Date & Time: Friday 7th & Friday 14th May 10am LA / 1pm NYC / 6pm UK / 7pm Berlin
Level: Intermediate
Whether at a concert or in a music video, visual effects can do so much to enhance the listener/viewer’s experience and create a lasting impression. This workshop aims to demonstrate how, using TouchDesigner, one can convert MIDI and acoustic audio signal into dynamic visual performances.
Session Learning Outcomes
By the end of this sessions a successful student will be able to:
PT1:
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Understand core concepts of multichannel video mixing in TouchDesigner
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Design and implement generative visual systems which evolve over time
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Build simple audio +/ MIDI signal workflows
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Map a visualization onto any performance environment, whether physical or digital
PT2:
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Builds on the concepts from PT1 with more advanced visual effects, patterns for flexible MIDI mapping, and persisting/loading sets of cues with Python + JSON
Session Study Topics
PT1:
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How to build custom UIs with widgets in TouchDesigner
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Vectors, vertex displacement, GLSL shaders (the basics). LFOs, FFTs, L Systems… various techniques for audio-reactivity
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Basic MIDI input with TouchDesigner
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Mapping in 2D with the Stoner component; 3D mapping with Kantan Mapper
PT2:
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Programming advanced actions with Python in TouchDesigner
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Making custom MIDI mappings which plug into a global control system
Requirements
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A computer and internet connection
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A web cam and mic
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A Zoom account
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A free (or higher) license of TouchDesigner
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A text editor for programming, such as Sublime Text 3 (recommended)
About the workshop leader
Ben Benjamin is a programmer and performer based in Los Angeles. He is obsessed with the intersection of media, culture, and technology.