Realtime Video Performance with Resolume Arena - Summer 2025

Wednesdays, 7pm - 9pm (IRL @ dadaLab in Austin, TX.)
July 30 - August 20, 2025
4 class sessions total + opportunity to exhibit your work at dadaLab on September 5, 2025.
$195

Howdy, dadageeks 💙

We're glad you're here! dadageek is excited to offer this in-person course to the Austin, TX dadageek community. You can learn more about the course below. Feel free to reach out with any questions to kyle@dadageek.com

dadageek is a non-profit community of immersive artists and electronic musicians. Our mission is to offer education and community to those creating at the intersection of art, interactive media, and tech. Our community is filled with talented and creative technologists with a passion for sharing their expertise with others. https://dadageek.com/

What is this course about?

This workshop-style course is an introduction to real-time video performance using Resolume Arena, a leading software for live visuals and VJing. Designed for artists, musicians, and performers, the course breaks down the technical and creative aspects of live video manipulation, offering a step-by-step guide to building dynamic, audio-reactive visual sets.

Throughout the course, you’ll gain practical skills that can be applied to a wide range of live performance contexts—from enhancing concerts and DJ sets with synchronized visuals to creating responsive video installations and interactive media art. Whether you're a visual artist looking to expand into live performance or a musician interested in integrating visuals into your set, this course will give you the tools to take creative control of your visual output.

The course emphasizes hands-on learning, with each session focused on building real-time skills through guided exercises and experimentation. You’ll explore everything from real-time video control to audio reactivity, BPM synchronization, and custom content creation. The final class will focus on mapping controls to MIDI and OSC devices, preparing you for live performance scenarios.

Students will have access to dadageek technology, including MIDI controllers and projectors. By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to design and perform your own real-time visual sets using Resolume Arena.

After the course, students will have the opportunity to present their work at the Summer 2025 dadageek Student Exhibition scheduled for September 5!

What software will be used?

Our primary tool of choice for this course will be Resolume Arena; a software renowned for its real-time video generation and intricate projection mapping capabilities. Professionals and artists favor this industry-standard software in venues ranging from intimate installations to large performance arenas.

What will I learn?

This course will equip you with the foundational skills to begin working with Resolume Arena as a video performance tool. You'll learn how to create and manipulate video content in dynamic, responsive ways—ideal for live shows, installations, and multimedia performances. We’ll also break down the technical standards behind video systems, helping you build confidence in designing and executing your own visual setups.

Students in this course will walk away with practical knowledge in:

• Navigating the Resolume Arena interface and creating dynamic video compositions with layering
• Understanding the basics of video content creation, video standards, and codecs
• Designing audio-reactive visuals and syncing video to music using BPM and Ableton Link
• Creating custom content using built-in generators and effects
• Mapping controls to MIDI and OSC devices for expressive live performance

Who is this course for?

This course is tailored for beginners and individuals new to projection mapping. Students who enroll in this course are:

• Working artists looking to add new technology to their toolset,
• technologists and programmers looking to explore creative approaches to tech,
• musicians looking to add visuals to their music, and
• anyone interested in the intersection of art, tech, and design!

What is the class like?

Each class session will meet once a week at dadaLab; our headquarters in East Austin. The class is capped at 18 students so you will have plenty of opportunities to connect with your instructor and ask questions. Your fellow students in the class will be an eclectic mix of dadageeks from artists, musicians, programmers, and creative humans excited to learn, create, and connect!

Are there any requirements?

• A Windows or Mac laptop
• A recent version of Resolume Arena (free trial download)

Resolume Arena can be downloaded here: https://resolume.com/download/

Meet your instructor!

Kyle Evans is a new media artist, sound designer, educator, and performer. He has produced and presented a wide range of performance and new media installation work throughout North America and Europe at venues such as MUTEK San Francisco, Transmediale in Berlin, the International Computer Music Conference at Columbia University, The Dallas Museum of Art, the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Vancouver New Music Festival, and the GLI.TC/H festival in Chicago. He is a founding board member, Managing Director, and instructor at the tech-art educational non-profit dadageek, board member and composer of the sound-art collective Rolling Ryot, co-founder of the immersive art studio dadaLab, and Professor of Immersive Media in the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies at the University of Texas in Austin. His writings and artworks have been presented in several academic and popular publications including the Leonardo Music Journal, Computer Music Magazine, Neural Magazine, and Popular Science Magazine.

FYI

Refund Policy: Students can receive refunds up to 7 days before the class start date.

Class Minimums: If the class minimum has not been met, the class will be canceled or rescheduled. Those who have pre-paid will be notified in advance and will have the option to receive a class credit or a full refund.

Media Release: Please note that some events may be photographed or video recorded. Registering for this event hereby authorizes dadageek and dadaLab to use said photos or videos on social media or in future promotional materials.