VJ UNION

Multi-Display VJ Rigs 101: Portable 2-Screen to Full Venue Setups

Zunayed Sabbir Ahmed — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:00:43 +0000

What counts as a "multi-display rig"?

Any VJ setup where your visuals are split across more than one physical screen or projector, working together as one show. This can be as simple as two portable screens flanking a small stage, or as complex as a full concert rig with six or more projectors and LED processors, all synced to one media server.

Why VJs move from single-display to multi-display

A single screen or projector is the easiest way to start VJing — one output, one canvas, minimal setup. Most VJs move to multi-display for one of a few reasons: a bigger stage that needs coverage from more than one angle, a client or venue that specifically requests it, or simply wanting to offer more visual scale as their bookings grow.

The jump from 1 to 2 displays

This is the biggest conceptual jump, even though it sounds small. With one display, your composition is your canvas. With two, you have to decide: are these two displays showing the same content mirrored, extended as one wide canvas, or independent content entirely? Each choice needs different setup inside your VJ software, and getting screen size and position wrong here is the most common beginner mistake.

What changes at full venue scale

Beyond 2–3 displays, a few things become unavoidable:

Venue riders matter. Projector count, throw distance, and resolution are usually specified by the venue, not chosen freely.
Backup planning matters. With more hardware in play, something is statistically more likely to fail mid-show — a backup output plan stops being optional.
Naming and organization matter. Once you're past 3–4 outputs, an unorganized composition becomes very hard to troubleshoot live.

A realistic path to get there

Nobody starts on a 6-output rig. The realistic path is: get confident on one display, deliberately practice a 2-display setup even if you don't need it yet, then take on multi-display gigs as they come — ideally with structured training behind you rather than figuring out edge blending live at soundcheck for the first time.

Where to go deeper

For VJs ready to move past the basics, Resolume Masterclass PRO covers this entire progression inside Resolume Arena specifically — from single-display fundamentals through full multi-display, DMX-integrated shows.

Start Here: https://studio-z.ca/all-courses/resolume-masterclass-pro/

Primal Horizon VJ pack : 15 4K vj loops for 11$

Sleepless Monk — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:05:40 +0000

15 4K loops each 25 seconds in length. 3d surrealism, visionary minimalism. track by me Sleepless Monk - Primal Horizon (you can find it on streaming services)

Primal Horizon VJ Pack : 16 lengthy 4k loops at 11$

16 4k loops 25 seconds each in apple prores codec 60fps. 3d surrealism, visionary minimalism (primal horizon is an old experimental techy trancy track by me)

sleeplessmonk.gumroad.com

How Many Screens Do You Need? A Beginner's Guide to Multi-Display VJ Rigs

Zunayed Sabbir Ahmed — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 09:33:41 +0000

What counts as a "multi-display rig"?

Why VJs move from single-display to multi-display

The jump from 1 to 2 displays

What changes at full venue scale

Beyond 2–3 displays, a few things become unavoidable:

Venue riders matter. Projector count, throw distance, and resolution are usually specified by the venue, not chosen freely.
Backup planning matters. With more hardware in play, something is statistically more likely to fail mid-show — a backup output plan stops being optional.
Naming and organization matter. Once you're past 3–4 outputs, an unorganized composition becomes very hard to troubleshoot live.

A realistic path to get there

Where to go deeper

Enroll: Resolume Masterclass PRO — https://studio-z.ca/all-courses/resolume-masterclass-pro/ (short: tinyurl.com/resolumePro)

2026 all VJ packs : 1000+ 4k loops for 75$

Sleepless Monk — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 07:32:19 +0000

1000+ 4k loops at 60 fps and in apple prores proxy which runs on gpu and supports advanced audioreactive effects in resolume. Massive diversity of content and scenarios for different edm genres as well as sound journeys, ecstatic dance, downtempo.

2026 all VJ packs : 1000+ 4k loops for 75$

sleeplessmonk.gumroad.com

Nondual Epistemology : 24 seamless VJ loops at 11$

Sleepless Monk — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 07:25:53 +0000

24 completely seamless 4k 60fps loops. each is 30 seconds long in apple prores proxy codec.

Nondual Epistemology : 24 seamless VJ loops at 11$

24 completely seamless 4k 60fps loops. each is 30 seconds long in apple prores proxy codec.

sleeplessmonk.gumroad.com

DreamReavers VJ pack : 200+ loops at 25$

Sleepless Monk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:07:49 +0000

DreamReavers VJ pack : 200+ loops at 25$

200+ 4k loops in apple prores at 60fps. more than 50% are seamless. these were used to animate tracks for a few of my projects.

sleeplessmonk.gumroad.com

200+ 4k loops in apple prores at 60fps. more than 50% are seamless. these were used to animate tracks for a few of my projects.

Astralasia VJ Pack : 124 4k loops for 25$

Sleepless Monk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:02:58 +0000

124 4k loops in apple prores 422 at 60fps. loops mostly 15 seconds, some are shorter. 50% are naturally seamless. many of the other can be stacked in sequence. loops made with seedream 2.5, da vinci resolve.

Astralasia VJ Pack : 124 4k loops for 25$

124 4k loops in apple prores 422 at 60fps. loops mostly 15 seconds, some are shorter. 50% are seamless. many of hte other can be stacked in sequence. loops made with seedream 2.5, da vinci resolve.

sleeplessmonk.gumroad.com

Mythopoetic VJ pack : 86 4k loops for 10$

Sleepless Monk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 04:57:34 +0000

86 vj loops at 4k 60 fps in apple prores format. About 50% are naturally seamless.

Mythopoetic VJ pack : 86 4k loops for 10$

86 vj loops at 4k 60 fps in apple prores format. About 50% are seamless.

sleeplessmonk.gumroad.com

pure Graphics tools, i.e., editor (s)

bennoH. — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:50:13 +0000

I think that despite AI and all stuff, you're all occasionally forced to do time by time basic works in pure standard image editing programs.

In this regard, you're probably most know or heare of the Photoshop as the epitome of such tools, but also with its oldest open-source sibling, GIMP, to which I'll provide a link right here of that:
https://www.gimp.org/
GIMP runs under Windows/OsX or Linux, the actual Version is 3.2.4 as a modern tech cutingedges grafictool of this days, I use it myself and can highly recommend it.

😜🌈🌻
Nevertheless, I would like to briefly mention two similar and also free a bit newer programs for graficediting here:

Pinta
https://www.pinta-project.com/

and

Paint.Net
https://paint.net/

The latter, however, only runs on Windows, whereas Pinta can also be used on macOS and Linux. Paint.NET, on the other hand, is more comprehensive, especially its very extensive effects/plugin library of users, and generally offers more possibilities. While it is free, but it is not open source in the traditional sense. Pinta, however, is a very good easy all-around tool for image editing and is completely open source, complete with a good manual that even explains how to create your own filters and effects. It is less feature-rich than Paint.NET, but all the more user-friendly and straightforward to use.

Both programs run entirely on your computer as desktop programs that you install yourself, which is very important to me personally in terms of security and copyright, unlike many web-based free offers in this area, which I don't really trust.

If you use graphics programs like these occasionally, you should perhaps install all three mentioned here to get a better idea of them. Everyone has slightly different needs and preferences when using them, and you should determine through your own testing what you like best and what suits you best.

Enjoy the end of summer, the last warm days with open blue skies, and then use the slightly grayer ones at autumn to make yourselves wiser,
yours truly, bennoH. from the Swiss mountains

GPU Laser Vision -Turning Live Video into Real-Time Laser Paths and Projector Art

vdmo — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:16:32 +0000

For VJs, installation artists, and anyone chasing the intersection of computer vision, GPU compute, and physical light, a new open-source project has landed that feels purpose-built for our world.

GPU Laser Vision by Joshua Batty is a real-time Rust pipeline that takes 720p video (or live sources in future iterations) and converts it into segmented projector output and coloured laser geometry ready for an Ether Dream DAC. It runs two parallel vision paths side-by-side—classic custom CUDA edge detection and modern YOLO11 instance segmentation—then extracts contours, recovers original colours, and packs scanner-safe paths.

The result sits comfortably in the nannou creative-coding ecosystem (Batty is a co-founder of nannou) and already supports fullscreen secondary-display projector isolation plus laser streaming.

Why This Matters for VJs and Live Visual Artists

Most of us already push pixels, particles, and shaders. Few of us have a clean, open, high-performance bridge from camera/video → semantic understanding → actual laser scanners or isolated projector silhouettes without heavy custom engineering or proprietary tools.

GPU Laser Vision gives you:

Two complementary perceptions: dense classical edges (fast, detailed, fragmented) versus clean person silhouettes from YOLO11n-seg.
Colour recovery so the laser or projector inherits the source palette instead of flat white or arbitrary tints.
Live comparison dashboard (nannou + egui) showing intermediate stages, thresholds, performance numbers, and source selection.
Physical outputs ready to go: person isolation on a secondary display, and Ether Dream streaming at up to 30k points/sec with scanner-aware packing (different strategies for dense CUDA edges vs coherent YOLO contours).

Performance on an RTX 5090 is already production-relevant for many setups. With a 1280×720 @ 25 fps source the processing callback sits in the 14.8–15.6 ms range (roughly 64–68 fps of compute headroom). The custom CUDA edge pipeline alone is ~1.8–1.9 ms; YOLO11n segmentation is 9.1–10.1 ms. The media itself is currently the limiting factor.

Architecture at a Glance

Custom CUDA path

RGBA → grayscale → Scharr magnitude + gradients → live threshold + colour sampling along the gradient normal → compact host copy → path tracing into open paths, closed loops, and points. Everything runs as a captured CUDA graph with persistent buffers.

Neural path

Upload/resize/normalize/letterbox on CUDA → fixed 640×640 YOLO11n-seg TorchScript (LibTorch) → strongest person mask restored to 720p → one-pixel contour + green-spill replacement → same path tracer.

Both routes feed the same geometry, colour, display, and point-count surfaces so the comparison stays honest. Projector output isolates the detected person against black. Laser output is explicitly gated and disabled by default—important for safety.

Getting It Running

Requirements are Linux or WSL2 + NVIDIA GPU, Nix with flakes, and a 720p demo clip. CUDA, nightly Rust, LibTorch/PyTorch, FFmpeg, etc. are pinned by the flake—no system CUDA toolkit needed.

git clone https://github.com/JoshuaBatty/gpu-laser-vision.git
cd gpu-laser-vision
nix develop --command uv run scripts/export_yolo.py   # YOLO11n-seg → TorchScript
# place your 1280×720 clip at assets/jcvd_green_screen_720p.mp4
nix develop --command cargo oxide run

Optional Ether Dream: set ETHER_DREAM_IP if discovery fails (common under WSL). Secondary display automatically enables the projector isolation window.

The interface lets you tweak Scharr thresholds live, switch CUDA vs YOLO geometry for the laser, inspect grayscale/Scharr/mask stages, and monitor FPS + stage timings.

Current Scope and Roadmap

The full chain—source → GPU vision → projector / Ether Dream—is already implemented. Next work targets production installation realities: live camera capture, projector/scanner calibration, venue safety integration, and documenting finished light performances.

Safety note (please read it twice): Laser hardware needs proper scan-rate limits, blanking, interlocks, and venue-specific controls. On-screen paths alone are not a complete laser-safety system.

Why You Should Care Right Now

This is the kind of project that lowers the barrier between “I can track a person in Resolume/TouchDesigner/Isadora” and “I can drive a real laser scanner or isolated projection with the same contours and original colours at interactive rates.” It is written in Rust with careful CUDA graphs and Nsight-profiled kernels, licensed AGPL-3.0, and sits in the same creative-coding lineage as nannou.

If you work with lasers, projection mapping, interactive installations, or simply want a high-performance vision playground that already speaks laser geometry, clone it, throw a green-screen clip at it, and start playing.

Repo: https://github.com/JoshuaBatty/gpu-laser-vision

Have you already experimented with computer-vision-driven lasers or person isolation in a live context? Drop your experiences, hardware setups, or questions below—let’s talk about what production-ready versions of tools like this need next.

What Producers Should Expect From a Technical Director — And What They Usually Get Instead

Zunayed Sabbir Ahmed — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 05:13:16 +0000

WHAT PRODUCERS SHOULD EXPECT FROM A TECHNICAL DIRECTOR — AND WHAT THEY USUALLY GET INSTEAD

By Zunayed Sabbir Ahmed — Technical Director and Live Show Producer, Dhaka.
Fourteen years, 400+ productions, 20+ international engagements across Nepal, Thailand and Qatar.

Most producers hire a Technical Director too late and then judge the role by the wrong thing.

Too late means during load-in, when the technical plan has already been decided by default. The wrong thing means equipment fluency — asking which consoles someone has operated, rather than whether they can make six vendors execute one show.

This is a working guide to what the role should deliver, written from the inside.

WHAT THE ROLE ACTUALLY OWNS

The Technical Director holds technical authority across the entire production. Every technical department reports into that authority: lighting, LED, audio, camera, crew, visual and content.

The distinction that matters is between authority and operation. A TD does not need to run a console to be accountable for what the console does. In a small production the TD may operate several systems personally. In a large one the TD may touch nothing at all on show night. The responsibility is identical.

What the role does not own — and you should be suspicious of anyone who claims it does — is budget, contracts, ticketing, sponsor obligations and venue operations. That is production and event management. A TD who wants all of it is describing a different job, or has not done this one.

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE BEFORE THE FIRST TRUCK ARRIVES

If the first substantive technical conversation happens at load-in, you hired late.

A producer should hold, in writing, before load-in:

A defined technical scope, department by department
Individual technical riders issued to each vendor
A stage and venue plan validated against the actual room
A documented visual and lighting language for the show
A technical schedule with freeze dates
A stated procedure for handling changes after freeze
A named decision-maker for conflicts between departments

If you cannot get that list, you do not have a Technical Director. You have a senior technician who will be very busy on the day.

WHY THE RIDER IS THE REAL TEST

A technical rider is not a shopping list. A rider is not a gear list. It is a promise another team can keep.

The test is simple: hand it to a competent production company in a city where nobody knows you, and see whether they can build your show from it without a phone call.

That standard changes how a rider is written. Every line needs a status — required, preferred, not applicable, to be confirmed. Every line needs to survive translation into a different market's equipment inventory. A rider that only works with your usual vendor is not a rider.

On a touring production I direct, the master rider is tagged by show type, so a single document scales from a small club to a stadium without being rewritten for each stop. That structure exists for one reason: touring means handing your show to strangers, repeatedly, and being right about what arrives.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE SIX VENDORS

The TD becomes the translation layer between disciplines that are each optimising correctly for themselves.

Lighting optimises for looks and cue integrity. LED optimises for panel health and processing. Audio optimises for the room. Camera optimises for the broadcast frame. Content optimises for the idea. Choreography optimises for the performer. None of them is wrong. They simply collide.

The collisions are predictable. A camera position that eats a lighting angle. An LED brightness that destroys a projected element. A choreography change that moves a performer outside a lighting state. A late content revision that breaks a timecode.

Somebody has to see those before they happen. That is not a coordination task you can add to a producer who is already carrying the client and the money.

WHAT A PRODUCER SHOULD ASK BEFORE HIRING

What exactly falls inside your technical scope, and what falls outside it?
Which departments and vendors will report to you directly?
What do you need from me before planning can start?
What documents will exist before load-in, and on what dates?
When do technical requirements freeze, and how are changes approved after that?
Who decides when two departments want the same thing?
How do you validate the venue before we are inside it?
What have you personally decided on a show, versus advised on?
Where does your authority end?
What would you refuse to be responsible for?

Question ten is the most informative. Anyone who claims all of it has understood none of it.

HIRING A TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ACROSS BORDERS

Cross-border engagement works when documentation is strong and fails when it is verbal.

A TD arriving in an unfamiliar market cannot rely on knowing the local vendors, the local inventory or the local working culture. What travels is the paperwork — riders, plans, previz, colour guides, show guides — and the ability to run an advance with people you have never met, in a second or third language.

Practically, most of the work happens remotely: scope definition, riders, vendor advance, previz, documentation. The TD arrives in market for technical rehearsal and show. That structure is what makes hiring across borders affordable rather than exotic.

I have run this model into Nepal, Thailand and Qatar, and I am currently taking engagements across the Middle East, Europe and Japan, with return work in Nepal and Thailand.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR, HONESTLY

Breadth over depth. A specialist who is excellent in one discipline and vague about the other five is a department head, not a director.

Evidence of documents. Ask to see a redacted rider or show guide. Anyone doing this properly has them.

A clear account of failure. A TD who has never had a show go wrong has either not done enough shows or is not telling you about them.

Comfort with not being the most visible person in the room. The role does not produce applause. Anyone who needs applause will make bad decisions to get it.

FAQ

When should a Technical Director be hired?
At planning, before equipment is procured and vendors are booked. Every week earlier reduces cost.

Does a Technical Director replace the lighting designer or the VJ?
No. Specialists keep their disciplines. The TD sets the technical relationship between them and holds authority over the result.

Is a Technical Director necessary for corporate events?
Yes, wherever multiple technical vendors are involved. Launches and summits have the same coordination problem as concerts, usually with less rehearsal time.

How does an international Technical Director engagement work?
Planning, documentation and vendor advance remotely; arrival in market for technical rehearsal and show. Local crew and equipment are sourced in market under the TD's specification.

What is the difference between a Technical Director and a technical producer?
Titles vary by market. What matters is the scope agreement in writing, not the label.

I take Technical Direction engagements internationally, currently across the Middle East, Europe, Japan, Nepal and Thailand, alongside work in Bangladesh. Recent engagements include a 26-song tribute production at BICC Dhaka involving six vendor teams and a live holographic segment, and ongoing international touring direction for a Nepali band.

Daniel Aagentah - what I learned open-sourcing 5 years of audio-visuals

vdmo — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:33:58 +0000

Daniel Aagentah: hello friends, it's been about six months since I posted my last video on the project so I thought this would be a good time to reflect on what I've learned so far and outline some new features. I've had a lot of very kind words on the project since and I'd love to see what other people are implementing and creating with it. Thank you for being here.

https://github.com/aagentah/nw_wrld