iTunes Visualizer

My .qtz file works fine.

So I bought QuartzBuilder 2.0 and exported the project ok.

But when I try to launch the compiled .app i get the following error:

"An unexpected error occurred (error code -10810)"

and my app won't start, grrrrrrrrrrr

I cannot find an explanation of 10810.

Any ideas...?

cwright's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

let me google that for you: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=10810&l=1

probably not a QuartzBuilder bug.

I don't think an iTunes Visualizer will be of much use with QuartzBuilder, but I could be mistaken.

nonstopdj's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Good point you made: "I don't think an iTunes Visualizer will be of much use with QuartzBuilder" since the .qtz will have to be placed in /Library/iTunes/iTunes Plug-ins in order to work with iTunes. But I am interested in using this as an app too.

Thank you for making the effort to explain the error!

cwright's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

did a reboot fix it? does the app work on another machine? I must admit the error's a bit opaque, but it hopefully isn't persistent. Maybe there's some information worth collecting (filesystem formats, etc)?

nonstopdj's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

A reboot did not fix the error which is produced in two stages:

1st requester: The application iTuSteve Freedom's iTunes Music Discovery Viz Steve Freedom's iTunes Music Discovery Viz Steve Freedom's iTunes Music Discovery Viz Steve Freedom's iTunes Music Discovery Viz.app can't be opened. -10810

2nd requester: The operation can’t be completed. An unexpected error occurred (error code -10810).

Additionally it may be worth mentioning my my .qtz requires: FileTools.plugin; CoGeWebkit.plugin; FreeboardPatch.plugin in order to work. These plugins all show up in the 'Resource Inspector' of QuartzBuilder.

cwright's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Can you make a trivially simple composition and build it into a working app? Can you submit the app (zipped up) to info@kineme.net so they can inspect it?

What happens if you pick an app name that's shorter, or has no spaces/special characters (no ')?

nonstopdj's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Great, I removed the apostrophe from the title and the app launched.

However, the app then freezes, probably due to the plug-ins, and force-quit is required.

I have emailed it over. It's titled "Freedomusic Visualizer'

Many many thanks!

dust's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Doh, yeah I have an apostrophe in my name O'Connor it always messes things up. I never know when it's ok to use it or not. It's usually an illegal char seeing most computer languages use it somehow.

jstrecker's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Thanks for e-mailing your composition. When I run it in QC, I get the following error in Console:

3/24/11 10:19:38 AM Quartz Composer[46875] *** Message from : Composition loading at "/Users/stevefreedom/Library/iTunes/iTunes Plug-ins/Clouds.qtz" failed

Is your composition referring to Clouds.qtz somewhere?

When I run the app built from QB, I get that error plus some seemingly erroneous errors (e.g., KinemeStructureMaker missing). Not sure what's going on there, but try getting rid of the above error and see what happens. If it fails, check Console.

nonstopdj's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Thanks for investigating this for me.

I removed the Clouds.qtz reference which was loading in the background on my machine, and recompiled the .app, which runs fine and displays the information, but hangs.

The KinemeStructureMaker does not show up in the QB2 Resource Builder Requester, nor can i see a specific reference/plugin/patch in my .qtz file.

But I am using the 'Kineme String with URL' patch (which also does not show up in the QB2 Resource Builder Requester).

As I said before (correcting myself), I don't need to build an app, I just need to ensure .qtz works as a visualiser in iTunes.

I'll zip up what I think will work, including a 'read.me' and send it over. If it works on your machine, i'll test it next on a machine which has no QC installed.

Thank you.

gtoledo3's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Make a new blank composition, that isn't any kind of protocol.

Copy all of the stuff that's in your qtz over to that. Rename.

Conversely, find the QuartzBuilder template composition. Make a copy of it. Paste all of your stuff onto that. Rename/save.

If you've been relying on Audio Visualizer protocol stuff to "get the spectrum/volume" replace it with the built in Audio patch not the kineme audio tools. There is nothing wrong with the Kineme Audio Tools, it's just not going to give you the same info, or the built in peak smoothing. If you did use kineme audio tools, you would have to emulate that in some way using other patches (like smooth, or whatever). Not trying to get off track here...

I strongly recommend attempting to use the supplied kineme QuartzBuilder template as your starting point. It should be installed at Developer/Library/QuartzComposer/Templates. All of the starting defaults had a decent amount of time and consideration behind them, it works in 10.5, 10.6, nothing is broken, etc. Note that by default, if you made your Alpha clear value 0,0,0,0 (eg., alpha black), you will see a transparent background. Change background opacity if you don't wish to respect alpha in that way.

I think there may be some issue that prevents CoGeWebKit from working inside of QuartzBuilder, but I'm not 100% sure. There is some kind of Web to Image plugin that used to be floating around (I guess you could google for it) that definitely does work though.

gtoledo3's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

If I use CoGe WebKit with the stock music vis protocol comp, and build a QB app, open up Console, you can see that CoGe is trying to do some kind of scripting thing that fouls up. That doesn't result in the Finder error for me, but maybe the two are related somehow?

nonstopdj's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Thank you,

When i use the QuartzBuilder.qtz as a starting-point and simply paste my stuff into it and save with a new name and then launch the preview - QB hangs - probably due to the plugins i am using. But not to worry, just see the reply I posted above.

However...,

in developing my app, I merely added a bunch of RSS-Javascript 'gets' to the Lathe.qtz visualizer (my original starting-point). Essentially, my app discovers what song is playing in iTunes and searches Google.com and iTunes.com for relevant information, which is consumed via HTTP, stored in a Structure, and finally presented, click-ably, on-screen, at intervals.

The plug-in's I am using (FileTools, CoGeWebKit, Freeboardpatch) provide browser-power, gesturing, and keystrokes inside iTunes!

It works great on my own machine! But before I release the .qtz to my friends I wonder what is the answer to my question posted here: https://kineme.net/forum/Release/Production/Howtodistributeaproductionqt...

dust's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

I tried to answer your distribution question as best I could. Let me know if you have issues building a package.

nonstopdj's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Everything is working great!

Thanks everybody, I appreciate all these tools and your help!!!

cybero's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

I don't think the visualizer protocol setting should be utilised in QB at all, merely means you have to have iTunes visualizing;although the Audio Input stock patch can be deployed in such a protocolised comp to replace the (Required) input, it does give a couple of 'rogue' readings on the far end of the spectrum.

For a QB app, one that can bundle plugins, I'd have thought that Audio Input from Kineme Audio Tools would be miles better, apart from the CPU hit and the increase in size incumbent upon bundling. After all it gives so much better detail.

If you employ the smooth structure js from the visualizer template and transplant into the QB template, then you get the utility value with fuller detail using Kineme Audio Tools.

PreviewAttachmentSize
vizqbaudioinput0.zip179.13 KB
vizqbaudioinput1.zip488.19 KB

cybero's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

the iTunes visualizer does not get placed in the folder you thought. It goes into your Library/Compositions folder. It is the protocol template configuration that makes the .qtz an iTunes visualizer. The only plug in you need is the Quartz Composer Visualizer.bundle that gets automatically installed to the iTunes plugin folder.

cybero's picture
Re: iTunes Visualizer

Kineme Audio Tools are your friend in this case as they can be bundled up by QB and allow for music visualization in QB.

See http://cybero.co.uk/Just_A_QC_Blog/2011/01/19/quartz-builder-toys/ for some working examples [10.6 required].

There is also a tutorial about making a visualizing QB toy on the cybero.co.uk site.