Spout & Glitch Shader Tutorial

// Audio-Reactive Holographic Stages

Prerequisites

  • MXR Pro (required for Spout input and advanced shaders).
  • Resolume Arena (running a video loop).
  • Spout enabled in Resolume (found in the Output menu).
01

Scene Setup & Lighting

Clear the Grid

Press Ctrl + G to hide the floor grid for a cleaner workspace.

Add Stage Objects

  • Go to 3D Objects > Stages.
  • Double-click the Circular Turntable assets to paste them at the origin (0,0,0).

Adjust Lighting

  • Switch to Daytime mode initially to see what you are building.
  • Later, turn off the Sky and drag a Skylight into the scene.
  • In the Skylight details, select a Cube Map to drive the environmental reflections.

Fix Exposure

Go to Post-Processing > Exposure and set it to Manual to prevent the "auto-brightness" from fluctuating during the strobe effects.

02

Mapping Resolume Textures

Open Material Editor

Click the Shader icon and select Pixel Mapping.

Configure Background (16x9)

  • Drag the Base Mad 16x9 preset into the editor.
  • Drag your Arena/Resolume Spout Output into both the Diffuse and Emissive slots.
  • Set Emissive Multiplier to 1.0.

UV Alignment

Adjust U/V Tiling (approx. 1.55) and V Offset (approx. 0.12) until the video is centered on your background plane.

Configure Turntable (Square)

  • Drag the Square preset into the editor.
  • Apply the same Spout textures.
Tip: If the image looks sideways, rotate the 3D object itself by 90° rather than the shader to avoid aspect ratio stretching.
03

Creating the Holographic Glitch Focal Point

Add a Plane

In 3D Objects, select Large Plane.

Scale & Position

Scale it to roughly 0.5 (X) and 0.1 (Y) to create a wide rectangular "screen" in the center of the stage.

Apply Glitch Shader

  • Find the Glitch Shader under the Panners category.
  • Apply your Spout texture to this shader.

Enable Displacement

This shader uses the blue channel of the video to physically move the polygons. Rotate the plane so it sits parallel to the ground to see the "spiking" effect along the Z-axis.

04

Audio Reactivity & Animation

Configure Audio Nodes

In the Node Panel, select Master Mix for Nodes 1, 2, and 3.

  • Node 1: Set to Lows (Bass).
  • Node 2: Set to Mids.
  • Node 3: Set to Highs (Treble).

Link Shaders to Audio

  • Connect Node 1 (Bass) to the Emissive Multiplier of your background. Use a Multiply node (set to 2.0) for a stronger strobing effect.
  • Connect Node 3 (Treble) to the Emissive Multiplier of the center turntable.

Animate the Camera

  • Drop a Camera into the scene (0,0).
  • Set movement to Orbit, set a duration (e.g., 10), and hit Loop.
Advanced Tip: Link Node 1 to the Camera's Z-axis or Field of View with a small multiplier to create a "camera shake" on every bass hit.
05

Final Polish

UI Cleanup

Press Ctrl + D to hide the UI and Ctrl + W to hide transformation widgets for a clean preview.

Color Cycling

In the Glitch Shader, turn on the Red/Green Waves and set the Panner speed to 0.5. This will cycle colors through the glitch independently of the video feed.