ProPresenter is an advanced live production and presentation software developed by Renewed Vision, known for its robust features tailored for church tech teams. ProPresenter 7 offers a content-focused interface with dark mode, multiple scripture translations display, enhanced text size for better visibility, and compatibility with both Mac and Windows. The software includes improved stage display options, revised Editor Mode, a separate announcement layer, and various customization features for slide design. Integration with macOS and Windows 10, built-in Media Store, and mobile integration further enhance user experience.
Looking for alternatives to ProPresenter? Consider exploring QLab, Resolume, PVP, ArKaos, Millumin, VDMX, MADRIX, Watchout, and Disguise.
QLab
Providing a central platform for comprehensive show control cues including sound, video, and lighting, QLab is relied upon worldwide by sound designers for its flexibility and robust features. This multimedia playback software package, developed by Figure 53, has steadily evolved since its inception in 2007 to keep pace with technological advances and adapt to the dynamic needs of the industry.
QLab Top Features
Unified Platform: All-in-one solution for audio, video, lighting, and show control cues.
Advanced Video Capabilities: Supports up to 1,000 video layers and offers customizable geometry and projection mapping.
Audio Excellence: Comprehensive support for creating and playing back audio cues for live events.
Bi-Directional MIDI Integration: Facilitates interaction with other devices and triggers QLab cues.
Remote Collaboration: Workspace collaboration via remote connection is a breeze with QLab.
New Video Engine:
QLab 5 harnesses the power of Apple’s new Metal framework.
Flexible Lighting Control:
Offers multiple DMX universes via Art-Net and USB, with hundreds of lighting instrument definitions.
Cue-Based System:
Cues can be easily triggered, supporting a wide variety of types including Audio, Video, Text, Lights, MIDI, and more.
QLab Disadvantages
Learning Curve: Given the robust feature set, some users may find it takes time to become proficient in QLab.
Platform Limitation: As a macOS-based package, QLab lacks compatibility with other operating systems.
QLab Use Cases
Use Case 1: Theatre/Live Entertainment
QLab’s cue-based system and robust audio/video capabilities make it an ideal solution for theatre and live entertainment settings, where flawless real-time playback and control are paramount.
Use Case 2: Sound Design
With its comprehensive audio features and global use, QLab is a trusted tool for sound designers looking for reliability and precision in their work.
Use Case 3: Lighting Control
Offering flexibility with DMX universes and a variety of lighting instrument definitions, QLab is adept at facilitating complex lighting designs.
Resolume
In the magnificent theater of multimedia, Resolume stands as a luminous beacon of innovation. This tool, born from a confluence of DJing, VJing, directing, sound design and music production, pioneered the realm of video music and audiovisual live performances. An effective companion for remixing masters, it revolutionizes the art form by encapsulating movies and music, and recomposing them without severing their picture-sound synchronization. Noteworthy examples of such resounding success include the acclaimed remixes, “Un Petit Bonhomme” by Ouananiche and “Timber” by ColdCut/Hexstatic.
Resolume Top Features
Artistically Designed for Projection Mapping – Resolume ARENA 7 stands testament to this specialty.
Flexibility on Variety of Surfaces – Be it buildings or complex geometrical structures, ARENA 7 meditates on versatility.
Seamless Projection with Multiple Projectors – The edge blending feature ensures a contiguous visual spread.
Real-time Rendering, Live Composite & Effects – This adorns your performance with the fresh essence of the moment and makes each instant unique.
Integration with Other Apps – It coordinates using Syphon (Mac) or Spout (Windows) on the same computer.
Controllable via a MIDI controller or iPhone using OSC – This empowers you to direct the course of your presentation even from a distance.
Features
Description
DMX Capable
It can be managed from a lighting desk for a theatrical ambiance in performances.
Support for Premium Capture Cards
Resolume proudly claims native support for Blackmagic, AJA, and Datapath cards. This can yield high fidelity video source inputs and outputs.
Resolume Downsides
Limited by Copyright Restrictions – The 20th century is seen as the century of copyright, which may pose obstacles in the way of remixing creations.
Dependent on Third-Party Plugins – While Resolume’s visual effects are plugins based, it demands an exploration into additional third-party plugins for more extensive requirements.
Resolume Use Cases
Use Case 1: Musical Remixing
Resolume flourishes in the realm of musical remixing, lending its power to artists who wish to sample from original works to create their own symphony of uniqueness.
Use Case 2: Projection Mapping and AV Performances
The tool’s versatility shines as it crafts mesmerizing visual experiences on a variety of surfaces, thus delivering engaging AV performances.
Use Case 3: Real-time Performances
Thanks to its real-time rendering, live composite and effects, Resolume becomes the preferred tool for artists who wish to craft highly interactive and immersive performances.
PVP
If you’re a Mac fan and you’re in need of an all-seeing, all-dancing multi-screen media server, look no further than PVP (ProVideoPlayer). Offering a finely-tuned balance between powerful features and a user-friendly interface, PVP can handle everything from multi-display playback to creating video effects for live events and fixed installations. Plus, the whole system is portable and can be transferred between your Apple devices with a trusty USB Dongle.
Top PVP Features
Designed specifically for Mac users
Powerful multi-screen and multi-layer video playback tool
Streamlined user interface that adapts as per the need
Independently manages a wide range of display technologies
PVP 3.2 introduces network triggering for backup instances
Embrace the power of the cloud with AWS Tooling integration
PVP Licensing
PVP 3.2 Feature Set
$999 for new or $199 for 2-week rental
Centralizes playback functions and simplifies live operations
Upgrades available on PVP2 licenses
Can synchronize SDI feeds and manage effects/transitions
PVP Limitations
PVP1 Licenses not eligible for upgrade
PVP License works only on a single Mac at a time
PVP Pricing
If you’re ready to take the PVP plunge, it’ll cost you $999 for a shiny new license. Looking for a short-term fling? PVP has got your back with a 2-week stint for just $199 or a month-long rental for $399. Please note, transfers or upgrades are not available for PVP1 Licenses.
PVP Use Cases
Use case 1 – Live Event Visuals
With its multi-screen playback and top-notch video effects, PVP is perfect for those eye-catching visuals at live music, corporate, or sporting events. Paint a picture across the big screens and watch your audience marvel.
Use case 2 -Fixed Installations
If you’re looking to spice up your eatery, retail store, or any other business with some engaging visuals, PVP could be just the ticket. Its multi-screen capabilities make for a captivating display no matter the size of your venture.
Use case 3 – Network Backup
For those who never want to be caught short, PVP 3.2 has your back. Network triggering for backup instances can keep the show going, no matter what the tech gods might throw your way.
ArKaos
An enthusiast in real-time media playback and mapping, ArKaos tailors VJ software solutions for live performers and video artists. Rendering a phenomenal tool for aligning real-time video content over non-planar or curved screens, ArKaos is competent at ushering an extraordinary audiovisual show experience.
ArKaos Top Features
Supports MIDI, Pioneer ProDJ Link or timecode control, offering great flexibility in controlling the performance.
GrandVJ 2.7 is enriched with TRACKDJ, TIMECODE, VISUALS, and Multiple NDI in-and outputs, facilitative of a comprehensive performance setup.
ArKaos utilizes Ableton Link, a technology designed to synchronize multiple software systems to a tempo and align beats of every performance consistently.
ArKaos features built-in proprietary SAGA codec supporting all common media formats, removing concerns about file compatibility.
The MediaMaster Pro 6 highlights 48 layers, network sharing via MediaHub, LEDMapper 3, Lyric Player, Art-Net, Kling-Net, DMX, MIDI, CITP, and support for Elgate Stream deck.
It offers a seamless media library that houses 255 folders and visuals, providing ample resources for a diverse and engaging show.
Feature
Benefit
ShowKontrol Integration
Allows Rekordbox track data from DJ booth to be directly sent over ProLink to VJs, lighting directors, show technicians.
MediaMaster Pro 6
Supports several DMX universes, allowing users to execute complex light shows.
NDI 5 Protocol Compatibility
Permits video over IP, providing flexibility for live streaming and broadcasting.
ArKaos Limitations
Despite offering a vast array of features, its pricing might be a deterrent for some, starting from €99.60 per month.
It is compatible with Windows 10 64-bit and MacOS 10.15 or 11, but currently does not support M1.
While it accepts third-party payment processors, it does not store payment information, posing possible inconvenience for recurring payments.
ArKaos Pricing
ArKaos offers a free trial, with pricing beginning from €99.60 per month to unlock its comprehensive suite of features.
ArKaos Use Cases
Use case 1 – Performers and Artists
With its lrge network support and comprehensive software, ArKaos serves live performers and video artists, allowing them to deliver breathtaking audiovisual performances.
Use case 2 – DJs and VJs
Thanks to its ShowKontrol integration and seamless media library, DJs and VJs find ArKaos an efficient tool to curate and manage dynamic stage shows.
Use case 3 – Corporate Presentations
Corporate presentations can be delivered compellingly using ArKaos as it allows text syncing with the Lyric Player, making text panning, bulleting, and animation easy to manage.
Millumin
Enter the revolutionary sphere of interactive media with Millumin, a versatile software suite embodying robust features for high-grade mapping, data tracking and much more, optimized for Apple Silicon platforms.
Millumin Top|Best Features
Exemplify creative flexibility with its advanced curve outputs and soft-edge matrix.
Empower your projects with dramatic camera adjustments via Blackmagic ATEM switcher and PTZ protocol control.
Articulate refined color grading with its 3D LUT effect. Banish green screen blunders through the sophisticated chroma-key tool.
Enhance user interactions with its skeleton-tracker and person-detector features (exclusive to Apple M1).
Experience superior workflow coordination with its integrated timeline-editor and potent sequencer feature.
Command other machines or software via MIDI, OSC, DMX or text strings, demonstrating Millumin’s interoperability advantage.
Feature
Benefit
Real-time Previews of After Effects Compositions
Reduce wait time, streamline workflows with instant visualization
Support for Cinema 4D, Unity and Photoshop Plugins
Efficient live rendering, perfect for draft or final outputs
Emergency Deactivation
More secure, especially beneficial in cases of device theft or damage
Millumin Disadvantages
Limited use of skeleton-tracker and person-detector features to Apple M1 platform.
Potentially complex learning curve for beginners.
Lack of specific information on price structure in the summary.
Millumin Pricing
Millumin offers licenses for lifetime use or short-term rentals (7 days, 30 days, or 1 year). Specific pricing information is not provided in the summary.
Millumin Use Cases
Use Case 1: Advanced Projection Mapping
Combine Millumin’s sophisticated tools, like soft-edge matrix, curve outputs, and robust mapping, to bring your projection presentations to life on diverse surfaces.
Use Case 2: Full-fledged Video Editing
With real-time previews, ready-to-use After Effects compositions, and support for cutting-edge plugins, Millumin is a potent aid for professional video editing.
Use Case 3: Live Performances
Millumin shines in live settings by enabling precise control over lighting, videos, LEDs, etc., synchronized with timecode utility, creating unforgettable audience experiences.
VDMX
Start your visual performance encore with a bang, courtesy of the New York tech maestros at VIDVOX. Meet VDMX, the robust VJ software that’s serious about turning sound into spectacle.
Top VDMX Features
Reveals nuances of audio by converting sound into light and movement with discerning ears for volume, frequency, and instruments.
Offers smooth control of visual effects with wireless remote control via iPad and MIDI controller.
Lewd for layers? Have them aplenty with multi-layer rendering and support for multiple graphics cards. Don’t just juggle visuals, make them dance.
Excellent connectivity with standard MIDI, OSC controllers hinting at a possible second career as a media server or lighting console.
VDMX Feature
What It Brings To The Party
Quartz Composer, GLSL, and Vuo programming languages support
Opens up your palette to a world of strapping new color splotches.
High-quality connectivity via HDMI, HD-SDI (Blackmagic Design hardware)
Promises a visual promise you’ll love to keep.
Custom UI Layouts
Because who doesn’t want their control panels function-laden and snazzy?
VDMX Limitations
VDMX has a distinct preference for Intel-based Macs, with a sweet spot for Mac OS X 10.13 and above. It’s a “sorry, no dice” for Team-PC enthusiasts.
VDMX demands a hefty 4+GB of RAM and an Nvidia/ATI Graphics Card for optimal performance. It’s a no compromise situation — come armed or don’t come at all.
VDMX Use Cases
Be The VJ You Were Meant To Be
VDMX is the chosen tool for visual artists and performers who wish to integrate their performances with immersive and interactive visuals, bridging the gap between sound and sight in profound, artful dance-offs.
Setting The Stage For Concerts and Live Music
Imagine a heart-thumping bassline laced with cascading colors and shape-shifting patterns. That’s the magic VDMX brings to concerts, painting soul into sound and making every beat count.
Opening Canvases For Digital Painting
Digital painters rejoice! With VDMX you aren’t just creating static images, but evolving canvas that lives and vibrates with every selected instrument and frequency. Time to uncage artists in you!
MADRIX
MADRIX, reigning supreme in the field of LED control since 2005, is a potent software tool made in Germany. This award-winning program empowers you with generative visuals/effects and pixel mapping in both 2D and 3D formats.
MADRIX Top Features
2D/3D Pixel Mapping: The remarkable capability of creating crisp visuals through pixel mapping on a wide range of LED fixtures.
Volume Rendering: MADRIX supports voxel mapping for true 3D LED matrices
Controls: Flexibility with output connections including Art-Net I, II, 3, 4; DMX512; Philips Color Kinetics KiNET; Philips Hue; SPI via MADRIX NEBULA; Streaming ACN; DVI.
Price is dependent on output requirements. Purchasable digitally through Amazon.
MADRIX Use Cases
Use case 1
For live event professionals: MADRIX allows effortless creation of stunning visuals with layers, FX filters, and mix modes. Ideal for concerts and large-scale productions.
Use case 2
Architectural Design: The 3D pixel mapping feature facilitates dynamic and interactive lighting installations for architectural and interior design.
Use case 3
Club DJs/VJs: With real-time video and audio processing, based on WDM or ASIO, MADRIX is invaluable for VJs to manipulate real-time effects in sync with their sets.
Watchout
Developed by Dataton, Watchout is a robust multi-display system software designed to streamline your media compositions and show flow. With powerful features reminiscent of After Effects, Watchout brings a fresh approach to the media presentation landscape.
Watchout Top Features
Compositions: Similar to After Effects, create dynamic collections of animated elements functioning as a media element.
Grouping Cues: Cues can be grouped based on show flow, making alterations less time-consuming and error-prone.
Free-Running Animated Loops: Build seamless, constant loops to keep your display lively.
Alternative Timelines: Design overlapping timelines to avoid sudden screen jumps, improving the flow of your shows.
Export Movies
External Control
Save valuable pre-production time with Watchout’s movie export feature, perfect for client reviews and content archiving.
Synchronize Watchout with light, serial ports, TCP/IP, DMX and achieve a cohesive presentation.
Watchout Limitations
Its advanced features require a learning curve, which may prove challenging for beginners.
Although powerful, it may offer too much complexity for smaller, simpler presentations.
Watchout Pricing
Please refer to Dataton’s website for Watchout’s latest and comprehensive pricing details.
Watchout Use Cases
Use case 1 – Event Planners
For event planners orchestrating large events, Watchout optimizes the show flow and ensures a smooth transition between different stages.
Use case 2 – Visual Artists
Animators, designers, and visual artists will find Watchout’s compositional abilities useful in designing intricate, animated sequences.
Use case 3 – Corporate Presentations
Corporations can utilize Watchout’s multi-display, timeline-based capabilities for impactful presentations.
Disguise
With a heritage from the millennial days of 2000, Disguise is a remarkable platform where creatives and technologists weave stunning visual experiences. This platform, linked to some of the most vibrant cities across the world: London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Shanghai, enables the production of everything from concert visuals to live TV broadcasts.
Powerful servers: With the latest vx 4 server, performance tasks in live production events get smooth support.
High-definition support: Vx 4 supports HDR and 10 bit workflows for enhanced visuals.
Unreal Engine 5 plugin: Propels next-generation visuals across live and virtual production.
Customer Support
Offers worldwide support, as well as hardware repair and replacement services, ensuring a reliable partner network for technical and creative talent.
Training Options
Provides comprehensive in-house and online training, ensuring users can maximise the potential of the suite.
Usability
Disguise offers the Absolute Camera and Look-Up Table features for ease of use and convenience.
Disguise Downsides
No explicit mention of pricing, indicating lack of transparency.
While the solution is innovative and sophisticated, it might present a steep learning curve for novices.
Disguise Use Cases
Use case 1: Live Events and Concerts
Dedicated to delivering high-impact visual experiences, Disguise has carved its niche in the production of global concert tours and live events. Stellar proof of its productivity is visible in Hans Zimmer’s 2022 European Tour.
Use case 2: Corporate and Entertainment Events
The versatility of Disguise gets a clear showcase in corporate and entertainment events. Its software supports a realistic impression of how a show will look, encouraging confident planning and execution.
Use case 3: Film, Theatre, and TV Production
Disguise has left its imprint in the world of film, theatre, and live TV broadcasts. The latest r15+ software excels in movie and theatre shows like La Planete Rouge and XR Studios virtual productions.
Grant Sullivan
Content writer @ Aircada and self proclaimed board game strategist by day, AI developer by night.
