GrandVJ 2 Public Beta - Feedback, bug reports

[polanri]

The public beta is here!

Check out the Blog post, please report your feedback in this topic..

Thanks!

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

I just installed the GVJ2 Beta upgrade and when trying to load my mixer mode file I use for the older version I came across the error "Engine could not start. Please check display preferences"

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

BTW...my display has always been set to 1366 x 768...that is the highest my laptop will support.

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

I did send a crash log report as well.

[lighttch]

Just a question probably everyone has on their minds. With the new activate/ deactivate code system, is there a way to kill an activation if for example a hard drive crashes and you have to put in a new drive, or a computer gets damages and you can't boot it to deactivate a code.

Andrew

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

I don't think it's a bug but the crossfader in mixer mode needs to have a way to hold the fader in the a/b position once you click the a or b side rather than self gliding back to the originating side. Ex. Hold the "A" side button...the fader transitions to the "A" side...Let go and it transitions back to "B" side. It should stick to the "A" side once transition is completed and vise versa if moving to the "B" side.

BTW...tried again and still got the display error listed in above post. I can use the demo file without a problem though.

[paul-h]

Hi all!
I've been away from GVJ for quite a while for a bunch of reasons.. I see many of these have been solved in 2.0, so I think I am ready to jump again on the ship. Arkaos MIDI was my first love, It's difficult to forget it
I appreciate the free upgrade from 1.5 and the new activation policy seems made for humans, we can finally forget having to argue at each new installation and be good friends? Fantastic!

I had a quick glance to 2.0 and the videomapper (essential! seems nobody wants rectangular screens anymore) and, yep.. ergonomics have improved a lot and I like the different color coding. Thumbs up for you guys!
Next week I'll have a ride on my 4 screen + APC20 + Oxygen8 system and a report will follow.
Now, my goal is to setup a multi-screen videomapped show in synth mode.. If I can do it easily I'll smoke all GVJ competitors
First impressions: 2.0 seems to launch and shutdown much more slowly than 1.5, and crashes on exit, but I'm not worried, it's a beta.. Videomapper feels still immature, I am sure with our help devs can make it shine. At a glance just two comments.. fullscreen crosshairs are much too thin (at least on 1680x1050), they are ok for micro-mapping but I'm afraid they can be lost when mapping a facade. And.. hand-masking is a common task, so I think editable vector masks are nearly mandatory.
So.. thanks for keeping GVJ alive, If I feel I can trust you I'll upgrade to GVJ XT asap.

[vjhypnotica]

Major glitch when project saved with extracted matrix the no access to click on the main app. 8(

JPG issues for masking. Whats the proper way to make a mask mask if not universal?

BTW i hope there will be a way in the final release to go back and forth to the mapping software without all that screen refreshing.

[JJJ]

Adjusting brightness and contrast is causing momentary freeze on output.

iMac
MPD 32 controller

[JJJ]

When I put the GOD RAYS filter standalone into a cell - the cell does not show a filter icon. If I trigger said cell without the icon,
the proper effect occurs at the output.

iMac
JJJ

[sonmor47]

upgrade from 1.6 to 2 but can not GrandVJ xt in xp operating system, why?

to perform the update 1.6 is disabled and luckily the machine switches off the two could return to 1.6

2 audio does not play vob, avi, mov ... but if you play on 1.6. frustrating

edge finding and blending thought like the mediamaster however follows the basic, simple

I will continue testing

[shado]

Plugged in my APC40 and iPad a little while ago to test if my mappings would remain intact using the new version. The 2.0 Beta crashes every time I attempt to load the set I use for majority of my performances. I'd assume it would remain compatible with previous version .vj files but that is not the reality I've experienced thus far.

Was hoping to test out all the MIDI and OSC mappings I've spent a lot of time setting up as I definitely don't wish to recreate everything from scratch. It boots fine if I just load a generic blank set or one of the demo files. Did hang up on me earlier today when I tried to close the program after playing around with it for the first time. The menu bar remained at the top of the screen even though the program indicated that it indeed had quit and it wasn't showing up in the force quit window either. Had to open another app (Apple Mail) to make the menu bar finally disappear. The other applications that I had open at the same time as GrandVJ weren't allowing me to click on anything within the window or close them.

Not terribly fond of the way transitions work now but maybe I just need to get used to it. Perhaps there is a logical reason for tucking the transtions area away, making the user click to see the transitions. If I use my mouse to move the small crossfader at the top of the layers area, it doesn't work. I actually spent several minutes looking for the crossfader, which was instantly accessible and prominent in the previous version with a quick glance.

Overall, I'm excited and like the new look/layout. Definitely am stoked to have some new effects. I simply just cannot really put the software through the motions if I can't even get my set to load without the program crashing.

[JJJ]

shado,

I can confirm your critique.

Same crash for me too.

JJJ

[VJKatza]

1. Program Crash after loading 1.6.5 Project
2. New program skin might be good for a super high res retina display but panels are absolutely too big for normal or even full hd display where we must get our cells as big as possible.
3. Dropping an effect over a cell (without a visual in it) then triggering it to a layer doesn't work.
4. After I upgraded to GVJ 2.0 (Standard) I no longer have the 10% discount FOR XT over the site
5. Activation Tab - "Your Time Token expires in 91 days" what is this?
6. Where is the "Each cell gets unique properties" you promised?

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

1. Program Crash after loading 1.6.5 Project
5. Activation Tab - "Your Time Token expires in 91 days" what is this?

I get these as well...I put a LOT of time into programming my 1.6.5 project parameters and such. They should be allowed to import into the new version without issues. They always have in the past.

I am not a creator, programmer, or moderator...but my thought is that since this is a beta version that the 91 days is enough to allow for the full release version to be made available.

I also noticed a LOT of wasted space in the effects/transitions/properties window in the middle of the screen/off to the right where if you could have set some of the controls in columns side by side to the existing ones that it would free up space below to be able to see more of the clip matrix banks. The current setup forces you to open the window so far that you only see about one row of clips in the matrix bank on a 1366 X 768 screen. My laptop may be a few years old but it is a VERY high end gaming laptop and 1366 x 768 is still a common screen size for even some of the best gaming laptops out today.

[paul-h]

Hi,
Mapping key or midi to the "toggle latch mode" does not toggle, key (or pedal) must be kept pressed to keep the latching.
This happened in 1.65 too. Should be easy to solve.

[paul-h]

I also noticed a LOT of wasted space in the effects/transitions/properties window in the middle of the screen/off to the right

I think some work must be done on Synth mode layout too, if the grid is hidden the screen becomes suddently empty.
There is really too much wasted space and poor keyboard is squashed down the screen limit.
In synth mode virtual keyboard is the vital clue for loaded visuals and effects, it must be much more visible.
Yep, it can be undocked.. but even stretched it does not work well as in the original Arkaos layout.
Here below a comparison between the two layouts, trying to point out the question.

[shado]

I really don't understand the complaints I'm seeing about wasted screen space. You guys are aware that you can drag the different tabs into their own individual parts of the window, yes? Also, you can always click and drag on the gaps between modules to expand the various sections to different sizes for accommodating your preferred layout/screen resolution. Comparing GrandVJ 2.0 to Arkaos VJ is kinda ridiculous as they are two different beasts entirely.

[JJJ]

Shado,

I have been unable to drag and separate the visual / effect / mixing / transition / position tabs like in 1.6.5.

Are you able to - is there a new trick to this?

As you resize the various panes, are your layer previews changing in scale?

Plz let me know.

JJJ
iMac

[shado]

I was able to separate the tabs into my preferred four pane layout with a bit of effort. I found that it wasn't quite as smooth as in 1.6.5 but the trick seems to be that you have to click and hold/drag underneath until a blue highlighted area appears, then release the mouse button. I tried dragging to the right first but the blue highlight wasn't happening even though there was plenty of space. After separating one pane underneath the first one, i could create separate areas to the right of the split panes. The layer preview only changes scale if i alter the far right panels directly adjacent to the preview window

[JJJ]

Got it shado - Will test further in two days when I get back to my lab.

Arkaos - have you considered the ability to unlock more panes???

JJJ

[JJJ]

Was able to separate the panes as in 1.6.5 - Thanx shade.

My previous comment about the brightness contrast was an error - midi conflict on my end - sorry Arkaos.

Overall a definite performance improvement from 1.6.5

[Quentin]

Thanks for your reports guys! We are fixing bugs and will release soon a new beta.

A few remarks :

- The old project files should be compatible with GrandVJ 2. The crashes that occur while loading these files are bugs. It will be fixed for the final release.
- Deactivation of a license must be done from the activated application. There is no way to deactivate a machine from the website. If you crash you hard drive, you can always contact our support and explain the problem, we'll do our best to help.
- You can run GrandVJ on Windows XP SP3. However due to limitations of the OS, you won't be able to see live previews in Video Mapper module itself. You will have to do your mapping with test patterns. If you don't use video mapping, there is no limitation with XP.
- The crossfader bug appears only when the option "map slelected layer" is checked. It will be fixed for next Beta.
- The Time Token is an internal mechanism that check the validity of the license periodically. If your computer is connected to the Internet once in a while, you wont notice anything, this is completely transparent.
- For the space of the different panels, you can still resize everything. The drag and drop of tabs works like in GrandVJ 1 (take a tab, drag it to the right border of the panel, you will see a blue highlight, and drop it). We will improve the initial layouts when you hide/show the matrix or the keyboard.

[JJJ]

You can resize the panels but the layer previews in the mixer are not changing scale like the monitor.

JJJ
IMac

[paul-h]

- The Time Token is an internal mechanism that check the validity of the license periodically. If your computer is connected to the Internet once in a while, you wont notice anything, this is completely transparent.

.. and sure there is absolutely no risk something popping up in the middle of a gig if you're not connected to the internet, right?

[Quentin]

No, you must be offline during a few month before the application ask you politely to connect. No risk that something happen during a show.

[PhasedMedia]

Had a chance to play with GVJ2 beta finally.
-The (de)registering system is exactly what I had in mind. Excellent.
-The gui cell colouring change between cell and layer selection works really well, and interface layout is clean and simple without wasted space.
-Some more work needed on retaining window layouts when toggling show/hide [key/cell/folder] buttons.
-Image loader (info) shows still images at lower resolutions than source file or rendered native (?)
-Need an auto fullscreen checkbox in display prefs- It's a useful bit of software for nightclub and bar in-house automated systems.
-Odd behaviour on x-fade slider in mixer mode.
-Occasional additive renderer errors when running for several hours. Seemed to be caused by effects, as it could be overlayed over by another clip or clip faded out.

[elbertlumenier]

When trying to either run GrandVJ 2 or GrandVJ2 XT, I am getting the following error: "The engine failed to start, please check display preferences. This is on a i7-3630QM windows 8 laptop with 8GB ram and dedicated NVIDIA videocard. Have also tried several display resolutions from 1024x768 to 1600x900 and running under win7 compatibility mode without result. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Thank you.

[Quentin]

The beta 2 is now available

- Bug fix : Video Mapper works on Mac OSX 10.7
- Bug fix : crossfaders are not blocked anymore in some circumstances
- Bug fix : Some video files were causing crashes at loading (caused some crash while loading old project files)
- Bug fix : Some directX configuration were not supported properly
- Bug fix : About dialog fixed
- Bug fix : Some effect icon were missing
- Some small modification in the UI

Known bugs : VideoMapper shortcut in the GrandVJ toolbar is temporary disabled. Please launch the application manually (sorry for that).

Happy testing

ps : elbertlumenier , this version should work better especially on your system (laptop with dedicated nvidia card)

[vjhypnotica]

I would love to upgrade to xt version but please fix the bug interface lock when ever you load any saved project. Beta 2 still has this glitch. And please put back XT trial mode on license regular beta 2 users for beta propose.

[vjhypnotica]

Show/Hide cell Matrix button snaps back the matrix. It should remember ejected cells 8(. I really wish 2.0 would have option to snap out all cells.

Layers mouse wheel over scroll bar doesn't do anything when interface is small.

My wish list please consider to put auto pilot playback cell for 2.0

[razortongue1]

Where can you download more live generators? Is this possible? Is there a program to create your own?

Would be great if you could edit some settings on the live generators, give generators a tab too like you do for effects, visual and transition. Then add some editable parameters like a speed fader that controls the speed of the generator. Also if the generators can have a fader that shows the length of time that u want it play, similar to the start and end points on a cell that has a video clip, so if u want the generator to play for 30 seconds and then turn off you can accomplish this easily. This feature would be helpful for people trying to trigger real time video with midi.

Would be great if you can control the mic input sensitivity for each cell separately so if u want a generator that reacts to sound to be more sensitive to sound on one cell and not so sensitive on another cell....

I find this program a little confusing and limited in a few ways..... Why cant A user cant skip forward during playback of a video clip in a specific cell when trying to decide a loop point by sliding the fader? For example if u were trying to find a new loop point you have to keep watching that video clip from the beginning each time? So if u have an 8 min video clip and you are trying to find a precise end point or loop point you would have to watch the whole video each time making small adjustments till the endpoint or loop point in correct? That could take hours. The playback position pointer doesn't let you move it Synth or Mixer mode? Very strange and not too user friendly. I am using this program because it allows me to trigger videos in real time from midi drums.

Why cant you use transitions in mixer mode?

Maybe the new version will allow me to use all these features in different modes? I doubt it i tried playing with BETA2.0 all night for hours and didn't see any changes for what i listed above.

[VJKatza]

Beta2 Crashes while starting after "booting services"
Uninstalling then installing Beta1 Again everything loads just fine.

[Quentin]

@razortongue1
You can edit easily your loop points. Just click on buttons "In Frame" or "Out Frame" (next to Play mode) to be able to edit the looping points.
And you can use transition between Deck A and Deck B in mixer mode. Edit the output element of the mixer to modify the transition parameters.

@VJKatza
That must be related to your ASIO audio driver. Could you remove the file GrandVJ_preferences.xml located in \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\GrandVJ2 . That should solve it. Anyway this will be fixed in the next release in a few days.

[razortongue1]

[quote="Quentin"]@razortongue1
You can edit easily your loop points. Just click on buttons "In Frame" or "Out Frame" (next to Play mode) to be able to edit the looping points.
And you can use transition between Deck A and Deck B in mixer mode. Edit the output element of the mixer to modify the transition parameters.

Maybe you didn't understand what i meant. Editing a 5 min video clip in a cell. You cant see where u are editing your end point in the actual video until the entire video plays to the end point, theres no scrubbing or fast forward button on the video. Yes i can speed it up till it gets close to the end but then i got to get my speed setting back exactly to where it was originally and that seems like a lot of work in order to set my end point or loop point in a precise location of the video. Basically u have no idea where you are actually making the end point till you play back the entire video to the end. I do know how to move the 2 locator faders to set the start and end point thats obvious.

There was a few other questions i had.... Is there a way to save the Input volume? Or have different input volumes set for different generators? You didn't add any new generators to the new 2.0 version? Can you edit the generators length they play, speed, or color anything other then mic input sensitivity? Can u download the generators anywhere? This would be useful for use with midi.

[VJKatza]

That must be related to your ASIO audio driver. Could you remove the file GrandVJ_preferences.xml located in \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\GrandVJ2 . That should solve it. Anyway this will be fixed in the next release in a few days.

Problem solved

[JJJ]

Preview windows on the mixer channels still do not resize like the monitor as you resize panels.

JJJ

[thedoger82]

Hi guys, i feel the software running a little bit better more smooth, i like it, especially with the quartz compositions...

something that i hate from 1.6.5 was that when i was triggering the clip into the layers, the layers will fade in automatically, in v2 it does not, and I LOVE IT!!!

as many people have complained, i think the same about the sizes of the panels, they're too big.
the layer side position color (A - B) its better on red or another color different than black and grey

My controller is the NUVJ, i could import my midi mapping but the crossfader didnt load, as it was.

Im still having a problem with the controller which is, theres no feedback position of the knobs.

zoom text.swf, vertical1.swf, etc., are not missing but when im loading a project from 1.6.5, v2 cant find the text sources

Thanks a lot for this software... best ever!!!

I just got the sign of the new version, i tried to download but i got this:

Not Found

The requested URL /pub/ArKaos/ArKaos_GrandVJ_2_0_RC1.dmg was not found on this server.
Apache/1.3.37 Server at ns351214.ovh.net Port 80

[Quentin]

The release candidate of GrandVJ 2 is now available

Last changes :

- Documentation and new video content added
- UI refinements
- bug fix : ASIO was causing instabilities
- bug fix : editing a cell parameter juste after application start was crashing the application
- bug fix : the output groups are now saved correctly
- bug fix : instabilities with HD videos fixed
- bug fix : launch videoMapper button was broken



@razortongue1 : did you try the buttons "In Frame" and "Out Frame" (next to Play mode) ?? That precisely do what you describe.
For the moment there is no way to modify the input volume per cell. That feature could be added in a future update.
If you want to use generative content, a more "open" alternative to generators are flash files and quartz composer content (on mac). These can react to the sound as well.

@JJJ : no the previews don't scale anymore. That's the current design. We could eventually change it in the future if needed.

[elbertlumenier]

After uninstalling, rebooting and installing GrandVJ 2.0.0 RC1, I still get the same "engine" error after trying to start either GrandVJ or GrandVJ XT. Is there anyplace that GrandVJ creates a dump / log in order to debug this issue?

Thanks.

[JJJ]

Quentin,

Thanks for the reply regarding scaling of the previews. I will no longer report it as a bug as it is functioning as per your design.

Now may I humbly beg you to incorporate the of scaling the mixer previews as in 1.6.5.... please please please please!!!!

As a performer - monitoring multiple channels at a glance is key. I use a new generation iMac and I typically have all 8 channels running. When I compare this feature side by side with 1.6.5 - the difference is staggering.

Thank you for your consideration.

[DJ_DragonSkratch]

After uninstalling the previous GVJ2 beta, I installed the RC1 and am having the same error I had with the GVJ2 Beta version. Once I load the mixer.vj file I used in 1.6.5, the program gives me the windows error "ding" when trying to click on anything. I have to shut the program down from the windows task manager in order to close it even. Not even getting an error box now so not sure what is going on.

[shado]

Really super stoked on some of the new features of GrandVJ 2:

OSC feedback! This is going to make my life so much easier when I perform with my colleague, as he is usually out on the dance floor with an iPad going wild on TouchOSC. Things often get confusing because we use a combination of MIDI through an APC40 and OSC through our various Apple devices, yet only the APC40 would show accurate feedback from the software. I'm looking forward to fixing less messes now. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Can't wait to implement this.

Precise In Frame/Out Frame point adjustment! Although normally I try to prepare all my video clips beforehand, occasionally I have to throw in last minute clips that are fairly long and have not been edited/encoded yet so there are unwanted sections. Previously, it was a bit of a pain to set the out point, particularly on long clips, but it was never a major deal-breaker so I just dealt with it. Been wanting a quick and easy method for years now and you guys delivered a great method for doing this. Works like a champ. Thanks!

I really like being able to quickly hide/show the browser, keyboard, or matrix. Because I use an APC40 to trigger clips, the matrix will remain always visible while the keyboard will be permanently hidden yet I can foresee hiding the browser often when not in use to maximize my screen real estate (plus it makes everything look more streamlined and cool).

I'm sure that I'll keep finding awesome stuff as I grow more and more familiar with GrandVJ 2. Just wanted to share positive feedback because people tend to complain more than they offer encouragement and support.

[VJKatza]

I Downloaded the Latest "Stable" release, Still got some bugs:

1. 1.6.5 Project file casse a program crash after loading.
2. When choosing directsound at the audio settings - program crashes.
3. Brightness & Contrast affects Video Output but not preview.

some more..
- Toggling Video Out takes longer then over 1.6.5. About 2-3 seconds freeze before output.
- When starting the app or loading a saved file, the 8th layer is selected instead of the 1st one.

[JeremyAlexEtJeremy]

INTERFACE NOT OK ON PC LAPTOPS 1366 x 768
The New Interface UI on PC Laptop is really NOT ok, to much space lost on the Layer Panel
We have a couple new Toshiba Laptops Win 8 with a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768. (a standard for 2013)
Due to the size and design of the new icon in the Layer Panel, only 6 layers are visible and we need to drag down or up to see the missing Layers: This is not acceptable during a gig.
All Layers must be visible, whatever the screen resolution is.
This issue was not present in the version 1.6.5

[shado]

Didn't realize you guys were going to release the full 2.0 version so soon. Not sure if you're still looking for bugs but I discovered a couple of things I thought were strange and figured I'd pass them on.

In a previous post, I'd mentioned that GrandVJ 2 crashes whenever trying to load my main set saved from version 1.6.5. It still does this, yet I noticed that it seemed to load all of the clips and then would crash at the end so I went back to 1.6.5 and saved the set without my custom mapping template. Viola! The set will now load and run in 2.0, albeit without my custom template. When I attempt to import the template into the set, then it crashes. Apparently, GrandVJ 2.0 does not like the mapping template I've been honing over the last few years and I'm seeking a solution to this.

A second thing I thought was odd is that when loading the default APC40 mixer template, the crossfader is not mapped to the crossfader of the software. Kinda scratching my head on that one. Was this an oversight or is there a reason behind it?

[Quentin]

Last release is available. And yes, we are of course really interested in more feedbacks. We will release an update with bug fixes soon. We are aware that there are still issues while loading project files, sorry for that. We will fix that for the next update, as well as the mapping template bug.

Thanks again for the feedbacks !!

[sonmor47]

install the latest version 2

message is repeated, Your software has crashed. Would you like to send your crash log to be sent to arkaos server?

download and install DirectX 9.0c End-User Runtime, but repeats this message every time I open the program

to go to the following message videomapper
Engine Faiture:
Could not create Direct3D device, Error d3derr_devicelost
Nose can be displayed on external monitor to work with videomapper

to work in instant mode, the first clip takes 6-7 sec to leave fullscreen

my operating system is windows xp sp3

some files, vob, mov, avi without sound

size of the panels are large scale or reduced Nose

[aaintveld]

Wow ... after hours of trying simply to get my license activated ... I am looking at a version 2 that (in Synth mode) has NOT a single improvement or change. How's that for an upgrade ?! am using Resolume Avenue next to it, thank goodness. BTW, loading an existing .vj from 1.6.5 just crashes the app on Mac, with error report sent to Arkaos, but not visible to me. It just won't load the .vj, with no explanation.
Looked at my (and others') various suggestions in the feature request thread: Not A Thing was done with them.
So far, really disappointing. This way guys, you are losing the race. Or may have already lost it.
I DO like the new interface BTW.
Am using the final release version.
I have my mac mouse pointer set a bit larger: all tool-tips (yellow boxes) go UNDER the cursor, making them unreadable.

[CHOURAQUI]

just upgrade from GVJ 1.6 on my laptop ASUS N55S where GVJ 1.6 was working perfectly
I install DIRX 11 as required by your instal, reboot but
GVJ 2.0.0 "stable release" cannot be launched
every time I open program I get "engine failed to start,check display preferences"
I close this window message but each time it comes back so I don't have any access to the dispay preferences in GVJ preferences

in a few tentatives lead to crash and I sent crash report to the server
never was I capable to launch GVJ

not a all a stable release