How Our Studio is Wired | Every Piece of Gear

Every piece of gear in our studio and how it's wired. Did we spend too much $$$? Why we don't use VMix? Future planes for our studio?
Download Schematics: www.a2z-productions.com/atem-...
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Follow us on instagram: / a2z_productions
Get in touch: [e-mail]
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ATEM Resources: www.a2z-productions.com/atem-...
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Gear We Use:
(As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Blackmagic Design UltraStudio HD Mini Recorder amzn.to/3hxstfW
Blackmagic Design Micro Converter BiDirectional amzn.to/3tP6ljD
Elgato Stream Deck XL amzn.to/3ePlFsl
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K: amzn.to/32MGu0K
Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8: amzn.to/3dR5N8k
Tripods: VILTROX VX-18M amzn.to/3zEGWg4
Rhode Wireless Go II amzn.to/3x86eC7
QSC TouchMix-16 Compact Digital Mixer: amzn.to/3aGIDPM
Tripp Lite RS1215-RA Rackmount Network-Grade PDU Power Strip: amzn.to/3vmzxzW
Furman PL-PLUS DMC Power Conditioner with Voltmeter / AMMeter: amzn.to/3tW8cUG
C-FORCE 15.6" 1080p IPS USB-C Portable Display HDMI amzn.to/3voYevh
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro amzn.to/3BB8R26
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Timecodes:
0:00 Intro
0:15 Zoom Laptops
0:41 Studio Cameras
1:36 GoPros
2:24 Graphics Laptops
3:28 Blackmagic Constellation
4:48 Livestream Encoder
5:39 Other Livestream Outputs
7:17 Main Multiview
7:43 Scopes
7:55 Recorders
8:34 Graphics Multiviews
9:08 Videowall
10:32 Confidence Monitors
10:58 Extra Aux Outs
11:33 Zoom Return Feeds
12:32 Local Network Control
14:15 External Network
14:27 Audio
18:30 Brandon Rants
18:40 Why we don't use VMix
24:48 Why It's Not Complicated
27:11 Did We Spend Too Much $$

[@robertkinnan3478]

I’m an engineer at Fox and I have to say I’m really impressed. For live news we do very similar things, we just use different server grade equipment. High cost and complexity are usually necessary to create workflows that keep working. You have to plan for something to fail and then work the solution. Awesome stuff.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@ChristofferJellum]

This setup is epic!!

[@A2ZProductions]

Thank you for the comment! Glad you enjoyed!

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@bryangarrett226]

Thanks for taking the time to explain in so much detail. So many people gloss over a lot of the signal flow strategies and workflow, but it's so important. Your content is great, subbed and looking forward to more.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@lancasterlebanonhabitatfor1947]

Amazing job, guys. I especially liked the way you broke your wiring diagram down into segments and explained each overlaying the actual gear as Brandon explained it. Brilliant!

[@A2ZProductions]

Glad you liked it!

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@JHJOwen]

Wow! Simply wow 🤩

[@douglasmathewriverauriarte6543]

No words... Well, only one. AWESOME!

[@A2ZProductions]

Thanks you! Glad you enjoyed!

[@StateCom]

Great content! Thanks for taking the time to share your setup with us.

[@birdsofray]

This is exacly what I asked us for a few weeks ago! Thank you!! yes, vmix vs ATEM video pls, bring it!

[@finnnoer8328]

You guys rock. Thank you for the effort and all the knowledge you put into these films.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@shaneduffy4853]

So many great nuggets of wisdom

[@enregistreur]

Thank you for sharing this thorough breakdown, it's quite inspiring!

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@sajjidkh4209]

Amazing full detailed video thanks for sharing....

[@Blaze2992]

Thank you so much for taking us through your system! Really great stuff mate

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@DrVikramShrivastava]

Thanks for explaining in such detail. I enjoyed your tour. The setup is awesome and very neatly organized.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@ArdilaTVaudiovisual]

Amazing! First Backup! A big inspiration for me!

[@pierrejeanjean9355]

Waouww impressive set up! nice job boys!

[@creative_studio]

Thank you for sharing this thorough breakdown! Thiago/Brazil

[@benjaminruiz8900]

Great set up. i know understand your connection process. super

[@GEOSynths]

That was absolutely brilliant! You have a very Professional set up and Service, especially with the multiple redundancies, so you can react to post issue that may occur. Like many, I do a small Stream for my Sound Design Business and have done for about 2 years now, initially with OBS then I bought Wirecast Pro which had some great features at the time, but was buggy. It then was completely over taken by much cheaper alternatives and I was able to simplify with an ATEM Mini and Ecamm Live. I've now got an ATEM Extreme and only use the Video inputs, not the Streaming or Video/Keys, as I still use Ecamm, though this may change. Anyway, this was an excellent behind the scenes look at your set up and workflow and I've learned a great deal. Thanks.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@AskAW]

I take a shot every time you say, "Zoom Drone".

[@kerokamal]

wow amazing job , Thanks guys

[@A2ZProductions]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jonathanacuna]

This was so insightful!! The amount of control and flexibility before and during a show is very interesting!

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@serchenmorris1979]

Love this video, definitely have this setup in mind, something similar but in a more portable size...still working out the details but this gives me further clarification and better direction.Thanks again

[@A2ZProductions]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AlecTurner]

DOPE STREAM... The electric bill must also be just as EPIC!

[@JayTeeBusiness]

Once again another amazing video! The ideas this is giving me!! Thank you so much - more regular uploads?

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@hishamzireeni8932]

Great video and thanks for sharing

[@A2ZProductions]

Thanks for watching!

[@mnlivestreaming6713]

Thanks - just going into Year 2 of livestreaming local sports onsite. Planning how to slim down the onsite footprint for a simple pop-up and also make the full suite a bit more robust when needed. So this is very helpful looking at the circuits and scale. I note your comments re vMix and understand, we do cameras to ATEM mIni then to a PC with vMix (for all the in game graphics and replay) and then to internet, it suits us but I can now see why and also why it is riskier in a large environment.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@georgmostbock4664]

Absolutely fantastic video! What kind of stands do you use for your confidence monitors?

[@A.Santoyo]

Awesome. Now I need to start booking my in person visit 😉

[@cezary188]

Atem vs vMix !!!

[@MohamedKeita]

You guys are awesome 👌👌👌

[@A2ZProductions]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@izralyahya8411]

Cool setup....breaking to individual signal then mixing it up....more control on each signal

[@A2ZProductions]

Yes, exactly! Glad you enjoyed!

[@TheDjTimoThy]

🔥🔥🔥

[@ChrisLevineBIZ]

Good job on the setup. This is pretty much what you would see in a local TV station.

[@A2ZProductions]

Thank you!

[@joniajoseph8408]

Awesome video!! Would love to see vMix vs. ATEM.

[@4theWINMEDIA]

I find the trick is to marry all the pros of each approach. I use a combination of Tricaster, vmix and blackmagic atem in all of my bigger production. Smaller ones will typically be a combination of 2 of the 3 depending on the project.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@christiantinman]

Thanks for sharing this all makes sense! Would like to see you do a vmix vs atem video i have always worked with BMD over the years but currently looking closer at vmix for sure for Replay but perhaps for my full webcast as well...

[@A2ZProductions]

Thanks for the feedback! We are definitely thinking it is something people would like to see.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@PeterVCook]

Awesome video. Makes sense. What's your internet connection like? Redundancy/bonding there?

[@louisbeh8514]

Going this randomly in KZbin. Found your content very intresting

[@heathermichaelson6957]

Thanks for the video! What kind of video wall controller are you using?

[@bayouav]

GREAT content. Thanks for sharing. New to zoom drones. Can you explain how they are set up- meaning, how do you separate the multiple callers to their own laptops. Thank you.

[@stephanieadavison]

Although I couldn’t completely follow you 😂, this is very cool. I always love videos with the behind the scenes tech stuff and how it all works together! It also gives me some cool ideas to implement into my setup!

[@A2ZProductions]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@wilsonbatuyong1147]

The control pc is getting more performance because of the elevated macbook pro box. btw very informative video, i learned alot. you guys are the best!

[@69keiz]

Awesome setup. Would love it if you could break down your Companion setup.

[@A2ZProductions]

We have discussed our companion setup in a few other videos. The streamdecks are mainly used to control the supersources. Layouts, box sources, etc.

[@jamies_adventures]

Really interesting video. Thanks. Question: Would you ever think about Newtek Tricaster? We've just got into live production and have bought a Tricaster 2 Elite for easy / mobile set ups and would like to hear your thoughts maybe on another video? Thanks again. Keep up the great work.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@ThomWalbranA1]

GREAT

[@ErastusUso]

i currently use just vmix for mixing, recording and zoom + stream, + NDI sources. Sometimes its really unpredictable esp with the VMIX computer.... hoping to go fully hardware. Great video here man

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@jcarpelatv4479]

Awesome setup! Does Blackmagic sponsor you? haha

[@ireteman1]

love the rant :) Pay attention to the men behind the curtain. Cheers!

[@AskAW]

I can only imagine how many updates you've made over several iterations to this system.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@techthisout3549]

I do kinda the same.. on vmix, I mean you have all the reason to believe an atem more than a PC, but btw many things can be collapsed and use both the two world. I'm actually use both the two togheter, many backups, 2 SDI matrix with many decklink 8k pro, web presenter HD, I mean the risk of the failure is either on the hardware based Switcher such as the atem, still more reliable than vmix in assuring the work to be done. But mixing the two thing and you will be happy! Great stuff in this video btw 🙂

[@VicenteXimenez]

Amazing. Thanks a lot for the video. But bear in mind you don't need to use vMix for everything. You can just use it as a playback machine. Or just as a recorder. Or to distribute signals around in different IP formats. Or just as a main or backup encoder.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@granbosou1]

I would love to see mix vs atem please !!!!

[@JeffriRahman]

with this kind of setup, you could build your own tv station dude!

[@MrJamescleary01]

Brandon, how are you dealing with audio from a zoom drone as it relates to interfacing with live talent? I am looking to do something similar with podcasts and trying to find a way for the live talent to interface with virtual. Are you just running the hdmi video and audio signal from the loop out of the bidirectional converter out of tv speakers while it is simultaneously picked up on the mix to route back into the switcher?

[@dronestar1118]

Not familiar with Black Magic switcher.. We used Grass Valley and Evertz switchers at Time Warner.

[@nevillehenderson712]

Have you experimented with use of Raspberry Pi as headless zoom drones? For my home studio I’m looking at using multiple Raspberry Pi with KVM to connect with ATEM mini and using the preview screen to control the zoom setup on each Pi

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@megamattzero7348]

And I thought my signal flow was crazy with a Blackmagic Extreme ISO, a Yolobox pro, a Yolobox Instream, with two laptops for Zoom and graphics!

[@siiimonz]

How do you setup the zoom drones when doing hybrid events? Both in pc and software.

[@VasanCD]

Great setup, well planned backup, why haven't you used SRT in your setup

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@VILTVARTCHANNEL]

Thank you for your secrets)) I wanted to ask you what is your logic in picking and parsing the setup, how do you assemble the cables and all the equipment so that you can quickly put everything on the next site and get to work? Do you rehearse before the stream and how do you check the setup? I like your approach =) I still have a small setup from a video mixer datavideo 650 four sony 6400 cameras a beringer xp18 mixer a webpresenter from blackmagic and a couple of macbooks with obs. Now I want to expand and prepare one ps with a vi mix, but I completely agree with your words that keeping everything in one car is not safe.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@brettrobertson2744]

Can confirm VMIX call is definitely a pain with some| a lot of clients. Teams NDI has been a workhorse for us. Every client has Teams it and it’s an easy lift if you’re working with execs with limited schedules. Question - what redundancy do you have if your central, mega switch breaks down? And for the debate- we run both, VMIX and an atem setup. Love them both for different reasons

[@A2ZProductions]

Couldn't agree more that both VMix and ATEM are great and built for different use cases. I can see us integrating VMix into some workflows at some point in the future. At the moment if our main switcher (the constellation) goes down, that's our biggest single point of failure - we try to always keep a graphics computer feed going directly into the livestream atem mini at the end of the chain. So we could at least switch to that while trouble shooting the issue.

[@LucasRomanenko]

Nice setup! Lots of redundancy, however what if the constellation 8k craps out. I guess for full backup, you would have to split inputs into two constellations and run all outputs through video hub. Then could make a macro that switches all inputs, outputs, multi view etc to backup constellation.

[@AjDuLion]

as soon as he talked about vmix may b dying this was my first thought constellation craps out your still SOL

[@johnpowell5868]

One important thing you forget to mention is internet networking. Do you use one or more internet providers for internet (zoom, webex, teams...) calls and streaming encoder. What I would do for 100% reliable streaming is: use 2 LiveU Solo (4 internet connections - 2 LTE sim cards, wifi and ethernet port ) or Solo Plus (6 internet connections - 4 LTE sim cards, wifi and ethernet port ) bonding encoders (main + backup) than go to restream (if you have more than 1 destination - if you not use restream you need more hardware encoders which means more money). Also you can use speedify for zoom, webex, teams...

[@choejor]

Thank you for sharing. Very useful information. May you guys succeed whatever you ASPIRE. A very quick question..why do you use a separate monitor for the zooms?? Don't you already see it on the laptop screen? Are you are using them as separate/extended monitor?? What is the advantage of doing so??

[@A2ZProductions]

Yes, we are using it as a secondary display. The benefit is so that you can make changes on the computer without disrupting the feed. It also gives you the ability to pull out things that may cause pop-ups in your feed such as participants and chat.

[@choejor]

@@A2ZProductions Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge and experience. Your videos are practical and immensely helpful..

[@Aljenkins88]

How could I run a zoom drone setup with similar function into an stem mini switcher connected to my streaming PC? Is the Sdi bidirectional converter only used to get an SDI for your switcher? Would I just use an HDMI Splitter and connect the Zoom drone hdmi output to the external monitor as well as the stem mini?

[@huongngothi1171]

Cảm ơn bạn chia sẻ

[@stuartrobb673]

Really interesting, and thank you for posting this. I’m building a studio in West London based around this template (with URSAG2). We’re using Autoscript from prompting but everything else is very similar. I agree re Hyperdecks, very difficult and unfriendly to use. What are you using for video playback - we plan to use CasparCG - do you use that anywhere in your setup. Also, we have ShoFlo and Rundown Creator (I prefer the later because of its integration) - do you use any production workflow automation and rundown management software. Finally, could you give more details on your video media player countdown set-up as I’m struggling to find a good solution there. Awesome video, thanks so much guys. Stuart

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@transform_global]

Stunning video. Love all you produce but this one is fascinating to see it all. I'm looking at setting up a multi format media channel (blogs, podcasts, interviews, news etc0, and it seems the set up you have has the flexibility without over the top costs for a full blown TV studio. I''d love to have a call with you to discuss - and chat around if you would consult on studio design / build?

[@A2ZProductions]

Absolutely! Just send us an email at [e-mail] and we can setup a consultation and talk through a bunch of possible options and ideas to help build something custom with you.

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@OMNashville]

hey, love this video! noticed you have those pixio LCD displays plugged into your ATEMS. I have the same display. I can't get a signal out of my ATEM onto that display. It just says no signal and shuts off. If I plug it into something else I get a signal no prob at all. I plug a different monitor into the ATEM, works fine. It's obviously a signal/rate issue, just wondering if you've had any issues like that, if so how did you solve? thanks, love the channel, keep up the great work

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@ChristofferJellum]

What about Tricaster 2 Elite? Do you know people who uses it? We have a smaller portable workflow built around Atem Mini Extreme, but we are looking for something bigger where we can have pre built scenes. Tricaster Elite 2 would be nice cause its like a one box setup.

[@A2ZProductions]

Don't have a ton of experience with Tricaster, but yes I know people that use it. Definitely a better 'all-in-one' system for strictly streaming/broadcasting. Especially if you're doing consistent similar daily shows.

[@ChristofferJellum]

@@A2ZProductions Epic!! Thanks 🤩

[@AlecTurner]

VMIX vs ATEM debate?? Are you guys still going to do that??

[@tiagoparreira27]

Make the video vmix vs Blackmagic I liked

[@stratcat84]

How are you creating each of those 4 Multiview's above each lapotp station? I thought the 12x12 videohub is just a router......

[@A2ZProductions]

It is. We are just routing one of the 4 multi views from the atem constellation to each monitor.

[@emmanuelfrancis]

What is the best way to use zoom with a few guest and a live audience where the main zoom computer is located? Specifically How do you wire the sound from and to that computer to avoid feed back from the panelist in the room using a loud sound system?

[@A2ZProductions]

You would need to give the person or people in the room with a loud sound system a microphone that does not pickup as much surrounding noise. Then send just the mic or group of mics signal into the zoom call. Just the mic signal and not a whole program audio feed. Then finally use a USB audio interface with Audio out or even just the simple headphone jack from zoom computer and send that to the speaker in the room. Feedback comes from when the microphone picks up the audio that it just sent to the mixer. Which then picks up the frequencies again and sends it to the mixer again and again and again which causes the feedback loop. To avoid this, you need to make sure the microphone can only hear the person it is meant for and not anything and everything in the room. Audio Boards have tools like Gates that can be helpful which only amplify the sound if it meets a certain threshold volume (meaning if someone is directly talking into the mic). Different Mics have different sensitivities so pick the mic that is best suited for the purpose. Country Man Microphones don't pick up as much ambient noise however Lavalier or Clip on Microphones tend to be very sensitive and can cause a lot of feedback and if not properly used and rung out. Hope that helps. Thanks!

[@emmanuelfrancis]

@@A2ZProductions Thank you so very much for the tips. i will try to apply them in my next livestream which will use that very setup with zoom calls and a live audience. i do have a Motu M4 that I will be using and a Presonus digital mixer for the room sound. Now I will need to make sure I use the right mic for the panelists. Thanks again Brandon and the rest of the team.

[@hakbreakz1159]

can you send me a link on the audio mixer>

[@Ishai1]

The ridiculous part with this setup is needing separate laptops for Zoom. They really need to add NDI outs like Teams or some other solution to allow for more control in professional settings.

[@dannyvfilms]

That's the one thing that makes me wait on a BlackMagic workflow. Adding more inputs just isn't scalable this way. NDI is.

[@jerinjose367]

Zoom NDI Bridge, its a payed software though

[@HippyCheez11]

Best Lenses y'all recommend for PL BM 4k studios?

[@A2ZProductions]

Panasonic lumix 16-35 or 35-100 are very good.

[@jadefinchscene5644]

this is very similar style to my set up, but your is way more capable. but independent hardware gives so many options and failovers.

[@A2ZProductions]

Very true!

[@jadefinchscene5644]

@@A2ZProductions if i could add a pic of my set up here in chat i would. i am about ready to do a new studio video, maybe i will remember to send you a link when i do it.

[@jimkegley]

G R E A T.

[@paleyosezi3122]

Bro your setup is complicated and expensive but if it helps you make more sales. More power to you. When I look at your video all I'm saying to myself is "Oh God when will I become that good".

[@newchannelalertcheckthisout]

Brandon's New Channel: www.youtube.com/@liveproductionmastery

[@ericruzanski]

Why use 15" MacBooks? Necessary cost?

[@SportFlow]

too many computers, dealing with software issues, windows updates and zillions of conversors and so on souds like a nightmare.

[@danielISTPhoto]

Now I know why.

[@SteveVickAK]

Impressive. I bet you have a high electric bill :(

[@soundabuse]

My brain boils :)

[@JayfkProductions876]

This whole video gave me a massive headache wooooooow