Feedback loop using the Magnet

Gear
#1

Is anyone here using the Magnet as a practice tool, and not just as a tool for diagnosing problems ‘offline’?

I think the Magnet could be a great practice aid, but right now the feedback loop I’m getting isn’t tight enough.

Using a Sony Z5 (which is otherwise a nice phone) I’m stuck with this crappy workflow:

  1. Attach Magnet and phone
  2. Record in ‘Timeshift’ mode (video outout is in 120 fps, but already slowed down)
  3. Camera overheats after 3 mins of recording and shuts down.
  4. Wait for several minutes as hundreds of megabytes of video is uploaded to google drive
  5. Download video on computer to view

I’ll keep the Magnet in mind next time I’m buying a phone (recommendations?) but other than that, has anyone tightened this feedback loop?

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#2

wait wait wait we can buy the magnet??? :smiley:

#3

You can buy the blueprints and have Shapeways print the parts for you. I couldn’t find anyone selling all the parts Troy used for his build that shipped to Scandinavistan, but I did manage to source equivalent parts locally. This made the build a bit more of a hassle, but it wasn’t difficult.

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#4

Like you, I did he self-assembled magnet thing. I don’t use it all the time, but it has been really valuable in keeping me honest with myself. There have been times I’ve played something and wasn’t quite 100% what was going on mechanically. Slap the magnet on, play it again and learn the truth.

Your Sony workflow does sound like a bit of a hassle, which is too bad. That long loop really takes you out of any flow you might have developed. I use mine with an iPhone 7 and shoot in slo-mo mode. It’s pretty easy to pop the phone out and look at the video right on the phone to analyze what’s happening. I’m sure Android folks are able to get the same workflow happening.

I hate to suggest that more gear is the answer, but in your case it might be?

#5

it would be great if we could buy the magnet assembled and ready! It seems a very helpful tool!

#6

I have purchased the instructions. Putting it together was a test of my patience. It was worth it. I shot footage for my own study, as well as examples for some of my students. I want to make a second one in the future. Maybe in the Winter on a day that I am snowed in.

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#7

Hey Lars - just seeing this now. One thing you and others can do, which we’ve experimented with and is really cool, is do this in real time using either a lightning cable or a a wi-fi connection. The basic idea is you run an application on your computer that receives the live input from the phone and displays in near-real-time on your screen. It won’t be slow motion, obviously, but you can get some very valuable instant feedback on general form and posture that is hard to see in a mirror.

If you have an iPhone and a Mac, you can do this with a lightning cable. Apple officially supports iPhone screen capture via lightning. You can use the broadcast app that we use, MimoLive, for this. There’s a companion iPhone client which you can download from the App store:

If you’re on Windows, you can do a similar setup with Wirecast, and their phone app is actually wireless:

https://www.telestream.net/wirecast/overview.htm

There’s a delay in both of these cases, but it’s less than second and it still feels real-time enough to connect what you’re seeing with what you’re feeling and hearing.

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#8

Great suggestions, thanks @Troy!