- VeeMee Visuals creates content for festivals, concerts, DJs, business events, TV shows, award shows, fashion shows, museums, and more.
- The DJ Mag Awards was a challenging event for the team requiring rapid turnovers and detailed production.
- The V-600UHD proved an invaluable tool in capturing and broadcasting the prestigious event.
VeeMee Visuals is a collective of artists, illustrators, and designers specializing in live visual performances and content creation for events and festivals. Based in the Netherlands and headed by Michelle Van Mil, AKA VJ VeeMee, the group specializes in content creation, video mapping, 360° panoramic projection, and performance mapping. They also create video clips for festivals, concerts, DJs, business events, TV shows, award shows, fashion shows, museums, and more.
Vision to Reality
Having participated in over 800 shows, VeeMee and Van Mil know what works for them and what doesn’t. More importantly, they know which products they need to make their creative vision a reality. Experienced using the Roland V-800HD, V-1HD, and the V-4, Van Mil is a longtime fan of Roland products. After adding the V-600UHD to her setup, she also has an easy way to handle 4K.
“We’ve worked with the V-800HD and the V-40HD a billion times. Over time we’ve worked with several different media servers to deliver 4K,” she explains. “With the V-600UHD there, it’s like the little brother you always take along. Roland is such a trustworthy mixer. It’s easy to plug in and hard to mess up because it works. So, I’m happy it’s on the market.”
With the V-600UHD, it's all about the 4K for us. It's an easy go-to and much more affordable than larger media server alternatives.
Workflow Improvement
The V-600UHD enables a transition to a 4K workflow, improving the image quality of the production with 10-bit 4:4:4 Pixel accurate color. Roland Ultra Scaler technology provides scaling on every input so that Full HD and 4K sources can be used simultaneously and output at multiple resolutions.
“With the V-600UHD, it’s all about the 4K for us,” explains Van Mil. “There aren’t a lot of 4K switchers around yet; it’s always been just the big media servers. So I think for this season, the V-600UHD will be around a lot more.” She goes on the praise the unit further. “It’s an easy go-to and much more affordable than larger media server alternatives. Plus, you don’t need to rent additional large equipment that needs a separate operator.”
Van Mil explains that the V-600UHD is easy to operate, so even a regular VJ can come along and pick it up straight away. “In the past, for events when we needed 4K outputs and more, I always needed to hire that extra operator,” she shares. “But with the V-600UHD, it’s unnecessary, as I can do it on my own.”
Announcing the world's top 100 DJs, the DJ Mag Awards is probably the most critical event in the DJ and VJ calendar. As a result, audiences expect a flawless audio-visual talent showcase.
The DJ Mag Awards
A recent last-minute request from the annual DJ Mag Awards gave Van Mil an excellent opportunity to put the V-600UHD through its paces. Announcing the world’s top 100 DJs, the DJ Awards is probably the most critical event in the DJ and VJ calendar. Since many DJs are paid depending on their ranking, the event draws attention from around the globe. As a result, audiences expect a flawless audio-visual talent showcase.
A Rare Event
The ceremony was one of only a few major events to be held in front of a live audience last year. It got squeezed into a few lockdown-free weeks in the Netherlands, necessitating last-minute plans. However, producing and VJing at the event was entirely in Van Mil’s comfort zone. She excelled even with a packed schedule featuring ten DJs and seven guest VJs. The show’s rapid changeovers would challenge the hardiest of professionals.
“The event had a lot of guest DJs and a lot of guest VJs,” she recalls. “Every half an hour, there was a different VJ. We had to be flexible in our FOH setup to have everyone ready every half hour.” Van Mil ran a tight ship. “We operated with two people: my colleague as a technical operator who ensured everyone could connect and myself as more of the VJ,” Van Mil explains. “We had a lot of timecode shows, plus introductions for the next DJ. That way, one DJ could break down, and the other could set up.”
We connected everyone through the V-600UHD. We had four inputs we used at the same time. One was always live, and one was the backup. Then we had two inputs
for VJs.
V-600UHD for the Win
For VeeMee Visuals, Roland gear proved invaluable. “We connected everyone through the V-600UHD. We had four inputs we used at the same time. One was always live, and one was the backup,” she reveals. “Then we had two inputs for VJs.”
The FOH setup resembled a TV broadcast, with the technical and creative sides working on the production. As Van Mil also produced the event, she made sure the stage and the video looked exceptional.
Tight Schedule
“We created A and B sections, putting five VJs in each and switching between them, all connected with HDMI,” Van Mil shares. “As a backup, we had an NDI connection to the laptop in case of any problems. We could do that on our laptops if they didn’t have time to map.”
They did the technical buildup and programming the night before and during the awards day, working on an extremely tight schedule. “We were programming, but at the same time, we were also still dealing with the content,” she recalls. “While setting up, we were still rendering content and timecode shows.”
We were programming, but at the same time, we were also still dealing with the content. While setting up, we were still rendering content and timecode shows.
A Quick Study
Even though this was one of the first times Van Mil had used the V-600UHD, it took no time to familiarize herself with the product. “I didn’t need to prepare the product very much because I figured I know the V-800HD, I know the V-4, and I’ll probably know how the V-600UHD works.” Her intuition was correct. “And that’s exactly how it was.”
The V-600UHD is now an essential part of the VJ and live production toolkit at VeeMee. The unit is perfect for events requiring one or two 4K outputs, a single operator, and high-definition production quality. For VeeMee Visuals, the V-600UHD has been a perfect partner on their fast-moving creative adventure.
