Plug-ins

We are going to attempt to reproduce a simple version of one of my favorite presets: Lone's "No way to go". Successful presets usually start off with one or more Render Modules, and then have a number of Trans Modules added to subtly manipulate the effect. Lone's preset is no exception. Again, before we start, make sure that you have both Winamp and AVS installed:

1. Start Winamp and AVS.
2. Right-click in the AVS window, and select AVS Editor
3. In the Editor window, click on Preset. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click on New. This creates a new blank preset.
5. Click on Main. The option to Clear every frame should appear in the right window. If enabled, this will paint the screen black at the beginning of each frame, erasing the previous one. For this preset, leave this option unchecked.
6. We will now add Effect Modules to this presets. Click on +, then click on Render, then click on Moving Particle. New options should appear in the right half of the window.
7. Click on the white box labeled "color". A whole new color window should pop up.
8. Click on a basic color (it helps the effect if it isn't a "pure" color, like orange or purple). Now click OK. The color box should now be the same color that you chose.
9. Make sure the Onbeat Sizechange option is enabled.
10. A moving blob of color is a bit interesting, but it could be better. We will now alter how that Moving Particle is displayed by adding some Trans Modules.
11. Click +, then click Trans, then click Water
12. Click +, then click Trans, then click Blur
13. Click +, then click Trans, then click Movement. A new list of effects should appear in the right half of the window. Click on sunburster.

Congratulations, we have replicated Lone's Preset! You can also drag an included Effect Module up or down the list to play with sequencing. I hope that you have realized by now that ANY permutation of the existing Modules or setting modification will result in a new effect! Keep experimenting!

After creating a few original presets, it is natural to want even more options and control. AVS now has a very powerful tool: Effect Lists. To use an Effect List simply as an organizational tool is to squander its potential. The idea is that everything in an effect list gets rendered into a separate buffer before being added to its parent buffer. You now have the power to create completely separate effects off screen, manipulate them freely, possibly blending them together, all before finally displaying the final effect in one shot.

1. Open AVS Editor.
2. Create a new preset.
3. Click on Main, then disable the Clear every frame option.
4. Click on +, then on Effect List to add an Effect List.
5. In the Effect List options, make sure the Enabled and Clear every frame check boxes are checked. For the Input blend mode, select Ignore. For the Output blend mode, select Subtractive Blend 1.
6. Click on +, then on Trans, then on Mosaic.
7. Click on +, then on Render, then on Simple.
8. Click on Main, to stop adding to the Effect list
9. Click on +, then on Trans, then Fadeout.
10. In the Fadeout options, Click on the Fade to Color Box, and select a nice red color.
11. Click on +, then on Render, then on Bass Spin.

If you have followed the instructions faithfully, you should get an effect tree that looks like this:

Main

Render / Bass Spin

Trans / Fadeout

Effects List

Render / Simple

Trans / Mosaic

That having been done, let's examine this preset:
A Bass Spin is placed into the main parent buffer.

Then, the Effect List creates a separate, secondary buffer.

This buffer starts out black (cleared every frame), ignores what is in its parent buffer and a Simple waveform is drawn into it. Notice that the Mosaic modifier ONLY affects the Simple effect as it is totally segregated from the parent buffer.

Now that all effects in the Effect List have been processed, the secondary buffer is blended back into the parent buffer using the blend mode specified in the Effects List options; in this case, Subtractive Blend 1.

This results in a dark colored Simple effect overlaid over the white Bass Spins.

What this means is that you can prevent Trans modifiers from affecting whole groups of modules, which in turn gives you much finer control over the visual effects. I hope this simple tutorial has shed some light on to the mystery of Effect Lists. It took me a bit of head scratching to wrap my mind around the usefulness of parent and child buffers, but now all my old presets seem so primitive. Keep playing with AVS and you will impress yourself! I guarantee it!