eVideoIn

Use the eVideoIn plug-in to use live video streams of a webcam, iPhone and/or iPad in EboSuite and to make recordings of live video streams.

Adding an eVideoIn plug-in to your Live set

To add an eVideoIn plug-in to your Live set just drag the plug-in from the EboSuite plug-in folder to a MIDI/audio track. You can use multiple eVideoIn plug-ins in your project to connect multiple cameras or iPhones/iPads.

Selecting the video input source

Use the upper dropdown menu to select the video input source. Connected cameras and iPhones/iPads will automatically appear in this menu. When a selected device is not available anymore, ‘Unavailable’ will appear after it’s name.

Selecting the audio input source

Use Ableton Live’s Audio input selector on the Audio Track (in the IN/OUT section) to select the audio source you want to record, for example the microphone or sound card input or audio from another track. Then set Monitor to ‘In’. In the eVideoIn plug-in enable ‘Include Audio’ to use the incoming audio. Disable ‘Audio Passthrough’ to avoid audio feedback.

When a video input source is selected you can select the resolution of the incoming video stream in the lower dropdown menu. You can choose a High, Medium or Low preset, that will result in a device specific preset value of the resolution. Alternatively you can request a custom resolution, but there is no guarantee you will achieve the exact resolution you request, because it might not be supported by your device. EboSuite will automatically select the resolution supported by your device that is closest to the requested resolution.

Use the ‘Enable Preview’ toggle to activate and open the preview window. You can make it stay on top of other windows (like Ableton Live’s interface) by enabling ‘Preview Always On Top’.

When ‘Background Removal’ is enabled EboSuite will automatically show people and objects close to the camera only and make the background transparent. When ‘Show Only People’ is selected, objects on the foreground are removed too.

When ‘Audio Passthrough’ is enabled, sound coming in on the audio track will be audible. This might cause feedback issues when making recordings. Disabling Audio Passthrough will mute incoming sounds, to avoid audio feedback.

When Link Opacity To Volume is enabled, the volume fader of the track will control the opacity of incoming video stream. Disable this feature to control opacity manually or with track automation.

The eVideoIn plug-in has the ability to record video live. When a recording is made, the video is automatically loaded into eSamplers/eSimplers that have the same recording ID, and ready for use immediately. A great feature to make a live performance a real live experience. After a recording is made, a thumbnail of the newly created video file will be shown in the eVideoIn plug-in’s interface. Drag the thumbnail on an audio track to play the recorded video with an eSession of eArrangement plug-in.

Three video codecs can be used to record video: ProRes, Hap and H264. ProRes is the preferred codec and set by default. ProRes will load very quickly. Hap is the preferred video codec for EboSuite, but less suitable for live recording, because processing a Hap video takes some time, which makes loading slow. H264 is a very popular codec but has inferior playback.

An ID is automatically assigned to the eVideoIn plug-in. This ID is used to connect eSamplers/eSimplers to the eVideoIn plug-in. This way, multiple eVideoIn plug-ins can be present in the Live Set (connected to different cameras), connected to different eSamplers and eSimplers. On the eSampler/eSimpler set the ID to the ID of the eVideoIn you want to record from.

The ID on the eSampler/eSimpler can be changed live with automation or a controller, so an eSampler/eSimpler can record video from any eVideoIn plug-in at any point in time. The ID of the eVideoIn plug-in is taken from the position of the track in the Live Set. When the track is moved to another position in the Live Set the ID changes. The ID on the eSamplers/eSimplers will automatically change as well in that case.

Note: do not add the eVideoIn plug-in on the same track as the eSampler. The eVideoIn is a video source as well, so that might cause issues.

When ‘Include Audio’ is enabled, the eVideoIn plug-in will record the sound coming in on the audio track as well. Disable ‘Audio Passthrough‘ to avoid audio feedback.

Pressing the clear samplers button will clear all eSamplers and eSimplers with the same recording ID.

Drop a folder in the ‘Drop Record Folder’ drop zone in the eVideoIn plug-in’s interface to select a folder where all recording of that plug-in will be stored. Use the ‘Show Folder’ button to show the folder with the recordings in the Finder. If no folder is selected, recordings will be stored in the recordings folder in the EboSuite plug-in folder.

Note: The eVideoIn plug-in creates a ‘tempRecordingFile.aiff’ file in this folder automatically. This file is necessary to make recordings instantly, so please don’t remove this file.