Using Your Phone As A Camera For Visibox

Want to start your show from out in the tour bus, singing along to the band on stage, while your image appears on the big screen? Your wireless in-ears let you monitor the band, while you sing into the wireless mic, walking down the street toward the venue. The camera follows you as you walk past the same landmarks the audience saw as they entered the venue. You walk through the stage door and join the band on-stage without missing a beat – transforming from a virtual performer to the real thing!

In addition to adding video and image Clips to Visibox, you can add live camera feeds to your Visibox performance. This can be done using a webcam, a DSLR or mirrorless camera (using an HDMI-to-USB converter), or virtual camera software. However, did you know you can also use your smartphone as a camera source for Visibox? Here’s how to set it up:

Ingredients:

1. Smartphone with a high-quality camera
2. Visibox software on your Mac or Windows computer
3. Phone-as-computer-camera software on your phone (if needed)
4. Stable Wi-Fi connection
5. Optional: Tripod or phone stand for stability

Recipe Steps:

1. Prepare Your Phone:

   • The latest versions of macOS and iOS have a built-in feature called Continuity Camera that allows you to use your iPhone as a camera for your Mac. Once you've got Continuity Camera set up, your iPhone will show up as a camera input for Visibox.
   • If you don't have a Continuity Camera compatible Mac/iPhone combo, or you're using Android and/or Windows, you can use a third-party app to stream your phone’s camera feed to your computer. "EpocCam" is a popular choice for iOS. It has companion software for both Mac and Windows. For Android, "DroidCam" is a popular choice – however, it only has companion software for Windows. Iruin Webcam can be installed on either iOS or Android, and has companion software for both Mac and Windows.
   • Install the app on your phone and the companion software on your computer. Make sure both devices are connected to the same wifi network. Follow the instructions to pair your phone with your computer and set up the camera feed. You may need to install drivers or additional software to enable the camera feed on your computer. Make sure to follow the app’s instructions carefully to ensure a successful connection.

2. Configure Visibox:

   • Launch Visibox on your computer.
   • Open (or create) your Project and select the Song that you want to add the live camera feed to.
   • Right-click on the Song, or select "Add Camera Clip" from the "Song" menu. The submenu should contain your phone's name, or the name of the app you installed on your phone. Select it to add the camera feed to your performance. After a moment, the feed from your phone's camera should appear as the thumbnail for the Clip.
   • Select the new Clip to show the camera feed in the Output window.
   • Repeat as necessary for other places in your set where you'd like to show a camera feed.

3. Adjust The Visuals:

   • Once the phone’s camera feed appears in Visibox, you may need to adjust the framing, zoom, or orientation to fit your visual aesthetic.
   • Use Visibox’s features to integrate the live feed into your performance. You can adjust the filters on your Clips to make them grayscale, inverted, saturate the colors, blur, and more. You can also rotate or flip the camera Clips.

4. Finalize Your Setup:

   • Place your phone in a stable position where it can capture the desired angle or scene. Using a tripod or phone stand can help prevent shakes and maintain consistency.
   • Do a full run-through to ensure everything works as expected. Adjust the lighting and background as necessary to enhance the video quality.

5. Perform:

   • With everything set up, you’re ready to incorporate live visuals into your performance using your phone as a camera. Interact with the camera, move around, or even show audience reactions to create a more engaging experience. Of course, Visibox can also be used to sync other visuals: videos, images, and even audio backing tracks. Create a dynamic, multi-sensory experience for your audience.

Tips:

• Network Stability: Ensure your Wi-Fi network is stable and robust enough to handle video streaming without lag or interruptions. Most venues will not have a reliable wifi connection, so you may need to bring your own. If you're using a Mac and iPhone with Continuity Camera, the Mac may be able to create a direct ad-hoc wifi connection between the devices (this happens automatically if both Bluetooth and Wifi are enabled on the Mac and iPhone). But you will be limited by the range of the connection.
• Battery Life: Streaming video can drain your phone’s battery quickly. Keep it plugged in or ensure it's fully charged before starting.
• Testing: Always test your setup before going live to troubleshoot any potential issues with streaming, audio sync, or visual quality. Dedicate a rehearsal session to fine-tune the camera feed and integrate it seamlessly into your performance. Dedicate time during setup and soundcheck to ensure that the camera feed is working as expected.
• Flip The Audience Camera: If you want to show the audience on the big screen, you can use the front-facing camera on your phone. This can be useful for capturing audience reactions, sing-alongs, or other crowd interactions. However, you'll want the audience to see a mirror image of themselves. Select "Horizontal" from the "Flip" menu in the Clip's settings to mirror the camera feed.
• Wired Cameras Will Be More Reliable: While using your phone as a camera source can be convenient, it may not be as reliable as a dedicated webcam or camera. If you plan to use your phone as a camera source frequently, consider investing in a dedicated webcam or camera for better quality and reliability.
• Latency: Keep in mind that there may be a slight delay between the live feed and the output in Visibox. This can be due to network latency, processing time, or other factors. Be mindful of this when incorporating the live feed into your performance.
• Camera Audio: As of this writing, Visibox does not stream the audio from your phone along with the video. Most performers will have a dedicated microphones for their audio, and we recommend that you use a dedicated wired or wireless microphone connected to the sound system if you want to sing or speak to the audience while using your phone as a camera. This will also have far less latency than the audio from your phone's camera feed.
• Camera Bandwidth: While it is theoretically possible to connect a large number of physical and virtual cameras, Visibox is not designed as a video switcher. The data from each 4K or 1080p camera feed will consume a significant amount of bandwidth over your USB or network connection and may cause things to stop being reliable. We recommend using no more than 2 or 3 camera feeds at a time and using the lowest resolution that still looks good on the big screen. If you're using a virtual camera, you can use the virtual camera's settings to reduce the resolution and frame rate to reduce the bandwidth.

By following these steps, you can effectively use your phone as a dynamic camera source for Visibox, adding a new layer of interactivity and visual appeal to your performances.