Production Switchers

Every once in a while our news department asks if there is any way they can roll on a "Clean Feed" of what we have on-air. The best example is when we have an on-set interview, and they want to use excerpts from said interview in later shows, but don't want to have all the graphics and what-not. I know there are "Clean MLEs", but that doesn't help much because you never know for sure which MLE any given template will land on, and it changes during the interview. I don't suppose there is any output that takes all keys off all MLEs that can be routed up and recorded on? Even then, our bug would still be on the video, since that is added in Master Control...but that's a different problem. HA! Thanks :)

Well if you were to Record the Clean Feed out of the switcher to another Record Server then you would not get the Bug since that is done down stream of the switcher. Next you have to look at the other Graphics that they don't want to see. usually those are actually added on the PGM ME in it's keyers. The Upstream ME might have a GFX for Say a 2 box but again depends on how you have things built.

If you really really wanted to make a "super clean" what you could do is use the Auto Follow system so that the PGM ME ECHOs to an AUX Bus. Then on that AUX Bus you would assign it a different Bus MAP than your primary Bus map (normally your using just one -- Bus Map 1) You would Copy Bus Map 1 to another Bus Map (lets just say 2 for now).

Now you go into the second Bus Map that you just copied to (rename it at some point) and make changes to the assignments for the Re-Entry. You would change those to be the ME x Clean Feed instead. So that way when they take the ME to Air the Aux Bus will Cut to the ME Clean instead. Now you will be able to set your keyers Clean feed levels in the Outputs - Clean Feed Menu.

Les


#Vision

Thanks Les! I'm not sure that all made sense on the first read, but I'll go over it again when I can sit in front of the switcher. We don't downstream anything, all keys are on ME1 and ME2, and ME3 serves only to switch between ME1 and 2, but of course....the rare cases that someone DOES downstream is when we are doing on-set interviews. They do want to clean ALL keys off in the situations when this clean feed is requested.
#Vision

**Yet another edit** I think I finally got it!! I had to turn "On" the Auto Follow permissions about custom controls/panels, etc... They are working on hooking up the audio now. The only downside I can find is that live boxes won't translate at all, but I might can solve that by modifying those memories so that the boxes come from Keys 3/4 and cleaning out everything under that....we'll see if it's worth it. Thanks so much!!!


**Edit to add AGAIN..... I am pretty sure I have it all set up properly, but when we call it up on the router, all we see is black. Even though I set up the Echo to the Aux Bus, the switcher shows that "Black" is routed into the chosen Aux Bus. Am I missing a step perhaps??


OK....I read that again and I'm not sure I follow. I was mistaken about the Bug thing, forgetting that we add it through mater control, so that part isn't a problem. And, I know that there are ways to set up clean feeds for each ME, but we use those in some memories/templates, so I don't think they are available. Does that matter in this scenario? Most of our Live Box graphics aren't set up on keyers, so that shouldn't be a problem...I guess I Just don't know if the fact the we do use the ME clean feeds for other things makes your suggestion not-doable. Suppose I'll just start pushing buttons and see if I can find/figure out the steps you laid out above....??

*****Edit to add....I sat down with it and think I may be starting to understand. I copied the Bus Map, set up the PGM ME Echo to Aux Bus and see that one of our Clean Feeds should be free to make this work, and I think I understand about changing the re-entry points. I had to clear out for the noon news, so hadn't yet figure out how to assign an Aux Bus to a different Bus Map?? I just remembered that once in a while a director will downstream banners on the PGM ME. Would they just have to NOT do that in situations where they wanted to record a Clean Feed?
#Vision

1 -- Are you using OverDrive at all? If so that could have an issue but still workable.

2 -- if your using the the PGM ME to send commands to Aux for the Follow then the Keyers used on the PGM ME will never show up so that would be clean of those "banners".

3 -- Now in the Bus map menu you will find the assign Bus Maps -- Individual Buses -- Scroll all the way down till you start to find the individual Buses that are the Aux buses.

4 -- Yes there is a personality for Auto Follows ON. Then in the Auto Follows Menu where you setup the the Echo Links you will also find a Config for setting which scenarios that Auto Follows are enabled for. I would make sure you turn all 3 on (Panel, Custom Controls and Editor/Automation).

5 -- keep in mind that the Bus Map is basically the Replacement. So for ME Re-Entries (taking Upstream ME to PGM Row) you would want to configure those XPTs on the Copied Bus to be the ME Clean Feed of the ME on the Main Bus Map. So if you were using Clean Feeds then yes again you need to figure out which one you can use. This is also where you get into an issue with OverDrive Templates that may be keying elements in a Full Screen Keyer so that they can use the Clean Feed to transition in On-Set Monitors so you will need to make sure you have this set accrodingly.



6 -- Finally are you sure you want Clean from the Up Stream MEs and not just Clean from the PGM ME??? That can be really hard as a different ME Recall could have elements that you need -- Like Boxes being done in keyers and Done under a graphic that overlays the Boxes -- why would they want the Boxes stripped or even just the Graphic Overlay of the Boxes stripped??

#Vision

1 -- Are you using OverDrive at all? If so that could have an issue but still workable.

Y[I]es, we do use OverDrive, but so far I don't think that will be a problem...maybe?[/I]

2 -- if your using the the PGM ME to send commands to Aux for the Follow then the Keyers used on the PGM ME will never show up so that would be clean of those "banners".

[I]I noticed that once I had it working and watched for a bit while directing the 4PM news :)[/I]

3 -- Now in the Bus map menu you will find the assign Bus Maps -- Individual Buses -- Scroll all the way down till you start to find the individual Buses that are the Aux buses.

[I]Took some digging, but I got there. Every time I would come and ask a question, I was able to figure it out about 30 minutes later...hence the constantly edited comments...LOL![/I]

4 -- Yes there is a personality for Auto Follows ON. Then in the Auto Follows Menu where you setup the the Echo Links you will also find a Config for setting which scenarios that Auto Follows are enabled for. I would make sure you turn all 3 on (Panel, Custom Controls and Editor/Automation).

[I]See comment above :)[/I]

5 -- keep in mind that the Bus Map is basically the Replacement. So for ME Re-Entries (taking Upstream ME to PGM Row) you would want to configure those XPTs on the Copied Bus to be the ME Clean Feed of the ME on the Main Bus Map. So if you were using Clean Feeds then yes again you need to figure out which one you can use. This is also where you get into an issue with OverDrive Templates that may be keying elements in a Full Screen Keyer so that they can use the Clean Feed to transition in On-Set Monitors so you will need to make sure you have this set accrodingly.

[I]We do use a clean feed to perform some in-screen monitor mixes...but as far as I can remember we only use one of the clean feeds for such effects, so I used the other one to set up this on-air clean feed. Hopefully I didn't forget about something the 2nd clean feed is used for![/I]


6 -- Finally are you sure you want Clean from the Up Stream MEs and not just Clean from the PGM ME??? That can be really hard as a different ME Recall could have elements that you need -- Like Boxes being done in keyers and Done under a graphic that overlays the Boxes -- why would they want the Boxes stripped or even just the Graphic Overlay of the Boxes stripped??

[I]That is certainly the biggest issue I am running into now. The problem is, we almost never run graphics from the PGM ME, so the things we DO want cleaned come from the MEs just as often as the things we DON'T want cleaned....which kind of stinks. Right now I'm working on a solution where I modify memories and templates to run the lower third banners they are wanting to clean on Keyer 4, setting up the clean feed to only not show Keyer 4. That wouldn't be perfect, but it would give us the ability to use MOST live boxes and still have the banners cleaned off when needed. As far as I can tell it would only limit us on 4, 5, 6 and 8 boxes and camera shots with panels or side graphics that run from the same template/memories as video with banners....but I can't think of another compromise that works within they way we punch shows.[/I]
#Vision

The OverDrive question has to do with how they use Clean Feeds some of the time. But then yes also makes setting up the Clean Feeds for a "super clean" really hard to do :)

Your issue with how they setup some graphics to be clean and some not is something that will be very hard to do :) Like "well read my mind and tell me what I am thinking" level......


If your using the exact same keyer Source for Panels and Side graphics. What you might consider for those is creating separate templates where you put the GFX on Keyer 4 when you know they will be the kind of Graphics you would like to clear off. But if your going to use it for Boxes, Side Panels OTS items then you build those templates to put that GFX source on Key 3.

Essentially that should allow them to then Code it into the Rundown. Basically adding a Template that is a "GFX not part of Clean Feed" to the options that they can chose from.

In that way you would be able to "add" this new template option where you set it up that way moving those GFX to Key 4 by making new Memories and Templates as opposed to modifying the existing templates. This would also make sure that it is clear in the Coding of templates since you have choices of which templates put the GFX into Key 4 and thus be removed from view on the Clean Feed.



#Vision