User Manual
Contents 1 Welcome 4 2 Connections 5 2.1 Stand alone setup 5 2.2 External mixer setup 6 2.3 External audio interface setup 7 2.4 External mixer and external audio interface setup 8 3 Software installation 9 4 Getting started 10 4.1 Configuring display settings 10 4.2 Launching MIXVIBES VFX 10 4.3 Choosing the skin 10 5 6 7 4.4 Configuring the audio 11 4.5 Customizing the interface 13 4.6 Importing media 14 4.7 Loading media 15 Controller overview 16 5.
Important safety instructions 1 Read these Instructions. 2 Keep these Instructions. 3 Heed all Warnings. 4 Follow all Instructions. 5 Do not use this apparatus near water. 6 Clean only with a damp cloth. 7 Do not block any of the ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 8 Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. 9 Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized plug.
1 Welcome Thank you for choosing MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL. This is a comprehensive manual that goes over the MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL functions and features. Take the time to read this manual to take full advantage of the potential of MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL. MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL is an all-in-one mobile Video DJ system featuring standard DJ controls including 2 players and a central mixer. The controller has been designed to be light and mobile, with a compact format.
2 Connections 2.1 Stand alone setup Follow the instructions below to use MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL with the integrated mixer. 1 Connect your VFX CONTROL ‘mixed output’ to your sound system (amplifier, powered speakers, or home stereo). 2 Connect your headphones to the ’headphones’ output of your VFX CONTROL. 3 Connect the supplied USB cable between the USB output of the controller and a free USB slot of your computer. 4 Connect the supplied power adapter. 5 Turn on your VFX CONTROL. stand_alone.
2 Connections 2.2 External mixer setup Follow the instructions below to use MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL with an external mixer. 1 Connect your VFX CONTROL outputs to your mixer line inputs. Connect the ‘player 1’ outputs into a mixer line input using the included RCA cables, then repeat for the ‘player 2’ outputs into another available mixer line input.
2 Connections 2.3 External audio interface setup Follow the instructions below to use MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL with the integrated mixer and an external audio interface. 1 Connect outputs 1/2 of your audio interface to your sound system (amplifier, powered speakers, or home stereo). 2 Connect your headphones to your audio interface’s headphone output. Audio interfaces may vary, please refer to the owner’s manual included with your audio interface for details on its headphone output.
2 Connections 2.4 External mixer and external audio interface setup Follow the instructions below to use MIXVIBES VFX CONTROL with an external mixer and an external audio interface. 1 Connect your audio interface outputs to your mixer line inputs. Connect the ‘player 1’ outputs into a mixer line input using the included RCA cables, then repeat for the ‘player 2’ outputs into another available mixer line input.
3 Software installation 1 Insert MIXVIBES VFX installation disc into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. The installation program will launch automatically. In case it does not, open Windows Explorer, navigate to the MIXVIBES VFX installation disc and doubleclick on the «install_vfx.exe» file. 2 Choose the installation language and click OK. install1.pdf 06/04/2009 14:27:32 06/04/2009 14:28:10 Language Selection install2.pdf 3 Please read and validate the user agreement by clicking Accept.
4 Getting started 4.1 Configuring display settings To configure display settings: 1 Right-click on your Desktop and select Personalize in Windows Vista/7 (Properties in Windows XP) then Display settings. display_setting.pdf 21/09/2009to your 17:07:05 2 If you wish to connect a second monitor, plug the second monitor computer secondary output (please refer to the owner’s manual for details). Right-click on the second monitor then select Attached. 3 Choose the screen resolution then click OK to confirm.
4 Getting started 4.4 Configuring the audio 4.4.1 Stand alone setup Standalone mode is the default audio configuration when launching MIXVIBES VFX for the first time. All the following should already be set up. 1 Check that all player outputs are set to 1. 2 Open [Options/Preferences/Soundcard]. 3 Choose the ASIO mode. 4 Select Mixvibes ASIO VFX Control as your output device. 5 Select ’2’ as the number of outputs.
audio_2.pdf 16/10/2009 17:35:43 4 Getting started External mixer setup 4.4.3 External audio interface setup 1 Check that all player outputs are set to 1. 2 Open [Options/Preferences/Soundcard]. 3 Choose the ASIO mode. 4 Select your external audio interface as your output device. 5 Select ’2’ as the number of outputs. C 6 Click on the ’Setup’ button to select audio outputs (then ‘Control options’ to open the soundcard driver control panel if necessary).
4 Getting started 4.4.4 External mixer and external audio interface setup 1 Check that all player outputs are correctly set on all players: player 1 to output 1 and player 2 to output 2. 2 Open [Options/Preferences/Soundcard]. 3 Choose the ASIO mode. 4 Select your external audio interface as your output device. 5 Select ’2’ as the number of outputs. 6 Click on the ’Setup’ button to select audio outputs (then ‘Control options’ to open the soundcard driver control panel if necessary).
4 Getting started interface2.pdf 10/09/2009 18:55:41 You can also drag and drop windows into each other to create tabbed windows as below. This can save you space and allow you to have larger windows to list your tracks. interface4.pdf 15/09/2009 17:31:35 Moveable and tabbed windows 4.6 Importing media 4.6.1 Media types MIXVIBES VFX is a real multimedia player. It can handle a bunch of media types : • • • • • • Audio files: reads all major audio formats out of the box.
4 Getting started 4.7 Loading media After importing your media you can load them into the players. There are three ways of loading tracks: • With the controller: Use the ’Media Select’ button to scroll through your media windows (MediaBase, Playlist and Explorer). Load the highlighted track into one of the players by using the ’Load A’ or ’Load B’ buttons. Use the ’Browse’ button (’Shift’ + ’Load A’) to switch between the media windows (MediaBase, Playlist and Explorer).
5 Controller overview top_panel1.pdf 10/11/2009 16:53:00 5.1 Top panel overview Top panel: mixer and playback controls 1. Power switch: turns VFX CONTROL on and off. Be careful, if VFX CONTROL is off, the LED is on. Turn on VFX CONTROL before you turn on amplifiers. Turn off amplifiers before you turn off VFX CONTROL. 2. Shift: holding shift engages shift functions of many of the buttons, secondary functions are printed inside a grey box. MIXER CONTROLS 3.
top_panel2.pdf 09/11/2009 14:58:47 5 Controller overview Top panel: pitch and loop controls PITCH CONTROLS 15. Pitch slider: changes the currently selected option: Speed or Master Tempo. 16. Pitch bend: hold these buttons down to temporarily alter the Speed or Master Tempo (whichever is selected). Shift function Fine: hold these buttons down to temporarily and finely alter the Speed or Master Tempo (whichever is selected). 17. Pitch range: sets the range of the Pitch slider.
top_panel3.pdf 09/11/2009 15:01:48 5 Controller overview Top panel: memory and sampler controls MEMORY CONTROLS 25. Loop memory: memorizes several loops by media and returns to them. To memorize a loop, simply create a loop manually or automatically then press the appropriate memorized loop button. To return to the start of a memorized loop, press the appropriate memorized loop button again. Shift function Clear loop memory: clears a memorized loop. 26.
top_panel4.pdf 09/11/2009 15:04:09 5 Controller overview Top panel: effect and navigation controls EFFECT CONTROLS 35. Effect on/off: enables/disables current effect. Shift function Effect mode: selects the effect mode: video, audio or both. • If you turn the button 36. Selected effect: selects an effect. Shift function Effect X parameter: controls X parameter for the current effect. Parameters depend on the selected effect. 37. Preset: selects a preset for current effect.
5 Controller overview rear_panel.pdf 12/11/2009 14:17:23 5.2 Rear panel overview 1 2 4 3 6 5 6 Rear panel 1. USB connection: used to connect VFX CONTROL to your PC or LAPTOP to control MIXVIBES VFX. 2. Player2 output: used to connect VFX CONTROL with your mixer. • • Standalone setup: not used. External mixer setup: connect this output to a mixer line input. 3. Headphones output: used to connect your headphones to your VFX CONTROL.
6 Software overview 6.1 Players This is a description of the simple skin players. player1.pdf 6.1.1 Players display screen 1 C M 13/08/2009 2 20:38:50 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Player display screen J CM 1 Media information :MJdisplays the artist and title if the media is tagged correctly. It flashes at the end of the media. You can set the end ofCJthe media alarm in [Options/Preferences/Mix]. : displays the elapsed and remaining time.
6 Software overview player2.pdf 19/10/2009 15:39:24 6.1.2 Players control 1 2 3 4 5 6 C M J 7 8 9 10 CM 11 12 13 14 Player control MJ CJ 1 Channel: selects the active player. CMJ 2 Audio output: selects the audio output. N 3 Audio/Video mode: selects the volume fader mode (audio, video or audio+video). 4 Pitch range: sets the range of the Pitch slider. Click on it to change it between 6%, 10%, 16% and 100%. This allows greater sensitivity of the slider by reducing its range.
6 Software overview 6.2 Integrated Mixer This is a description of the simple skin integrated mixer. mixer2.pdf 13/08/2009 21:07:02 Mixer 6.2.1 Main mixer3.pdf video output view 13/08/2009 21:13:27 This view displays the main monitor output window. You can open it by double-clicking this display. If one monitor is used, a pop up window asks for confirmation. If two monitors are used, the video window is placed on the second.
6 Software overview 6.2.4 Video titler This tool enables you to add text, images and flash files to the main output window. Text titler 1 Text on/off: shows/hides the text in the main output window. 2 Pad: moves the text position in the main output window. 3 Text box: enter a text then press ’Enter’ with your keyboard. You can change the font by double clicking in the text box. 4 Text parameters: • speed: adjusts the scrolling speed. • size: adjusts the text size. •mixer5.
6 Software overview 6.3 The Crossfader rack If you are using a DJ mixer connected to a multiple output audio interface, you will not need to use the MIXVIBES VFX crossfader. You can use your mixer’s crossfader for direct control. 4 1 2 5 3 6 Crossfader main_volume1.pdf 31/08/2009 15:50:23 1 Crossfader: this component has the identical function of a traditional crossfader on an analog DJ mixer. It is used to balance the mix of the 2 media files. 2 Match: matches the BPM of one Player to the other.
mix1.pdf 31/08/2009 6 Software overview16:02:58 2 Player B output: the main volume rack is a tool used to master your player B audio signal. To avoid saturation, check the audio signal view. If the signal is saturated you must change your settings in the Master volume section or Equalizer/mixer section. 3 Recording: records your mix in WAV format. Click the button in the volume rack of your choice and designate the name and directory for the recording.
6 Software overview 6.7 The Video Titler rack This tool enables you to add text, images and flash files to the main output window. 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 Text titler / Image titler / Flash titler C M J C 6.7.1 Text titler M J First choose ’text’ button. CM 1 Text on/off: shows/hides the text in the main output window. MJ 2 Text box: enter a text then press ’Enter’ with your keyboard. You can change the font by double clicking in the text CJ box.
6 Software overview 6.8 Audio Sampler 6.8.1 Sampler control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14151617 Sampler C M 1 Output: sets the output the sample will be played through (either 1 or 2) depending upon the number of audio output. J CM MJ CJ CMJ N 2 Equalization: sets the equalization for the current active pad (Treble, Middle and Bass). 3 Pad Volume: sets the volume of the active pad. You can set a different volume for each pad. 4 Pitch range: sets the range of the pitch slider.
7 Media management To avoid losing time browsing for media files, MIXVIBES VFX proposes a selection of advanced media management features. To improve your efficiency and organize your playlists efficiently, you must create one or many « MediaBases » (media libraries). This will allow you to access media very easily without browsing with your Explorer through your hard drive. mediabase1.pdf 06/11/2009 16:11:54 mediabase2.pdf 06/11/2009 16:12:16 7.
control_bar.pdf 02/09/2009 15:05:17 7 Media management 7.1.4 Control bar MediaBase control bar Media Search (Search filter) Once you have created a large MediaBase in MIXVIBES VFX, the fastest way to access media is through the Media Search box. Click on the Exact Search button to activate/deactivate the option. Once active, only the media that matches precisely the typed information will be prompted.
7 Media management playlist1.pdf 06/11/2009 16:13:12 7.2 Playlist Playlist The playlist is a list of media that can be automatically played through the player. You can have several playlist files, these can be opened and saved selecting [File/Playlist] and then Open or Save. Note: The MIXVIBES VFX playlists are compatible with most of the mp3 player software on the market. They are importable and exportable in M3U and TXT format.
7 Media management explorer1.pdf 06/11/2009 16:14:48 7.3 Explorer Explorer The Explorer window allows you to explore your computer directory to find media. Media from the Explorer window can be dragged and dropped directly onto the Player, Sampler, MediaBase or Playlist. You can scan a folder by right-clicking within the Explorer window and selecting Scan. You can create a shortcut by right-clicking within the Explorer window and selecting Add directory.
7 Media management 7.4.2 Groups MIXVIBES VFX Selection window lets you create your own groups with your personal selections. These groups are available through the advanced Selection window. They don’t apply a predefined filter. Instead they let you access a user defined list of media files. Create a group Right click on Groups in the advanced Selection window and choose Add group. Choose a name for your group and hit Enter. To fill up your media list, hit All in the advanced Selection window.
8 Main menus 8.1 File menu MediaBase > New: creates a new MediaBase (VIB format). A MediaBase is the database where all your music and video information are located. One VIB file contains one MediaBase. MediaBase > Open: loads a new MediaBase. MediaBase > Save: saves your MediaBase. MediaBase > Save as: saves the MediaBase in the directory you want with any name. MediaBase > Import iTunes library: imports your iTunes library. MediaBase > Import WMP library: imports your Windows Media Player library.
8 Main menus 8.4 Windows menu Moveable windows: displays the caption on MIXVIBES VFX windows. If this option is checked then you can move the windows (MediaBase, Explorer, Playlist ...) anywhere you want in MIXVIBES VFX. Full screen: switches to a full screen view. Menu: shows/hides the menu. Info: shows/hides the info bar. Explorer: shows/hides the Explorer. MediaBase: shows/hides the MediaBase. Playlist: shows/hides the Playlist. Selection: shows/hides the Selection window.
9 Preferences The options screen will enable you to view or change settings of your program. You can reach the Preferences menu under [Options/Preferences]. 9.1 General FILE HANDLING Autoload last opened file: automatically loads the last played media and MediaBase that will be loaded when starting MIXVIBES VFX. History: stores the history of files played during a MIXVIBES VFX session. Click on Show File to access the history.
9 Preferences 9.2 Mix BPM/GAIN TOOLS To improve the BPM detection, refine the BPM range : defines the range of tempo MIXVIBES VFX can analyze. Note: A smaller range will ensure a faster and more accurate analysis of your MediaBase. Each style has its own classic BPM range. You can find more information about this topic on Internet. Display vinyl pitch: displays your turntable’s pitch analyzed by MIXVIBES VFX.
9 Preferences 9.3 Soundcard This menu lets you define which audio hardware you will use, the number of devices, and the latency time. Depending on your hardware, a latency time that is set too low can affect media playback. If you experience sound cuts, progressively increase latency until the problem is solved. If you feel an important delay between your actions within MIXVIBES VFX and their effect on the sound, reduce it. In ASIO mode, press the setup button to select audio outputs.
9 Preferences • All Relative: in this mode, the playback position of the control record/disc does not correspond with the playback position of the audio file in the player. Use the All Relative mode when you want to use non-linear functions like hot cues (Locations) and Loops. In this mode you can use the ’drop to location’ feature. ’Drop to location’: with vinyl, set the needle on a vinyl position (3s-1mn/1-2mn/2-3mn/3-4mn/4-5mn) allows to go to a MIXVIBES VFX location.
9 Preferences 9.5 EQ/Gain The equalization option sets the sound quality with more accuracy. Be careful, depending on your media set you may need to set up the gain amount to 20 dB (indeed video files can have less gain than audio files). 9.6 Skin This option will allow you to select the default skin for the VFX product. Under each skin preview, you’ll find a short layout description of your skin (screen resolution, simple/complete).
9 Preferences 9.8 Keyboard Here you can view the short cut keys that are configured within MIXVIBES VFX. The operation of the software is primary mouse orientated, but you can also mix using your computer keyboard. In the options keyboard, you’ll find several keyboard presets, recommended for an easy use of MIXVIBES VFX. If you don’t feel comfortable with these presets, you can make your own. CAUTION: by editing a preset, you may not be able to get back to the original preset.
9 Preferences 9.9 MIDI MIXVIBES VFX can be controlled by a MIDI controller (we recommend the VFX CONTROL; MIXVIBES does not ensure 100% compability with non-listed 3rd party controllers). 1 Activate your MIDI controller by checking the Activate box. 2 Select your MIDI input device from the pull down menu. 3 Select your MIDI device mapping by clicking on it. 4 Validate by clicking on OK.
THD+N(*1): L/R channel separation(*2): CHANNEL BALANCE: (From 0 to -40dB for mix. out) OUTPUT LEVEL: (maximum gain, EQ Flat) ITEM MJ J CM 43 / N 44 CJ CMJTechnical specifications WITHIN 3dB 85dB 85dB 0.002% 0.002% 0.005% 85dB WITHIN 1dB 95dB 95dB 0.007% 0.008% 0.024% 95dB MIXED OUT: LINE: MIXED OUT: LINE: MIXED OUT: LINE: MIXED OUT: HI BAND: MID BAND: +9 +/-3dB -19 +/-3dB +9 +/-3dB -20 +/-3dB +9 +/-1dB -19 +/-1dB +9 +/-1dB -20 +/-1dB 482(W) x 132(H) x 74.8(D)mm 2.
Contact • For all technical or sales information, please contact your local reseller or MIXVIBES directly: MIXVIBES 4, rue de la Sablière 92230 Gennevilliers FRANCE www.mixvibes.com • Technical support: • • online on our forum1 Sales Information: • by email to sales@mixvibes.com vibe-watermark-brig C M J CM Copyright 2009 MIXVIBES. All rights reserved. MJ The contents of this manual may change without prior notice.
