Audio Animates a Mask

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

[butter] “I need to animate a mask to some music. Ideally it would be great to have a few elements in the music dictate how a few masks animate (Bass, beat, etc..)”

Only Trapcode’s Soundkeys will be able to do this. AE’s builtin Audio-to-Keyframes only handles an audio waveform’s amplitude.

If you have AE6.5, you can create pickwhip Expressions for mask properties, such as expansion after converting an audio’s amplitude to keyframes. A bit of elementary math (+/*) will be required to tame the results of the audio-to-keyframe routine to make it work effectively with mask expansion. It will also allow you to create different effects for separate masks, based on different math formula.

HTH
Roland Kahlenberg
broadcastGEMs – customizable animated backdrops with Adobe After Effects project files

[Thomas Mcmurry]

Thanks for the fast reply. Boy! that Trapcode is cool. Still trying to figure out how to use it.

I think your suggestion of “pickwhip Expressions for mask properties, such as expansion after converting an audio’s amplitude to keyframes.” is closer to what I’m looking to do. If you can shed some light on where I’d begin on something like this? What I’m trying to do is: I have a track of music that I want color bars (like a Bars & Tone) to individually bouce up and down like a VU meter. Thought it’d be easier than it is to get it to feel smooth and look real. I’m not hands-on with “expressions”, but always willing to give it a go. If you (or anyone) wouldn’t mind telling me the best way to go about this, or tell me I’m wasting my time if I don’t already know “expressions”… can’t be done with out it!

appriciate your time!

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

There are two tutorials here at the COW that covers the creation of LED meters:
&page=/articles/simpson_mark/jamrack/index.html” TARGET=_blank>Mark Simpson’s – using Card Wipe

&page=/articles/kahlenberg_roland/led/index.html” TARGET=_blank>Mine – using Motion Math (to create the audio keyframes and Expression scripts to animate and finetune the results

To get started on Expressions, visit JJ Gifford’s Website. For more advanced Expression scripts, goto Dan Ebbert’s, MotionScript site

And of course if you search the forum here, you’ll find lots of references to and examples on Expressions.

HTH
Roland Kahlenberg
broadcastGEMs
customizable animated backdrops with Adobe After Effects project files

[Thomas Mcmurry]

thanks! will dive in now. no time too loose.

[Thomas Mcmurry]

Where did MOTION MATH go in AE 6.5?

This tutorial you suggested is great. Started to get into it and when I got to the “apply motion math script” I couldn’t find it! Ouch! Most of my footage (large project!) is in my AE 6.5 Is MM gone from 6.5? Will I have to rebuild what I need in AE5.5?

thanks again for your help!

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

Use the Audio to Keyframes Keyframe Assistant(?) in 6.5 to do the same thing that MotionMath did for the tutorial. Everthing else should identical.

HTH
Roland Kahlenberg
broadcastGEMs
customizable animated backdrops with Adobe After Effects project files

[Thomas Mcmurry]

Im using this/your TUT now:
“CREATING AN AUDIO LED METER”

I got the Audio to work in the first tutorial (CardWipe) in 5.5 using MotionMath. but I need to be in 6.5 (many reasons).

Now I went back to 6.5 (pro) and did the LED tut and it’s much closer for what I’m doing and I can tranlate it with some work. But I just can’t figure out how to get the “controller” to be effected along its y-axis by MY audio (“bars_tones_v7.aif”). I have a lot to learn about expressions, but if you can give me a hint!?

i put this in the CONTROLLER expressions for POSITION:
//Start
(position[0].position.wiggle(3,200)[1])
//End of Expressio
but still messing with it.

(is this tut for 5.5?)
9) With everything in place, we’ll now apply MotionMath script, layeraud.mm, to the Controller layer’s y-position. You may have to finesse the min. and/or max. ranges within the layeraud.mm script to fine-tune the results.

I take it Motion Math is gone an expression are it’s replacement? I need to do some catch up.