sequencer program to ArKaos VJ, for full MIDI control. ReWire
also offers the ability to stream audio between compatible applications -
however, this is not possible with ArKaos VJ.
Note that when ArKaos is running as a ReWire slave to a sequencer, it is
synchronized via MIDI clock sent from the sequencer. This makes it possible
to create animations in ArKaos VJ synchronized to the music played by your
sequencer.
ARKAOS VJ
Launching a ReWire session
When using ReWire, the order in which you launch and quit the two
programs is very important:
1. First launch the sequencer application.
2. Then launch ArKaos VJ.
Setting up for ReWire in ArKaos VJ

Proceed as follows to prepare ArKaos VJ for receiving MIDI via ReWire:
1. Launch the programs in the order described above.
2. In ArKaos VJ, select Preferences - MIDI Setup from the Edit menu.
3. Click the ReWire radio button in the dialog.
If this item is grayed out it indicates that a compatible ReWire 2 host application is not active.
Close both programs and relaunch them in the order specified. If the problem persists, make
sure that the sequencer application supports the ReWire 2 protocol. The original ReWire
protocol does not support MIDI.
ArKaos VJ is now ready to receive MIDI from another application via ReWire!
Setting up for ReWire in the sequencer application

After launching ArKaos VJ, a new MIDI output - simply named ArKaos VJ
- will appear for MIDI tracks in the sequencer application. If you select this
output, the MIDI data on the associated track will be routed to Arkaos VJ
over the selected MIDI channel.
ARKAOS VJ
Part of the ReWire protocol specifies that a ReWire compatible device always
has audio channels, which isnt the case in ArKaos VJ. Therefore, In the sequencer
application, ArKaos VJ will be listed as a ReWire device (in Cubase SX for example,
this item can be found on the Devices menu). If this item is selected, a ReWire
panel appears where two ReWire audio channels seemingly can be activated.
However, activating these channels wont do anything except create a ReWire
channel in the Mixer. Sending audio to or from ArKaos VJ via ReWire is not possible.
Quitting a ReWire session

When you are finished, you also need to quit the applications in a special
order:
1. First quit ArKaos VJ.
2. Then quit the sequencer application.
Creating the MIDI data

If you set up ArKaos VJ to respond to MIDI performances from an internal
or external sequencer, you can either simply see what happens when you
route an existing track to ArKaos VJ, or you can record a dedicated visual
performance track into the sequencer.
You can create your MIDI sequence in any way your sequencing application
allows. The following MIDI messages are of special interest:
Note On and Note Off messages.
These are used for activating visuals and effects. Note that the time intervals between Note
On and Note Off (how long a note is held) can be important in seeing the entire animation
and/or effect. Some effects also respond differently according to the velocity associated with
the Note On (how hard the MIDI key is pressed).
Some effects respond to pitch bend, modulation wheel data and other MIDI con-
troller messages. See the description of each effect (in the chapter The effects)
for details.
Program Change messages can be used to switch between Patches, as described
on page 174.
ARKAOS VJ
USING AUTOMATION
ArKaos VJs Automation function allows you to trigger visuals and synchro-
nize the performance either to incoming audio via the same Beat Detection
algorithm found in the ArKaos Visualizer (see page 7), or to MIDI Clock.
If Automation is activated and no information is sent to ArKaos from any
controller (i.e. a MIDI keyboard, computer keyboard or MIDI sequencer),
ArKaos will generate a random performance on its own. This means you
can both use the Automation function and play along on your MIDI controller
or computer keyboard to override the random performance, should you so
wish.
Setting up Automation
1. First of all you need to make sure that audio or MIDI is directed into ArKaos VJ.
For information about how to direct audio into ArKaos, and how to set up MIDI input, see
the chapter Configuration Windows and the chapter Configuration Mac.
2. Open the Automation dialog in ArKaos VJ by doing either of the following:
Select Preferences from the Edit menu and then select Automation from the sub-
menu.
Click on the Show Automation Window button in the Synth window.
ARKAOS VJ
3. In the Automation dialog that opens, activate the option Use Beat Detection by
clicking in the box.
This activates the Automation function and starts the automatic triggering of visuals based on
incoming audio or MIDI Clock. The automation function will now be engaged until you de-
activate the option Use Beat Detection again - even if you close the Automation dialog.
4. Make other settings in the dialog as desired.

The options in the dialog are described below.
Automation options
The options in the Automation dialog are as follows:
Use Beat Detection.
By checking and unchecking this box, you effectively turn Automation on and off. The beat
detection function analyzes the tempo of the incoming audio or MIDI Clock and generates a
random performance in sync with the detected tempo.
From Audio Input.

Synchronizes Automation to the internal clock of the audio hardware in your computer. A
waveform representation of the incoming audio is displayed in the bottom area of the Auto-
mation window when audio is properly routed into ArKaos. See page 30 for information on
how to set up audio input under Windows, and page 46 for information on how to do it on
the Macintosh.
ARKAOS VJ
Delay Compensation.
This can be used to compensate for delays in the triggering of visuals. Try adjusting this slider
if you think the Automation function does not respond fast enough when triggering visuals in
sync with the audio.
From MIDI Time Code.

Synchronizes Automation to MIDI Time Code coming from whatever MIDI source you have
assigned.
Generate controllers 7 and 8.

Many of ArKaos VJs effects can be manipulated in real-time with the MIDI controllers 7 & 8.
If any of the effects used in the Synth are set to respond to these MIDI controllers, you can
activate this option to have the Automation function randomly generate these MIDI controller
messages for the effects. See the chapter The effects for more information.
Beat Ratio.
Sets the frequency with which new keys will be triggered. A beat ratio of 1 means that a key
will be triggered at each beat of the music. A ratio of 2 will cause a key to be triggered every
2 beats, etc. If you are playing long video loops, you should raise this slider to a high value.
Auto change synths.

Allows the Automation function to switch between multiple open Synths (.kos files).
Auto change patches.

Allows the Automation function to switch between all open Patches in the currently active
synth. See page 80 for information on how to open additional Patch windows in a Synth.
Change after (seconds).

Sets the interval at which Patches or Synths are changed when either of the above two Auto
change options is engaged. Drag the slider to set the desired time interval.
ARKAOS VJ
ARKAOS VJ
10 THE EVENT RECORDER
INTRODUCTION
The Event Recorder primarily allows you to record performances directly in
ArKaos VJ. The performances are then saved with the Synth and can quickly
and easily be viewed at any time.
However, the Event Recorder also allows you to do a number of other
things:
You can work together with a MIDI program to transfer performances into
ArKaos VJ so that they can be played back without the other application.
This is done either by capturing a performance that is carried out by some external MIDI
device or internal sequencing application, or by importing MIDI files created in other programs.
The Event Recorder can also use an audio file (MP3, AIFF, WAV or WMA) as its
sound source.
The Event Recorder also allows you to convert your recordings to QuickTime
movies or Windows Media Video movies for use in ArKaos VJ or other programs
that read these movie formats.
RECORDING A PERFORMANCE
This is how you set things up for recording a performance:
1. Set everything up as for any other type of performance.
This includes creating a Patch, making system settings, etc.
2. Rehearse the performance so that you feel confident performing it in one pass.
3. Select Event Recorder from the ArKaos menu (or use the keyboard shortcut
[ ]-[R] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[R] under Windows).
The Event Recorder window opens, listing any recorded performances.
Play button Process button

(convert to movie)
Record button
Recorded
performances
ARKAOS VJ
4. Click the Record button.
The Recording Set-Up window opens.
5. In the dialog that appears, click the Edit button.

A dialog box appears, containing a name field.
6. Enter a name for the recording and click OK.
You are returned to the Recording Set-up dialog.
7. If you wish to use an audio file with the Event Recorder, click Select and browse
for the audio file.
You can also drag-and-drop the audio file directly in the Recording Set-up dialog. Valid file
formats are MP3, AIFF, WAV and WMA.
8. Click on the Record button.
ArKaos VJ now waits for you to start your performance. Nothing gets recorded until you begin.
9. Perform as desired.
10. If youre recording in Full Screen mode, click the mouse button when you want to
stop recording. If youre recording in Preview mode (or using two monitors in Full
Screen mode), click Stop in the Event Recorder window.
Your new recording is added to the list of recordings in the Event Recorder window.
See page 191 for instructions on how to play back the performance you
just recorded.
If you make a mistake while recording

If you decide you want a second try, proceed as follows:
1. Click on the name of the recording you just made in the list to select it.
2. Press [ ]-[Delete] under Mac OS or [Ctrl]-[Delete] under Windows.
The recording is deleted.
3. Record again, as previously described.
ARKAOS VJ
THE EVENT RECORDER 187
CAPTURING A PERFORMANCE FROM ANOTHER
MIDI SOURCE
If you have used another MIDI application or device to create a MIDI
performance, you might want to capture or transfer this into the Event
Recorder in ArKaos VJ. This allows you to play back the performance
without using any other equipment or programs.
Heres how you capture a performance from another MIDI source:
1. Verify that you have MIDI connected and routed correctly.
For instructions on how to set up MIDI, please refer to page 27 for Windows and page 40
for Mac OS.
2. Set everything up so that the MIDI source triggers the ArKaos VJ performance as it
should.
3. Select Event Recorder from the ArKaos menu (or use the keyboard shortcut
[ ]-[R] on the Mac; [Ctrl]-[R] under Windows).
4. Click the Record button in the Event Recorder.
The Recording Set-Up window opens.
5. Click the Edit Button.
A dialog appears, with a name field.
6. Enter a name for the recording and click OK.
7. Click the Record button.
The program now waits for the performance to start. Nothing gets recorded until the
program receives MIDI information.
8. Activate playback on the MIDI source device or program.
If the source is another MIDI program on the same computer, youll need to switch over to
that program to activate playback (ideally with a lead-in of a few bars), then switch back to
ArKaos VJ.
9. If youre recording in Full Screen mode, click the mouse button when you want to
stop recording. If youre recording in Preview mode (or using two monitors in Full
Screen mode), click Stop in the Event Recorder window.
Your new recording is added to the list of recordings in the Event Recorder window.
See page 191 for instructions on how to play back the performance you
just recorded.
ARKAOS VJ
IMPORTING MIDI FILES
ArKaos VJ also allows you to add a recording to the Event Recorder by
importing a Standard MIDI Format (SMF) file. This is the file format used for
transferring MIDI sequences between programs and devices. If you have
already created a recording in another MIDI device or program, importing it
as a MIDI file might be the most convenient way to convert it into an
ArKaos VJ recording.
Proceed as follows to import a MIDI file:
1. Make sure the MIDI performance plays back as intended when you run it in real-
time to ArKaos VJ.
2. Save the performance as a MIDI file, and if required, transfer it to the hard disk of
the computer on which you are running ArKaos VJ.
Exactly how to do this depends on what device/application created the MIDI file. See the
operation manual that came with the application/device.
From here you can either use the Import command or the drag-and-drop
technique as described below.
Importing MIDI files via the Import command

1. Select Event Recorder from the ArKaos menu.
The Event Recorder window opens.
2. Select Import from the File menu.
3. Locate the file on your hard disk and open it.
ARKAOS VJ
Importing MIDI files via drag-and-drop
1. Arrange your windows so that you can see both the Finder (Mac OS) or the
Explorer (Windows) and the ArKaos Event Recorder window simultaneously.
2. Drag the MIDI File from the Finder/Explorer into the Event Recorder window.
The MIDI file will appear as a new recording in the Event Recorder window.
ARKAOS VJ
PLAYING BACK A RECORDED PERFORMANCE
You can play back recorded performances in either the Event Recorder
window or the Patch window.
The following are descriptions of how to play back a recording:
In the Event Recorder window

1. Select the recording and click the Play button (you can also simply double-click on
the name).
The Event Recorder dialog box appears.
2. Click the Play button.
The recording will play back in either full-screen mode or in the Preview window, depending
on what you have specified for the recorded sequence in the Event Recorder window (see
page 192).
In the Patch window

1. In the bottom right corner of the Patch window, use the up and down arrow
buttons to select the recording.
The name of the selected recording is displayed in the text box.
2. Click the Play button to the left of the text box.

The recording will play back in either full-screen mode or in the Preview window, depending
on what you have specified for the recorded sequence in the Event Recorder window (see
page 192).
Note that with both of the above methods, the Event Recorder always plays back
the recording using the currently active Patch! Which Patch you actually used is
not saved together with the recording. This means it is up to you to make sure
the correct Patch is selected when you activate playback.
ARKAOS VJ
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR PLAYING BACK AND
RECORDING PERFORMANCES
The Event Recorder dialog can be expanded to provide additional controls
for playing back a selected portion of the recording, with optional looping.
You can also determine whether playback or recording should take place in
the Preview window or in full-screen mode.
1. Depending on whether you want to make additional settings for playback or recording;
select the recording and click the Play button, or the Record button.
The Event Recorder dialog box appears.
2. Click the More button.
The dialog expands to present additional controls and a linear graphic representation of the
file.
If you want to set up a selected portion of a recording for playback, do the

following:
3. Drag the marker handle above the graphic representation of the file to the point
where you wish playback to begin.
4. Drag the marker handle below the graphic representation of the file to the point
where you wish playback to stop.
You have now selected a segment of the file for playback.
5. Check the Selection checkbox.
This tells the program that you wish to use only the selection range you specified.
6. Check the Loop checkbox if you want to loop the selection (play it back repeatedly).
ARKAOS VJ
The Clear button will erase the recording between the marker handles.
Setting up selections and looping is not possible for recording.

Do the following to decide whether you want to play back or record in full-
screen mode or in the Preview window:
7. Check the Fullscreen checkbox if you want to utilize full-screen mode.
If you want to play back or record in the Preview window, leave the box unchecked.
8. Click the button, now re-labeled Less, to close the expanded dialog.
MANAGING RECORDINGS
Deleting a recording
To delete a recording from the Event Recorder, select it and press [ ]-
[Delete] on the Mac or [Ctrl]-[Delete] under Windows.
Saving and opening recordings

There are no special methods needed for saving and opening recordings.
All recordings in the list are part of the Synth file and are saved and opened
with it.
ARKAOS VJ
RENDERING A PERFORMANCE TO A MOVIE
ArKaos VJ allows you to render a recording into a QuickTime movie or a
Windows Media Video movie. Movies of these formats can be played back
from a number of applications, including ArKaos VJ itself.
To render a performance to a movie, proceed as follows:
1. Open the Event Recorder and select the recording you wish to render.
2. Click the Process button in the Event Recorder window.
3. If youre running under Windows, select if you want to render the Performance
into a QuickTime movie or a Windows Media Video movie by clicking the corre-
sponding option in the dialog that appears (this is not an option under Mac OS,
which always renders to QuickTime).
The Process dialog appears.
Note that to be able to render a performance into a WMV movie under Win-
dows, you need to have Windows Media Player 9 or better installed!
ARKAOS VJ
4. Click the Setup button.
The Setup dialog appears. The options in this dialog are identical for both platforms
(Windows and Mac) and video formats (QuickTime and WMV).
5. Select the movie size and the engine speed.

What movie size (resolution) and engine speed (frame rate) you should choose depends on
the system from which you plan to play back the movie. The higher the rate the better the
quality, but large movies recorded at high rates also require more processing power.
6. Optionally activate High quality rendering.
When this is activated, internal rendering is performed at twice the specified movie size. The
size is then reduced to the specified when the movie is actually converted to QuickTime or
WMV, and anti-aliasing is performed in the process. The advantage of this is that the level of
detail will be higher, giving better movie quality. The drawback is that the rendering process
will be slower.
7. When youve made all settings, click OK.
8. Click the Format button and set up the compression options as desired, then click
OK.
The dialog that appears is provided by QuickTime or Windows Media Components - not
ArKaos VJ. The options in the dialog will vary with your system and the version of QuickTime
or Windows Media you are using. Please refer to the QuickTime or Windows Media
documentation for details about all options. Also see below for some considerations and tips
for making compression settings.
9. When youve made the desired settings, click OK.
10. In the Process dialog, click Make.
ARKAOS VJ
11. Specify a name and a location for the file, then click Save.
ArKaos VJ now renders the Movie and saves it to disk. A progress bar informs you about the
process.
You can click the Close button at any time during the rendering process. This
will interrupt the rendering, but will leave you with a QuickTime movie containing
everything that has been rendered so far. You can therefore use this as a pre-
view feature.
Movie file compression considerations

If you create your own QuickTime or Windows Media Video movies as
described above, choose your compression method and settings carefully,
depending on the media and computer system from which the movie is
intended to be played (CD-ROM/hard disk, slow/fast computer, streamed/
downloaded over the Internet etc.).
The compression settings are accessed by clicking the Format button in
the Event Recorder Process dialog.
QuickTime
If you want to produce movies of high quality, you should use a very small amount
of compression, in which case the Animation codec is the compression method of
choice. Note, however, that if you use a low compression rate for the movies, the
system from which you play them has to be very fast.
If your system isnt fast enough to play movies that are only lightly compressed, the
Cinepak codec is generally the best compression method, producing movies that
are small in size and can be played back very fast (although the actual compression
process may take a long time).
If you want movies of small size (if you want to create a .kos file for Internet dis-
tribution for example) you will have to use a large amount of compression. The
recommended compression method in this case is the Sorenson Video codec,
which produces great compression without giving up on quality. However, the
compression and decompression of movies with this codec takes a rather long time.
ARKAOS VJ
Windows Media Video
You can either use preset compression profiles or manually specify every parameter
for the compression. If youre not very familiar with WMV parameters and options,
its a safe choice to use a Preset Profile. These are very varied and geared towards a
number of different purposes - everything from low quality video for Internet
streaming to high quality, uncompressed 32 bit video.
You can use video codecs other than Windows Media codecs if you have any
installed on your system, and as long as they are compatible with Windows Media.
DivX codecs, for example, are not compatible with Windows Media and therefore
not possible to use.
You can include audio in the rendered file if youve added an audio file during re-
cording (see page 186). In such case, you also need to specify which audio codec to
use and make settings for it. Included audio will increase the size of the video file
considerably. Just as with video, you can use audio codecs other than Windows
Media, as long as they are Windows Media compatible.
With the Windows Media Audio 9 Pro codec, you can include 5.1 surround WMA
files in the rendered file.
If youre making manual video settings, regardless of which codec you use, it can be
a good idea to use variable bit rate for the compression, to keep the bit rate
down and create a smaller file without too much compromise to video quality.
When you compress with variable bit rate, the bit rate fluctuates depending on the
complexity of the performance being rendered. The more complex the performance,
the higher the bit rate will be.
To render with variable bit rate, do the following:
1. Select Use VBR in the dialog.
This specifies that you want to use variable bit rate.
2. Specify a desired average bit rate with the Quality slider.
This serves as a guideline, or base, for the variable bit rate.
3. Choose between Unconstrained and Constrained.
With Unconstrained VBR, the bit rate is allowed to fluctuate above the specified average
bit rate if the material requires it, and there is no limit for how much above the average the
bit rate is allowed to fluctuate. The bit rate will however be kept below the specified average
whenever possible, and is therefore at least somewhat constrained.
With Constrained VBR, even though the bit rate fluctuates, it will never be allowed to
exceed a maximum limit of three times the average bit rate you specify. The bit rate will
therefore be kept within constraints to make the video file smaller.
Note that some video codecs do not support variable bit rates.
ARKAOS VJ
ARKAOS VJ
11 INDEX
A
Addition (Copy Mode) 104
All Notes Off 107
Alpha from Source 101
ArKaos Engine settings 170
ArKaos Startup settings 171
ArKaos VJ
Controlling from a MIDI controller 174
Controlling from a MIDI sequencer 176
Controlling from external devices (Mac OS 9) 40
Controlling from external devices (Mac OS X) 44
Controlling from external devices (Windows) 27
Controlling from the computer keyboard 175
Help 48
Installing 8
Launching 10
Registering 11
Using ReWire with 178
Aspheroids 113
Audio input
Setting up (Mac OS) 46
Setting up (Windows) 30
Automatic monitor switching (Mac OS) 37
Automation 181
B
Background color 171
Background Copy 101
Band Pass 102
Band Reject 102
Beat detection 181
Blur 145
Bombo Blaster 168
Bubble 152
C
Chrominance (Mask) 101
Color Rainbow 128
Computer keyboard control 175
ARKAOS VJ
200 INDEX
Contrast 128
Copy Mode 104
CoreMIDI (Mac OS X) 44
D
Delirium 127
Diffuse 153
Direct Driver (Mac OS 9) 41
Directional transition 146
Disable background processing 170
Display
Display file loading information 171
Display Statistics 76
Double Buffering 76
E
Earthquake 161
Effects
3D 113
About 111
Artistic 152
Assigning to a key 111
Editing 112
Removing from a key 112
Transition 145
Video 129
Effects window
About 64, 110
Opening 64, 110
ARKAOS VJ
INDEX 201
Event Recorder
About 186
Additional options 192
Capturing a performance from another MIDI source 188
Deleting a recording 193
Importing MIDI files into 189
Playing back a recorded performance 191
Recording a performance 186
Rendering a Performance to a movie 194
Saving and opening recordings 193
F
Fade to black 147
Feedback 100
Fill Screen (Color Fill) 167
Filter 154
Filter Type 102
Filter Width 102
Fire (Mega Fire) 157
Flash text 106
Flow 151
Flying Object 150
Full-screen mode
About 69
Activating 69, 173
Deactivating 69, 173
G
Galactic Scrolling 114
Grab (Mac OS) 137
H
Help 48
Hue 102
Hue Shift 130
Hyper Size 143
ARKAOS VJ
202 INDEX
I
Importing
MIDI files 189
Streaming video 89
Visuals 87
Infinite Zoom 125
Interface preferences 49
Invert 132
Invert Color 162
Irisation 131
K
Kaleidoscope 155
Keyboard settings 175
L
Larsen 156
Latch 107
Layer Priority 99
Layers 65
Load into RAM 107
Load visuals on PGM change 78, 174
Luminance 102
Luminance (Mask) 101
M
Mask 101
Maximum (Copy Mode) 105
Memory window (Mac OS) 34
MIDI
MIDI channel 78
MIDI sequencer control 176
MIDI settings
Testing (Mac OS) 45
Testing (Windows) 30
Minimum (Copy Mode) 105
Mode X (Windows) 25
ARKAOS VJ
INDEX 203
Morphosis 157
Motion Blur 132
Movie Folder 79
Movie Speed 106
Movies
Compression considerations 196
Formats 85
Loading into RAM 107
Rendering with the Event Recorder 194
Setting speed for 106
Specifying a location for 79
Multiplication (Copy Mode) 105
O
Old Film 133
Omni On 78
OMS 40
P
Particles 117
Patch Info dialog 81
Patch window
About 66
Importing visuals into 88
Opening 80
Patches
About 65
Adding effects to 55
Adding visuals to 53
Copying 81
Naming 81
Selecting 80
Switching via MIDI 174
Photo 137
Picture formats 84
Pixel Slide 141
Pixel Vortex 159
Pixxicato 134
Plane 124
ARKAOS VJ
204 INDEX
PlanetWorks 115
Plasma 162
Preset Synths 58
Preview window
About 68
Opening 68
Puzzle 142
Q
QuickTime 194
QuickTime Controller 138
QuickTime Effects 138
R
Receive Program Change 78, 174
Registration 11
ReWire 178
RGB (Color) 129
Rhythmix 126
S
Screen Depth 75
Screen Size 75
Scroller 147
Shutter 148
Shutter II (Shutter N) 148
Size 143
Slide 149
Smooth 103
Source Copy (Copy Mode) 104
Spectrum 163
Spiral 164
Spiral Tunnel 166
Start Full Screen 69, 173
Streaming video 89
Subtraction (Copy Mode) 105
Synth Info dialog 75
ARKAOS VJ
INDEX 205
Synths
About 67
Closing 74
Creating new 72
MIDI settings 78
Opening 73
Saving 74
Screen settings 75
Synth window 67
System requirements
Minimum 8
Recommended (Mac OS) 32
Recommended (Windows) 22
T
Transition 149
Transparent (Copy Mode) 104
Tunnel 158
Tunnel 3D 119
Turnix 151
Turnix 3D 121
U
Usix 3D 122
V
Video Split 135
Visual Info dialog 95
Visuals
Assigning to a key 91
Importing 87
Removing from a key 94
Removing from Visuals window 90
Setting size and position for 96
Visuals window
About 62
Importing visuals into 87
Opening 62, 86
Removing visuals from 90
ARKAOS VJ
206 INDEX
Vortex 144
W
Warp 167
Wave 140
Waving Flag 123
Whirl 136
Windows Media Video 194
Y
Yin and Yang 160
ARKAOS VJ
INDEX 207
ARKAOS VJ
208 INDEX

ArKaos VJ User Guide

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ArKaos VJ User Guide

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Documentation by Synkron M&D AB: Roger Wiklander, Ernst Nathorst-

Bs, Ludvig Carlson and Anders Nordmark. Additional documentation by

47 Trying out Arkaos VJ

71 Managing Synths and Patches

109 The effects

169 Performing with ArKaos VJ

185 The Event Recorder

Installing ArKaos VJ under Windows

The Preset Synths folder.

ReadMe files and documentation

About the trial period and running ArKaos VJ in Free or Registered

About serial numbers

If you have received a purchase key from an online shop or on your CD

If you have received a serial number for this computer

Do not make any changes in the Machine ID field!

2. Enter the serial number (or purchase key).

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

Direct X 9.0 or better.

A projector or a second monitor.

A MIDI sequencer program.

A Firewire- or USB-compatible video camera.

Controlling ArKaos VJ from external devices

When ArKaos VJ receives MIDI signals, the indicator lights up.

SETTING UP AUDIO INPUT

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

Memory considerations under Mac OS 9.x

A projector or a second monitor.

A MIDI sequencer program.

A Firewire- or USB-compatible video camera.

Considerations for adjusting display settings

Setting up two displays with automatic monitor switching

Configuring MIDI under OS 9.x

ArKaos VJ requires OMS 2.3.7.

Set things up as follows:

5. In the MIDI System dialog, select OMS and click OK.

6. Make sure CoreMIDI is selected.

Testing the MIDI settings

Setting up under Mac OS 9.x

Setting up under Mac OS X

The Synth window

The Patch window The scrolling control

4. Try playing different keys.

Note that if youre using a second monitor or projector dedicated to displaying

Patch name Next Patch Previous Patch Show Patch window

Adding a visual to a Patch

Changing the settings for visuals and effects

3. Press the key and then release it.

The Visuals window

The Effects window

The Synth window

To deactivate full-screen mode when using a single display:

The Event Recorder allows you to record performances directly in ArKaos

Visuals window: Select Visuals from the Synth menu.

SAVING, OPENING AND CLOSING SYNTHS

2. Select the desired Screen Size.

640 x 480 is a classic size/resolution, used in many documents and applications.

Optionally, activate Use double buffering in full screen.

About Double Buffering

PC memory issues for Double Buffering

Opening a Patch window

Switch between Patches via MIDI Program Change messages.

Naming and getting info about a Patch

3. To rename the Patch, type in a new name and click OK.

Static picture file formats