Live Concert Production

[adamw]

We are working on a live concert production and will have 2 IMAG screens on the side and have 2 On Stage Screens With Moveing Backgrounds We want to have lyrics as a lower third on the Imag Screens But also have them on the back screens at times is this possible and if so how

[tdangelo]

Originally Posted by adamw

We are working on a live concert production and will have 2 IMAG screens on the side and have 2 On Stage Screens With Moveing Backgrounds We want to have lyrics as a lower third on the Imag Screens But also have them on the back screens at times is this possible and if so how

Adamw,

This is easiest to understand if you break it down to its components. If the two off stage screens are always the identical they will be one output from your switching system. If the two on-stage screens are always the identical to each other but different from the off-stage screens they will be a second output from your switching system. If your recording is identical to one of the above outputs then they can share that output … if not then your recording is a third output.

An “M/E” or mix-effects bus on a production switcher allows you to send any input to a specific output. So, if you need two discreet outputs (off-stage and on-stage) you will need a switcher with two M/E’s. If you need three discreet outputs you will need three M/E’s. There are two exceptions however:

1) A separate switcher can always take the place of an M/E. So, in that scenario if you need two discreet outputs you could use two switchers. Or, if you need three discreet outputs you could use three switchers.

2) Some switchers have outputs called Aux Outs. These essentially allow the switcher to perform as a small router. On some switchers the aux outputs will not have all the effects of an M/E. On other switchers it will. If you can live with the limitations of the auxes you could substitute a Aux for any of the places M/Es are described above.

The requirement to put lower-third lyrics on the off-stage screens will require a switcher, or M/E, with “keying” capability. There are many types of keys, which we could discuss, but for now let’s say that you will look for a switcher or M/E with “Downstream Key” capability.

The requirement to put lyrics on the on-stage screens will depend on whether those lyrics are lower-third (same as the off-stage screen lyrics) or full screen. If lower third then the switcher or M/E feeding that on-stage screen output needs its own (2nd) downstream keyer. If the lyrics are full screen then the graphics device just needs to go into the input of the on-stage screen switcher (or M/E).

Your graphics device may have its own keying capability. In this scenario you would feed your switcher, aux, or M/E output to the graphics device and allow the graphics device to put the key in, and take it out as need be.

[Brad Weber]

Tom, very well presented! Maybe some of the switcher manufacturers could hire you to write the "how it works" sections in their manuals since several of them seem to do a rather poor job of presenting the basic concepts.