VJ apps?

As I look at more DJ apps, the more I'm tempted to pick up another iPad and use it as a video output source during a set.  I expect I'm not alone in this thought either.  Some apps (although not many) offer video output through the connector, although from the point of a DJ wanting to supplement the audio the choice is perhaps a little more limited.  I've found the following apps to be quite intruiging;

iVJ - This app has been around since June 2010 (currently v1.1 released in July 2010) and gives you a basic 2 channel video mixer.  You can adjust the speed of the video and fade into the other source.  Although the app is limited in what it does (there are no effects or video scratching), it seems to handle everything quite well.  To load a video into the left side is simple and you get a tiny preview still image of video in the list - but only if the video is over a certain size/time...anything less than 5Mb it didn't seem to preview).  Once loaded the main output is displayed in the large box at the top and you can see what the cue'd video is doing underneath in the smaller box;

What is a little misleading about this image (taken from their website) are the 2 buttons in the centre (Effect and Sync).  Neither are present, so perhaps this is a feature undergoing development?  As you can also see, this is built for the iPhone so no iPad-centric version.

Video formats supported include;

• H.264 video: (.m4v, .mp4)
• MPEG-4 video: (.m4v, .mp4)
• Motion JPEG: (M-JPEG) (.mov)

iVJ is currently priced at $2.99 (there is a free version, but this doesn't allow use of your own videos).

tappr.tv - a 'build-your-own video loop' type of app.  The website really doesn't give much information except showing you the visual element samples you can purchase within the app.  The app itself is free and I think acts as some sort of looper.  From the blurb in the iTunes store, the app appears to be moving towards functionality that will synchronise the visuals with music - just how this will be implemented is anyone's guess.

Tappr.TV is free, but there are a number of in-app purchases to make it useful to a VJ (such as video out feature!).

CosmicPainter - a spyrograph type app which has video output and therefore could be used by a VJ although perhaps in association with a number of other resources.  The code has existed since 2004 when it was originally developed for Mac OS X (you can pick it up free here).  The developer also played a key role in development of the Modul8 VJ software. 

In an interesting twist, users on the Modul8 forum have put together some TouchOSC templates which they're using on their iPads to control Modul8.  This is probably where I see the iPad fitting well into the world of VJing.

Cosmic Painter is currently priced at $1.99

Of course, you could use TouchOSC to control any other VJ software out there (such as Resolume), such as described in this detailed and very helpful video;




TouchOSC is currently priced at $4.99