Resolume Manual

Introduction
What Can I Do With Resolume

What's New In Version 5?
Installing Resolume
Registration
Offline Registration
Unregister
Quickstart Tutorial
Trigger Clips
Mixing
Effects
Resolume Workflow
Parameters
Composition
Global Composition Controls
Global Speed and Direction Controls
Decks
Layers
Mixing and Compositing
Layer Transport Controls
Auto Layer Transitions
The Cross Fader
Layer Properties
Clips
Loading Media
Managing Clips
Clip Reconnect
Triggering Clips
Transport
Beatloopr
Cue Points
Audio Properties
Video Properties
Multiple Clip Select
Effects
Using Audio Effects
Using Video Effects
Presets
Render Order
Effect Clips
Sources
Video Capture
Layer Router
Masks
Render Order
Preferences
General Preferences
Audio Preferences
Video Preferences
MIDI Preferences
OSC Preferences
Defaults
Update
Registration
Simple Output
Advanced Output
Screens
Input Selection
Output Transformation
Routing Layers to Slices
Edge Blending
Saving and sharing Advanced Output presets
Key Modifiers and Shortcuts for the Stage
Working with Input Maps

Working with LED screens
Projection Mapping
DMX Output
Using the Fixture Editor
Syphon / Spout
Controlling Resolume
Auto pilot sequencing
Animating Parameters
Linking Parameters with The Dashboard
Audio Analysis
Keyboard Control
MIDI
DMX
SMPTE Input
Open Sound Control (OSC)
Previewing
Recording
Flash
Quartz Composer
Appendices:
Optimising Your System for Resolume

Preparing Media
DXV Codec
Exporting Quicktime .mov files with DXV encoding
The Included Effects
Directory list
Default Application Key Mapping
Download PDF
Introduction
Welcome to the world of Resolume!
This manual is split into several main sections:
After a brief section on installing the software (It's only a brief section because the installation is very
easy and painless), we get down to business with a Quickstart Tutorial.
After getting our hands dirty in the quickstart, we take a full look at all of the features of Resolume in
A Tour Of Resolume.
Once we have seen everything that Resolume can do, we will learn about the different ways we can
tell it what to do in Controlling Resolume.
And of course, your audience can't see what you're doing without output. Just getting started? Learn
how to send a single output to a screen in the chapter on Simple Output. More advanced stuff on
using LED screens and projection mapping can be found in the chapters on Advanced Output and
Working with Input Maps. Get jiggy with LED strips and DMX in the chapter on DMX Output.
Finally, there is some extra information in Appendices, including Optimising Your Computer For
Resolume, Preparing Media For Resolume, Directory list and the Default Application Key Mapping.
What Can I Do With Resolume?
Resolume is an audiovisual performance tool. It enables you to play video, audio and audiovisual clips,
mix them with each other, apply effects to them and output the results either for a live performance
or for recording.
Many people who use Resolume are VJs. They mix video clips live to accompany music. These artists
may not use the audio features of Resolume but they will definitely be hammering the video mixing
options and OpenGL accelerated video effects.
Other artists use Resolume for audio-visual performances, using the BPM matching features to
synchronize clips with each other and then layering them up to create a complete piece.
While live performance is what most people use Resolume for, it is also useful for many other projects
that need to deal with audio-visual content. The MIDI, DMX and Open Sound Control options make it
suitable for scripted shows and installations.
Sometimes it's just fun to experiment with clips and effects and see what happens!
Video
What's New In Version 5?
If you're used to working with Resolume 3 or 4, the transition is pretty seamless. You're still able to
load your compositions made on Resolume 3 and Resolume 4. The interface is nearly identical, so
you'll feel at home right away.
There are a few powerful new features added, and they are described in detail below. If you're eager
to see the new features, here's a quick list with links to the big hitters:
Undo/redo in Advanced Output

Zoom in Advanced Output
Input masks for slices
Poly slices
DMX Output
Fixture editor
Native Spout support
Output to Blackmagic devices
Video
Installing Resolume
I'm sure you are keen to get started so you'll be pleased to know that the installation process is very
simple. Simply download the relevant file (.exe for Windows, .dmg for Macs) from the Resolume
website, run the install file and follow the instructions.
Because of the graphical acceleration that is used, Resolume does have some system requirements:
Windows: Windows 7 or later ATI Radeon HD 5000 series or better. NVIDIA GeForce 210 or better.
256MB of VRAM. 2GB RAM
OSX: Mac OS X 10.5 or later. Intel processor. OpenCL-capable graphics card or Intel Iris Pro or later.
256MB of VRAM. 2GB RAM
Registration
The download of Resolume will work in demo mode straight away. You will notice that occasionally the
Resolume logo will appear on the video output and a robotic voice will remind you what software you
are using. This is the only limitation of the demo. You can use all the features and it's not crippled in
any way.
In order to get out of demo mode and use Resolume for real, you will need to buy a license from our
webshop or from one of our resellers. When you have done that, you will receive a serial number.
Once you have a serial number, select File > Preferences in Resolume and click the Registration tab.
Enter your serial number into the text box and click Register. Resolume will now use your Internet
connection to confirm your serial number with the Resolume registration database. Once this is
completed, Resolume will be fully registered and the audio and video reminders will be gone. No
internet connection is required to run Resolume after this.
Offline Registration
You can register Resolume without having an Internet connection on the machine you install it on.
To do this, select File > Preferences in Resolume and click the Registration tab. Then click the Offline
Registration button. Take a note of the ID Code that is shown. You will now need to use a computer
that does have an Internet connection to visit: www.resolume.com/register
You will need to enter your serial number and the ID Code that you just noted. The Resolume website
will then generate a registration key file. Transfer this file to the computer that you have installed
Resolume on.
Now select File > Preferences in Resolume and click the Registration tab. Click the Offline
Registration button and then the Load registration file button. Select the file and Resolume will
become fully registered.
Unregister
To remove your Resolume registration from a computer, go to the Register tab in the Preferences and
click on the Unregister button. This will remove your serial number from the computer. And (when
you have an internet connection) it will also send a message to the Resolume registration server that
your serial is unregistered. This is very useful when you need to re-install your operating system or
when you have bought a new computer.
Quickstart Tutorial
Right, so you've got Resolume installed so let's jump in and see what it can do.
Run the Resolume application. The Resolume interface will appear. It may look complicated at first
but don't worry - it will soon all make sense.
A new Resolume install comes with a demo composition. A composition is what we call a complete
Resolume setup - each composition can include sets of clips, preprogrammed effects and all other
settings that you need for a performance.
Trigger Clips
Below the menu bar, you should see a set of horizontal rows that each have some controls on the left
and a set of thumbnails. Each thumbnail is a different clip.
Go ahead and click one of the thumbnails now. The clip will start playing. Note that these clips are set
up to be synchronised to the BPM (Beats Per Minute) setting, so the clip may not start playing
instantly - it will wait for the start of the next bar. Don't worry, if you want to launch clips instantly,
you can set them up to do that. But first things first.
You should now see the clip playing in the output window on the left and hear the audio of the clip. If
you don't hear the audio, make sure you have your volume up.
You can take control of the clip that is playing by clicking the Clip tab. The Transport section of this
tab is the bit we are interested in for now.
You can use the Forwards, Backwards and
Pause icons to start and stop the clip. You
can also grab the moving blue wedge
directly to scratch the clip - wikka wikka
wah!
Note that messing with the clip like this will mean that it is no longer synchronised with the BPM - the
tempo will be right but it will be out of phase. You can resynchronise it by clicking the clip thumbnail
again - it will start again at the start of the next bar.
Mixing
Playing one clip is all very well but mixing clips together is where the fun really starts. Each of the
horizontal rows of clips is a separate layer. Each layer can play one clip at a time.
Try clicking another thumbnail on the same layer as the one that is already playing. You will see that,
at the start of the next bar, the output will change to play the new clip.
Now try clicking a clip from a different layer. This time, the old clip will continue playing and the new
clip will be mixed with it.
Have a look over to the left of the thumbnails. There are two vertical sliders marked A and V. Try
sliding these up and down on the layers that you have playing.
Logically enough, the A slider fades the audio of the

layer in and out. The V slider does the same for video.
You can use the AV slider to control both at the same
time.
Effects
So we've got some clips playing. Let's mess with them using some effects.
Over on the right hand side of the interface are some tabs that say Files, Compositions, Effects
and Sources. Select the Effects tab.
Below the tab will now be a list of effects. These are the
video effects that are included with Resolume. You can view
the audio effects by clicking the Audio VST button.
Pick an effect (I recommend Bendoscope as a good one to start with) and drag it over to the left
where there is a tab called Composition. As you get over there, drop the effect in the area where it
says 'Drop effect or mask here' (you'll know when you're in the right place when you see four colored
corners appear around the Composition tab)
You should immediately see that the output video has been distorted by the effect.
Now look back to the place where you dropped the effect in. You will see that there are two sliders
under the Bendoscope effect. All video effects have the Opacity slider - it is used to mix the effected
video with the original.
Most effects also have additional parameters that you can control. Bendoscope has one - the number
of divisions used in its distortion effect. Try sliding this slider to the left and right to see what effect it
has on the output video.
You can add more effects by dragging them over from the Effects tab. Each effect takes the output of
the one before it and effects it, so you can combine many effects to make something beautiful (or
sometimes a great big mess!)
If you want to get rid of an effect, just click the x to the right of the Effect's name. You can temporarily
disable an effect by clicking the b (Bypass) toggle.
Have a Play!
Now is a good time to have a play with Resolume. Play some clips, add some effects; see what
happens!
A useful feature is the help window in the bottom right of the

interface. This will show some brief hints about how to use
whatever the mouse pointer is currently over.
In the next section of the manual, we will be looking in detail at all of the features of Resolume, so if
you come across anything that interests you, you will be able to find out how to use it.
Video
Resolume Workflow
A Composition is a complete Resolume setup with sets of clips, assigned audio and video effects,
parameter settings and control mappings.
Switching compositions takes some time, so it is usual to put everything for a complete performance
into a single composition. Otherwise, you will need other video and audio sources to use while you
switch compositions.
The clips in a composition are divided into Decks for easy access to the clips that you want, when you
want them. Switching decks is quick and does not interrupt playback, so you can switch between
decks while performing.
Each clip sits in a specific Layer. Only one clip from each layer can play at a time. Layers can be
blended together in a variety of ways to create the final output.
A Clip can consist of a video file, an audio file or both. It could also contain a Source (a plugin that
generates either audio or video). The clip also includes many settings that can be changed to affect
how the clip is played and how it looks and sounds.
Effects can be added to the whole composition, a specific layer, a single clip or an empty clip. If added
to the composition, the effect is applied after the layers have been mixed together. If it is added to a
layer, it is applied to whatever clip is playing in that layer. If applied to a clip, the effect is applied
before the layer effects are applied.
Parameters
Many features of Resolume are controlled by parameters - sliders that enable us to select a value. To
use any of these, click in the slider area and drag the value left or right.
If you want to set a parameter to a specific value, click the numerical value, type in the new value and
hit return.
Tip! To set a parameter back to its default value, right click the slider or parameter name.
Parameters can also be automatically controlled in a number of ways. We will look at this in the later
section on Controlling Resolume.
Video
Composition
The composition is a complete performance. When you save a composition, all of the Resolume
settings are saved with it.
The Composition > Settings menu option enables you to set the name and description for the
composition and its output resolution. All processing in the composition will happen at this resolution.
Tip! The first time you launch Resolume 4, you'll be asked you if you want to import any compositions
from Resolume 3. So you can breath easily, all your comps are still compatible. After the first launch,
you can still find this function in the Composition menu.
The drop down menu to the right of the tab provides the same options as the Composition menu at
the top of the screen.
Dashboard - This is used to quickly access
parameters you use a lot. Please see the
dashboard chapter for more info.
Audio Effects - If you have applied any audio effects, they show up here.
Volume - This controls the global volume of the composition. Fading this right down will mean no
sound is output.
Pan - This pans the audio between the left and right channels, affecting the whole composition.
Mask - If you created a mask, it will show up here. You can use the B and X buttons to respectively
bypass and eject it. Use the I button to invert it.
Video Effects - If you have applied any video effects, they will show up here.
Fade Out - This is the video equivalent of the volume control. Fading this parameter down will fade
the entire composition's video output to black.
Scale - Scale the output video.

Rotate X, Rotate Y, Rotate Z - Rotate the 3D surface that the output video is drawn on.
Global Composition Controls
With these controls you can quickly eject (X) or bypass (B) all the layers in the composition. Also you
can fade the entire output to black with the master opacity fader (M).
Press the Composition button to see (and hear) a preview of the output.
You can find the global composition controls at the top left of the interface.
Global Speed and Direction Controls
With the global speed and direction controls, you can quickly change the playback speed for all the
clips that are currently playing. So when the music suddenly stops, or becomes very hectic, you can
have your visuals react accordingly. Also you can change the direction in which they play (forwards or
backwards), as well as set them all to random mode.
Tip! By right-clicking the button you can 'pin' the direction controls. That way, every clip you trigger
will automatically be set to this play mode. So when you right-click the R button, it becomes pinned,
and every clip you trigger will be set to random playback, regardless of how it was set before.
Note that the global speed control has no effect on BPM-synced clips. For more info on the direction
controls and BPM-synced clips, check the transport section.
You can find the global speed and direction controls by choosing View Show Layer Transport
Controls, they then appear in the top left of the interface.
Decks
Each composition can contain a number of decks, which you can use to manage audio-visual clips and
sources.
Decks are accessed through the set of buttons just below the clip layers (above the BPM bar). Each
deck has a name. When you select a deck, all of the clips in the deck are displayed in their layers.
A new deck can be created by using the Deck > New or Deck > Insert menu options. The New option
adds the new deck to the end of the list while the Insert option adds it to the left of the currently
selected deck.
You can also duplicate a deck.
Closing a deck will remove a deck from the interface, but keep its contents intact and it will remain
part of the composition. It will remain closed until you open it again.
Clearing a deck removes all its contents, but keeps the empty deck open. Removing a deck will delete
it in its entirety.
You can rename a deck by double-clicking its name.
Video
Layers
Layers are the key to mixing clips with each other. Each layer can play one clip at a time.
A composition can have any number of layers (although note that more layers will mean the computer
has to do more work to composite them together).
New layers can be added with the Layer > New and Layer > Insert menu options. The New option
adds the new layer to the top of the layer stack while the Insert option adds the new layer below the
currently selected layer.
To select a layer, click the area that displays the layer's name (e.g. Layer 1). The currently selected
layer is highlighted in blue.
The properties and effects for the currently selected layer will be shown in the layer tab at the bottom
of the screen. The layer will also be shown in the preview monitor if it is active.
The layer can be cleared by clicking the X button at the far left of the layer strip. This will stop any clip
that is playing on it.
The layer can be temporarily hidden by clicking the B (Bypass) button.
The layer can be displayed on its own by clicking the S (Solo) button.
You can rearrange the layers by using the two buttons with upwards and downwards pointing
triangles on them.
Mixing and Compositing
Mixing audio being played by layers is very simple. Just

use the A (Audio) slider to control the volume of each
layer.
Mixing video can also be simple - use the V (Video) slider to fade layers in and out.
However, there are some fun things you can do with video. Firstly, there are many ways that video
can be combined and many of these methods will give different results depending on what order the
layers are in when they are mixed.
When Resolume composites layers, it starts from the one at the bottom of the stack, compositing it
over a black frame. It then moves up the stack, compositing each layer in turn based on the blend
mode selected and the opacity of the layer.
Blend modes are the methods that are used to do the compositing. Several are
included with Resolume and more can be added as plugins. They are selected from
the lists just to the left of the Opacity and Volume sliders.
Each layer can have three blend modes visible for easy access, so you can quickly pick between your
three favorite blend modes, without having to scroll through the entire list. The currently selected one
is highlighted in blue.
Tip! One quick way of mixing videos that gives a good result is to put a black and white clip in the top
layer, and a colorful one below. Then set the blend mode of the top clip to '50 Mask'. The colorful clip
will now only show in the white parts of the video on top, giving a new result with every clip you try it
with.
Most blend modes mix the layers together, but some are actually transitions. For instance the Cube
blend mode, will rotate put each layer on the side of the cube and rotate them in and out.
For more info on what some of the blend modes do, check the list below.
In all of the following descriptions, layer means the layer that the mode is applied to and input
means the combined video of all of the lower layers that the layer is being mixed with.
50 Mask - This blend mode will mask the output based on the brightness of the layer. Whatever is
black in the layer, will become transparent in the output. Whatever is white in the layer, will remain
visible in the output.
50 Add and 50 LightenThese modes are very useful when AV clips are being mixed. The audio and
video faders can be used together and make sense: When they are faded right up, you hear the audio
from all layers and see the combined video from all layers.
Add - Mix the video so that at 50%, the layer is added to the input. At 0%, only the input is shown; at
100% only the output is shown.
Alpha - A simple crossfade effect. It is usually better to use Add or Lighten instead, as this mode
tends to lead to dull looking output when layers are mixed. However, when your content has an alpha
channel, this mode is the bees knees.
Luma Key - The opacity slider is used as a threshold. Pixels in the layer that are darker than the
threshold are not shown. Pixels that are brighter are shown at full opacity.
Screen - A nice crossfade effect that usually gives a bright output when the layer and input are
combined.
Shift RGB - A transition effect that pulls apart the Red, Green and Blue channel of the output, and
then pulls in those channels of the layer.
Fade to White - Transitions from output to full white to layer. Useful to bring in a new layer with a
flash!
These are just a few examples, it's best to try out each blend mode yourself and see what they do.
Also experiment with different types of content, because some blend modes work better with certain
types of content than others. For instance Burn and Lighten work well with video content, while Add
and Luma Key can work great with more abstract clips.
Set your three favorites and off you go!
Layer Transport Controls
These allow you quick access to your currently playing clips. You can quickly change
the playback speed or BPM setting of the clip, as well as change the playback direction
and play mode. Also you have access to the playhead of the clip.
This is a familiar way of working for Resolume 2 users. The great advantage is that you have a good
overview over what your clips are doing, and you can change it instantly, without needing to select
the clip first.
Tip! Move your mouse over the playhead of one of the clips in the layer transport controls, and wiggle
your scrollwheel. Look mum, I'm scratching!
The layer transport controls can be found by choosing View Show Layer Transport Controls, and
they will pop up to the right of the layer preview thumbnails.
Auto Layer Transitions
These allow you to automatically add a transition when you trigger a new clip in a layer. This
way you can smoothly blend from the old playing clip to the new one. Simply choose how long
you want the fade to be with the vertical slider (between 0 and 10 seconds), and choose any of
the transition modes from the drop down.
For a description of the available transitions, check the list of blend modes above. All the blend modes
are also available as transitions, aside from 50 Add, 50 Lighten and 50 Mask. If you really can't decide
on a favourite transition, there is also a random option, giving you a different transition every time
you trigger a new clip.
The auto layer transitions can be found by choosing View Show Clip Transition Controls, and they
will pop up to the right of the layer preview thumbnails.
The Cross Fader
As well as using the layers' own volume

and opacity sliders, we can also mix
between layers by using the crossfader.
You can find the crossfader, below the layer strips, to the left of the deck selection buttons.
To use the crossfader, first select the layers that you want to use by clicking the A or B buttons below
the volume and opacity sliders on the layers. You can set as many layers as you like to use the
crossfader but the most common way to use it is to set one layer to A and another to B.
You will also need to set the opacity and volume sliders for the layers to the maximum values you
want them to have while crossfading.
Now you can use the crossfader to control the volume and opacity of all of the layers that are
assigned to the crossfader. When the crossfader is at A, layers assigned to A will be heard and seen.
When the crossfader is at B, the B clips will be heard and seen.
This gives us a really easy way to control the opacity of multiple layers at the same time. Clicking on
either A or B in the crossfader will automatically fade between the two layers over a period of 2
seconds.
Layer Properties
The properties for the currently selected
layer are displayed in the Layer tab at the
bottom of the screen.
You can use the textbox at the top of the tab to change the name of the layer.
The drop down menu to the right of the tab provides the same options as the Layer menu at the top
of the screen.
Tip! Enable the Width and Height of all your layers, and set it to the composition width and height.
That way you never have to worry about your footage not filling the screen again!
Dashboard - This is used to quickly access parameters you use a lot. Please see the dashboard
chapter for more info.
Auto Pilot - Here you can control the sequencing for the entire layer. Check out the Auto Pilot
chapter for more details.
Audio Effects - If you have applied any audio effects, they show up here.
Volume - Control the volume of any clip that plays in the layer. This works in combination with the
master composition volume and individual clip volumes.
Pan - Send the audio from the clip playing in this layer to the left or the right
Blend Mode - Change the current blend mode for the layer here as well as on the layer strip (see
Mixing and Compositing above for details)
Opacity - Set the opacity for the layer here as well as on the layer strip.
Scale - Scale the surface that the layer is drawn on in the output.
Width, Height - If enabled, any content in this layer will be scaled to this width and height in pixels.
Position X, Position Y - Tweak the exact position of the layer, pixel by pixel
Rotate X, Rotate y, Rotate Z - Rotate the surface that the layer is drawn on
Anchor X, Anchor Y, Anchor Z - Change the position of the surface that the layer is drawn on and
also the point that the surface is rotated around if you use any of the Rotate parameters.
Video
Video
Clips
Clips are the real nuts and bolts of Resolume - without clips we wouldn't have any content to throw at
the screens and speakers.
A clip can consist of a video part, an audio part or both. The video part could be a still image rather
than a video file.
Clips can also contain audio or video Sources - plugins that generate content on the fly.
Loading Media
Before you can starting having fun with your content, you need to get it into Resolume. You can do
this by dragging and dropping files from your operating system file browser but it is really much
easier to do it using Resolume's built in browser.
You will find the browser over to the right of the display, in the Files tab.
The main part of the browser enables you

to browse through folders by double
clicking them. Click the path at the top to
show a list of root drives on your system.
Tip! If you need to search through a long list of files and you already know the name of the file or
folder you're looking for, simply start typing the name of it while the browser window is in focus. The
browser will then jump to the file or folder automatically.
Two really useful little buttons are next to the path. Use the A and B buttons to switch between two
places in your filesystem.
Next to the A and B buttons is a toggle that enables you to show or hide thumbnail images for media
files - really useful when you can't quite remember what you called that fantastic clip you made last
night! Also you can double click a clip name to preview it in the preview window, to be really really
sure that it is the fantastic clip you made last night.
Loading media into a clip is simply a case of dragging it over to a slot in the channel strips. You can
drag an audio file and a video clip or image file onto the same slot to make a combined clip. If you do
this, Resolume will automatically transpose the video to the length of the audio to make an
audio-visual clip.
There are some tips in Appendix 2 of this manual that will help you prepare your content for
Resolume so that you get the most out of your computer's processing power.
Managing Clips
Once clips have been added to a deck, you can move them around by clicking and dragging the clip
name below the thumbnail of each clip. If you drag a clip over an already added clip, they will swap
places in the deck.
If you want to copy a clip, drag the clip to the new position and then hold down the Ctrl key (Alt on a
Mac) as you release the mouse button. A copy of the clip will be created and the original will remain.
You can also use the universal copy, cut and paste commands Ctrl-c, Ctrl-x and Ctrl-v (CMD-c, CMD-x
and CMD-v on a Mac), allowing you to paste a clip into a different deck as well.
Tip! You can shift select multiple clips and copy/paste multiple clips at the same time!
When dragging an audio clip straight from the browser onto a video clip, they will merge to become
an audio-visual clip. When dragging an audio clip to an empty slot, it will simply remain an audio file,
and behave like any other clip.
To merge audio and video clips after both have been added to the deck, hold down shift while
dragging the audio clip over the video clip.
To find the location of a clip on your computer, you can right click on the blue name handle of a clip,
and use the option to reveal in Explorer/Finder.
Clip Reconnect
If you have moved your source files around on your computer accidentally or on purpose (for instance
when switching laptops, or reorganizing), Resolume will give an error message for which files are
missing.
You can choose to reconnect the files, and point Resolume to the new location.
If more missing files are found in the same location, you have the option to fix just one, or all of the
files.
Triggering Clips
Triggering a clip is as simple as clicking its thumbnail on the layer strips. You can also organize your
content so that clips that fit well together are all in the same column (a column is a vertical row of clip
slots). Then you can play them all at the same time by triggering the column, using the trigger found
at the top of the column.
Tip! You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to trigger clips as well. The left and right arrow will
trigger the clips to the left and right of the currently playing clip respectively. Hold down shift and use
the arrow keys to move around the deck, and press enter to trigger.
However, there are some options for what happens when a clip or column is triggered.
Beat Snap
You can use the Beat Snap option to have clips wait until the next beat, bar, 2 bars and so on before it
starts. This is particularly useful for audio-visual music clips.
In some music software, this feature is known as Quantising
You can set the Beat Snap option for the whole Composition through the Composition > Beat Snap
menu options.
You can also set the Beat Snap option for an individual clip. Select the clip (by clicking its name below
its thumbnail in the channel strips) and select the Clip > Beat Snap menu option. If you set the clip
setting to Composition determined, it will use whatever the Composition setting is.
Trigger Style
Normally, when you click a clip, it starts playing and carries on until you clear the layer or play
another clip. Through the Trigger Style setting, you can also use Piano mode, where the layer is
automatically cleared when you take your finger off the mouse button (or MIDI key or keyboard
button if you are using mapped controls)
You can set the Trigger Style for the whole composition through the Composition > Trigger Style
menu option.
You can set the Trigger Style for an individual clip by selecting it and then using the Clip > Trigger
Style menu option.
Clip Target
The default thing that happens when you click a clip is that it plays on the layer it is held in. You can
also set clips to play in the active layer (this approach will be familiar to Resolume 2.x users) or even
to use the next available layer.
Like Beat Snap and Trigger Style, you can change this setting for the whole Composition (Composition
> Clip Target) and for individual clips (Clip > Clip Target)
The Free Layer Clip Target mode is particularly fun when used with the Piano Trigger Style mode (see
above).
You can then play 'chords' of clips with the keyboard or a MIDI device - each of them will be displayed
for as long as it is selected. Obviously, you will need as many layers as you want to play simultaneous
clips.
Ignore Column Trigger
This option allows you to 'lock' a clip or entire layer, so that when you trigger another column, that
particular clip will not get replaced and just keeps playing. The option can be found in both the Clip
and Layer menus.
This is particularly useful when using a single clip as a background, or when you are using Resolume
to record a video clip, and you want to keep playing a single audio track while you're mixing.
Transport
So, we know how to start clips playing but things would be a bit boring if we had no control over them
after that. Fortunately, Resolume provides loads of ways to control and affect how clips behave.
The Transport section of the Clip tab is where we can change the speed and direction that clips play
at.
The first thing we will look at in the Transport section is the timeline itself. We can manipulate this
directly by grabbing the blue pointer that moves along it and sliding it around. This gives an effect
similar to DJ scratching.
The smaller bar below the timeline is also useful. Grab and move the small blue pointers at its end to
set the In and Out points of the clip. This is great for selecting parts of longer clips to use.
Tip! You can use the 'magnifying glass' icon in the top right to temporarily enlarge the transport
panel, allowing you to place in and out points more accurately.
In the top right, you can see the current time of the clip. Clicking on this number will switch to show
you the remaining time.
You have direct control over the Speed (pitch) of the clip. You simply use the Speed slider to speed
the clip up or slow it down.
But there is another very powerful way to control the speed of a clip. You can switch to it by the drop
down at the top right of the Transport section.
In BPM mode the clip uses the global BPM to control the speed of the clip.
Let's have a quick look at the BPM section, on the left of the display- under the layer strips.
Here you can set a BPM directly with the + and - buttons or by clicking the BPM value and typing a
new one. You can also tap along to a tempo to set the BPM automatically.
The best way to use the Tap tempo function is to click the Tap button a few times to set the tempo
and then click the Resync button on the first beat of a bar.
Tip! If you're having trouble finding the right BPM, keep your eye on the blue square moving
clockwise around the slightly bigger grey square (in the right of the BPM section). If your BPM is on
the money, it should hit the top left corner on every first beat. When you find it's drifting out of sync,
and always arriving a little late, increase the BPM slightly by hitting the 'plus' button a few times, or
hit the 'minus' when it's arriving early. Now hit resync again and see if it drifts again. Repeat till you
get it right. This is how DJs beat match records as well, and after a little practice, you'll be able to dial
in on the correct BPM very quickly.
Later on we will see how we can use MIDI clock to synchronise the tempo in Resolume with another
program or piece of equipment.
So, you have Resolume running at the perfect BPM. Clips that have their Transport mode set to BPM
will now play at a speed that synchronises them with that BPM.
In order for audio-visual clips to work right, you will need to set the number of beats that the clip
spans in the Transport section. You can click the number and change it, use the + and - buttons or
use the *2 and /2 buttons to quickly multiply or divide the value by 2.
By using the drop down to the left of the number of Beats, you can also tell Resolume how the clip
should behave by setting the BPM directly (BPM) or asking Resolume to detect the number of beats
(Auto).
The Transport section also provides some additional options:
Use these buttons to set the direction the clip plays in or to pause the clip.
Use the R button to jump to random frames in your video. When in timeline mode, the Speed slider
now controls how often the clip will jump to a new frame. When in BPM sync mode, the clip will jump
to a random beat and continue playing from there. This works for both audio and video clips, allowing
you to make instant remixes!
Use these buttons to tell the clip to loop, ping pong (play alternately forwards and
backwards) or to play once and then hold or automatically clear itself from its layer.
The play once mode is useful for 'one shot' samples that you want to drop into the mix.
The play once and hold mode will hold the last frame of the clip when it's done playing, similar to how
it worked in Resolume 2.
These buttons are only available in Timeline transport mode. Use them to decide what
happens when a clip is triggered. The first (default) option plays the clip from the start. The
second option starts the clip from wherever it was when it was last played.
BeatLoopr
When BPM transport mode is active on a clip, the BeatLoopr section is displayed. This enables you to
have Resolume automatically loop sections of the clip. This is great for adding a bit more variety to
rhythmic clips, creating weird vocal combinations or all kinds of other effects.
To use it, just select one of the options - the clip will loop over the relevant number of beats. When
you are done, just click the selected option again or the Off button.
It's really that simple!
Cue Points
You can use the Cue Points section to quickly jump to any part of the clip that you like.
To set a cue point, click the smaller part to the left of one of the cue point buttons. The part you click
will turn blue and the letter on the main button will turn white - this means the cue point is ready for
use.
Now you can click the main button (or press the relevant keyboard key) to jump straight to the point
where you set the cue point.
If you want to set cue points precisely, a good way to do it is to pause the clip, drag the Transport
timeline marker to where you want the cue point and then set it.
You can reset an existing cue point in exactly the same way as setting it for the first time.
Tip! The Beatloopr (described above) will automatically turn off if you jump to a cue point. This way
you can very easily build a climax using the Beatloopr and Cue Points. During a climax moment in the
music, simply keep choosing shorter and shorter loops until the beat drops again, and then jump to
the cue point you want to resume normal playback at. Reach for the lasers!
Audio Properties
With the Audio section of the clip properties,

we have the same options as at Composition
and Layer level:
You can set the volume for this clip individually. This is useful for balancing the volume of clips that
will play on a layer. Also you pan this clip individually.
Use the X button to delete the audio track. You can use this to remove the audio track from a video if
you do not need it, or want to change it.
Video Properties
At the top of the Video section of the clip

properties tab, along with information about
the video part of the clip, you will find some
useful features.
Tip! Drag a video clip from the browser over the blue video area. This allows you to replace the
content, but keep any effects and parameter changes you had applied to the original!
Use this to resize the clip to the size of the current composition. This is great when your
content isn't at the right size already (although it is more efficient to make content to the right
size, we can't always live in a perfect world)
Clicking this multiple times will cycle through a few options available for scaling. 1. Scale the clip to
the composition width, maintaining the aspect ratio of the clip. 2. Scale the clip to the composition
height, maintaining the aspect ratio of the clip. 3. Scale the clip to the composition width and height,
distorting the clip when necessary. 4. Keep the clip at its original size.
Click this to clear the video from the clip, leaving the audio intact.
Use these toggles to select which colour channels from the clip will be used. By default,
Red, Green and Blue are selected. The Alpha channel will only be selectable if your clip
has an alpha channel in it.
Tip! By making smart use of all the different combinations that are possible for colors (R= Red, G=
Green, B = Blue, R+G = Yellow, R+B = Purple, G+B = Cyan) you can very quickly 'colorize' your
content to match the lighting in the venue.
The rest of the video properties for a clip are very similar to those for layers:
Opacity - Set the opacity for the clip here. This will be multiplied with the layer's opacity value, so
you can always have a certain clip at a lower value.
Width, Height - Set the width and height of the clip, this is useful for correcting the aspect ratio of
content.
Scale - Scale the surface that the clip is drawn on in the output.
Position X, Position Y - Tweak the exact position of the clip, pixel by pixel.
Rotate X, Rotate Y, Rotate Z - Rotate the surface that the clip is drawn on.
Anchor X, Anchor Y, Anchor Z - Change the position of the surface that the clip is drawn on and
also the point that the surface is rotated around if you use any of the Rotate parameters.
Multiple Clip Select
The clip properties can be adjusted for

multiple clips at the same time.
Shift-select the clips you want to
change, and the Clip tab will now show
'Multiple clips'. Any changes you make
there, will be applied on all the selected
clips.
Beat snap setting, trigger style, transport mode, auto pilot and the other functions found in the Clip
menu can be changed for multiple clips at the same time as well. Shift select the clips, and then
change the function via the Clip menu or the right click drop down.
Video
Effects
Resolume enables you to manipulate both the audio and video by using plugin effects. Each effect is a
small program that changes the audio or visual in some way, controlled by some parameters.
Resolume supports audio effects based on the VST standard.
For video effects, Resolume supports the Freeframe 1.5 standard (also known as Freeframe GL or
FFGL as it supports OpenGL acceleration for effects). Note that this version of Resolume only supports
plugins that use hardware acceleration - it does not support old Freeframe 1.0 plugins that do their
processing on the CPU.
To use either an audio or a video effect, just drag the effect from the Effects tab onto the area of the
Composition, Layer of Clip tabs where it says 'Drop effect or mask here or directly drop it onto a clip,
layer or composition area.
Tip! If you already know the name of the effect you're looking for, simply start typing the name of it
while the effect browser is in focus. The browser will then jump to the effect automatically.
Clip effects are applied to the individual clip
when it is playing.
Layer effects are applied to whatever clip is playing in the layer, after its clip effects have been
applied.
Composition effects are applied to the final output, after the layers have been mixed together.
Effects can also be applied to an empty clip, creating an Effect Clip, which has some special
properties. For further info, see below.
All effects can be temporarily bypassed (B toggle) or removed (X button).
Using Audio Effects
Audio effects may provide any number of parameters but there is one that they all share. You can use
Dry Wet to control how the affected version for the audio is mixed with the original.
When this parameter is moved over to the left, the effect will not be heard at all. When it is at the far
right, the original audio will not be heard.
Using Video Effects
Similarly to audio effects, video effects always provide at least one parameter - Opacity. You can use
this to mix the effect with the original video. As with mixing layers, you can select one of the mixing
modes to use.
Aside from this, this manual is too short to tell you what every parameter of every effect does or how
you should use it. You can try them out and wiggle a few of the controls to find out yourself. You'll
figure out which ones you like soon enough.
To get you started though, there is a list of all included effects and their descriptions in Appendix 3.
Some of our personal favorites are: Vignette, Hue Rotate, Stingy Sphere, Dot Screen, Goo and
Particles.
Presets
Both audio and video effects support the creation of presets. Each preset contains
all the settings for an effect - enabling you to quickly activate an effect with a set
of settings that you like.
To create a preset, first get the effect working how you want it. Then use the Preset drop down above
the effect parameters and select the Save As option. Enter a name and hit return. The new preset
will now appear in the effects list, under the name of the effect itself.
To use a preset, drag it onto the Composition, Layer or Clip in the same way as you would for the
effect itself.
If you make any changes to a preset, you will need to use the Preset dropdown Save option to save
the changes. You can also use the Presets dropdown to rename presets, delete a preset or reset the
effect settings to their defaults.
Render Order
Effects can be stacked together by dropping more than one into the same place. If you do this, they
will be applied in order, starting with the top one in the slot. Each effect will be applied in turn,
affecting the output of the previous effect. You can change the order of the effects by dragging them
by the three horizontal bars on the right of the effect name.
Tip! Changing the effect order can dramatically change the resulting output. For example, apply the
Fragment effect on a clip, followed by Edge Detection. Probably looks cool, but now see the difference
when you drag the Edge Detection above the Fragment effect!
In Resolume 4, clip transformations such as scale and position can be applied before and after the
effects. By default, Resolume will apply any effects first, and then apply any changes in the properties.
If you want an effect to be applied after the changes in properties are applied, simply drag the
Transform tab above the Effects tab (you can drag it by the three horizontal bars, in exactly the same
way as you drag effects).
Tip! This way you can first scale a clip to 50% and position it to the far left, and then apply a flip
effect set to horizontal flip and 50% opacity to achieve a widescreen mirror effect.
Flip effect applied first, then scale and position transformations

Scale and position transformations applied first, then Flip effect
Effect Clips
You can also add an effect to an empty clip.

In doing this, you will effectively (ha! see
what I did there?) create an Effect Clip. If
you're used to working with Photoshop or
After Effects, you'll know this feature as
Adjustment Layers.
Any effect(s) applied on an Effect Clip will be applied to all the clips playing in the layers underneath it.
This way you can very quickly create a sequence of different looks and effects, while still being able
to swap out the footage on the fly.
Even better, this will allow you to assign MIDI or keyboard triggers to effects, or even fade from one
effect to the other using the automatic transitions feature! Like Sources, Effect Clips can be assigned
a duration as well, so you can use them with the Auto Pilot too.
Of course, you can stack as many effects in an Effect Clip as you want (or until the output turns to an
unrecognizable soup).
Tip! Creating an Effect Clip in fact creates a carbon copy of the clips playing underneath. So after
first creating it, you can actually delete the effect, and then use the Transform controls to create all
sorts of zooming, picture-in-picture and mirror effects. Because the world can always do with more
picture-in-picture effects.
Video
Video
Video
Sources
Sources are very similar to effects. Like effects,
Freeframe 1.5/FFGL plugins are supported. The
difference is that, while effects change existing
audio or video, Sources generate new content on the
fly.
Because they generate content, Sources need to be placed onto clips in the same way as you would
place an audio or video content file.
To use a source, drag it from the Sources tab on the right of the screen, to one of the clip slots.
Once placed in a clip, the properties for the Source will be available in the Clip tab.
Sources can have audio and video effects added to them just like any other clip.
Presets are not available for sources but that isn't a problem - you can just create multiple clips with
the same Source, using different parameter settings.
Tip! If you want to use Sources or Live cameras with the Auto Pilot, you can! Specify a duration for
each source via the Clip tab. This is set by default to 5 seconds.
On Mac OSX, there is a special type of Source called Syphon. Syphon is such a powerful Source, it has
its own chapter.
Video Capture
The Sources tab is also where you will find
any video capture devices that you have
attached to your computer. If you use a
capture device, some additional options will
be available in the Clip tab.
For instance on a BlackMagic Shuttle, you can choose which input to use, and at what resolution.
Also on some devices you can set whether the video from the device should be de-interlaced (You do
not need to do this for most webcams but it is useful for solving 'jaggy' problems with video cameras).
Layer Router
The Layer Router allows you take the output of a single layer or
the layers below the layer router into another layer. This can be
useful for complex projection mapping setups or to simply display
the same clip simultaneously with different effects.
Also the preview window output can be selected as an input.
The toggles to ignore Input Bypass/Solo and Input Opacity are only functional when a specific layer is
selected as input. They serve as a pre-fader / post fader switch.
Masks
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o hide a particular part of the output. This is useful for creating video with a non-rectangular frame.
Masks can be applied on the composition, layer or clip level.
To create a mask, drop an image file from the file browser onto the area of the Composition, Layer of
Clip tabs where it says 'Drop effect or mask here'.
If a .png file with an alpha channel is used, the alpha channel is used for the mask.
If another image format is used, the red channel is used for the mask.
The -I- button inverts the mask, this will make what was visible become invisible and vice versa.
You can use the -B- button to temporarily bypass a mask, the -X- button removes the mask
completely.
Render Order
Just like with effects, the render order of masks and transformations can be swapped.
By default a mask is applied before any transformations, so you can move, scale and rotate the
content, while the mask stays locked to the content and moves with it. This way you can make slight
adjustments to your mask to account for lens distortions or misaligned projectors.
Mask applied before transformations and effects
If you want to apply a mask and reposition the content independently from the masked area, you can
drag the Mask tab below the Effects and Transformation tabs. This way you can animate or apply
effects to content within a mask, without affecting areas outside the mask.
Mask applied after transformations and effects
Preferences
The Preferences give you access to settings that affect the way that Resolume works overall.
General Preferences
Here, you can set the directory (folder)
that Resolume will use to store
recordings that you make and whether
to record Video and/or Audio. See the
section on Recording for details on how
this works.
Also, you can choose whether or not Resolume should update the clip panel when a clip is triggered.
You'll want to turn it off when you are for instance using an external source for triggering a sequence
of clips (via MIDI, OSC or DMX for instance), while you are applying effects on another clip at the same
time.
The Clip Start Offset allows you to let a clip start an amount milliseconds further into the timeline of
the clip, to compensate for delays with MIDI triggering and/or long cable runs.
The Arial Unicode checkbox changes the font used by Resolume. If you are using non-latin characters,
and having trouble displaying them correctly please enable this.
When Quit Confirmation in enabled, Resolume will wait for you to confirm your choice when you've
decided to quit. With this disabled, Resolume will shut down immediately when you hit CTRL/CMD+Q
or choose to quit via the menu.
Tip!! Turn off the Quit Confirmation in combination with the 'Trigger First Clip when Composition Has
Loaded' function found in the Layer menu to use Resolume for fixed installations where the computer
starts up and shuts down automatically.
Audio Preferences
The audio tab presents you with options
that control how audio should be output
from Resolume:
Under Audio Output Device you can select the device that Resolume should use for audio output. If an
ASIO device is selected, an extra button will be displayed that enables access to ASIO settings.
You can then select which channels should be used for the main output via Master Output Channels.
IF you are using an audio device that supports more than two channels you can choose the channels
used for monitoring the preview audio via Preview Output Channels.
Higher sample rates provide higher quality audio but will require more processing, especially if audio
effects are in use. The default will usually be okay.
Higher buffer sizes will introduce more latency into the system but setting the buffer size too low may
cause glitches in the audio. 512 or 1024 are usually safe choices.
Under External Audo FFT Input you can the audio device and channels that should be used for
external audio analysis.
VST Plugin Directories are the directories (folders) that Resolume should look in for VST audio effects
and sources.
Video Preferences
On the Video tab, you can select the
directories (folders) that you want
Resolume to look in for Freeframe
1.5/FFGL compatible video effects and
sources.
You can also disable global effects and blend modes. This much reduces your flexibility - when using
this option, only a basic Alpha blend will be available for compositing layers. However, it will make
Resolume run much faster when dealing with high resolution video, so it can be useful for specific
performances.
The Scaling Quality allows you choose between two different algorithms when scaling your clips up.
Trilinear gives the best result, but you may want to go for the 8 bit glitch look that you get with
Nearest Neighbor.
You can set the preview monitor background to display transparent pixels on a dark checkerboard, a
light checkerboard, or just as black.
The Syphon checkbox is available on Mac OSX only, and enables or disables Syphon input and output.
For further info, check the Syphon chapter.
MIDI Preferences
Here you can enable or disable MIDI
input and output from and to devices,
select how Resolume should deal with
MIDI clock messages and load and save
MIDI maps. See the section on
controlling Resolume with MIDI for more
on this.
It also gives you three options for interpreting Midi note values, so you can use the same notation
used by Live or Traktor.
OSC Preferences
Here you can enable or disable OSC

input and output, as well as set the
relevant ports and IP addresses used by
OSC. For more info check the section on
controlling Resolume with OSC.
Defaults
This section allows you to change the

default import settings for video and
audio files. Whatever you choose here,
will be the default setting for files that
you import from that moment on. So for
instance, if you always use your video
clips on BPM Sync and 'play once and
eject', you can choose these as the
default settings.
Note that this does not affect clips that were already imported. Also you can still change this setting
for individual clips after importing as well.
Update
This tab simply provides an easy link to the Resolume website, where the latest update of the
software will be available.
Registration
See the earlier section on Registration for details of how to use this tab.
Simple Output
Unless you are just using the recording feature of Resolume to make video clips, at some point you
will want to route the video from Resolume out of your computer, hopefully to a really big screen.
Before you can configure the outputs in Resolume you need to set up the displays in your computer's
operating system before you run Resolume, in order for the displays to be available in the Output
menu.
First make sure the display or projector is connected to your computer.
Windows - To set up the displays in Windows, open the Display panel in The Control Panel. On the
settings tab make sure you have at least 2 displays visible and active. This is usually called having the
two screens in 'extended desktop' mode.
Mac OS X - Open the Display Preferences in System Preferences via the Apple menu. Then on the
Arrangement tab make sure 'mirror displays' is turned off. Now you have two separate displays on
your computer.
Now start Resolume and check out the Output menu.

The Fullscreen and Windowed options enable you to
select which of your computer displays the main
Resolume output should go to.
For a straightforward single screen setup, Fullscreen is usually the option you want. Resolume will fill
the complete window with its output.
Windowed output just fills the second output with a rectangle exactly the size of your composition.
This is sometimes useful if you are using an external scan converter or are working with multiple
applications.
You can stop all output by selecting the Disabled option.
Tip! If you accidentally went fullscreen on the main window, you won't be able to access Resolume's
controls anymore. Don't worry! Just hit CTRL-SHIFT-D (CMD-SHIFT-D on a Mac) to disable all output
and get the interface back.
Advanced Output
If you are spanning your output over several projectors, or using a mix of different outputs like LED
screens, projector and pixel strips, Resolume provides a flexible way to control them all at the same
time.
Using Resolume's Advanced Output, you can manage all sorts of outputs. You can use physical
outputs like a VGA cable connected to a projector, a DVI cable to a LED screen, a capture card like a
Blackmagic Intensity, a DMX signal sent to a pixel strip, or even virtual outputs like Syphon or Spout.
Using the Advanced Output, you can choose which outputs you want to use. And you choose how to
use them by setting up which parts of your composition are sent to which output. This way you can
send VJ content to the main area, while displaying a single line-up still on the monitors in the hall.
If you are doing a projection mapping show, you will use the Advanced Output to align your projected
content to the physical object you are projecting on. When using LED processors, you can scale and
resize your output to exactly fit the needs of the processor. If you are using DMX controlled lights, you
can choose which fixtures you need to send to.
Basically, the Advanced Output is where the magic happens.
The Advanced Output is available on both Avenue and Arena. To get everything it has to offer, you
will need Arena.
For a quick start on how to use the Advanced Output with LED screens or for projection mapping,
check this chapter on creating input maps:
If you want to know the nitty gritty of all the features of the Advanced Output, everything is covered
in the following chapters:
Screens
Input Selection
Edge Blending
Screens
To start using the Advanced Output, select the Output > Advanced menu option.
You will see a window that lists the active screens on your computer down the left hand side.
Each screen represents an output going out of Resolume.
To setup a screen, right click on it on the left hand side.

You will see a dropdown of all outputs that are connected
to your computer. You can choose which output this
screen should use. This way you can very quickly assign
the correct screen to the correct output when working
with multiple outputs.
The screen will show the output it's sending to under its name, as well as in the Device dropdown
menu on the right. You can also change the name of a screen by double clicking on it.
Types of Outputs
Connected Outputs
Any monitors or projectors connected to your computer are automatically available as output for
screens. Resolume will show the name and resolution of this connection.
Keep in mind that Resolume itself does not create outputs. This is handled by your computer itself. So
if you have a screen connected to your computer, but it doesn't appear here, you will first need to
make sure your computer recognizes it correctly. Check if it's set to proper extended desktop mode
(PC) and the arrangment is not set to mirrored (Mac).
Every output can only have a single screen associated with it. The poor projector would otherwise get
very confused when you try to send it two whole frames of pixels on every frame. When you select an
output already in use by another screen, Resolume will set the output of the other screen back to
virtual.
Tip! If you accidentally select the main monitor as your output, the output will fill the main monitor
and you won't be able to access the interface anymore. Don't worry! Just hit CTRL-SHIFT-D (
CMD-SHIFT-D on Mac ) to disable all outputs and get the interface back.
Playback Cards
Any connected cards that support playback will show up here as well.
Resolume has native support for all Blackmagic playback cards.
Also cards that have both an input and an output can be used for output. Keep in mind that not all
cards support full duplex ( simultaneous input and output ).
Output via playback cards is only available in Resolume Arena.
Texture Sharing
Syphon ( Mac ) or Spout ( PC ) are protocols for texture sharing between applications. They will let the
output of one application magically appear as an input in another application running on the same
computer. Check out the Syphon / Spout chapter in the manual for more info on Syphon and Spout,
When enabled, Resolume will always send out the main composition output. You can share additional
outputs via the Advanced Output.
After you have set a screen to output
either via Spout or Syhpon, any Spout or
Syhpon enabled applications will pick up
Resolume as a sender.
Resolume will use the name you give the screen as the Server Name / Sender Name. By default this
would be 'Screen 1'. You can change it to whatever you like. We recommend the name 'Charlie
Screen'. This screen has one speed: Go!
On the Mac, it will use either 'Avenue' or 'Arena' as the application name. On the PC, the application is
called either 'Resolume Avenue' or 'Resolume Arena'
You can change the width and height of the screen to change the resolution of the texture you want
to share.
Virtual Outputs
Virtual Outputs are sort of an internal Syphon/Spout, just for Resolume. Screens set to virtual outputs
can be picked as input for slices in other screens.
This allows all sorts of complex scaling and routing possibilities, with no extra performance hit.
You can change the output resolution of a Virtual Output by changing its width and height.
Adjustments
Adjusting Output Levels and Color

Each screen has Opacity, Brightness and Contrast controls, as well
as individual controls for the Red, Green and Blue channels. You can
use these to adjust mismatched outputs. For instance, you can dim
the brightness on a LED panel while sending the undimmed output
to a projector as well. Or you can remove some red from a projector
when it doesn't match the other projectors you are using.
Adjusting Delay
Each screen can have a delay between 0 and 100 ms, to account for small delays introduced by the
signal chain after the outputs leave Resolume.
Hiding and Folding Screens
You can temporarily turn a screen off and on by clicking the toggle in front of it. This will enable or
disable all output to that screen. This is very useful when identifying which screen is which during
troubleshooting or to temporarily disable a single screen during performance.
You can also fold and unfold a screen by clicking the arrow beneath it. This will keep the output going,
while hiding all the slices contained in the screen. This is useful to prevent slices from getting in the
way when working with lots of screens and slices.
Preparing before show
You can prepare your screens without having them physically connected. This is useful when you
need to prepare for a show before the venue is open.
When you open the Advanced Output without having any secondary screens connected, it will open
with a single Virtual Screen. You can set the resolution of this Virtual Screen using the Width and
Height parameters on the right hand side.
By matching these settings to the resolution that your output will have during show, you can prepare
your setup beforehand. Then, once you are connected to the actual output, you can tell your screen
to use that output instead, via the right-click dropdown.
You can create as many Virtual Screens as you need via the Plus+ menu.
Input Selection
After setting up your outputs correctly, you can control how your content is distributed over these
outputs using the Input Selection.
The Input Selection stage shows a preview of your composition output.
On the left hand, it shows all active screens. You can read more about screens in the previous chapter:
Screens.
Slices
Each screen can have one or more slices. To get your head
around Input Selection and slices, think of your composition as
the pie and your slices as, well, slices of that pie. By defining a
slice, you can control what output will get which parts of your
pie.
For instance, you can define that the left hand side of the composition will always go the projector on
output 1, and the right hand side should go to the projector on output 2. But you're not limited to
dividing it vertically, or even halfway. You can select any part of the composition you want to account
for different output resolutions and aspect ratios.
You are not limited to a single slice per screen. You can create as many slices as you like via the
plus+ menu. The sky is the limit.
Resizing, Moving and Rotating Slices
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ced Output, it always has one screen with one slice pre-made.
You select this slice by clicking it on the left hand side. You can then resize it and drag it around on
the Input Selection stage.
You can scale, position or rotate the slice simply by dragging. Rotating the input is very useful for
working with rotated LED panels.
Tip! Slices will snap to the stage edges, the center and to each other. You can temporarily disable
snapping by holding down CTRL.
You can also type precise numbers into the boxes at the right. This is useful if you need the output to
show a precise part of the composition.
Tip! You can use math to let Resolume do calculations for you. Verrrry handy! Let's say you want to
make a slice exactly a third of its width, all you need to do is type /3 after the width setting and
press return.
Also you can nudge slices 1 pixel at a time by using the arrow keys. Hold down Shift when pressing
the keys to nudge them 10 pixels at a time.
Right clicking a slice, either in the list or on the stage, will reveal a drop down with some useful
presets and actions. Check the complete list in chapter Key Modifiers and Shortcuts for the Stage.
Tip! One interesting option is Match Output Shape. This will let the slice take the position and shape
that it has on the Output Transformation stage. This way you can quickly match the aspect ratio and
positioning for pixel perfect pixelmaps.
You can create as many slices as you like. You can duplicate an existing one or create new ones via
plus+ menu.
Also you can move slices between screens. Simply drag and drop them to the desired screen. Note
that a screen should always contain at least one slice, so Resolume will stop you when you try to drag
the last slice to another screen.
Using Slice Masks
Slice masks are available on Resolume Arena only!

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urther narrow down the shape of your slice. For all its options, a regular slice is limited to a
rectangular shape. By using slice masks, you can define exactly which part of the rectangle you want
to see in your output.
To create a slice mask, click on any of the preset options on the right hand side of the Input Selection
screen. You can also click on the pencil to create a completely freeform mask. You can invert a mask
to make it a crop and vice versa. By toggling the Invert button on the right hand side, you can either
show everything inside the mask, or everything outside it.
After you have created the mask, you will notice two options in the top right of the Input Selection
stage: Transform and Edit Points.
Transform
In Transform mode, you can move the slice mask around like a regular slice. You have the same
options for scaling, positioning and rotating.
Be careful not to move the slice mask completely out of the slice, because this will result in empty
output. We know less is more, but that's maybe a bit too minimal.
Tip! When using a mask to create a specific shape for mapping, it helps to create your slice at the
same scale as the shape you intend to use. As opposed to cutting out a small part of a big slice.
Resolume will still warp the slice based on the corner points of the slice, not the corner points of the
mask.
Edit Points
In Edit Points mode, you can edit the individual points of the slice mask. You can move points around
by dragging or nudging them into position with the arrow keys. You can add points to the shape by
double clicking anywhere on its path. Double click on an existing point to remove it.
Here you can also switch the mask between linear and bezier. Linear draws exact straight lines
between the points, bezier lets you draw nicely curved lines. In bezier mode, the point handles will be
round. Each point will get two bezier handles, that you can use to curve the shape to your liking.
Using Polygon Slices
Polygon slices are available on Resolume Arena only!
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ntrol over the shape of your slice, poly slices are the way to go. Poly slices will give you complete
freedom on the shape and control points of your slice. Triangles, hexagons, stars or complete
freeform, it's all possible with a poly slice.
You create a poly slice via the plus+ menu. You can either create a preset triangle or draw a freehand
polygon by drawing it on the stage.
When drawing a poly slice directly on the stage, start by clicking where you would like your first
control point to be. Now keep clicking around your shape, placing a control point in every corner.
When you're done, just click on the start point or double click anywhere to close the shape.
Once you have created your poly slice, Resolume will triangulate it for you. The same control points
that you have set in the Input Selection stage will be available in the Output Transformation stage as
well.
Keep in mind that it's possible to create a shape that's not 'triangulatable', for instance by creating a
shape that crosses its own path. In cases like this, Resolume will draw the outline in red. This is to let
you know what you're trying to do is mathematically impossible in this part of reality. For the same
reason, bezier points are not available on poly slices.
Transform Mode
After you have created your poly slice, you can still modify its scale, rotation and position in
Transform mode. In this mode, the poly slice behaves like a regular slice.
Edit Points Mode
In Edit Points mode, you can still add and remove individual points as well as change their position. In
this mode, the poly slice behaves like a mask.
Using Multi Select

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e multiple slices at the same time.
Drag around a group of slices on the stage to lasso them together. You can also shift click individual
slices, either in the list or directly on the stage to add or remove them from the selection.
A bounding box will appear around your selection that you can drag, rotate or scale to your liking.
Also the properties on the right hand side are still available on the right side for precise numerical
input. Keep in mind that the numbers reflect the properties of the bounding box, not the individual
slices!
The Output Transformation stage is available on Resolume Arena only!
The Output Transformation stage is where all the magic happens. You use it to align your output to
projection mapping structures, arrange your DMX output or shuffle your pixels for output to a LED
processor.
Transforming
The same screens and slices you've configured on the Input Selection stage are available on the
Output Transformation stage.
Just like on the Input Selection stage, on the Output Transformation

stage you can change the size and position of your slices. This is done
in the Transform tab. In this tab, you change the position and scale of
your entire slice. Now, you actually move the pixels around, as opposed to choosing a different set of
pixels to use as input.
This way, you can for instance take the bottom left quarter of your composition, and position it in the
top left of your output.
Warping
Additionally, on the Output Transformation stage you can apply screen

warping, which means you can adjust the geometry on the final output.
This is useful for projection mapping the output to an irregularly
shaped surface, or when aligning multiple projectors for a spanned output.
This warping is done in the Edit Points tab. In this tab, you can adjust the individual points that make
up your slice.
There are several ways to warp.
Perspective Warping
You apply perspective warping by changing the four large corner points of your slice.
Perspective warping keeps the perspective of your output correct. For instance, when projecting at an
angle, the light hitting the furthest point of your surface will disperse further than the light hitting the
closest point. This means that your content will get more and more stretched the further along your
object it is. Using perspective warping, Resolume adjusts for this and keeps the scale of your content
correct along the length of your object.
Linear warping (left image) vs perspective warping (right iamge) when projecting on a cube at a 45
degree angle. Notice how the grid squares are evenly spaced on the right image, but stretched on the
left.
For most simple cube mapping work, perspective warping is the mode you want.
Perspective warping is available on regular slices only. Poly slices cannot be perspective warped.
Because of science.
Linear and Bezier Warping
Linear warping is applied by the four smaller corner points inside the perspective warper points.
These points work the same way as their bigger brothers, except they
do not adjust for perspective. They have the added advantage that
you can add more points horizontally and vertically for more complex
warping.
Also you can switch the mode from Linear to Bezier. Each point will
then show two additional bezier handles that you can use to make the
warping curve like a Coca-Cola bottle.
Tip! Why choose when you can have both? Use the big corner points for perspective warping and
their baby brothers for additional bezier warping. This way you can have nice smooth curved
mappings while maintaining correct perspective.
Linear warping is also available on poly slices. Poly slices are super awesome because they can
change the position of each point of the mesh. Bezier warping is not available on poly slices. Because
of science.
Masking
In the Output Transformation stage, you can also add masks. Masks allow you to hide parts of the
output, without distorting it. You can add as many masks as needed.
A mask will cut off all pixels that are outside of it. You can invert a mask, effectively creating a hole.
Tip! Nerd alert! The way we are most used to masking from for instance After Effects is actually
wrong. In After Effects, masks are actually crops, since they cut off the outside of the image. That's
why by default, a mask in Resolume is inverted. This way you get the behaviour you're used to, and
we don't have to obsess over the fact that it's actually technically incorrect terminology.
Masks and crops can have an arbitrary amount of points. By default you can choose from a number of
commonly used preset shapes, but you can make them into stars, the bat-signal, a tri-force or in the
shape of that weird stain on the wall in your attic.
Double click the outline to add a point at that location, double click a
point to remove it. You can make round corners by switching the Point
Mode to Bezier.
Note that masks are applied to all the slices underneath it.
Flips
Using the Pacman icons, you can flip a slice's output horizontally,
vertically or both.
This way you can very easily make a mirrored setup by duplicating a slice, using the right click menu
to mirror it across the x-axis and then flipping it using the Pacman icon.
Color Correction
Each slice can have its brightness, contrast and red, green and blue
channels adjusted. You can also multiselect slices and adjust several
of them at the same time.
This way you can adjust for differences between projectors when using a Matrox TripleHead2Go, or to
adjust the brightness levels for different LED panels connected on the same processor.
Is Key
Toggling Is Key will cause this slice to replace the alpha channel with
luminance. It will send out white wherever there are visible pixels and
black where there is transparency.
This is useful to send an alpha channel on a separate output for overlaying graphics using a broadcast
mixer.
Black BG
Black BG is not racially themed 70s cover band. Toggling it on will

render your slice with a black background, regardless of whether
content is playing in it.
This is useful when you have a slice partially covering another slice, and you don't want to ever reveal
the parts of the slice underneath.
Show Grid
Toggling Show Grid will show a grid for the selected slice on the
Output Transformation stage.
It will also show the slice handles on the actual physical output. This is helpful to identify where your
slice is in the real world.
Additionally, this will show a big red crosshairs across your entire output, helping you find where your
mouse is in the real world.
Show LED Grid
Toggling Show LED Grid will show an 8 pixel grid on the Output
Transformation stage. When snapping is enabled, all slices will snap to
this grid.
Since most LED processors work on increments of 8 pixels, this helps you make sure you are creating
pixel perfect pixel maps.
Routing Layers to Slices
Layer to slice routing is a very powerful tool. It allows you to

create complex setups very easily. It also has significant
drawbacks, so use it with caution.
Every individual layer of a Resolume composition is also available as an input for slices.
By default, slices take the complete Resolume composition as input. You can assign which input is
used for a slice on the Input Source dropdown on the right hand side of the Input Selection stage.
Tip! Also the Preview output can be used as input for a slice.
After you have selected a layer as a direct input, you can warp and transform this layer directly,
completely separate from the composition.
You can choose to bypass both the the layer's opacity and its Solo and Bypass toggles. This is useful if
you want to see the layer only in this slice. Simply toggle off the Input Bypass/Solo switch, and then
bypass the layer in the composition. The layer will no longer render in the comp, but it will stay visible
in your slice.
Tip! If you want to display different content on 6 HD displays, you can use layer to slice routing to
keep your composition size down. You can keep your comp size at 19201080, and play each layer in
its own slice. This way you don't have to render a huge video containing your 6 videos in one. This is
very efficient and doesn't place too much stress on your computer and graphic card.
"When you have a hammer, not everything is

a nail."
Keep in mind that by routing a layer to a slice, you actively decide to bypass the composition
completely. When a layer is routed to a slice, all layer and clip effects will still be applied, but blend
modes and composition effects will not! The slice will simply render all content with straight alpha on
top of the other slices.
Layer to slice routing can let you make setups very quickly, but you can also very quickly paint
yourself into a corner. It's best used to display layers of content on separate screens, when you are
sure you never want to mix them. Don't use it as a quick way to position content. If that's what you
want to do, use the position and scale properties on the layer instead.
Edge Blending
Edge Blending is only available on Resolume Arena!
Edge blending is the dark art of stitching together the output of two or more overlapping projectors
and making one seamless screen out of them.
Resolume will help you do this by gradually fading out the area where the projectors overlap.
In order for edge blending to take effect, you need to have your slices partially cover the same area of
your composition. This overlap should mimic the physical overlap of the projectors on your surface. In
other words, you need to make sure that the slices overlap the same way as your physical projectors
do in the real physical world.
Tip! For best results, a minimum of 15% overlap is recommended.
You can use the test card ( Output > Show Test Card ) for this. Display your test card on the projector
and keep moving the slices towards each other until the image on the projectors shows the same
pixels in the overlapping area. The test card has numerical values on it to help you find the correct
spot on the grid.
On the output side, you need to make sure your projectors are aligned properly. The best way to do
this is to perspective warp each output while projecting the testcard again. Then keep adjusting the
corner points one by one until the grid aligns perfectly.
Tip! Perspective warping are the four big corner points of your slice. Make sure you use those and not
their smaller baby brothers that only do linear warping.
Then you can turn on edge blending for each slice in turn. Resolume will automatically blend the edge
in the middle. Magic!
Finetuning
You can still control the edge by refining the following three parameters:
Gamma Red, Green and Blue: This controls the overall brightness of the red, green and blue channel
of the softedge overlap area.
Power: This control the slope of the edge blend curve. The higher this number is, the steeper the
curve will be in the center of the fade area.
Luminance: This control the brightness of the centerpoint of your fade. This allows you to further
adjust the slope of the curve.
Gamma: This is the overall brightness of the fade area.
Black Level and Brightness Compensation
Since projectors project light, they can never project true black
(black actually is the absence of light). Rather they project a
very deep grey. So where two projectors overlap, this causes
the problem to double up. In the areas that should be 'blacked
out' by softedging, they will project deep grey on deep grey.
The result in the overlapping area will be an even lighter grey. The black level compensation is to
make up for this difference, by allowing you to make the non-overlapping areas slightly brighter.
Tip! Black Level Compensation is available on the output tab.

It's possible to switch between different screen setups. Using
the dropdown in the top left of the Advanced Output window,
you can save and select different setups.
This is especially useful when you are playing weekly gigs at different venues that each require a
specific setup. Using the preset system, you can just select the appropriate setting from the list,
without having to recreate it again.
This also means that your output setup is not tied to a certain composition. You can use different
setups with the same composition, and use different compositions with the same setup.
It also allows you to share presets between computers. After saving, the preset can be found as an
.xml file in the Resolume documents folder:
Mac: Users/~/Documents/Resolume Avenue-Arena 5/presets/screensetup/
PC: C:\Users\[username]\My Documents\Resolume Avenue-Arena 5\presets\screensetup\
Tip! Browsing is for suckers. Choose Reveal in Finder or Explorer from the dropdown and you will be
taken right to the correct file on your computer.
You can copy this file to the same folder on the other computer. You can then load the preset via the
dropdown. When loading a preset via the dropdown, it will be automatically copied to the correct
preset location.
Tip! Sharing presets also works between Mac and PC!
On both the Input Selection and Output Transformation stages, there are several shortcuts, key
modifiers and contextual menus to help you move and reshape your slices.
General Shorcuts
Ctrl-Z and Ctrl-Y (Cmd-Z and Cmd-Y on a Mac) undo and redo your last steps.
Key Modifiers
Hold down Shift while dragging to constrain movement to either the x or y axis.
Hold down Alt while dragging to make a duplicate.
Hold down Ctrl while dragging to temporarily disable snapping.
Hold down Shift while scaling slices to constrain aspect ratio.
Hold down Alt while scaling to scale from the center, rather than the opposite end.
Hold down Shift while rotating to constrain rotation to 45 degree angles.
Navigating the Stage

Ctrl-= and Ctrl (Cmd-= and Cmd on a Mac) zoom in and out.
Mouse scroll wheel zooms in and out.
Hold down spacebar while dragging to pan around the stage.
Nudging
Use the keyboard arrow keys to nudge 1 pixel at a time .
Hold down Shift while nudging to nudge 10 pixels at a time.
Slice Shortcuts
Duplicate with Ctrl-D (Cmd-D on a Mac).
When first using Alt-Drag to make a transformed copy, Ctrl-D will then duplicate and repeat the
transformation.
Backspace deletes the selected slice(s).
Mask and Polygon points
Double click anywhere on the path to add a point there.
Double click a point to delete.
Shift-click a point to add/remove it from the selection.
Contextual Menus
These differ per item, but generally will let you quickly access frequently used scalings and positions.
Center X centers the slice on the x-axis.

Center Y centers the slice on the y-axis.
Mirror X places the slice exactly on the opposite side of the center x-axis.
Mirror Y places the slice exactly on the opposite side of the center y-axis.
Left half, right half, Bottom half, Top half scale the slice to exactly that half.
Whole Area scales the slice to the whole stage.
Make Triangle creates a triangle shape that fills the entire stage.
Make Circle creates a circle shape that fills the entire stage.
Match Input / Output Shape will let the slice take the position and shape that it has on the other
stage. This way you can quickly match aspect ratios and positioning on the Input Selection stage to
the Output Transformation stage or vice versa.
Bring Forwards/Backwards moves the slice up or down in the slice stack.
Duplicate duplicates.
At this point, you may be wondering why you need all this Advanced Outputting, slicing, input
selecting and output transforming. Can't I just play my content full screen and be done with it?
For a basic VJ setups with a single screen, fullscreen output is probably all you need. But when you
start to do more complex setups like multiscreen, projection mapping or working with LED screens,
you will want do more with your pixels.
This is where the Input Selection comes in. Using slices can help you arrange your output. By carefully
choosing a part of your composition as input of a certain slice, you can later on, in the Output
Transformation, decide where those pixels go on your stage.
This is called creating an 'input map'. For instance when using a LED processor, it's really helpful to
have a good input map. But also with projection mapping setups, input mappings can be really useful.
You can read about creating input maps for each of these purposes below:
Projection Mapping
A LED processor usually takes a single video input (DVI/HDMI/VGA/composite) and divides this signal
over the connected LED walls.
Single LED screen
In the case of a single LED screen, setup is relatively simple. The processor takes the top left part of
the video signal and shows it on the LED wall. Let's say your LED wall is 384192 in resolution. The
output your processor expects would look something like this:
The processor will only take the top left part from a regular video signal. In this case the regular video
signal is 1024768, but it could be any standard video resolution. It's only interested in the 384192
pixels in the top left of that signal. The rest it throws away.
You could of course render all your content to this scale before show, but it's much easier to use the
Advanced Output.
Create a new setup, and on the Output Transformation stage, you make your single slice 384192
pixels in size and place it exactly in the top left of your output.
Now switch over to the Input Selection stage, right click the Slice, and hit Match Output Shape. This
will place your slice exactly in the same place as it has on the Output Transformation stage. Drag it
back to the center, letting the snapping do the hard work for you. Now scale it up until it fills the
entire Input Selection stage again, Make sure you hold down both Shift and Alt to scale proportionally
from the center!
What you have now is a slice that takes a 21 piece of your composition and places it in the top left
of your output. This means that you will exactly see that part on your LED wall. By first matching the
output shape, you've made sure your input slice has the same aspect ratio as your output shape. This
means you probably lose a bit of the top and bottom of your composition, but your circles will still look
like circles and not squished eggs.
4 screen LED wall
Now imagine your stage is a bit more complex and looks like this:
The annoying thing is that the 4 screens are positioned like that on the stage, but not in the LED
processor. In the LED processor, they might be arranged something like the image below. This is done
to minimize the data sent along the cable connecting the LED screens.
(We've included a Photoshop mockup in the bottom right to help you get the idea of how the
processor relates to the stage).
Tip! Keep in mind that 4 screens like this are still controlled by a single LED processor. So you only
have to send out one signal from your computer's output. The processor divides it over the 4 screens.
Only on very complex, high resolution LED stages will you need to use 2 or more processors and thus
2 or more outputs.
First you recreate those four slices in the Output Transformation tab of Resolume's Advanced Output.
This way you send the processor the signal that it wants to see. If you're working with a LED supplier
who knows what they're doing, they can give you this 'output mapping' before show. All you need to
do is fill out the numbers that they provide and name the slices to keep things organized.
Then, on the input, lasso all four slices to select all of them. Then right click and choose Match Output
Shape. This will pop the 4 slices into the exact same position and scale they have on the output stage.
Place the 'Center' slice exactly in the center of your comp. Place the other slices around it like they
are on the actual stage. Unless you want to break out the tape measure, this usually takes some
guesstimating and eyeballing. In the end it's about selling the illusion to the crowd, so it doesn't
matter if you're a few pixels off.
Tip! Depending on the stage, there's always a certain trade-off between correctness and pixel count.
When you're dealing with a few low pixel pitch LEDs combined with a lot of big crude lowres screens,
a perspective correct input map could require your comp to run at 4K or above, In those cases, it
might be a good idea to sacrifice a bit of correctness for the sake of still having a decent frame rate.
Once you're satisfied with the layout, lasso all the slices and scale everything up till it fills the stage
again. Shift and Alt are your friends here!
Now whatever you play in your composition will translate perfectly to your LED wall. If you want a DJ's
name to only appear on the center wall, all you need is scale it down using the clip properties till it fits.
If you want to play content only on the wings, scale it down till it fits on the left wing, and then use
the Slide effect at 99.99% opacity to place a copy on the right wing.
Tip! If you're working with LED walls with mixed pixel pitch, you can scale the lower res tiles up more
on the Input Selection stage. This will keep their output resolution the same, while taking a larger
area of pixels as input. This way, the overall image on the stage will still look perspectively correct.
Projection Mapping
As far as the output is concerned, projection mapping is usually a lot more guesstimating and
eyeballing than working with LED screens. Even then, having a good input map is a great time saver.
Let's take the following example of a structure consisting of many trapezoids, measuring 50cm high
by 30cm wide. Even if you don't know the exact layout of the objects on the night itself, you know it's
going to be something close to this.
You can already start working on this before you even arrive at the venue.
First thing is to create an input map based on this shape. You start by creating the exact same
trapezoid using the poly slice tool. If we take 100 pixels for 1 cm, you create the center trapezoid with
the following coordinates: Top x:150, y:0. Left x:0, y:250, Right x:300, y:250, Bottom: x:150, y:500.
When you've closed the poly shape, place the trapezoid exactly in the center. Now create copies and
space these out evenly over the input stage. When you make sure you are pixel accurate this input
map can then also be used for pixel perfect animations in After Effects or Cinema 4D.
Tip! If you feel more comfortable recreating the object in 3D, of course you could create the
animations first, and then trace the outlines with the poly tool. The end result is always that the input
map matches the content and vice versa.
When you're at the venue and connected to the projector, go to the Output Transformation stage,
lasso all the slices and right click them. Choose Match Input Shape and all the slices will pop to the
place they have on the input stage.
Now move and scale the trapezoid grid roughly into position. Where necessary, drag the individual
corner points to align exactly with the projection. The corner points snap to each other, so the process
should go quicker as you get more and more points in the right place. After a little work, the projected
input map should line up exactly with the actual object.
Because you have created an accurate input map, you are not limited to custom content. Simple line
animations will also work amazing on this structure, because they follow the shape of the object
exactly.
An added advantage is that, should you do this show in a different location, you can just re-use the
same animations and input map. All you need is adjust the output to the new projector location and
you're good to go for show!
Non-geometric objects
When working with objects that are not geometric, you have to rely on the content to make your input
map. For instance, to map on an inflatable skull like this, you will first have to make the content in
Cinema 4D based on the measurements of the actual skull.
Then you divide the skull into several poly slices, one for each major part of the object. You can go
with a slice for the forehead, one for each eye, jaws, nose, left cheek and right cheek, upper teeth,
lower teeth and chin. Of course, you can create more or less poly slices, the more or less accurate you
want to be. You can go as far as creating a poly slice for each tooth.
Then you position and scale each poly slice roughly in the projection and fine tune its points to align
perfectly.
Tip! On any projection mapping job, take plenty of breaks, bring a thermos of tea and some good
music. A masseuse is optional.
DMX Output
DMX Output is only available on Resolume Arena!
Resolume Arena 5 can output the color or brightness of your pixels to LED strips or other light fixtures
via DMX.
This means you can play your videos on low resolution LED strips or other lights that support DMX
input. Make it part of your stage design and take charge of the lights as well as the video.
Using DMX Lumiverses
To do anything with DMX Fixures, first you will need to create a DMX
Lumiverse.
A DMX Lumiverse is basically a DMX universe, except it only exists virtually, within Resolume. Like a
regular DMX universe, it consists of 512 channels. You use a Lumiverse to arrange and order your
fixtures. By arranging your Lumiverse, you assign which channels you will send your DMX output to.
This way, you can prepare your pixel map at home. When it's showtime, you can then quickly assign a
whole Lumiverse to a physical device or Art-Net node. Also, you can quickly change between different
DMX output devices, without having to rebuild your pixel map from scratch.
You create a Lumiverse simply by adding one via the + menu.

Using DMX Fixtures
When you first create a DMX Lumiverse, it will create one default DMX fixture for you. The default
fixture contains 1 pixel of RGB data.
Unless youre controlling the sun via DMX, its quite likely youll need to use a different kind of light
fixture than a single RGB pixel. You can select a different fixture preset by selecting the fixture and
using the drop down on the right hand side.
Tip! If your fixture is not in the list, dont worry. You can very easily and quickly create your own
fixture presets. The process on how to create a new entry in the fixture library is described in Using
the Fixture Editor
Lets say that you have a set of three LED tubes. Each tube has 16 RGB lights and theyre arranged in
a triangular shape on the centre of the stage.
The first thing to do is to change the default fixture to the corresponding entry from the list.
Youll notice that the fixture name has changed. Also the Input Selection area of the fixture has
become 16 times as wide. This is because you can now assign colours for 16 pixels, instead of only 1.
Bazinga!
You can move, scale and rotate the input of this fixture to match the physical location of the light in
your stage design. Lets make it 80050 pixels. Assign its input to the bottom centre of the
composition by placing it in the bottom centre of the Input Selection window. Resolume will sample
the very centre pixel of each square as input for the RGB channel. Youll see exactly which colours its
sampling in the preview on the bottom of the slice info.
Tip! Of course changing the input size in pixels doesnt change the size of the LED tube. Also the
location in the composition doesnt change anything to its physical location. But it makes sense that
you need to match the input size and position of your other stage elements, such as projection
surfaces or LED wall tiles. This will create a matching picture on all your screens and lights when you
start playing video on them.
Create another DMX fixture via the big + drop down menu. Youll notice that this new fixture is also a
16 pixel LED bar. Resolume will take the previously used fixture as the default for newly created DMX
fixtures.
Make this fixture the same width and height as the previous one, but rotate it to -60 degrees. Place it
so that it makes the left leg of a perpendicular triangle.
Create the third fixture by duplicating the second fixture. You do this by right clicking on the fixture,
either in the list on the left or in the Input Selection canvas itself. Rotate it to 60 degrees, and use it to
finish off the triangle.
Tip! Use the scroll wheel or CTRL + and - ( CMD + and - on a Mac ) to zoom in and precisely position
your fixture slice. You can use the pan tool or hold down spacebar to pan the canvas.
Setting up a Physical DMX Output
After setting up all your inputs, its time to actually

send out some output to your LED tubes.
Open the Resolume Preferences, and navigate to the DMX tab. Here you can manage connected DMX
devices, like the Enttec DMX Pro or ArtNet nodes.
Create a new output. If you are using an Enttec box, you can choose it from the Device drop down. If
no devices are detected, Resolume will default to ArtNet output and you can set up the Subnet and
Universe info. The first 16 universes are on subnet 0, Universe 16 through 32 are on subnet 1, etc etc.
Tip! Resolume uses multicast for ArtNet, so it will send DMX data to all IPs on the network.
Now you can choose which Lumiverse to send to this device. Choose the Lumiverse you have just
been working on. Bam! Resolume is now sending pixel data to your LED tubes and you can close the
Preferences.
Patching your Lumiverse
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etup, select your Lumiverse and switch over to the DMX Output tab. The DMX Output is the overview
of how your fixtures are arranged in your Lumiverse. Youll see that the first fixture takes up 48
channels. This makes sense, as it has 16 pixels, each with a R, G and B value ( 16 * 3 = 48 ! ).
The second fixture starts at channel 49, right after the first one finishes. The third fixture starts at 97.
These Start Channels should correspond to how your dip switches are set up on your LED tubes. This
way Resolume knows which set of pixels need to be sent to which tube.
Tip! For those of you that dont regularly count in binary, you can
see how your dip switches should be set up visually in the bottom of
the fixture info tab.
If your LED tubes are set up differently, you can simply drag the fixtures around in the DMX Output
window. Youll notice the Start Channel and the dip switches update themselves accordingly. If you
prefer, you can adjust your dip switches directly or just type in the Start Channel. Your fixtures will
then arrange themselves in your Lumiverse. Just make sure the channels do not overlap, otherwise
you might get weird results. Resolume will warn you when this happens, by marking the overlapping
channels with red.
After you have set up the correct start addresses, your LED tubes should correspond to what youre
playing on them. If one or more tubes were placed upside down or the wrong way round, you can use
the Pacman icons to flip their output. Also you can adjust their brightness and contrast should that be
necessary.
Tip! To check whether your outputs line up correctly, you can use a Lines source from Resolumes
Sources tab. Set it to a single thick line and let it animate across the composition at various rotation
values. Youll quickly notice if your LED tubes are somehow placed different in the physical world,
than how you placed them in the Input Selection tab. If something is wrong, first make sure the Start
Channels match up using the DMX Output tab. Also, it might be necessary to use Pacman to flip the
output horizontally and/or vertically before its sent to the fixture.
Using the Fixture Editor
When your specific type of fixture does not appear in the list, you
can create one yourself. You do this by clicking the gear icon next
to the Fixture selection drop down.
This will open the Fixture Editor. You can create a new fixture, adjust an existing fixture or duplicate
an existing fixture and go from there.
Creating a New Fixture
Lets start by creating our own personality from scratch by hitting the plus icon on the bottom. This
creates a default 1 RGB pixel fixture called New Fixture. The first thing youll want to do is change the
name to something that makes sense to you. The manufacturer name and the amount of pixels are
usually a good convention.
Note that if you update an existing fixture, and this fixture is already being used on the Input
Selection stage, you will update all instances of the existing fixture as well. If you want to make
changes without affecting the current setup, make a duplicate of the fixture preset first.
Setting up Parameters
Then you can set up the parameters. If

youre dealing with a basic LED tube or
tile, you can just assign the amount of
pixels you need vertically and
horizontally. On the right you will see a
preview of how your fixture is arranged.
Depending on the type of fixture, it could be that certain channels are reserved for specific features of
that light. For instance it could be that the first channel switches between different chase presets. You
see this often in off the shelf LED tiles. Your light will have info about this in its user manual.
In these cases, you can create extra parameters by clicking on the + icon in the bottom of the
Parameters tab. You can re-arrange their order by dragging them up or down, using the three bar
handle on the right of the parameter ( similar to how you drag effects up and down in Resolumes
effects tab ).This way your light will get the correct pixel data at the correct channels, without having
to offset the Start Channel. For ease of use, you can of course rename these parameters as well.
Channel Distribution
Now is also a good time to adjust your distribution if necessary.

Your distribution refers to how your pixels snake through your
fixture. Some fixtures start at the top left, and then keep going
left to right, like you would read a page of a book. Other
fixtures start top left and zigzag back and forth on their way
down. You can come across pretty much every variation of this,
which are all covered with the 16 distribution options. When
you change your distribution, youll also see the channel layout
change in the preview.
Choosing a Color Space
Then you can choose the colour space you want to

use with your fixture.
Full colour LEDs create colour using separate values for red, green and blue. Depending on the strip,
either separate red, green and blue LEDs or a single full colour LED are used for each pixel.
Selecting RGB ( or one of its variations ) assigns 3 channels for each LED in your strip.
Mono coloured LEDs use the weighted luminance value of the sampled pixel. Selecting L will send
this luminance value over a single channel for each LED in your strip.
Some lights prefer to work with CMY values instead of RGB. Here Resolume does a regular 1:1
conversion from the pixel's RGB values to the CMY color space.
Resolume also supports less common varieties such as RGBW and RGBWA. We approximate the
color on the extra white and /or amber LEDs by dimming the other channels and sending out on this
channel instead.
Setting up Gamma Correction
If youre dealing with an unusual type of LED, you can tweak the Gamma Correction of the LEDs. Most
of the time the default setting of 2.5 should be fine.
Syphon / Spout
Syphon (Mac) and Spout (PC) are a great set of tools to route the visual output of one program to
another. This way you can for instance get jiggy with your funky Processing sketches, but apply
effects and map them to a surface with Resolume Arena.
Input
Syphon and Spout input are always enabled in Resolume.
Any program that is broadcasting its output via Syphon will show up under the sources tab. You can
add them to a deck like you would any other live input.
Output
The moment Syphon/Spout is enabled via the Output Menu,

Resolume will immediately start broadcasting its main output as well.
Advanced Output
Resolume Arena allows you to further control this via the Advanced Output. Syphon/Spout outputs can
be treated like a separate physical screen. This allows you to warp the output before sending it, or to
select parts of your composition to send to Syphon/Spout. All the while you can still send a different
output to your physical screens.
For applications that do not auto-detect broadcasting Syphon/Spout servers, Resolume's main output
identifies itself to as follows:
On a Mac: App Name: Avenue or Arena. On a PC: App Name: Resolume Avenue or Resolume
Arena
Server Name: Composition (for the main composition output) or Screen 1 (when using the
Advanced Output to route a screen).
Syphon Example Code
Example code for Processing:
For Arena:
client = new SyphonClient(this, "Arena", "Composition");
Or for Avenue:
client = new SyphonClient(this, "Avenue", "Composition");
If you use a Syphon output via the Advanced Output of Arena, you can name the server yourself:
client = new SyphonClient(this, "Arena", "Screen 1");
Controlling Resolume
In the previous sections, we looked at the ways in which Resolume can play and manipulate audio,
video and audio-visual clips.
Now we will look at the different ways we can tell Resolume what to do.
Controlling the individual features of Resolume with the mouse pointer is okay a lot of the time but in
a live performance situation, you really want to have instant access to the features that you need.
This is why Resolume enables you to control it in a number of ways:
Let the autopilot sequence clips for you
Animate parameters automatically so they move without you needing to control them directly
Link parameters together to make them easy to control together
Drive parameters from audio, either from within Resolume or external to it
Map controls to keys on the computer keyboard for instant access
Use MIDI keyboards or controllers to access controls and parameter values
Use the Open Sound Control protocol to send instructions to Resolume from other applications or
equipment
Auto pilot sequencing
This powerful feature allows you to sequence

clips in a layer. When activated, Resolume will
start playing the next clip in the layer when
the current clip reaches its end. You can
specify whether the sequence should play forwards, backwards or play a random clip. Empty slots are
always skipped.
Auto pilot can be turned on for all clips in a layer in

the layer properties panel, but individual clips can
be set to have some additional options. By right
clicking on the name handle you can set the auto
pilot on a per clip basis. By using this setting on
the last clip of a sequence, you can tell it to loop or
simply stop the sequence.
Tip! This way you can keep switching automatically between two clips, keeping your hands free to
improvise on the other layers, or wave to your parents.
Tip! You don't need to turn on the auto pilot for the entire layer. Using the right click drop down, each
clip can have an individual auto pilot setting.
Also Sources can be used in auto pilot sequences. Although a Source doesn't have a set duration like
a normal clip, you can change the duration in the clip tab.
This way you can use content that doesn't have a fixed duration like Flash files, Quartz Composer files
or even live cameras in your sequence as well. By default sources are set to a duration of 5 seconds.
One thing to keep in mind when using the auto pilot is that beat snapping is still taken into account.
This means that when the current clip is finished, it will try to trigger the next one, like expected.
However, when beat snapping is turned on for that next clip, the current clip will actually loop until
the master bpm gives the all clear, and the next clip is triggered in perfect sync to the beat. This is a
feature not to be underestimated, and it allows you to create very complex loop structures,
presentations and story lines.
When you've assigned a clip target other than the current layer for a clip in auto-pilot mode (see the
triggering clips section for more info on how to go about this), auto-pilot will actually ignore this, since
otherwise the chain would be broken.
Animating Parameters
You have seen how a wide variety of things can be controlled in Resolume by moving parameter
sliders, from the volume of the composition to an individual setting on an effect.
There are several options for moving these parameters automatically. To access these options, click
the little grey triangle next to the parameter name. A menu will appear.
The options in the menu will be slightly different depending on whether the parameter you are
working with is for the Composition, a Layer or a Clip. However, they all work in much the same way.
The Timeline option presents you with an interface similar to the Timeline
clip transport mode. You can have the parameter loop, ping-pong or play
once and you can set the speed that the parameter animates at. You can set
in and out points for the parameter, just like with a clip.
We will look at the Dashboard option in the next section.
If you select Clip Position, the parameter will be animated along with the current clip position. You
can use the range markers to select the values that the parameter should animate over.
BPM Sync is like the BPM Sync transport mode on the clips. You set the number of beats that the
parameter should animate over, whether it should loop or ping-pong and the in and out points. The
parameter will then be animated in time with the global BPM.
The Clip Beats or Composition Beats enables us to animate the parameter in time with either the
global BPM or the beats of a clip. It works slightly differently to the BPM Sync mode. Rather than
presenting us with a timeline interface, it works by setting the parameter to its maximum value (set
by the in and out points) when a beat occurs and then sliding it down to the minimum value.
You can use the invert toggle to have the parameter slide upwards after each beat instead of
downwards.
Tip! A great way to use this mode is to use it to control the Scale parameter of a clip. If the minimum
and maximum values of the parameter are set right, this will make the clip appear to jump forwards
on each beat before receding away again. This trick also works well with the opacity parameter for a
BPM-matched strobe effect.
We will look at the Audio FFT options later, in the section about Audio Analysis.
Easing can be applied on every type of animation, which will allow you to control how smooth the
value should start and stop.
Linking Parameters with The Dashboard
Sometimes
you want to
control more
than one
parameter at the same time. The is often the case when dealing with both audio and video effects.
We can get some really nice results by moving the parameters of an audio effect at the same time as
a video effect to make a unified result.
The secret to doing this is the Dashboard. There is a Dashboard for the Composition, and one for each
Layer and Clip. Each dashboard is separate and deals with parameters at its own level.
Each dashboard provides 8 controls. Any parameters that you choose can be linked to these controls.
Any number of parameters can be linked to each control.
To link a parameter, simply drag the parameter's name up to one of the Dashboard dials. You can also
select the Dashboard option in the parameter control drop-down menu. You will then be able to select
which of the dashboard dials the parameter should be linked to.
Once a parameter is linked to a dashboard, the parameter display will change so that you can select
the range of values the parameter should take and whether the dashboard controller should be
inverted when applying it to this parameter.
You can then move on to other parameters, linking them to the same or different controls on the
Dashboard.
Tip! Of course the obvious use of the dashboard is linking audio and video effects. But also by linking
multiple effect parameters that look good together, you can drastically change the look of the output
with only one mouse movement.
Once a dashboard dial has at least one parameter assigned to it, you can change its name by clicking
it in the Dashboard section.
To control the parameter values that are linked to the Dashboard, click and drag the dial up and down.
You will see the parameter moving with the value of the Dashboard dial.
Audio Analysis
Audio analysis enables you to drive parameters directly from the music to make your visuals dance (if
you are really brave you could also use Audio Analysis to drive audio parameters - who knows what
would happen?)
To activate
audio analysis,
select one of
the Audio FFT
options in the
control drop-down menu for a parameter:
External - Use the audio device specified in the audio preferences to drive the parameter. This is the
one to use if you want to use a feed from a DJ or band or if you have an external microphone. You can
also use it to play along with a CD or audio file.
Composition - Use the main audio output of the composition to drive the parameter.
Clip - Use the audio output of the individual clip to drive the parameter. (Only available on clip
parameters).
The parameter display will now change to display the Audio Analysis options. The first thing you
should do is click the small grey arrow to display the full options. You can now use the L, M and H
buttons to select the Low, Middle or High end frequencies to use to drive the parameter. You can take
even finer control of the frequencies used by adjusting the in and out points below the audio
spectrum display.
Use the Gain control to boost the signal until it is having the right amount of effect on the parameter.
The Fall control sets how quickly the value falls back from a peak.
The buttons on the left enable us to drive the parameter directly from low to high (>), high to low (<)
or to have the audio signal drive the speed the parameter moves at in either direction (- and +)
Note that you have to select a source if you want to use the external option. This can be done via the
audio tab of the preferences. Under External Audio FFT Input you will see the list of available inputs
on your computer, and you can choose which one to use.
Keyboard Control
The computer keyboard provides you with a really convenient way to access particular features of
Resolume instantly.
You set which key should do what by setting the Key Maps.
There are two Key Maps in Resolume:
The Application Map is used by all compositions. In Application Mapping, you can choose between
Deck and Layer Focus.
Keys set up in Layer Focus will change what they control depending on what is selected. For example,
if you set a key to clear a layer while in Layer Focus, the currently active layer will be cleared when
you hit that key. You can then change the active layer and clear it with the same key.
Deck focus is different in that you can assign a different key for clearing each layer. This way every
layer can be cleared with its own key.
An exception is made for mappings applied to the Clip tab. These are always context dependent. This
means that the same keys will control the same functions on all clips, regardless of whether they
were mapped in Deck or Layer focus.
Tip! This way you can for instance set and trigger the cue points of all clips in your deck with the
same keyboard shortcuts, without having to map each one individually. By default, the QWERTY keys
will trigger cue points, pressing these keys while holding down SHIFT will set them.
The Composition Map is saved along with the composition. It works for that composition only. Keys
set up in this map affect particular things. For example, you can set separate keys to clear each of the
layers - each key will only clear the layer it is assigned to.
The secret to good keyboard control is to combine the Application and Composition maps together so
you get control over the specific things that you need through the Composition Map while also
maintaining some flexibility with the Application Map.
To start assigning keys, select the Mapping > Edit Application Key Map menu option. You will see that
some of the Resolume interface is overlaid with blue boxes. Each box represents an item that you can
bind to a key. You will notice that some items already have keys assigned and have the relevant key
on them in white.
You can now use the Key Map box in the bottom left of
the screen to select whether to focus on the currently
selected layer or the deck. While Layer is selected, the
keys you bind will control things based on the currently
selected layer. If you select Deck, you can control every
item in the deck individually.
To bind a control to a key, click the blue box over it and then press the key that you want to control it
with. The Key Map box will then show options depending on the kind of control you clicked. Single
click button (e.g. a clip slot): No controls - hitting the key works just like clicking the button.
Toggle button (e.g. a layer bypass toggle): Select either toggle (control toggles each time you hit
the key) or mouse control (control value is based on the mouse position when you hit the key)
On toggle buttons you can also select piano mode. This means a control will be active as long as you
hold the key. The Piano option is available for numerical parameters and buttons only. If you want to
use Piano mode on clip triggers, use the Clip Trigger option instead: Clips > Trigger Style
Tip! Apply an Invert RGB effect to the entire composition, and set the effect in bypass mode by
pressing the 'B' button. Now enter Application Mapping, map the space bar to the bypass button and
set it to piano mode. Now every time you hit and release the space bar, your output will flash inverted.
Great for that sweeping climax!
A numerical value control (e.g. an Opacity slider): Select maximum and minimum values for the
control using the sliders. Toggle mode will switch between the maximum and minimum values each
time you press the key (or when you release it as well if you select the Piano option). Mouse mode will
use the current mouse position to set the parameter value when you press the key.
Editing the Composition map is very similar - the only difference is the controls that are available for
mapping.
You can press 'stop' or hit escape to exit the Keyboard Mapping mode. Also you can remove all the
Key mappings for the Application or Composition by pressing 'Remove All'.
MIDI
MIDI mapping enables you to use a wide range of MIDI compatible hardware and software to control
Resolume.
MIDI mapping works very similarly to Key mapping (above), so its a good idea to read that part as
well if you havent already. It explains the difference between Application and Composition mapping,
and the layer and deck focus.
Tip! Read the Key mapping paragraph. Even if you just want to map your shiny new midi controller, it
has essential info for all mapping modes. You dont want to come across like a noob because you
dont know how to map all the layers, now do you?
MIDI does give you a few more options as many MIDI keyboards send velocity (how hard the key is hit)
along with which key was hit. MIDI also supports sliders and dials (called Continuous Controllers)
which give you more control over numerical values.
Before you can start mapping MIDI notes and controllers to Resolume features, you will need to
activate the MIDI inputs that you want to use in the MIDI Preferences.
If you want to send back MIDI feedback to the device, you can now enable MIDI output for that device
as well. To send MIDI feedback to a device, simple enable in it the preferences, and map your
controller as your normally would. Feedback will be sent automatically, so changes in the interface
will be reflected on your controller.
Mapping
As with key mapping, we can map midi notes and controllers at either Application level or
Composition level.
To start MIDI mapping, select the Mapping > Edit Application Midi Map or the Mapping > Edit
Composition Midi Map menu option.
You can now click the illuminated interface elements to select them and then hit the MIDI key or move
the MIDI controller that you want to use with each feature.
If you use a controller, the Mapping options panel in the

bottom left of the screen will contain options for
Absolute and Relative modes (Relative modes are good
for 'endless' controllers). You can also invert the
controller value.
If you assign a MIDI note to a numerical parameter then you will see options for how this should be
handled. By default, the value will toggle between the maximum and minimum values set in the
mapping options panel each time you hit the note.
If you select the Velocity option, the strength with which you hit the key or pad will be used to set the
new value for the parameter.
If you select the Piano option, the parameter will jump to the maximum value when the key is pressed
and then return to the minimum value as soon as it is released.
Tip! The Piano option is available for numerical parameters only. If you want to use Piano mode on
clip triggers, use the Clip Trigger option instead: Clips > Trigger Style
You can also set a specific range for incoming MIDI values. This way, you can for instance let a rotary
which is turned all the way open, correspond to a parameter which only goes 3/4 open.
Tip! Most blend modes work best at 50% opacity. Turning the layer opacity all the way up will make
all the layers underneath invisible. So when you slide a fader on your MIDI controller all the way up,
you'll hide the other layers. By limiting the MIDI range of the fader to 0.5, you can fully flick open a
fader, and still have all the layers visible.
You can press 'stop' or hit escape to exit the Midi Mapping mode. Also you can remove all the Midi
mappings for the Application or Composition by pressing 'Remove All'.
Manual Mapping
While in one of the MIDI mapping modes, you can right-click an illuminated interface element and
select Create Controller Shortcut to manually set the element to be controlled by a MIDI controller.
You can select the controller to be used in the mapping options panel.
Midi Clock
As well as using MIDI to control Resolume features directly, we can also use the MIDI clock signals
sent out by software and equipment that support it to synchronise the tempo of Resolume to the
external source. This means that you can then use all of the BPM features of Resolume safe in the
knowledge that your video and audio will be in sync with whatever you are playing along with.
Resolume cannot send MIDI clock signals - it can only receive them.
To use MIDI clock, you must enable the MIDI device that will be receiving the clock signals in the MIDI
tab of the Preferences window.
Then, you can use the Midi clock menu in the MIDI preferences to select how MIDI clock should be
treated:
Disabled - MIDI clock will be ignored.
Start / Stop - MIDI clock will start and stop the Resolume BPM counter
Switch to manual on stop - MIDI clock will start the Resolume BPM counter but will not stop it.
When the MIDI clock stop signal is received, Resolume will switch to manual BPM control.
DMX
DMX input and output are only available on Resolume Arena!

DMX is similar to MIDI, it's a signaling
protocol that makes hardware talk to
software and vice versa. Where MIDI is
the standard protocol for electronic
music instruments, DMX is the standard
for lighting equipment like moving
heads, stroboscopes, LED strips and our
all-time favourite; the disco ball
(actually, only very advanced disco-balls
are DMX controllable).
Resolume is capable of receiving DMX signals so it can be controlled via a lighting desk. Also it can
send DMX data, so you can send your pixel colors to LED strips and other DMX controlled lights.
DMX Input
DMX input works via Enttec dongles or via a computer network (including WiFi) using ArtNet.
To enable DMX input in Resolume, open the DMX Preferences and click on New Input. The input will
default to ArtNet input on Universe 0. You can change the ArtNet settings or if you have any Enttec
devices attached, you can select those instead.
Enttec DMX USB Pro and DMX USB Pro Mk2

The Enttec USB Pro dongles have 5 pin female XLR DMX inputs
and outputs and connects to your computer via USB. Before
you can use it you need to install the drivers on your Mac or PC.
You need the D2XX Direct drivers http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm, which are the same
drivers that Enttec uses.
On a PC, it's best to install Enttec's own PRO-Manager app. This installs all the necessary drivers for
your Enttec boxes.
On a Mac, Enttec is having a bit of trouble with recent OSX updates. It's best to follow their
instructions on their website until they come up with a more permanent solution:
https://www.enttec.com/?main_menu=Products&pn=70314&show=faq
If a connected device is already in use it will show in red and have (Unavailable) appended at the end.
This means that another application (such as the DMX Pro Manager app) is accessing the Enttec box
and you'll need to quit that app first.
ArtNet
If your computer is connected to a network you can receive DMX via ArtNet. This includes a wireless
WiFi network. To use ArtNet you do not have to install any additional drivers or anything. All you have
to do is configure your network properly, enable the DMX Input in Resolume and you're ready to
receive DMX.
Network Settings
Before you can use ArtNet in Resolume you first need to make sure your network is configured
correctly in Windows or Mac OX. You need to make sure the device (or software) sending the DMX to
Resolume is in the same IP range as the computer running Resolume.
Your IP address can be configured in
OSX: System Preferences > Network. Choose the connection you want to use and set Configure IPv4
> Manually
PC: Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings.
Double click the connection you want to use and scroll down to Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
and set Use the Following IP Address.
For instance 10.0.0.X and 2.0.0.X are often used IP ranges. The subnet mask should also match and
usually is set to 255.0.0.0 or 255.255.255.0.
Node Name
The node name helps you identify each Resolume instance in the ArtNet network. By default this
name is set to Resolume, you may change it to Donkey or Monkey.
Subnet
This is not the same as the Subnet Mask that you need to configure in the network settings of your PC
or Mac! ArtNet can have up to 16 different sub networks and this number tells which sub network
Resolume should listen to. Make sure the device or software that is sending ArtNet is on the same
Subnet.
Input Port
ArtNet can have up to 16 ports and this number tells which port Resolume should listen to. Make sure
the device or software that is sending ArtNet has its output port set to the same number as this input
port.
The Subnet and Input Port together form the ArtNet universe you are listening to. The 16 Subnets
each have 16 Input Ports, which together form the 256 possible universes in ArtNet.
So for instance, the first 16 universes can be found on Subnet 0, where Input Port 0 is Universe 0,
Input Port 1 is Universe 1 etc,
Universe 16 through 31 can then be found on Subnet 1, where Input Port 0 is Universe 16, Input Port 1
is Universe 17 and so on.
Credits
Art-Net is designed by and Copyright Artistic Licence Holdings Ltd
DMX Auto Map
Resolume does not have an Application DMX Map like the Application MIDI map that you need to
create yourself but it has a smart DMX Auto Map that is always the same for the whole application
and automatically maps the layers and the most common controls.
This way you can create profiles for your lighting desks and be assured that the DMX Map is always
the same.
All DMX channels are described in a separate PDF document. The most recent version of this
document can always be found in the application folder next to the PDF version of this manual.
Composition DMX Map
If you would like to create your own DMX map for

Resolume then you should disable this Auto Map and use
the Composition DMX Map that is accessible through the
Mapping menu. This works the same as the MIDI and
Keyboard mapping. Select the interface element you
want to map, then touch the DMX fader and Resolume
will learn it. Alternatively you can double click the
interface element, or right-click it to assign a DMX
channel manually.
You can press 'stop' or hit escape to exit the DMX Mapping mode. Also you can remove all the DMX
mappings for the Composition by pressing 'Remove All'.
DMX Channel Offset
With the DMX channel offset number you can shift all the mapped DMX channels up or down. This is
useful if there are other DMX devices preceding the channels that Resolume wants to use. This works
for both the DMX Auto Map and the Composition DMX Map.
DMX Output
How to send pixel color data to LED strips and DMX controlled lights is explained in the separate
chapter DMX Output
SMPTE Input
SMPTE Input is available on Resolume Arena only!
Resolume Arena can sync the playhead of a video to external SMPTE timecode. This is an often used
technique to synchronize audio, video, lights, pyro and lasers during show moments or DJ intros. Also
it's used a lot by VJs touring with a DJ to sync pre-made visuals to a specific track. Resolume Arena
can listen to two SMPTE inputs simultaneously, so you can sync both tracks in the mix.
SMPTE is just an audio signal that sounds like 400 pigs screaming. Resolume can interpret this sound
and use it as a clock. Every part of it sounds slightly different. Our ears can't hear this, but Resolume
can. So when you skip ahead in the SMPTE signal, or play it faster or slower, Resolume knows to
update the playhead accordingly.
To connect a SMPTE signal to your computer, all you need is a source of SMPTE and a way to let your
computer hear it. Playing an mp3 file with SMPTE on your iPod, connected via mini-jack to the line-in
of your computer already is good enough.
Playing it over speakers and using the laptops onboard mic won't work. Don't try it unless you are
very stubborn and enjoy failure.
When your computer is

connected to a valid SMPTE
input, you can let clips run in
time with it. Select the
incoming SMPTE signal and
required framerate for each
input via the Audio tab of the
Preferences. The
Composition tab will now show the current SMPTE timecode for that input.
Which SMPTE framerate is correct depends on the source where you are getting the timecode from.
Most of the time this will be 25 or 29.97, but it can vary. If you see a jump in the playhead at a regular
interval of 1 second, you most likely have the wrong framerate selected. Note that the framerate you
have to match is the framerate of the incoming SMPTE signal, not the clip you are trying to sync to it.
Of course, you get the smoothest result if all the framerates are matched.
You can select your clips to

run on SMPTE 1 or SMPTE 2
via the Timeline dropdown. A
special icon will appear in the
layer strip to indicate that
this clip is now listening for
timecode. You can quickly
switch inputs with the
buttons in the bottom right.
You can select a starting
timecode for a clip via the
offset parameter.
Note that the clip has to be active in a layer for it show in the output, the clip trigger itself is not sent
via SMPTE. Also note that SMPTE is not available on clips with an audio track.
Optionally you can add an delay compensation in frames to account for any lag that may occur in the
signal flow.
For testing, you can download a .wav file with 74 minutes of the soothing sounds of SMPTE at 25fps.
Open Sound Control (OSC)
If you want the ultimate in external control of Resolume, the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol is the
answer. OSC is becoming increasingly popular and is used by programs like MAX/MSP, VVVV and
Reaktor (Native Instruments).
OSC can be seen as a successor of MIDI and offers a much higher accuracy and is more flexible
because it can be sent over a network including wifi.
You can find out more about the OSC protocol and implementations at the OSC website.
In order to use OSC, you will need to enable OSC input and/or output in the OSC tab of the
Preferences and set the port on which Resolume should listen for OSC messages.
Overview
Resolume exposes a number of objects to OSC, each of which has several properties. These
properties may be values or may be objects in their own right, with properties of their own.
The objects that Resolume exposes contain four kinds of properties:
String -Used to pass in text, can be used to set the name of a clip or set a text parameter of an effect.
Event - Used for functions such as Clear layer that are represented in the interface by a one-click
button.
Toggle - Used for functions such as Bypass layer that are represented by a button that is clicked to
toggle it from one value to another and back again.
Parameter - Used for functions such as Layer Opacity that are represented by a slider with options to
animate and control it in various ways
Parameters
OSC properties that are of the Parameter type are themselves objects. This is so that we can use OSC
to set the various animation options that we can set for parameters through the Resolume interface.
Each Parameter property includes the following properties:
values - 1 floating point number (to set the current value) or 3 floating point values (to set the in
point, current value and out point). 0.0 is the start of the clip. 1.0 is the end.
textvalue - A String. Use this value when the parameter is represented by a text field.
direction - An integer. 0 for backwards, 1 for forwards, 2 for pause, 3 for random
speed - A floating point value between 0.0 and 1.0
playmode - An integer. 0 for play once, 1 for loop, 2 for bounce (ping pong)
playmodeaway - An integer. 0 for rewind, 1 for continue
Objects
All of Resolume's features are accessed

through OSC with an address pattern that
includes the names of objects. For ease of
use, the properties on each object are
divided into common properties that sit
directly under the object itself and two
groups of properties - audio and video
that collect together the properties
related to the audio and video parts of the
object.
To quickly find the address for an object, simply enter the Application OSC Mapping mode,
and click on the object. You'll see the address appear in the bottom left, ready to copy
paste.
Remember that deck and layer focus apply for OSC as well. For instance you can address the opacity
of layer one in two ways: /layer1/video/opacity/values (deck focus) and
/activelayer/video/opacity/values (layer focus). You can find both addresses by switching the focus.
Output
To output OSC to other devices, you should first enable it in the OSC preferences. Specify the output
port and IP address of where you want to send it.
Then enter Application Mapping mode, and click a feature.
In the bottom left you'll see the current input and output address for that feature. By default the
output address will be the same as the input address.
You can change the output address to whatever is needed to communicate with your device. Also you
can turn output for that particular control off. The input address can not be changed.
You can hit escape or press 'Stop' to exit the OSC Mapping mode. 'Remove All' resets all the output
addresses and toggles them back on.
Examples
To demonstrate how OSC can be used we have cooked up some Processing sketches for you. To try
the sketches yourself you need to download Processing and install an additional library called oscP5.
This library enables you to send OSC messages from Processing.
Download the examples here.
Video
Video
Video
Video
Previewing
Sometimes you want to try things out before sending them out
to the main audio and video outputs. This is what the
previewing feature is for. We can use previewing to take a
peek at the composition, layer or clip without actually playing
it out.
The Preview Monitor window sits in the bottom left of the screen, below the main Output Monitor.
Make sure the preview is expanded (by clicking the small triangle at the left) before using it to
preview video.
To preview the composition, layer or clip, click its name on the layer strips. You will now see the video
in the Preview Monitor. If you have set up preview channels for audio (In the Audio tab of the
Preferences window) you will hear the audio of your preview through the channels that you have
selected.
If the clip has an alpha channel, you will see the transparent parts on a checkerboard background.
This setting can be adjusted in the Video tab of the Preferences Window.
When previewing, the volume and opacity parameters of the composition, layer or clip are ignored.
Recording
The record function records the composition output to disk and immediately imports this movie into
Resolume as a new clip when you stop recording. All this is done without interrupting the video output.
Before you start recording, you need to go to the General tab of the Preferences window and select
the folder that you would like recorded files to be stored in and whether you would like to record
video, audio or both.
By default the files are stored in this directory:
Mac: ~/Documents/Resolume Avenue 4/recorded/

PC: ~/My Documents/Resolume Avenue 4/recorded/
To start recording press the 'Record' button on the toolbar. To stop recording press it again. That was
pretty simple huh? The movie you just recorded is saved to disk and inserted in the first empty clip on
the bottom layer so you can directly use it again in your mix.
Note that recording does not interrupt your mixing or the video output so go ahead and go crazy on
the effects and layers while you are recording.
The recorded video files are Quicktime with the Photo Jpeg codec at 100% quality. The audio files are
in uncompressed WAV format.
Note that the record function is not intended as a full fledged video production tool. Instead it is
meant to quickly record and then play back a content that has a few effects or modulations applied,
so that for instance you do not have to continuously keep moving a fader to achieve a certain look.
If recording suddenly stops, this is because you have run out of memory. When recording, Resolume
tries to write the rendered frame immediately. This is done at a very low priority, because you don't
want this to interfere with the actual output. So when it's too busy (lots of effects/clips/pixels), it
stores the rendered frame in memory, and tries to write it later. At a certain point, when the memory
is 90% full, it will stop recording and write the remaining frames in memory.
If you want to record longer segments, you will either have to write to a faster drive, get more
memory or lower your resolution.
Flash
Playing Flash animations in Resolume is great! Because a Flash animation contains vector information,
it scales to any resolution without loss of image quality, so it will look great at any resolution.
Flash content can be made interactive using ActionScript so you can script animations that display
something completely different every time you play it or even have it display content from the
Internet: Show headlines from RSS feeds. Display pictures of your cat from Flickr. Or show your
grandma's latest Tweets. It's all possible with Flash in Resolume.
And it gets even better! You can control your Flash animations with custom sliders and buttons in the
Resolume interface. You define these parameters in ActionScript - as many as you like. You can use
Text input, Sliders, Buttons and check-boxes. You could, for instance, write a basic particle emitter in
ActionScript and have a slider in Resolume adjust the speed of the particles, or the colour, the amount
of particles etc. Endless possibilities! Let's learn how it's done.
Text Input
You can send text to a Flash animation with

Resolume to dynamically display text on screen.
This is useful to show, for instance, your VJ name or the DJ's name on screen. There are two ways you
can do this in Flash:
The Easy Way - this is fine if you just want to quickly make a simple Flash animation to display some
text.
Or The Hard Way - this method uses the Resolume Parameter Input system. It requires more
advanced ActionScript-ing but offers greater flexibility.
Simple text input with rtext

Pros: No scripting required to display text
Compatible with Resolume 2
Cons: Does not work with ActionScript 3
Creating a Flash movie that displays text entered in Resolume 3 is quite simple.
Create a new Flash document (ActionScript 2).

Create a text field with the text tool. Make sure you type in some text otherwise Resolume 3 is
unable to pick it up.
On the Properties panel make sure you set it to dynamic text.
In the Variable field you enter: rtext (without the quotes).
Click the Character Embedding button under CHARACTER and make sure Uppercase, Lowercase,
Numerals, Punctuation and Basic Latin are selected.
Publish the movie and load the .swf file in Resolume
On the clip properties panel in Resolume you should see a text input field below the timeline.
Notes: If your old Flash text movies for Resolume 2 are not working in Resolume 3 then make sure the
Flash text field contains some characters. For Resolume 2 this was not required but for Resolume 3 it
is. Do not put the text field inside a movie clip. If you want to animate it you should convert it to a
Graphic, NOT a Movie Clip.
Parameter Input
You can control a flash movie by defining some parameters in ActionScript and then these parameters
will be visible on the clip properties panel in the Resolume interface. This gives you unlimited live
control on your Flash content.
FloatParameter
Returns a float value (0.0 - 1.0) to Flash.
Shown as a basic slider in the Resolume interface that can be animated like any other parameter. You
set the name and default value when you define the parameter with ActionScript.
AS3 Example:
var hMove:FloatParameter = resolume.addFloatParameter("H Move", 0.0);
StringParameter
Returns a string value to Flash.
Shown as a single line or multi-line text field in the Resolume Interface. Multi-line text can be
animated to send one line at a time to Flash.
You set the name and default value when you define the parameter with ActionScript.
AS3 Example:
var rText:StringParameter = resolume.addStringParameter("Text", "Michael

Jackson");
BooleanParameter
Returns a Boolean value (0 or 1) to Flash.
Shown as a check-box in the Resolume Interface.
You set the name and default value when you define the parameter with ActionScript.
AS3 Example:
var showBG:BooleanParameter = resolume.addBooleanParameter("Background",

true);
EventParameter
Returns a Boolean value (0 or 1) to Flash. 1 when the button is pressed, 0 when it's released. Shown
as a button in the Resolume Interface.
You set the name when you define the parameter with ActionScript.
AS3 Example:
var showSurprise:EventParameter = resolume.addEventParameter("Surprise!");
ActionScript 3 Example
B
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ript with comments that will show one parameter in Resolume. It's the most basic example that shows
the bare minimum required to get communication from Resolume to Flash working.
Make sure you add the Source path to the resolumeCom directory in the ActionScript 3 Preferences!
The Resolume installer includes example movies that will get you started: MAC:
/Applications/Resolume Avenue 4.0.0/media/flash/ PC: /Program Files/Resolume Avenue
4.0.0/media/flash/
/**
* Very basic Resolume Flash communication AS3 DocumentClass example
**/
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
//import the resolume communication classes

import resolumeCom.*;
import resolumeCom.parameters.*;
import resolumeCom.events.*;
public class Resolume3Example1CS4AS3 extends MovieClip

{
//create the resolume object that will do all the hard work
for you
var resolume:Resolume = new Resolume();
//create as many different parameters as you like

var scaleX:FloatParameter = resolume.addFloatParameter("Scale
X", 0.5);
public function Resolume3Example1CS4AS3():void

{
//set callback, this will notify us when a parameter
has changed
resolume.addParameterListener(parameterChanged);
}
//this will be called every time you change a parameter in

Resolume
public function parameterChanged(event:ChangeEvent): void
{
//check to see what parameter was changed
if (event.object == this.scaleX)
{
//now it gets interesting
//do whatever you like with the value of the
parameter
this.logo.scaleX =
this.paramScaleX.getValue() * 2.0;
}
}
}
}
ActionScript 2 Example
Below is a very basic AS2 script with comments that will show one parameter in Resolume. It's the
most basic example that shows the bare minimum required to get communication from Resolume to
Flash working.
The Resolume installer includes example movies that will get you started: MAC:
/Applications/Resolume Avenue 4.0.0/media/flash/ PC: /Program Files/Resolume Avenue
4.0.0/media/flash/
/**
* Very basic Resolume Flash communication AS2 example
**/
//import the resolume communication classes

import resolumeCom.*;
import resolumeCom.parameters.*;
if (this.init == undefined) {
//create the resolume object that will do all the hard work for you
var resolume:Resolume = new Resolume();
//create as many different parameters as you like

var scaleX:FloatParameter = resolume.addFloatParameter("Scale X",
0.5);
//set callback, this will notify us when a parameter has changed

resolume.addParameterListener(this);
//this will be called every time you change a parameter in Resolume

this.parameterChanged = function(object:Object): Void
{
//check to see what parameter was changed
if (object == scaleX)
{
//now it gets interesting
//do whatever you like with the value of the parameter
this.logo._xscale = this.scaleX.getValue() * 200;
}
}
this.init = true;
}
Resolume 2 and Resolume 3 Flash Differences
The only common ground that Resolume 2 and Resolume 3 share is the rtext parameter for basic text
input. And for this to work in Resolume 3 you need to make sure that the text field in Flash contains
some text otherwise it will not recognise it.
Resolume 3 does not support the RParameter or the RAudio variable input that Resolume 2 had
because this only works in ActionScript 2. The parameter input system described above for Resolume
3 is compatible with ActionScript 3 and an ActionScript 2 version is also available if you prefer to use
that.
Resolume 2
ActionScript 2 only
Fixed number of parameters
Only slider and text input
rtext variable for text input
Resolume 3
ActionScript 2 and 3 compatible

Unlimited number of parameters with custom names
Slider, Button, Text and Check-box inputs
rtext variable for basic text input
Flash Clip Settings
On a Flash clip you get some extra clip settings

that are not available for normal video files,
quite similar to Sources.
Render Width & Height - Render Width and Height determine the size at which the vectors in the
Flash animation will be rendered to pixels (rasterized).
Quality - Determines the quality of the vector rasterizing. Can be set to low, mid or high. The higher
the quality, the slower the rasterizing.
Duration - Determines how long the Flash clip should play when used with the Auto Pilot.
Timeline, BPM Sync and Autonomous
Besides the usual Timeline and BPM

Sync modes, a Flash clip can play
Autonomous. This means that Flash itself
will determine what frames to play and in
what order. In this mode you will not see
a play-head for the clip in Resolume.
If you are writing ActionScripts to jump to different positions in the animation then you should have it
set to Autonomous in Resolume or it will not work. In Timeline and BPM Sync mode Resolume will
determine what frame to play and it will ignore any ActionScripts that position the clip. When a Flash
clip is only 3 frames or shorter then Resolume will play the clip in Autonomous mode by default.
Publish Settings
Make sure you

turn off
Compress movie
in the Publish
Settings.
Otherwise
Resolume can not
read the width,
height and
framerate of the
movie and it will
default to
640480 @25fps.
Video
Quartz Composer
Quartz Composer is a program for Mac OS

X that allows you to make realtime visuals
on the GPU of your Mac.
The cool thing about is that you don't have to learn all sorts of crazy code languages, instead you can
just use the simple and easily understandable graphical interface. For more information on Quartz
Composer, you can check the info on Wikipedia.
In Resolume Avenue on OS X, Quartz Composer patches playback is fully supported. This means that
you can play and mix your compositions in Resolume, having the same control for layering, blend
modes and added effects as you would with a normal clip. You can load the composition from the file
browser, or drag and drop them from the mighty Finder.
Similar to the way Flash clips are supported, you have full access to published parameters in
Resolume as well. This allows you to have direct control over the parameters you want to have access
to, making each performance you do with them new and different.
In order for any published inputs to show up in

Resolume, you'll have to publish the
parameter at the top level, and add an input
splitter. See the examples included in your
Resolume Avenue Application folder:
/Applications/Resolume Avenue
4.0.0/media/quartz composer/
Resolume supports the following input types :
- NUMBER. Shows up as a slider, with all the animation options for BPM syncing, timeline, audio FFT,
etc that all sliders in Avenue have. Don't forget to set a min and max value using the Patch Inspector.
- BOOLEAN. Shows up as a checkbox.
- INDEX. Shows up as drop down menu.
- STRING. Shows up as a text input field, allowing you to change the text in realtime.
For tutorials on making visuals with Quartz Composer: http://www.hybridvisuals.nl/category/tutorials/
Video
Optimising Your System for Resolume
While Resolume is designed to get you up and running quickly, if you are serious about live audio
visual performance then you should really take some steps to get the most out of your computer and
your content.
Installation
The nature of audio-visual performance is that it needs as much processing power as possible,
especially if you want to mix lots of layers, apply loads of audio and video effects and work on a high
resolution.
While software like internet firewalls, virus checkers, desktop utilities and so on are really useful for
day to day use, they do consume computer resources and you do not need them running during a
performance.
For maximum stability and performance, the best thing to do is to have more than one installation of
Windows or OSX on your computer, with one set up with the bare minimum of software running. You
can then boot into your stripped down, high performance OS when you want to perform with
Resolume.
If you don't want to create a separate installation for performance, the next best thing is to set up a
user account that is set up to run less software at startup. This is not as good as a completely
separate installation, but it will help.
To manage users in Windows, open Control Panel from the Start menu, and then double click User
Accounts. Make sure that the User account you create also has Administrator rights!
To manage users in Mac OSX you open the Accounts settings in the System Preferences.
Codecs
Do not install codec packs like the K-Lite Codec Pack. They install a lot of codecs and utilities that can
cause more harm than good. Only install the codecs that you actually use. See the next section for
advice on what codec to use.
Preparing Media
Choosing how to encode your content is critical in audio-visual performance. The codec (Compressor /
Decompressor) that you choose will affect how much processor time is used to decompress each
video frame. This in turn will determine how many layers of smoothly playing video you can use and
how many audio effects you can apply.
For the very best performance in Resolume you should use the Resolume DXV codec. It is by far the
fastest codec because Resolume can decompress the video frames on the GPU instead of the CPU.
We highly recommend rendering the audio and video in separate files and joining them together in a
clip in Avenue instead of rendering a video file that also contains audio.
Keeping the audio and video in separate files is better for your work-flow. If you want to change the
audio of a clip and not the video you only have to re-save the audio file instead of rendering the entire
video file with the audio again.
The audio and video is often created using different software, sometimes even by different people. By
combining the audio and video files in Avenue you can create the music in your favourite audio
software and create the video in your video app of choice.
There is another problem with including audio in video files - it limits the BPMs that can be used.
When rendering a video file with audio, the length of the file is quantized to the number of frames of
the video. This makes it impossible for audio to loop seamlessly at certain tempos.
For example, using PAL video format at 25 frames per second, it is not possible to create a one bar AV
loop at 90BPM that will loop perfectly. The closest we can get is a 66 frame long clip, but that will
actually be at around 90.9 BPM
Avenue transposes the video to the length of the audio in a clip to create a perfectly looping audio
visual clip.
Video
On both Mac and Windows we recommend Quicktime files using the DXV Codec. For a detailed guide
on how to export with most major video applications, see the DXV Chapter of this manual.
Resolution
You should be able to use video files that are minimum 640480 pixels in size using any of these
codecs. Using 320240 is so year 2000. Use square pixels, do not interlace and render every frame
as a key frame.
PAL resolution with square pixels is 768576. NTSC resolution with square pixels is 720540.
Audio
Don't compress audio. Period. Don't do it.
Save it to an uncompressed (linear PCM) .wav file. Avenue needs very fast access to the audio data,
leaving it uncompressed enables this. Uncompressed audio files are relatively small compared to
uncompressed video files so reducing the file size with compression is not necessary.
Sample rate & bit depth
In most cases using a sample rate of 44,100 kHz and a bit depth of 16 bit is fine.
DXV Codec
The Resolume DXV Video Codec is a hardware (GPU) accelerated codec. The decompression of the
video frames is done directly on the video card.
Because of the enormous processing power available on today's video cards you can work on much
higher resolutions and frame-rates with the DXV Codec with much lower CPU and RAM usage.
The DXV Codec is a cross-platform Quicktime codec so you can use from any video application that
supports rendering to the Quicktime (.mov) file format on the Mac and PC. Applications that are
supported: Quicktime Player Pro, Final Cut Pro 7, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Sony Vegas, Maya,
Etc.
Rendering movies with the DXV Codec is extremely easy because there is very little to configure. No
key-frames, nothing. It is pre-configured to be as fast as possible. All you have to do is select the DXV
3 Codec, choose your preferred preset and start rendering.
For a detailed guide on how to export with most major video applications, check below.
Playback of video files with the DXV codec is only hardware accelerated when played in Resolume.
When a DXV video is played with any other software (like the Quicktime player) it is not rendered by
the videocard so there is no performance gain in other software but Resolume.
Normal Quality vs High Quality
We advise to do all encoding at Normal Quality. Only if you notice a lot of banding on gradients,
should you use the High Quality setting.
Expect file size to double when encoding to DXV3 HQ! With great power comes great responsibility, so
don't use High Quality as your default render setting. You'll run out of disk space real quick. Only use
it on files that have visible artefacts when you render them to Normal Quality.
There is no need to re-encode your entire DXV2 library. Especially do not re-encode your DXV2 files to
DXV3 High Quality. Because you are rendering from a DXV2 source, any image artefacts are already
rendered into the file. Your image quality will not be improved at all, the only thing you'll get is bigger
files that look exactly the same. And that's not what you want.
No Alpha vs With Alpha
The DXV codec can also store the alpha channel. Just choose any of the 'With Alpha' options to render
with included alpha channels.
Keep in mind that your original file needs to have an alpha channel for the 'With Alpha' options.
Choosing one of these options will not magically create a transparent background if the source file
does not contain it.
When your source does not have alpha channels, it's best to use the 'No Alpha' options to keep file
size down.
Exporting Quicktime .mov files with DXV

encoding.
What follow serves as a step by step guide for creating DXV encoded video files with the following
applications:
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro/Adobe Media Encoder
Quicktime Player 7 Pro
Mpeg Streamclip
Compressor
Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5
Missing your favourite app? Let us know!
Adobe After Effects:
Choose Composition > Add to Render Queue

Click the Output Module settings (by default this is set to Lossless)
Choose the following options:
Format > Quicktime
Format Options > Codec > DXV 3
Quality setting can be left at 100 (changing this value will *not* affect the output quality or video
file size). To change the quality, choose either 'Normal Quality' or 'High Quality' in the Codec
Settings dialog box.
To render with alpha channels, choose either Normal Quality, With Alpha or 'High Quality, With
Alpha' in the Codec Settings dialog box, as well as RGB+Alpha in the Channels dropdown.
Adobe Premiere Pro/Adobe Media Encoder:
From Premiere, choose File > Export > Media

In Media Encoder, click on the preset name
(From here on, both apps use the same interface).
Choose the following settings:

Format > Quicktime
Video tab: Video Codec > DXV 3
Choose the resolution and framerate appropriate for your content. Make sure you select
Progressive under Field Type and Square Pixels (1.0) under Aspect.
To render with alpha channels, choose either Normal Quality, With Alpha or 'High Quality, With
Alpha' in the Codec Settings dialog box, as well as 32 bit under Depth.
Quicktime Player 7 Pro:
Choose File > Export

Under Export, choose Movie to Quicktime Movie
Click Options
Click Settings in the Video tab
Compression Type > DXV 3
Choose the desired compression setting from the Compression dropdown.
Mpeg Streamclip
Choose File > Export to Quicktime

Compressor > DXV 3
Choose the resolution and framerate appropriate for your content.
Mpeg Streamclip does *not* support rendering with an alpha channel. Changing this setting via
Options has no effect.
Make sure you turn off the audio channel if you are not using it. Otherwise MPEG Streamclip will add
an empty audio track.
Compressor
Drag a preset to your source content, we recommend starting with Quicktime ProRes 444 with
Alpha
In the Video tab, click Change next to Quicktime Settings.
Now choose the same settings as for Quicktime Pro above:
Compression Type: DXV 3
Compression: Choose the DXV 3 preset for the quality and alpha settings you need.
Make sure your Pixel aspect ratio is set to Square
Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5
Unfortunately, neither FCPX nor Motion 5 support rendering to 3rd party Quicktime codecs.
For FCPX, we recommend rendering to ProRes 422 (HQ), or ProRes 444 if you need the alpha channel
intact. Then you can convert using any of the tools above.
For Motion, you can do the same, or alternatively render via Compressor (see above).
Video
The Included Effects
Audio Effects
Bitcrusher - If you want lo-fi then this is the effect for you. It reduces the bit rate of the audio as it
passes through the effect, giving a retro computer music sound.
Distortion - This is the classic guitar-pedal effect, where the audio is overdriven and clipped for
grungy, industrial sounds.
EQ-3 - A basic low/mid/high frequency EQ that you can use to tweak sounds
Flanger - The audio signal is mixed with an out of phase copy of itself, giving all kinds of interesting
'squidgy' audio effects depending on the settings that are used.
High-Pass - Lower frequencies are filtered out of the audio. The resonance setting enables some
more depth to the sound.
Low-Pass - Higher frequencies are filtered out of the audio. The resonance setting enables some
more depth to the sound.
Video Effects
Add/Subtract - Simply add to or subtract from the red, green or blue value of each pixel in the video.
Auto Mask - Create an alpha channel based on the luminance of each pixel in the video. The higher
the brightness of the pixel, the more opaque it will be in the alpha channel.
Bendoscope - A curvy kaleidoscope-style effect. You can set the number of divisions to use.
Blow - Pixels at the edge of the video are replaced with coloured strips. You can set how much of the
video should be replaced.
Blur - A simple blur effect. Using a high quality setting may slow down your output, depending on the
speed of your graphics card.
Bright Contrast - Basic brightness and contrast controls. I like to use one of these on the
composition all the time, so I can tweak the overall look of the video whenever I need to.
ChromaKey - Allows you to select (key) a color range from a clip and make it transparent. Dial in on
the correct hue using the hue slider, then use the additional controls to refine your matte.
Circles - The video is reinterpreted as a set of concentric coloured circles. This effect works well when
the size parameter is high and the opacity is mixed down to overlay the effect over the original video.
Colorize - Choose a hue and the video is coloured into that hue, using its original brightness.
Colour pass - Keep particular hues coloured while making the rest of the image greyscale. Use the
Hue1 parameter to select the hue to be kept. The Hue2 parameter selects how wide a range of hues
should be kept.
Cube Tiles - Places a controllable number of copies of the clip on the sides of a 3d cube. The cube
has controls for zoom and X,Y and Z axis rotation,
Delay RGB - Apply a delay on the Red, Green and Blue channels individually.
Displace - Pixels in the video are moved horizontally and vertically based on their luminance. The
Horizontal and Vertical factor parameters can be used to set the scale of the movement.
Distortion - Great for a broken TV effect. The Distort parameter sets how much of the image is
distorted while the Radius parameter sets how far the distorted areas are moved.
Edge Detection - Traces and optionally colorizes the outlines of the shapes in the clip.
Exposure - A useful alternative to using brightness/contrast to brighten up an image. This effect will
brighten the brighter parts of the image while keeping the black parts black.
Fish Eye -Creates a nineties skateboard film look.
Flip - Simple options to flip the video horizontally and vertically. Try mixing the flipped version with
the original using the Opacity parameter.
Fragment - Display the video multiple times, scaled and distributed around a circle in 3D space. This
works well when the rotation parameter is animated.
Freeze - Freeze the whole video frame by clicking the Frozen Solid option or freeze parts of it by
playing with the X and Y parameters.
Goo - An ever shifting liquid effect. Very high values for the parameters destroy the liquid illusion and
create glitchy look, which is fun too!
Heat - Give your video the look of a heat-sensitive camera.
Hue Rotate - Recolour the video by rotating the hue of each pixel.
Invert RGB - Separate options to mix the original Red, Green and Blue channels of the video with
inverted versions of themselves.
Iterate - This one is a bit of a beast. It draws the video onto multiple planes in 3D space, each time
adjusting the position, rotation, scale and opacity of the next plane based on the parameter settings.
Try some of the presets to see some of the things it can do.
Kaleidoscope - The classic optical effect. When we say 'classic', we mean unoriginal and boring.
Keystone - Gives control over the location of the four corner points of your clip. Useful for projection
mapping projects.
Keystone Crop - Similar to Keystone, but instead of warping the video, it simply crops off the parts
of the clip that fall outside of the Keystone area.
Keystone Mask - The opposite of Keystone Crop, this will make the inside of the Keystone area
transparent.
Levels - A really useful effect for tweaking the overall look of video, especially content that hasn't
been properly preprocessed to get the contrast right.
LoRez - A combination of a pixelate effect to display the video in blocks and a bit reduction on the
colour. Together, they give a nice retro computer look.
Luma Waves - Display the video as a series of strips in 3D space, extruded based on the brightness
of the input video
Mirror - Set vertical and horizontal mirrors on the video at any position you like. You can use the
in/out parameter to slide the mirrors from offscreen to your preset positions.
Particles - Generate a stream of particles with colour based on the input video. The various
parameters control how the particles behave and how you view them.
Pixel High Pass - Separate high pass filters for Red, Green and Blue channels of the video.
Pixels In Space - Similar to LumaWaves but this effect displays a matrix of cubes in 3D, using the
brightness of the input video to determine how far above a plane they rise.
Point Grid - Display the video as a grid of coloured circles in 3D space.
Posterize - Reduce the number of colours in the video. The higher the parameter setting, the fewer
colours will be displayed.
Radial Blur - Displays the video on a series of planes, zoomed and rotated to give the appearance
the video being blurred out from the centre of the screen.
Recolour - Change the colours of the video to one of a series of built in palettes. Use the Floor and
Ceiling parameters to select a particular part of a palette to use. Use the cycle parameters to animate
the colours.
Ripples - Another liquid effect, this time showing regular waves moving across the video. To get the
waves to move, you will need to animate the Phase parameter. Extreme parameter settings give
distinctly non-liquid like results.
Saturation - Desaturate the colours of the video to greyscale.
Shift Glitch - Glitches up the video by randomly shifting parts of it left and right, with control for size
and frequency of the shifting.
Shift RGB - Very cool effect that allows you to shift the Red, Green and Blue colour channels of the
video. The Mode parameter allows you to switch between horizontal, vertical or rotating shifts.
Slide - Push the video horizontally or vertically with the part that leaves the screen looping back onto
the opposite edge.
Snow - Turns the video in to falling snow flakes, ideal for winter time parties. The Textured parameter
allows you to texture the snowflakes with the colours of the original video.
Static - Simulates a TV tuned to a dead channel.
Stingy Sphere - Map the video onto a sphere in 3D space.
Stop motion - Stops and holds the video on a single frame. The Frequency controls how many times
a new frame should be picked. The Frame Count controls how many frames should play before the
video is held again.
Stripper - A whole set of strip-based effects based on those in the SyzygyStripShow Freeframe 1
plugin pack. Use the Mode parameter to select the different effects. The Speed parameter to get the
strips moving.
Strobe - Alternates between the video and a blank frame of controllable colour. Beware of any
epileptics in your audience.
Suckr - Suck the video in toward the middle of the screen.
Threshold - Display the video as two colours. Each pixel takes one of the colours depending on
whether its brightness is greater than or less than the threshold.
Tile - Display the video multiple times in a grid with plenty of options for skew and rotation.
Trails - Create ghost trails behind movement in the video. You will notice that there are two opacity
parameters in this effect - one is the standard opacity and the other sets how the current frame of the
video is mixed with older frames that are used to make the trails.
Tunnel - If you like cheesy trance tunnels then this is the plugin for you. Animate the position
parameter or set the speed parameter to get it moving.
Twisted - Twist the pixels of the video around the centre of the screen in a spiral effect.
Videowall - Create the effect of the video being displayed on the screens of a an array of video
monitors.
Vignette - Fade the edges of the video out smoothly to black. This works well before the Videowall
effect to make the illusion of video monitors more realistic.
Wave Warp - A wave distortion effect, which bends and twists the video in all kinds of ways it
shouldn't bend and twist.
Directory list
Resolume creates and stores data in several locations on your computer. Here is a list.
Application folder.
Contains the application and licensing information. Has subfolders for Default (default key and midi
maps, default demo composition, default effect presets), Docs (language files for GUI and help),
Media (demo media files), and Plugins (included audio and visual plugins).
MAC: Macintosh HD/Applications/Resolume Avenue 4.x/

XP: C:\Program Files\Resolume Avenue 4.x\
Win7: C:\Program Files (x86)\Resolume Avenue 4.x\
So the default directory for effect plugins would be the above path followed by: FFGL (video):
/plugins/vfx/ VST (audio): /plugins/afx/
Saved compostions, preferences, user effect presets, screen

setup presets and recordings.
Can each be found in their own subfolder at
MAC: /Users/[username]/Documents/Resolume Avenue 4/

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\My Documents\Resolume Avenue 4\
Win7: C:\Users\[username]\My Documents\Resolume Avenue 4\
Log files.
Can be found at:
MAC: /Users/[username]/Library/Logs/Resolume Avenue 4 log.txt

PC: C:/Documents and Settings/[username]/Application Data/Resolume/Resolume Avenue 4 log.txt
(folder may be hidden)
Win7: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Resolume
Alternatively, you can use the Feedback option found in the Preferences, with the logfile checkbox
ticked, to send it to us.
Thumbnail previews.
Mac: /Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Resolume Avenue 4/

PC: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Resolume Avenue 4\
Win7: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Resolume Avenue 4\
Registration files.
Mac: Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Resolume Avenue 4/

PC: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Resolume Avenue 4\
Win7: C:\Users\All Users\Resolume Avenue 4\
Default Application Key Mapping
Layer focus:
F1 - Select Layer 1
F2 - Select Layer 2
F3 - Select Layer 3
1 - Trigger Clip 1
2 - Trigger Clip 2
3 - Trigger Clip 3
4 - Trigger Clip 4
5 - Trigger Clip 5
6 - Trigger Clip 6
7 - Trigger Clip 7
8 - Trigger Clip 8
9 - Trigger Clip 9
0 - Trigger Clip 10
Shift + ! - Trigger Column 1
Shift + @ - Trigger Column 2
Shift + # - Trigger Column 3
Shift + $ - Trigger Column 4
Shift + % - Trigger Column 5
Shift + ^ - Trigger Column 6
Shift + & - Trigger Column 7
Shift + * - Trigger Column 8
Shift + ( - Trigger Column 9
Shift + ) - Trigger Column 10
i - Set In-point for currently selected clip
o - Set Out-point for currently selected clip
, - Play current clip backwards
. - Play current clip forwards
/ - Pause current clip
z - Turn off Beatloopr for current clip
x - Set Beatloopr to 4 beats for current clip
c - Set Beatloopr to 2 beats for current clip
v - Set Beatloopr to 1 beats for current clip
b - Set Beatloopr to 1/2 beats for current clip
n - Set Beatloopr to 1/4 beats for current clip
Shift + Q - Set Cue Point 1 for current clip
Shift + W - Set Cue Point 2 for current clip

Shift + E - Set Cue Point 3 for current clip
Shift + R - Set Cue Point 4 for current clip
Shift + T - Set Cue Point 5 for current clip
Shift + Y - Set Cue Point 6 for current clip
q - Jump to Cue Point 1 of current clip
w - Jump to Cue Point 2 of current clip
e - Jump to Cue Point 3 of current clip
r - Jump to Cue Point 4 of current clip
t - Jump to Cue Point 5 of current clip
y - Jump to Cue Point 6 of current clip
Shift + F - Maximize current clip
s - Hold and move mouse to scale current clip up and down
p - Hold and move mouse to move current clip

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Resolume Manual

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Introduction

What Can I Do With Resolume

Working with Input Maps

Using the Fixture Editor

Optimising Your System for Resolume

The Included Effects

Default Application Key Mapping

Welcome to the world of Resolume!

This manual is split into several main sections:

What Can I Do With Resolume?

What's New In Version 5?

Undo/redo in Advanced Output

Logically enough, the A slider fades the audio of the

A useful feature is the help window in the bottom right of the

Scale - Scale the output video.

Global Composition Controls

Global Speed and Direction Controls

You can also duplicate a deck.

You can rename a deck by double-clicking its name.

The layer can be temporarily hidden by clicking the B (Bypass) button.

Mixing and Compositing

Mixing audio being played by layers is very simple. Just

Set your three favorites and off you go!

Layer Transport Controls

Auto Layer Transitions

As well as using the layers' own volume

The main part of the browser enables you

In some music software, this feature is known as Quantising

Ignore Column Trigger

The Transport section also provides some additional options:

It's really that simple!

With the Audio section of the clip properties,

At the top of the Video section of the clip

Multiple Clip Select

The clip properties can be adjusted for

Resolume supports audio effects based on the VST standard.

All effects can be temporarily bypassed (B toggle) or removed (X button).

Using Audio Effects

Flip effect applied first, then scale and position transformations

You can also add an effect to an empty clip.

Also the preview window output can be selected as an input.

Masks can be applied on the composition, layer or clip level.

Here you can enable or disable OSC

This section allows you to change the

First make sure the display or projector is connected to your computer.

Now start Resolume and check out the Output menu.

You can stop all output by selecting the Disabled option.

Basically, the Advanced Output is where the magic happens.

Working with Input Maps

Each screen represents an output going out of Resolume.

To setup a screen, right click on it on the left hand side.

Output via playback cards is only available in Resolume Arena.

Adjusting Output Levels and Color

Hiding and Folding Screens

Preparing before show

The Input Selection stage shows a preview of your composition output.

Resizing, Moving and Rotating Slices

Using Slice Masks

Slice masks are available on Resolume Arena only!

Using Polygon Slices

Polygon slices are available on Resolume Arena only!

Edit Points Mode

Using Multi Select

The Output Transformation stage is available on Resolume Arena only!