The first real-time video mixing instrument, Tactic, allows images and video to be mixed live or recorded to disk.

Livid Instruments, a leader in real-time video processing technology, has announced the release of Tactic, a hardware/software video performance instrument that allows digital video files from a computer to be mixed and edited in real-time to create professional-quality visuals at live events. Several well-known acts ranging from Hilary Duff to Primus have been using Livid technology to cut live music videos in lieu of traditional video rigs.

“Practically every major club or concert venue today has some kind of video element to accompany live events,” states Andrew Rudy, CEO of Livid Instruments. “Tactic allows club visuals to be spontaneously created on the fly using hands on control. In addition, this system allows you to record your mixes to your hard drive via Quicktime, giving you the power to create some amazing motion graphics that would take you weeks in most other video editing and effects programs.

Tactic fuses proprietary, real-time video editing software with custom hardware to create the world’s first computer-based instrument designed specifically for live video artists (VJ’s). Tactic software exploits the users own computer processor and hard-drive to manage and edit multiple high-quality digital video clips and live camera feeds without losing image quality.

“Video software technology has caught up with hardware in recent years, allowing video artists to achieve the same results, for a fraction of the cost of dedicated hardware.” The seamless integration of hardware and software empowers video artists to pre-program the hardware controls via the software and actually play the instrument onstage as if it were a stand-alone device. Tactic contains a preview screen to monitor clips and camera inputs as well as an array of programmable sliders, buttons, wheels and knobs, giving the user direct control of more than 200 editing effects and up to 4,000 digital video clips.

As the music scene begins to take notice of how live visuals can be inexpensively integrated into a stage performance, Tactic brings a fresh and powerful approach to this emerging art form. Instead of bands being limited to one pre-recorded video, they now have the ability to express themselves through narrative live visuals.

“We figure that there are about 30,000 VJ’s globally,” continues Rudy. “Previously, the only tools available have been expensive analogue workstations and altered audio Midi Controllers. Tactic is the first complete instrument designed specifically for the live video artist.”

More information is available at the Livid site.