vikmil.com · Open app · @tekdetek

Tekdetek node reference

Tekdetek is a node-based browser VJ tool. Each node is a stage in a left-to-right pipeline. Connect them in order: INPUT → (optional DETECT) → ASCII / HALFTONE → OVERLAY → EXPORT. This page documents what each node does, when to use it, and the parameters that matter most in live performance.

Diagram of Tekdetek pipeline: Input, Detect, ASCII, Overlay, Export — Typical pipeline order. You can delete nodes you do not need; the app always expects an INPUT and benefits from EXPORT when recording.

INPUT node

The INPUT node is your video source. Select it in the graph, then either Activate camera (front or back on mobile) or Upload video file. Supported uploads are standard browser formats; H.264 MP4 is the most reliable when a clip fails to decode.

Output aspect ratio lets you letterbox to 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, or 21:9 for social crops without re-encoding the source file. Zoom out shrinks the picture inside the frame — useful when you want ASCII margins or a floating “monitor” look.

Tip: For live gigs, activate the camera once during soundcheck and leave the tab focused. Switching tabs can pause capture on some browsers.

AI DETECT node

Detection draws boxes (and optional labels) on bright regions, objects, or body poses. Three modes ship in the public build:

Mode	What it does	Load
LUMA	Grid of bright cells — no ML download. Good for silhouettes and club lighting.	Light
OBJECTS	COCO-SSD object labels in real time.	Heavy (first load downloads model weights)
FEATURES	PoseNet skeleton and body parts.	Heavy

Tune threshold, grid size, and min cells for luma mode. For OBJECTS/FEATURES, expect higher CPU use — disable detection on low-power laptops and rely on luma instead. Custom label styles (Y2K, hacker, numbered) appear when labels are enabled in the inspector.

ASCII FX node

The ASCII node turns video into a character grid or block mosaic. Key controls:

Columns / density / font size — resolution of the grid. More columns = finer detail, more GPU work.
Style — Classic, Dense, Minimal, Binary, Geometric, or Custom character sets.
Palette — Slate, Prism, Aurora, Ember, etc., when not using raw video colours.
Pixel RGB / blocks — block-based looks with optional video tint.
Silhouette modes — thermal, matrix, noir fills driven by motion and edges.
Only in boxes — ASCII restricted to detection regions (requires DETECT upstream).
Show video — blend or hide the raw feed under glyphs.

Use contrast and brightness before pushing density — noisy camera feeds need upstream taming or the grid turns to mush.

Diagram: camera input converted to coloured ASCII character grid — ASCII FX samples luminance (and optional colour) per cell, then maps each cell to a glyph from the active charset.

HALFTONE node

When enabled in your build, halftone applies dither-style patterns — dots, lines, or ordered dither — before or alongside ASCII. Pair halftone with light feedback in OVERLAY for print-analog vibes on camera feed.

OVERLAY node

OVERLAY connects detected regions with lines (all pairs, closest neighbour, or fan) and hosts 20+ video effects: pixelate, glitch, VHS, CRT, bloom, slit scan, feedback, edge emphasis, and more. Each effect has intensity, speed, and detail where relevant.

Effects can target inside detection boxes, outside boxes, or the full frame when ASCII is off. Invert modes skip boxes entirely — handy for “everything except the performer” looks.

EXPORT node

EXPORT records the current pipeline output. Public builds support MP4 at 25 fps (no short clip cap in 0.6 beta) and PNG sequence in a ZIP. Recording quality follows preview resolution and graph complexity — simplify nodes before long captures.

Tekdetek user guide — step-by-step first session
Preset showcase — built-in looks and how to load them
Open Tekdetek

Tekdetek by VJ Vik Mil · [email protected] · @tekdetek