Resolume is the VJ standard. Aether is native Mac VJ software, Launch Edition at €49 lifetime. Facts: price, platform, demo, license. Not an attack — a choice.
| Aether Launch Edition | Resolume Avenue | Resolume Arena | VDMX6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public list price | €49 lifetime | €299 | €799 | USD 199 |
| Ease of use | Stage deck: open, load, go. Minutes to the first look. | Full suite: more power, more setup | Suite + mapping: steeper curve | Modular environment: max freedom, steep curve |
| Native audio analysis | In the engine: FFT, kick, pitch, polyphonic voices. Generators follow the music with no analysis chain to wire. | FFT and bands exist: you map them onto clips and effects | Same as Avenue, plus deeper mapping | Very capable modular audio: you build the graph |
| First look without clips | 19 GPU generators already audio-reactive: start from nothing | Clips and effects are the centre | Clips, effects and mapping | Generators if you patch the nodes |
| Time to first show | DEMO = product. Download and perform tonight. | Professional-suite setup | Suite + mapping setup | Modular-environment setup |
| Subscription | No | No (classic license) | No (classic license) | No |
| Computers | Up to 3 | Per Resolume EULA | Per Resolume EULA | Per VIDVOX EULA |
| Platforms today | Mac Apple Silicon, Mac Intel, Windows 64-bit | Windows and Mac | Windows and Mac | Mac |
| DEMO | Same installer, watermark | Official Resolume demo | Official Resolume demo | Official VDMX demo |
| Offline | Show without a network. Network only for the license. | Local app | Local app | Local Mac app |
| 2D / surface mapping | Yes, in the DEMO: 2D mapping (warp, slices, polygons). 3D surface editor in progress | Basic mapping | Arena’s strength (ecosystem, blending, DMX) | Possible via a modular setup |
| What it is | Native Mac VJ deck, version 1.1.2 | Established VJ suite | VJ suite + advanced mapping | Modular Mac VJ environment |
Resolume and VDMX prices from official sites (August 2026). Aether: €49 Launch Edition, perpetual license, up to 3 computers. Always check current list prices before you buy.
You want a native Mac VJ tool, offline, on stage this week. Your budget is Launch Edition, not a multi-hundred-euro suite. You want ease: cues, generators and MIDI without a week of setup. You want audio to drive visuals by itself — FFT, kick, pitch and voices in the engine, not an extra to wire — and proof from shows already made with the same software.
You need the mature ecosystem: huge community, plugins, lighting-desk DMX, years of workflow, a team already on Avenue/Arena. Aether 1.1.2 does live visuals and 2D output mapping; market depth is different.
Aether is one download. videolabmko visuals since June 2026 are made with Aether. Resolume is evaluated as a professional suite; Aether is evaluated tonight, watermark on, same file you unlock for €49. Audio analysis is not a module: it is how the generators hear the track.
It is a Launch-tier Mac alternative: same job (live visuals and output mapping), different price and maturity. It is not an Arena clone.
2D output mapping is available in the DEMO: warp, slices, polygons. The 3D surface editor is evolving in the same installer. It is not locked behind purchase.
€49 is the Launch Edition (today version 1.1.2). Avenue is an established VJ suite. The comparison is to choose, not to claim “cheaper means the same”.
Yes as a second deck or for lighter Mac sets. NDI/Syphon can ingest feeds from other tools. You do not import Avenue/Arena projects.
Aether does it natively in the engine: FFT, kick, pitch, polyphonic voices. The 19 GPU generators react to music with no plugin and no graph to build. Resolume and VDMX have audio tools: in Aether analysis is the default, not an extra to map.
DEMO = full product with watermark. Launch Edition lifetime, up to 3 computers, no subscription.
