Prepare your first VJ set

A useful first set is small enough that you know where every clip is and what happens when you trigger it. Prepare a few deliberate looks, a simple route between them and a way to recover when something goes wrong.

This is a planning and rehearsal checklist for UltimateVJ. For the exact in-app steps, use the Quickstart. The current checked package is 0.3.2 (build 6), a Research Preview; this guide does not establish that a particular set or venue has passed acceptance.

Define the exercise before choosing clips

Write down the Mac you will use, the destination screen and whether the set needs audio from the app. Choose one simple objective, such as moving from a quiet opening to a denser section and back to a neutral image.

Check system requirements first. Then read limitations, especially if your plan depends on multiple physical outputs, frame sharing, third-party plug-ins or synchronized transport. A missing capability is easier to address before you build the set around it.

Make three recognizable groups

Use media you created or have permission to use. This exercise supplies no downloadable clips because redistribution permission has not been established.

These are planning roles, not bundled content. Choose the number of clips you can rehearse, rather than filling every empty slot. Keep a short record of where each source came from and any attribution or use conditions attached to it.

Put media somewhere persistent

Create a clearly named folder for your original media and keep it available to the Mac that will run the set. Importing into UltimateVJ normally stores paths; saving a .uvj file does not automatically package those originals.

Import your chosen files and read any import notes. Test the actual files, including loops and seeks you intend to use. A familiar extension is not proof of decoder compatibility. Consult Media formats and Importing media if anything is rejected or missing.

Build only the controls you need

Arrange clips so their role is recognizable. Start with one or two layers, rehearse triggering and auditioning, then add effects deliberately. Check whether a change affects the Clip, Layer or Master scope.

If you need a controller, create only the necessary mappings first and test them after reopening the set. A saved MIDI mapping does not prove that a particular device's LEDs, feedback or second-host behavior work. Keep an accessible way to perform the essential action in the app. Use Keyboard and MIDI for the supported controls.

Rehearse the complete path

1. Open the saved set from disk and confirm every required source resolves.
2. Trigger the opening, move into the main section and return to the recovery image.
3. Check the actual connected output, including framing and scaling. Test how to close fullscreen output and return to the console.
4. Check blackout and recovery deliberately while it is safe to do so.
5. Repeat your intended transitions and any seeks or playback changes. Record the actual symptom if something fails.
6. Save again and reopen once more. Confirm you are using the saved version, rather than relying only on autosave.

If audio matters, configure and verify it explicitly; file audio is documented as off by default, and recordings are documented as silent. See File audio and Recording.

Prepare a portable copy when needed

Use Composition → Media manager to inspect missing paths. Relink missing files before using Collect composition. The documented collection workflow writes a new set with verified media copies into a destination folder that does not already exist. Reopen that collected set and check it on the destination Mac; collection alone is not a successful performance test.

Read Sets, presets and storage for what saves with a set and what remains app-local. Keep your originals and an explicit saved copy. Autosave and recovery files supplement your work; do not make them your only plan.

Keep a short rehearsal record

Record the app/build, macOS, connected display, media used, actions tried and any unresolved failure. Keep the notes concrete: “clip failed after seeking” is more useful than “performance bad.” Review a local diagnostic report before sharing because it can contain paths or media names.

Install updates between shows, with the app quit, then repeat the affected checks. The published Research Preview still has outstanding soak, production-workload and physical-output acceptance. Do not equate a successful rehearsal step with a blanket guarantee. Release notes · Troubleshooting

Start with the checked shader set

The Quickstart shader example includes a saved 24-clip set and a versioned screenshot from 0.3.2 (build 6). It uses built-in generators without imported media paths. Save your work before opening it, then check the independent Preview and Output actions and repeat save/reopen on your Mac.