PCIe Card Expansion System for Worship Ministry | Sonnet Echo Express Setup and Review

[@TheElectroclassic]

JakeTechTips. But instead of dropping hardware, you're dropping knowledge.

[@TeakKey7]

XD that was hilarious

[@blakewilson272]

I LOVE our Sonnet Echo! We got the BM Quadlink card and have 8 inputs or outputs from the computer! The best solution so far!

[@TroyNahrwold]

Welcome to the world of getting nerdy about tech and loving it! I so need one of these! Thanks for finding the solution to my problems. Once again. Keep doing what you do so well Jake!

[@dmanalang9037]

You are such a blessing! I have no clue on what to do when it comes to video streaming but watching your videos made me informed and confident. Thank you so very much for what you do. God bless!

[@PaulClifford]

@Churchfront, Jake, I'm a ProPresenter trainer. You should use TWO for your lower thirds and do alpha (linear key). It looks like you're doing a lumakey, which is the WORST of the three types of keys (since it removes black). You've got the hardware, you should use it and you'll get MUCH better results (including translucency). I've got a tutorial on my channel about doing it, if you're interested.

[@alefthree]

What's the title of your video?

[@StevenRiveraVlog]

@@alefthree I think I found it. Is a 2yr old video the tittle is “Pro Tutorial: How to send an Alpha channel from ProPresenter 7 with a BMD Decklink duo2 card”

[@CLLChristlikeLife]

Wow, praise and glory to God for all you're doing which is so helpful to us worship leaders all around the world, this made me as a song writer,worshiper began uploading newly worships songs to bless churches in my channel. God bless you brother!

[@MattArmon]

Ive been researching how to do this lately so this vid is perfect timing.

[@reinerabad3482]

This is why you would choose a Computer over a laptop when doing this kind of setup, as it is easier to customize to suit what you need in your studio and you wouldn't be needing that much of the dongles and buying them instead of using those funds for other things like maintenance etc, as you said in the video. Anyways, it is still a great video, very informative, this will really help people who are searching for solutions for their services, keep it up! its just my two cents, anyways, God Bless!!!

[@985live]

I need your help lol. We’re about to buy another desktop to run our presentation software but I need three outputs for our setup. Could a graphics card that had 3-4 display outputs work?

[@bigrube76]

I had problems at first using a laptop and splitter to project to a projector and 2 TV screens as one screens would flicker constantly. The solution was a custom build pc with a dedicated graphics card. Problem solved.

[@collinmayes64]

This is an awesome solution to the issues I've been running into this week specifically. Thanks for that! One tip I'd give for people new to putting together hardware like that is get an anti-static wrist strap and standing on a hard surface rather than carpet when building. I'm not sure how sensitive these components are to static, but it's really easy in building computers to fry a part and have to buy a new one if you aren't properly grounded

[@LanreEshofilms]

finally someone explains this process. thank you so much. much love from Lagos, Nigeria

[@dannyl4893]

I'd strongly recommend using 2 SDIs for lower thirds to the blackmagic design. ProPresenter requires either NDI or 2 SDI connections to send a linear (alpha) key. Blackmagic only takes SDI so stick with 2 SDI outputs for the Black Magic Design ATEM switcher. Right now I am assuming you are using a Luma Key as your upstream key which works but doesn't allow you do have any black on your signal out (so no black text outline on your text). You could use chroma key instead and use ProPresenter's background setting to automatically add a, say green, background to your Stream lower thirds audience screen and that would give you more freedom of color choices to send out. Or just use 2 SDI outs on propresenter and use the Linear (alpha) Key and be able to send any color or whatever you want to your ATEM switcher and have no issues whatsoever. This helps a lot when displaying more complicated stuff (like long bible verses) on your lower thirds feed.

[@NewYears1978]

We don't use the Decklink but we use PP with a Kumo and we use the Green screen background as you mentioned. Works well. I am researching upgrading from the HDMI dongles to Decklink Duo 2 though.

[@jarrod.cochran]

Could you explain this set up a little more? I'm coming in after the fact and trying to fix some massive issues with keying right now!

[@HandsomeDragon]

This is great for portable setups when you want to use SDI or even HDMI in a live event. I have a very powerful rig at home, but if I want to travel, I need a Rig that fits everything and I can't bring my big one with me. That being said, having a powerful laptop, or a Mini ITX computer build with this PCIe Expansion slot, it can fit in one Pelican Case. With Vmix installed and my arsenal of 3 DSLR's, I'm a mobile studio with this setup. Thank you for posting this. It's just what I was looking for.

[@Luis93EnriqueMusic]

I love you... like truly. You answer my “Can I” questions every time.

[@eea-egliseenactionargenteu2423]

Thank you so much Jake ! We did exactly that in our church and it allowed us to manage our dual video projection screen + stage display + lower thirds. We "just" needed to upgrade our Mac (from mack air to iMac with good graphic cards since our old one wasn't able to run any video in PP7 without very big lags...)

[@michaelbyrd4004]

Just ordered 2 Lenovo Tiny P360's. It has a total of 6 video out's. Perfect for what we are doing at church. The drawback is Windows, but we would have to buy extra equipment (like this video shows) if we went with Apple. Also, the units are easy to open, upgrade, fix, etc. Looking forward to getting things going in a couple of weeks. Pro Presenter is a pain on Windows at times. Had to force quit and restart during communion this past Sunday. Something happens every Sunday!

[@kevinoreilly9222]

Another good way to do it is with a thunderbolt dock. It doesn't give you PCI-E expandability but it does give you many USB 3.0, Ethernet, Video out, USB C, etc expandability. Not sure about the availability for Mac but Lenovo has plenty of good options.

[@craigallen7980]

Yes! But for his purposes, he actually needed PCI-e cards. At least the Black Magic video card.

[@kevinoreilly9222]

@@craigallen7980 PCI-e is the cleanest way to do it, no question about that. But the one cable solution can be done similarly and less expensively with a thunderbolt dock. You can replicate all of the same functionality with USB 3.0 devices hooked into a dock, except maybe 10g ethernet-- haven't seen that in a dock. USB capture boxes are inexpensive and fairly reliable. For my portable setup (sans the ATEM switcher) I use 3x hdmi capture boxes and switch with OBS. Works nice. Or spend a little more money and get a BM Ultrastudio.

[@tomhenry2320]

YES YES YES! I can't believe there aren't more tutorials like this!

[@AmateurRadioSouthAfrica]

Thanks for the videos! Discovered your channel yesterday and I'm really loving it. We currently have a lockdown in South Africa, so I'm really enjoying your videos on online church tips etc. Thanks again!

[@mELONHEAD1899]

Does this setup still apply to 2022??

[@mrbite700]

Wow. I just liked this video 30 times, lol. Such a huge helpful answer to a problem we were dealing with for too long. Thanks!

[@ricks624]

Your comments about techy stuff and IT guys had me bustin' up! Way to go! :-)

[@oloidhexasphericon5349]

Thank you for this video! There seem to be no docks with 10Gb ethernet and thunderbolt 4. Being able to construct a dock, like one would a computer, I didn't think such products existed!

[@christophernelder]

You should be able to use the second USB-C on the sonet as a pass thru and plug your current Ethernet adaptor there to keep it as one cable into your Mac. Just a thought for you.

[@lamarshealey3332]

Thank you I am glad you made a dedicated video for this

[@kirklandcorbin9220]

Loved the Linus tech tips reference

[@abecoulter8550]

so cool i have two of these on order already..will be running on my intel nuc skull canyon

[@Elvinchac]

Abe Coulter if your running windows you might want to think about using NDI instead of a pci expansion hub.

[@abecoulter8550]

@@Elvinchac no thanks it will work fine..i have used others and they worked fine

[@Dr.ChristianCole]

Awesome and Linus reference!

[@garyvaldez8699]

Never had a ton of problems with dongles or cables shorting but I never liked the look. Surely does clean up so much of the setup though! I would only use the Usbs and deck link.

[@IamJusRoyalty]

This is Awesome! We just installed ours today. Only issue is that the duo card isn't registering. Any help? :(

[@lennie76]

ProPresenter has an NDI Module that can do this over the network with no additional hardware. Won't work with the BMD switchers, but all of the more capable ones

[@MrWillihelmdueck]

...and directly with OBS and other Streaming Software.

[@ZafranAkmal]

ndi consumes a lot of resources and bandwith. not worth it for a macbook pro running everything at once

[@kprichardson84]

Yeah we just setup our lower thirds as a separate NDI screen for livestream and into OBS. The second screen does seem to slow Pro7 down a bit. Wondering does this expansion help that or is it more an issue of our computer processor?

[@TroyNahrwold]

If you're only sending lower thirds from ProPresenter, try setting your NDI screen resolution lower. You could send 720p for a 1080p screen and scale it without noticing a quality difference.

[@kprichardson84]

@@TroyNahrwold and what do you do if you need to play a full screen video? How do you get that to work with the alpha or chroma key settings.

[@lamixxman]

Great work Jake your awesome

[@thomasp001]

Looks good, you should be able to use the spare part to send a key and fill lower thirds output to your switcher. This would allow you to have colours other than white in your lower thirds without looking weird. Advantages of this include black outlines around white text, highlighting scripture verses in different colours or anything you would want to do with a lower third that isn't just the colour white.

[@LakePointFamilyChurch]

Jake thanks for making this video. I have the tip you need. I have been building this exact same set up at my church and finally figured something out Monday. Thomas is right you should send a key and fill to the ATEM because if you are like me you will want do the preachers lower thirds live during the recording instead of in post and you are finding that it's not working unless you just do white text. I contacted Propresenter and this is how you do it. 1. The Stream screen from Propresenter - turn on alpha and choose external key. 2. The DLD 2 Card - you need to keep a couple of channels paired. 3. Blackmagic Desktop Video Setup comes with a little App - Live Key. Turn it on. 4. Run the 2 SDIs to your ATEM. 5. Setup the Downstream KEY in the ATEM - Key and Fill and select Pre Multiplied Key. Bam! you can send anything you want to the ATEM (Full screens, Black Translucent Boxes, etc). Anyone reading this - If I'm still doing this wrong let me know. But this worked for me. Drew.

[@gsvisualedits3816]

Thanks for the tip. Been searching an hour how to output the lyrics without media in PP7. :D

[@JoshuaMcMahon]

This is a great video - thank you! Also, 5:36 is hilarious 😂

[@lamarshealey3332]

My one question is how well would this work with a Mac mini?

[@TroyNahrwold]

And yes... I'm laughing with you trying to put together tech!

[@mrtoner]

Thanks, Jake, that was great!

[@wintroy1]

good job Jake

[@its_Blackpoint]

Just one tipp: Allways put dthe Card who produces the most heat in the highest Slot. so it won't heat up the other cards ;)

[@jongriffith4293]

Good point. Thanks.

[@wlhlive]

Hello Jake, thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am Pastor Henry and because of COVID 19 we are streaming our services. My issue I was you presented. I gave all Blackmagic switchers, Camera, Digital audio using the Dante system, and Pro Presenter 7 period I have not the capability of sending out multiple screens. This video gives me a solution here it is two years later, I just want to know if you still recommend this process. Sincerely Pastor Henry

[@TheBaldygb]

Good video, very helpful!!!

[@johnpaulporrelli6208]

Perfect video explains everything thank you. So with all the outs being sdi are you sending the feeds to the tv and stage display with sdi cables and then sdi to hdmi converters?

[@ashleyozmond]

Great video, always helpful. By the way does it work with the M1 chip Mac?

[@sergiinechitailo]

Jake, you're foreverandeveramazing genius))

[@jenaleeowens3933]

Our church will be moving into an old movie theatre. We will be using the original theatre screens. What do you recommend for this set up? We plan to run propresenter from our IMac and need to send the feed to two projectors, a stage screen and possibly a couple lobby TVs. We also want to run IMAG to the projectors and use our ATEM mini to add lower thirds and scripture to our live stream. I am new to all this, so any help is so appreciated!

[@bkwestman22]

This is great info, thanks!!

[@Elvinchac]

Jake have you thought about using companion and a elgato stream deck to control the atem?

[@KevinGale]

Yea those network cards take spf. Really awesome if you want to run fiber networking. I believe they also have a copper spf connection you can slide in there. #nerdy

[@robbyandrews223]

It looks like that's what he put in there, an RJ45 SPF+ module. You can use fiber, RJ45 (Cat6/Cat5e etc) and also DAC (Direct Attach Copper). DAC is really only good for connecting two machines or to an SPF+ based switch

[@acpgiga]

Great work! Well done...

[@VegasDominic]

Wondering if it’s possible to have two separate Blackmagic capture cards at the same time connected to the system? Lets say an 8 input output BM SDI card and then a 4 HDMI BM card? Either two thunderbolt sonnets or maybe a thunderbolt external that can handle two BM cards? 😅

[@officialsamuelgravesmsc]

so how does the SDI cable connect to the screens or the projector, which version of the Blackmagic box?

[@calebgibson5618]

Great info man!!

[@methuselahakizimana2382]

I like the contents you're making

[@geoffsmith82]

@Churchfront with Jake Gosselin Why don't you get an ARTnet to DMX adaptor? That way you wouldn't need the USB to DMX converter. You would just have to run your network closer to the lights

[@wilsonbatuyong1147]

very nice. just 1 question, will it work on window laptop using usb c connection?

[@stevenjames90]

So the sole purpose of the ethernet card in the Sonnet was to connect to Dante? I may have missed something. Thanks and great video.

[@MavidDartin]

Was wondering the same thing.

[@melechhaarayot9273]

Great video, very informative

[@akmalchanel4224]

hi thank you for sharing knowlage) which macbook do you using? it is not overheating?

[@mounirammi]

Who handles the power needed by the SDI cards ?? the chassis or the computer ?? I mean if I wanted to use 2 DeckLink Quad 2 cards, should I have a powerful computer, or the chassis can handle them??

[@LeadingInnovations]

Im actually planning a state-of-the-art tech-solution for streaming our services. In my oppinion the future of communication is IP-based. We have seen that with our phones und now of course with our TVs. As a result of my researches I found Newteks NDI protocol for sending video-data over ethernet networks. That would especially come in handy for your PTZoptics cameras. For normal cameras HDMI-to-NDI converters from Maxwell are available. You wouldn't need that 4 channel SDI card. And what I've seen so far you already have a Gigabit-LAN established for sound via Dante which you could easily use for NDI. Also NDI provides the option of multicast, which means you could transmit one video stream for unlimited count of devices without needing more bandwidth for each receiver. Probably you would have to use another PC/Mac for this because the compression and decompression of NDI takes quite a lot of CPU-power. Have you considered using NDI for the scenario you are showing in this video? Greetings from Brunswick, Germany

[@dannyl4893]

NDI compresses your image though. I mean there is a reason its taking a 3Gbs 1080p 60fps image and using only 100Mbs instead. Then you have the bandwidth issue. His 3 different screens would be taxing the network 300Mbs+. Thats fine if he as a 1Gb connection but then all you need is some other random person in the network moving some files or download a large file to potentially cause spikes that could impact the NDI signals. Also HDMI to NDI converters are very expensive.

[@rickyessilfie2775]

Great information, I purchase the Sonnet Echo Express SEIIIe Thunderbolt 3 Edition (3-Slot PCIe Card Expansion Chassis) and install Blackmagic Design DeckLink Duo 24ch SDI Playback but Mac mini can not see card. Any work around it. It look easy on the video ( I fellow the same steps ).

[@CaseyFleetMedia]

Jake on the video card is that DVI plugs? How do I go from that to my adapters first hdmi, vga, cat 5

[@MrJoezerbermudez]

Jake can I use Blackmagic Design DeckLink Quad HDMI Recorder 4K PCIe Capture Card E+ instead if I only have HDMI?

[@mattheww7715]

You mentioned the ethernet card wasn’t picking up Dante sound. Did Sonnet ever get their chassis to work with Dante?

[@kevineloy2200]

Can you connect an iMac that has thunderbolt 2 to the sonnet echo? Will it work with a thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter?

[@ksajan16]

I would strongly recommend a dedicated graphics card if you are planning doing anything with video (inputting or outputting video).

[@donaldsmith-covertheearth3190]

Can I use one of the SDI ports to take video out to an BMD mini recorder then to a older Mac thunderbolt 2?

[@3NC0D3]

Since you have daisy-chaining on that enclosure you could (for the time being) plug thet usb-c to ethernet adapter in that box instead of the macbook I suppose. Just to eliminate another wire coming out of the macbook

[@johnbettencourt8547]

Linus would be proud.

[@sunil.somuri]

Could you please confirm why you are not using SDI outputs from your Atem Television Studio switcher. Sorry if my question is too naive. Thanks in advance! Appreciate your insights.

[@lifechurch1422]

Would you still recommend this setup today for the Mac mini M2?

[@francisnaval]

How does the hardware connection from decklink duo to monitor? do you still need to use SDI to HDMI connector?

[@davidmcglone409]

Are you using the same computer for your pro presenter presentation and camera control? If so is it better than using 2 seperate computers.

[@alfaandries7396]

Awesome Video! Sir can I ask you? Can replace decklink duo 2 with CalDigit TS3 Plus to match my needs, I need 1 port for LED Screen, 1 for Stage Display, 1 for Atem Blackmagic TV Studio, 1 for TV monitor?? Thank you so much. God bless

[@championshipmodemedia9469]

Is this the same thing as the hdmi version?? Looking to use Mac to output 4 hdmi signals

[@chrisfleck8609]

Could you offer some more insight on the BMD side of the setup? Everything is being recognized and I have items assigned properly. But I can’t get the lower third to show on my ATEM.

[@mrtoner]

My guess is that the resolution and frame rate you’re sending doesn’t match the settings in your ATEM.

[@calebmadan]

Great video curious if you have a newer update with other options you would now recommend

[@Lopezemmanueloficial]

me too i would like to see if there is a newer updated options now since its been 4 years now

[@valik-stu]

Any news with dante compatibility?

[@SamuelFilmsTV]

Hello, Does it work with M1?

[@AlexSuberMinistries]

We have the same setup. The computer and Pro recognize the deck link but can’t get anything to output. Any ideas?

[@crisgaret]

I know this is an old video. But does anyone know if you can double up the Decklink Duo 2 in the same Expansion Chassis?

[@isaiahprosper9948]

i honestly dont really know

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Nice & Thanks :)

[@taeminejang]

Thanks for wonderful information! Is this work with M1 chipset based Macs?

[@dirface]

Some but not all cards. Check comp chart.

[@brcury92]

Is it possible to connect it to the computer via USB-C? I have a Windows laptop and it doesn't have a thunderbolt option.

[@desmondappiah]

I have startech's thunderbolt 3 expansion chassis with the decklink duo. I see it in propresenter alright. I have configured it in desktop video. But i can't see my lower thirds on the atem switcher. What could the problem be?

[@isaiahprosper9948]

Hey Jake nice video, i would want to know what blackmagic converter are you using to send feed from PP7 to your TV, HDMI to SDI 3G?? let me know please thank you🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@stoochy1]

Can I do proper lower thirds with the deck link duo into an atem extreme? Or will it only work with SDI video mixers?

[@lucasbasualdo6752]

Hi Jake are you coming out thunderbolt3 from your chassis into your mac usb C? do you know if this conversion matters?

[@BradK02]

Just wanted to confirm, I. Bought this exact kit as per your recommendation. Did not set it up yet. Does the box have to connect to a TB port that does display out. Or can it connect to any TB3 port.

[@TheUnMarketingGroup]

Hello and thank you for all that you do to support this community. Were you able to find a PCIe ethernet card that was Dante compatible?

[@ben-godkasomboy1730]

Thanks for this question... I need too to know it

[@checkettstm]

I’ve got this setup on a MacBook Pro but the laptop isn’t keeping a charge. We lose about 40% of battery through rehearsal and service. Second USB-C port is using an HDMI splitter for external monitor so I cannot use Mac charger. Even without the splitter plugged in the computer still loses power. Is the Sonnet supposed to provide power through USB-C or should I always have the Mac charger plugged in?

[@JonathanMarkMorgan]

What's the minimum recommended computer specs to run with this setup, using all available SDI outputs? Would a Macbook Pro 13 inch with 2 GHz Quad Core Intel i5 and Intel Iris Plus Graphics (1536 MB) be sufficient?

[@dodothev]

What do you need a ethernet port? Whats the purpose?

[@obiang24]

Would an external gpu with multiple video output work in trying to achieve multiple displays output? Thanks!

[@abecoulter8550]

i would have put the BMD card with the fan on the outer slot so it blows against the case rather than onto another card...the BMD cards can get a bit warmish

[@evermoremedia]

Hi Jake have you tried this with an M1 mac? I am looking to build one of these expansion bays but I am not sure if this will work on the M1 mac book pro since it doesn’t support eGPU’s. this is a different from eGPU so I am hoping someone has tried this and got it working.

[@jakegould3465]

Thanks Jake!! This is so helpful!! Question... What is the Ethernet card for?

[@gmartinezcabrera]

So helpful. But why Sdi and not hdmi card? Does that not exist. Btw. I hate dongles, as well.

[@apostle.ayo.pharez]

can I also like add an hdmi graphic card to this expansion chassis?

[@pgsm15]

Hey all, Been trying to buy the decklink duo 2 but has been out of stock everywhere and we have been waiting for it to be dispatched for a while now...I've seen decklink duo 2 mini available and been trying to find more information on it but no one is really tslking about it What's the difference? Is it just the size? so can do the exact same thing?