The Efficiency Makeover

“Revamp, then perfect” has become our adopted motto of late as we continue to update our studio and control area based on the needs of clients and their virtual productions. Many of you have probably watched these transitions play out on social media; most recently, our Command Center underwent a substantial efficiency overhaul. Our lead video engineer, Michael Alers, explains the process here:

• After doing a few web streams in our COVID safe control room, we realized that – although we were being socially distant – it was not working out for us functionally. More people needed to see sources (live transmissions from presenters and pre-recorded videos) as well as more video switcher outputs. We had to make this possible without everyone being near the actual video switcher.

• We needed to devise a system that was functional for live recording, streaming and viewing for clients present in our control room. To achieve this, we engaged our 24 input/8 output Analog Way Ascender to be able to route all the necessary signals to the records, streams and monitors we thought were necessary. We are also using a Yamaha QL1 with Dante control for audio, along with NDI and OBS depending on what the situation calls for.

• Now, using a few presets, we can manage signals and viewing opportunities for techs and clients alike that join us in our control room. Essentially, we have had to devise a system that can handle switching for web streams and a separate switching for client viewing, while maintaining a COVID safe environment.

Safety is our top priority right now, and we are continuing to fine tune our live streaming methods to produce great shows from within an unusual production climate. Please reach out to us if you would like to see more information on all our webcasting capabilities!