David Della Rocca
website

English version by Laurent Marques

GrooveBox.sit
for Universe 4.0
Size: 730 ko
Platform: Mac/PC

infos:
GrooveBox Animator
 
This is a solution will allow you to control every parameters in animator with audio file amplitude.

I) Begining to launch AE
-Create a new comp in AE
- The Comp's duray MUST be bigger or equal than audio file
- Rate frames must be the same in animator (ex: 30fps and 25 fps for metric users)
- others parameters are not important
- import Your audio file, suitable with AIFF format (16 bits, 44.4 khz) stereo or mono
- drag the audio file in your comp
- create a new empty layer (don't worry about these parameters) and name it like "Target layer" for example

II) Motion Math in AE
The motion math is useful to vary one of 'Target layer' layer paramater function to the audio file's amplitude.
- Select the layer "Target layer"
- go to "animation" -> "keyframe assistant" -> "Motion Math"
1) within the Motion Math window, press "Load" buttom and search the file 'Layeraud.mm" in aftereffects/Motion Math script folder.
2) In this script, change only the parameters 'max' and 'min' with the values:
max=100
min=0

3) - in the first menus choose: Layer: "Target layer" (it's the layer which will be affected by the audio file's amplitude) - In the Property menu, select 'Opacity' (it's the layer parameter which will be affacted)
4) - Press "Apply" buttom

The motion math will store all the frames in opacity channel of our layer "Target Layer".
- Open the opacity channel by press the key "T", select all these frames and copy them. Save your file and quit AfterEffects.

III) The Next: all in Excel Bill Gates Shit!
Excel will convert all frames AE values for Animator.
- Paste the previous datas in a new DataSheet window
Observe that the AE Datas come all in collums with a head data at the top.

There is a collum for frames indexation and an another for values data (or severals collums sometimes).It's just the last collum which interest our work.

Converting collum to line
- Select all the datas of our value data's collum
- Copy it!
- Open a new DataSheet window
- in edition menu, select 'special paste'
- Select 'Transpose' check ok
- Excel paste all data values on one line
- Copy this new Data values line

IV) Launch Animator, pphhheeewwww!
Important: You must use the same rate like in AE
- Create a null object and name it 'Effector_soundLevel'
- Check the effector's green color animation
- Open Xform Effector_SoundLevel in project window in frame mode
- Select the Z scale channel and paste the Excel's data values
(use the tip with Shift key on the first frame and last)

So now all thes values work in the effector's Z Scale channel on the audio file synchronisation and Animator can use this channel within Universe to modulate every others channels in animator like the scale, shaders, morphing etc...
Ajust your values

With Universe : Take a look at the Universe documentation and you will learn how to modify the values in keyframe mode, how to scale them, multiply them, and many other goodies...

With Excel : Why not, Excel have some nice mathematical functions to do that, percent, trigo...

With AE, the easiest way : You may also control the motion math genarated values by changing the "min" and "max" parameter within the script. Ex: Some parameters may need a range of value between 0.0 and 1.0, like the lights, textures... No prob, within AfterEffects, set the "min" value to 0 and the "max" value to 1, and that's all.

Tips again : )
- You will be better to use separate sounds or tracks for controlling channels. It will gives you more flexibility over level and placement.
- Try to control an "open/closed mouth" morphing with the voice audio level, you will save time!
- Drive the light intensity of your last exlosion effect and watch, the result is so perfect!
- the famous XPressionist plugin could also provide you a perfect control on the animation, by multiplying the datas or by assigning any parameters to the imported track.