Whats In My VJ KIT | How to VJ a Festival | Tutorial

These are the essential items that I have in my VJ Kit when i go to do visuals at a concert or music festival.
ITEMS IN MY VJ KIT:
kit.co/seanbowes/my-vj-kit
Recommended MIDI Controllers:
APC40 MKii: amzn.to/3Us2nLN
Launch Control XL: amzn.to/3DzJv6v
Launchpad: amzn.to/3fA3MAU
NanoKontrol2: amzn.to/3E0JY3h
AKAI MidiMix: amzn.to/3h8aEpG
Traktor F1: amzn.to/3WuXnI1
Whats in my VJ KIT:
APC40 MKii: amzn.to/3Us2nLN
Decksaver: amzn.to/3ft4VdP
Alienware Area51m: amzn.to/3t0fms8
Pelican Case: amzn.to/3FJSvsH
Pelican Air Case: amzn.to/3sVLEEM
Magewell HDMI Capture Card: amzn.to/3sZmK7g
Magewell SDI Capture Card: amzn.to/3Ul6U2s
Focusrite Audio Interface: amzn.to/3FJgVSZ
Samsung T7 SSD: amzn.to/3hcnYJJ
Alpine Ear Protection: amzn.to/3Wp2eKR
Gaff Tape: amzn.to/3Wp2hX3
USB Hub: amzn.to/3DBp09B
USBC HDMI Adapter: amzn.to/3T44Hr2
MiniDP HDMI Adapter: amzn.to/3UkXNzn
VJ BACKPACKS:
Everki Backpack: amzn.to/3UkXNzn
Nomatic Backpack: amzn.to/3WsPHWL
MAGMA Backpack: amzn.to/3Uq2OpL
--
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[@SeanBowes]

What are the must-have items in YOUR VJ KIT?

[@Cunabula_Adrian]

Because of a lot of spaces I play I carry a 10m x 2m white sheet a long roll of kevlar string (sleeving for highend kite string) and a bag of large bulldog clips. Protects against not having anything to project on or the promised surface being tiny or forgotten. There is always enough pipework on stage to jury rig a solid backdrop with that gear.

[@SeanBowes]

Great idea! Thanks for sharing with us

[@vjkobra5261]

love everything you mentioned in this video but the mini health kit is CRUCIAL!! too many times i've had to vj for hours with a pounding headache and a tylenol would have made life so much better. thanks for the great tips as always!

[@muswen]

I love that i finded your channel perfect timing for me

[@SeanBowes]

Welcome!

[@benbrophy6905]

Top man. Great tips buddy. Thank you

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks for watching! Glad you found it helpful

[@yoitsmaxim1407]

I’d recommend also getting a set of cheap HDMI doublers/switchers, a USB-Ethernet adapter, a few USB A to USB C adapters, and a set of HDMI-over-Ethernet extenders if working in venues that don’t have hardwired runs for VJs/lack capacity to accommodate VJs in that way. Additionally, I love the fact that you included the SSDs with backup content. For some of us it is also wise to keep a bootable Windows/MacOS TimeMachine backup on with a working configuration/link in a convenient place with your Resolume/viz license info, great for when the unexpected strikes and otherwise-prepared computers are left unusable OR you are working a gig with “computer provided” and need certain software you’ve already set up to satisfy requirements for the gig. Finally, a laptop cooling stand/cooling solution is essential to prevent GPU throttling when FOH/VJ setup doesn’t have proper airflow/cooling. For the APC 40 I always keep a few Chroma Caps and Chroma Fader caps from DJ Tech Tools because one good night of busking might leave you a cap or two short of a full APC unit. Love the video, thank you for the killer content. Also, does a working copy of GIMP installed on the laptop count as gear? Tour managers love being told it’s too late and replying with “can you at least put the logo up” and send a JPEG, a true buzzkill from the Resolume 5 era and before lol

[@SeanBowes]

Excellent suggestions! And yes, I also have Adobe suite on my machine so I can make and fix last minute content lol gotta be prepared for the inevitable. The show must go on!

[@Andyanddiana467]

Haha, no joke, I have powerpoint on one of my machines for those, "just put the damn logo up and have a drink at the bar" moments.

[@Andyanddiana467]

Good stuff. I carry (in two pelicans) one pc carrying Remix video, an APC mini, and a Roland mini Video mixer. The other one carries another pc running many cam pro (for running live cameras), plus USB repeater cables of 50, 80 feet, etc., plus the webcams I use with them (guitar solo closeup, drum closeup, etc). Plus mounting brackets, gaff tape, and other crap.

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks for sharing your kit Andy! Super cool. Sounds like you work with live bands and lots of cameras? That’s awesome. Would love to see that in action some time. What do you think of Remix Video?

[@Andyanddiana467]

@@SeanBowes it’s okay. Not Resolume, but a good mid-level program with lots of features for the money. Problem is, the company that makes it doesn’t really offer much in the way of support. I've also, after 5-6 years using it, kinda maxed out its capabilities. Hence, why I’m switching to Resolume.

[@Andyanddiana467]

@@SeanBowes To answer your other question: Yeah, most of my clients are tribute/cover/party bands that play a variety of venues big and small. They love the visuals and especially like the cameras - which I "offsourced" to a separate machine for better reliability. I'm using Logitech HD web cams (surprisingly good for the money) and USB Repeater cables to run them from long distances across the stage into Laptop 2 with ManyCam software; that computer gets fed into my Roland mini-mixer, where I crossfade between that one and the content computer.

[@pro-storm4951]

DONGLES hahha my Team member Paige Visuals made me get a dongle box which has been handy since we have so many of them, we share much of the same kit however we have the addition of lots of projectors and stage sculptures as we are heavy on the projection mapping

[@SeanBowes]

Gotta have those DONGLES! Haha

[@MrDarkSky176]

cool video man! UDG made six cool bags also I take water some 5-hour energy and some protein bars just incase catering is fudged

[@SeanBowes]

Snacks and drinks are a must! UDG Bags look great

[@drewbest6428]

Thanks for the shout out Sean! though I might be blaming you for the current disappearance of APC40s and Pelican 1440 cases from online shops. lol

[@SeanBowes]

Haha probably not the best time to release this one with all the supply chain issues.. oops!

[@ZunayedSabbirAhmed]

Great video sean! My rig is little chunky after i replaced laptop works with tower machines (first mac pro 2012, then mac pro 2014, later pc and pc and pc and pc…).. it’s mostly because of less traveling needs in the country i work. It’s mostly in one city

[@ZunayedSabbirAhmed]

But i still carry a laptop in my rig, in case client shows up with a 720p low res h264, want to put in 39:4 ratio led. We just vMix their sh*t to resolune via ndi

[@SeanBowes]

Travel needs definitely have an impact! Most of my gigs are driveable but I occasionally need to fly so I’m stuck with laptops. What’s type of tower are you running these days?

[@ZunayedSabbirAhmed]

@@SeanBowes current spec machine 1 and 2 identical machines- AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 32 GB Ram Each machine has RTX 3060 Ti as main and 3 outputs, RTX 2060 as additional 4 outputs OS on M2, Project on SSD, 4TB hdd for project dumps/ stock Occasionally, for National Level productions, we add 1 more machine, which has everything identical, just the processor is i7 (3/4 yrs old cpu/mboard) in case of events/shows where client might showup, just like your video said, we carry a macbook pro 2015. sometimes asus zenbook for vMix works > NDI > Resolume For lighting- we use another set of gears, but that's a story of another day ;)

[@maxwellabudu988]

Thank you for this great video Sean. Can you make a video on how you handle show control?

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks! Yes, that one should be coming soon.

[@maxisandoval5318]

@@SeanBowes Yes please! we need it

[@TG-GroupProductions]

Watch all these tutorials and they were well done and very helpful. Can you consult on a set up for a near term show. How would that work? and what is the best way to get in touch.

[@SeanBowes]

You can book consultations on my website's Shop page

Hey, I’m new to your channel and I would definitely add a small flashlight something like a Rovy Von Aurora 🔦

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks for checking out the channel Jose! Great suggestion. I usually have a headlamp in my kit. That flashlight looks like a great option! love that it has red light and magnetic mounting options. super cool

[@Sfmccallum]

a couple of converter boxes are always handy to have. You never know what is going to get thrown at you onsite. The Decimator MDHX is pretty great as its bi-directional (can be SDI-HDMI or HDMI-SDI), can be converted into a distribution amplifier that can output your signal to multiple destinations, and upscales/downscales plus converts framerates. Having 2 of those is can make you an AV hero when you get signal up and running!

[@SeanBowes]

So true, a decimator has saved my ass many times. Great addition to the kit! Thanks for commenting and sharing the knowledge

[@yang5616]

is that similar to BMD SDI/HDMI converters?

[@Sfmccallum]

@@yang5616 yes exactly like that. The MDHX has more functionality (like it has more inputs/outputs, can act as a signal distributor, and can change resolutions) but the BMD converters are a lot less expensive and easier to work with( as in you can just plug in your HDMI and your SDI and get signal without much of a hassle)

[@totallypixelated]

@@yang5616 I am wary of Blackmagic gear. I've lost picture on shows twice through BMD SDI/HDMI converters overheating. Decimators are the way to go.

[@yang5616]

@@totallypixelated Overheating?! How that be possible? Like over 4k or data rate overloaded? What's your workflow and equipment?

[@foroudifarhad]

Can you make a video on how to get gigs doing visuals and kinda what the skills one would need to have mastered before starting to get gigs?

[@SeanBowes]

Yes, I've got some videos about this coming very soon! Thanks for the great ideas

[@nialworks]

i use tapon silicon for any usb and port of pc

[@Sosigarets]

Hey Sean. Quick question on portable SSD-disks: do you know if they reduce performance/load slower into the gpu than the internal SSDs? Got a modern usb-c to usb-c Samsung T7. Thanks for all the great tips!

[@SeanBowes]

Yes I wouldnt play content off of an external drive, its definitely not as fast as an internal drive and that read speed can cause dropped framerates. but you should have one or two or three in your kit so you can back up and transfer files easily - showfiles, content, pixelmaps, xmls etc.

[@vijayanthony2574]

Thank u for sharing ur most valuable experience, 👍 May be just add a water bottle in ur back pack i am sure u had it bud just a gentle reminder for a lot who bumed my water bottle 😁

[@SeanBowes]

Great advice, gotta stay hydrated above all! Sunscreen is good to have too :)

[@vijayanthony2574]

Got u bro

[@l.j.crandell5764]

Hey Sean great info!! This is awesome content. Quick question. What would you charge for a one on one call? I am doing a July 4th show in my home town for free of course but I want to step it up. Just have a couple of questions and would love some advice. Thanks, LJ

[@SeanBowes]

Hey LJ, shoot me a DM on instagram and we can chat about it

[@ranggapriyatama3934]

hey man, nice video umm, can i use a dj mixer as a substitute for vj kit? thank you in advance

[@SeanBowes]

I don’t think so? Unless you’re talking about some sort of midi device, or maybe using serato video to sync videos to the songs you play. But for most VJing, that is not ideal.

[@ranggapriyatama3934]

@@SeanBowes nvm bro, just figured it out a few days ago and the hardest part where you should mapped all the shortcuts hahahaha

[@SeanBowes]

@@ranggapriyatama3934 right on, glad you figured it out. so it was a DJ controller that you were able to map as your midi controller?

[@kuldeepsuman5593]

Suggest me best laptop in present

[@multidimensionalmultimedia]

Anyone have any stories of troubleshooting and how you got through those high-pressure moments? whether it was live or minutes before the show started??

[@SeanBowes]

There are some stories like this within the interview series I've done. But that is a great idea for another video focused on that, thank you!

[@presage23]

The earpiece one, I did a hard dance party and by the time the headliner came on, I had a massive headache and became fully unprofessional and stepped out of the club during the headliners set. It was just too painful (that's not a diss on the genre but just the volume). Needless to say that promoter won't book me anymore but also what happens when you go in blind and not knowing just simple things like this.

[@bhushanseloker6116]

which lap you use for vj

[@SeanBowes]

I use an Alienware Area51m with a 2080 or a Sager with a 3080

[@freyafoxmusic]

Are you free next sat 12/10 to vj for me? Timecode one hour visual nothing needed live

[@KandMe1]

What Akai did with APC40 that it is Ableton centric is a disgrace IMO. Ableton doing the monopolisation thing with these is bad enough but all these companies that make the hardware is an absolute disgrace. I like your content though Sean my comment is not directed at you.

[@SeanBowes]

Love a strong opinion! Definitely agree we need some controllers for VJs or more fully open hardware options. Tough though since music producers and even just ableton users are a way bigger market

[@KandMe1]

@@SeanBowes There is a controller just been put on the market or supposed to be available soon for Flstudio, it's a keyboard and not pads but this gives some hope. Seems odd what is happening, software makers turning into hardware producers because other software producers have the hardware market monopolized but in some ways it's good for them, I like the software just not the fact that the good inovative hardware is hardwired and plug and play for a particular app and obviously made to exclude the competitors..

[@nialworks]

belcroft

[@plurboy_eth]

Bullish on your videos

[@SeanBowes]

we're going to the moooooon

[@plurboy_eth]

@@SeanBowes LMFAOO

[@rafaqatkhan4929]

Hi Bro, its really nice to have your videos about VJing.. May i asked you about your WhatsApp i need to show you somethings.. i need to learn about these things from you..

[@SeanBowes]

Thanks man! Glad I could help out. I dont give out my whatsapp but you can ask questions in the comments or get in touch with me through my other public platforms.