According to legend, back in 1998, Tomoyasu Hirano (now the CEO of Digital Stage) had a VJing gig. At the time most Japanese VJs did their thing with video tapes, but since Hirano’s  repertoire was entirely computer generated, he, quite logically wanted to find a way to output direct from his computer, so he wrote some software…in one evening (the evening before the gig no less)…and so Motion Dive was born, which, as it evolved, gained the suffix ‘.Tokyo’, in reference to the scene out of which it had grown.

Meanwhile,  ‘Edirol’, a subsidiary of Roland, that had originally been setup to do for computer audio/MIDI interfaces, what fellow subsidiary Boss had done for  effects pedals and beatboxes, was also evolving and embracing video technology with an ever expanding range of video hardware.

Last year the two companies released the results of a collaboration, the catchily named ‘Motion Dive .Tokyo Console Edition’, which bundles a MIDI enhanced version of the Motion Dive .Tokyo software with a control surface (AKA a ‘console’) built by Edirol.

Using the DJing paradigm we all know and love, the software is based around two  ‘decks’. Drag your clips from the library to these decks, crossfade between them and watch the results in a central preview window (or second monitor).

Each deck has a play/stop/pause button, a mini timeline whose in/out points can be set with dragable pointers or clickable buttons, a loop button, a clip speed/BPM sync control and a ‘scratch’ button which doesn’t really scratch in the truest sense but merely returns the clip to its start point…often with a glitch. Very usefully, each deck has two sub channels which hold alternative clips. Click a sub channel and its contents are immediately exchanged with the contents of its deck, making for extra slick cutting. Unfortunately though, there is no Resolume style clip reverse or random frame play on offer.

In between the two decks are the crossfader, three fade buttons (offering factory pre set non editable fades), a tap button, the AB button (which switches between decks A and B) and the ‘breakdown’ button (which cuts to black).

To the left of the central preview window is the control plug-ins panel, which offers four sub panels for controlling the software comprising a macro recorder, a panel for changing the assignment of the controls on the console,  a BPM control panel for syncing video to audio (with a tap button, not automatically) and a music player.

Because MDTCE completely takes over the machine on which it is running, if you want to VJ and play music simultaneously, you are forced to use this music player…and in order to do so, you must copy your tunes to its folder, which is a ludicrous waste of hard disk space. Unsurprisingly, Motion Dive’s inability to run alongside other applications also means that Rewire is not supported.

To the right of the preview window is the visual plug-ins panel, which ships with four categories of effect. ‘Colour EQ’ allows you to independently change the hue of each deck’s  output using ‘Final Cut Pro’ style colour controls  (and offers the easiest and most intuitive colour control I’ve seen on any VJing application); ‘Layer Mode’ offers a choice of nine different blending modes; ‘Text’ allows you to input text from a keyboard which is then  superimposed on your mix using a choice of nine pre programmed text effects (and once again offers the easiest method of spontaneously adding text effects to visuals I’ve seen on any VJing app); ‘Action’ allows you to create your own actions (though there are no instructions on how to do so) and comes pre-programmed with nine fades, explosions, etc., which cut to the beat excellently. Unfortunately though, most effect parameters offer minimal tweakability and Motion Dive does not support FreeFrame plug ins, which are now practically ‘industry standard’ in the VJing world.

Confusingly, the visual plug-ins window also includes ‘Midi Note’, which allows you to  trigger clips with a keyboard and so would seem to belongs in the control plug-ins panel..

The MD-P1 control surface…ooops, I mean ‘console’,  provides buttons, knobs, a jog wheel and, of course, a crossfader. However, not all of the software’s controls are replicated, the most glaring omission (and from what I understand, the most requested feature) being scratch wheels (though the assignable knobs do let you scratch surprisingly well).   It connects to the host computer via a single USB port and includes a Midi port to which a keyboard can be connected for triggering clips (with MIDI velocity controlling how quickly they fade in), though there is no way to assign specific clips to specific keys as with Arkaos.

Once you’ve used the console, you will never want to VJ with a mouse and keyboard again, as the MD-P1 makes for an infinitely better VJing experience. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement. First and foremost, I would have liked more controls at my fingertips. In addition to proper scratch wheels, I would also like to have seen controls for effects, timeline and the music player. Admittedly, the MD-P1 does contain assignable controls, but who wants the hassle of a) setting them up and b) remembering which controls you’ve assigned to which buttons? Surely the whole point of a hardware control surface is that there is a button/knob/slider for everything…and it’s always in the same place!

Talking of having controls at your fingertips, on occasions, I found myself accidentally turning off clips whilst trying to scratch them with the assignable knob…which is placed just above and to the right of the ‘off’ button, so clearly there is strong justification for proper scratch wheels (and better ergonomics).

It is also worth noting that the crossfader is very bedroom DJ. At an ultra good value price of just UKP 329 (inc tax), for the whole kit and caboodle (yup, that’s  hardware & software), I hardly expect tensioning controls or a fluid crossfader, but at least making the x fader replaceable would be a good move, as it doesn’t look or feel like it can stand much abuse.

One other complaint about the console is that it is effectively a dongle, so although you’re unlikely to want to VJ without it, if for some reason you need to travel light, or should it go down in the middle of a set at The Egg…Euston, you’ve got a problem!

Included in the package is a humungous library of video clips from some top Japanese VJs, which are not so much a starting point as potentially a career in a box. That said, most of the clips fall into the ambient/abstract CG category, so they may not be to everyone’s taste, but I loved them. Naturally you can import your own clips too, though you cannot do so whilst simultaneously VJing, which some may find a little restrictive. Nor can you record your mixes to hard disk and reuse them as library clips.

You also get a soft case for the console, a ‘Motion Dive Technique’ DVD, an imitation Maglite (which, if there’s a power cut, you could always use for an improvised light show) and a variety of compact and reasonably well translated documentation, including a sleek black booklet entitled “An Audiovisual Project File,” that’s not so much a guide as ‘Zen and the art of VJing’.

UKP 329 for the whole package is unquestionably great value and the combination of  simple & intuitive software, with a hardware controller and a large professionally produced  library, makes this the ideal package for beginners, learners and semi-pros, though its also bound to appeal to hardened pros who want to keep it simple (and inexpensive). Those requiring more comprehensive control and facilities will probably want to look at applications which support  FreeFrame, Rewire and DMX, such as Arkaos and Resolume, though it is worth bearing in mind that the combined cost of such software with a (not necessarily dedicated) control surface, is likely to be a fair bit more.

More info: www.edirol.net

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