Video Switching

“The X-keys panel has been great for us. Other control panel solutions would have cost thousands of dollars, which is tough in such a competitive industry where profit margins aren't always the greatest.”
– Adam Grunseth, Northwest Event Video

Most of the information in this article was gathered from Adam Grunseth’s post on the ATEM User forum: http://www.atemuser.com/forums/atem-vision-mixers/blackmagic-atems/some-pictures-my-atem-tvs-portable-setup#comment-13020

I'm just using Photoshop with the BM ATEM export plugin for graphics. You can see the PC in the case in the pictures. Besides that I'm not using any additional hardware or software for lower thirds.

Pre-produced title animations, as well as other pre-produced segments, I play back from the Hyperdeck.

Cable organization is just done with careful planning, using cables of the right length, and zip ties.

Cooling is pretty basic- Just a simple intake and exhaust fan to keep air moving through the rack. I try to keep good spacing, and keep the cables out of the way so there is plenty of room for airflow.

And yes, I am switching and streaming from the same PC. I am using MX Light for streaming, using direct streaming instead of re-encoding, this way the computer has very little work to do for the stream. For control I am running Just Macros and the X-keys XK-80 panel from PI engineering. Usually then I run Photoshop for graphics while MX Light streams and Just Macros handles control in the background.

The System

Flypack Components
• Bigfoot Mobile Systems Versa Flypack case, ccustomized and built to order
• Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio Video Switcher
• Gator cases knockout panel
• Network and BNC pass through connectors from Markertek
• Two furman M-8x2 Power conditioners
• Hyperdeck Studio 2
• HDMI Audio Extractor (To get the analog audio from the Hyperdect to go to the audio mixer)
• Custom built rackmount PC
• Behringer 1204 USB Audio Mixer
• Behringer SRC2496 analog to digital audio converter
• GT Audio G-787 UHF wireless audio receiver for working with four wireless mics simultaneously
• Rackmount pullout keyboard/trackpad
• X-Keys XK-80 Control Panel for switching
• Two 24 inch ASUS monitors, one for multi-view the other for the PC
• Pyle monitor speakers

PC Component
I don't remember all the details about the hardware I put into the PC, but I will share what I do remember -
• Based on an AMD FX8 APU processor
• Motherboard was a mini ATX form factor- One of the more expensive mini ATX boards I could get for the processor as reliability was important
• 16 gigs of 1600MHz DDR3 memory
• 240 gig SS
• Networking card so I could have an extra network port in addition to the on board networking
• Motherboard network connector used for talking to the ATEM, The port on the network card is used for the internet
• Using MX Light for streaming and recording
• Just Macros for ATEM control with the X-keys panel

About the audio system I am using, I am happy to share the pros and cons.

Let's start with the pros -
• UHF, so generally better than a VHF system in regards to reliability
• True diversity receiver for even better reliability
• Sound is alright- not a lot of noise
• Very affordable and easy to use
• Hasn't failed me yet
• Can use with four different wireless mics, all operating simultaneously

Cons -
• Poor build quality. The mic packs themselves are very plasticy and feel extremely light. They feel like cheap toys
• Sound quality is just alright. The audio very much favors the mid-tones. Bass and high end is lacking
• The levels out of the system are bit low, and amplifying results in a slight hiss. Totally acceptable for voice only stuff, but for musical performances you'll want something else

See the X-keys in action in their promo video: