Vision Mixer Help Needed

[Jinxed]

I am an ASM on a one night only show based in London (ending up being a volunteer position). The Director has decided to include a Projector and camera, but what started out as a 'one key stroke laptop operation' now has developed into a Vision Mixer!

 

I have been told that I will be shown the desk, which will be ready to run, and given a brief guide, but the technical rehearsal and the show is on the same day. The tech is at 9am - 1pm and then the show goes up at 3pm. There is no opportunity to get to the thing, before now and the show, so to say I am nervous is an understatement. I have a week to learn the basics of Vision Mixer operation, never having laid eyes on one in my life !!! I have told them this repeatedly, but they say I'll be fine. Is it possible to NOT look like a fool in this amount of time - I'm meant to be a professional, and basically...well............. H E L P !!!!!!!!!!

 

You can respond here, or my email is iwillreplytoyou@hotmail.com

[david.elsbury]

One: What mixer. Make, Model, etc.

Two: What sources.

 

With these answered, we can help you a bit better.

But generally;

a vision mixer has 2 or more inputs,

assignable to either an A or a B buss (sometimes a C buss but that's the broadcast mixers),

which are switchable or mixable to an output. Various transitions are offered, from a simple cut or disolve to fancy wipes.

 

Outputs are generally a 'program' out which is the main output, and a 'preview' out which often displays the opposite buss than what is being output (though this varies between mixers)

 

David

[James]

I am an ASM on a one night only show based in London (ending up being a volunteer position). The Director has decided to include a Projector and camera, but what started out as a 'one key stroke laptop operation' now has developed into a Vision Mixer!

 

I have been told that I will be shown the desk, which will be ready to run, and given a brief guide, but the technical rehearsal and the show is on the same day. The tech is at 9am - 1pm and then the show goes up at 3pm. There is no opportunity to get to the thing, before now and the show, so to say I am nervous is an understatement. I have a week to learn the basics of Vision Mixer operation, never having laid eyes on one in my life !!! I have told them this repeatedly, but they say I'll be fine. Is it possible to NOT look like a fool in this amount of time - I'm meant to be a professional, and basically...well............. H E L P !!!!!!!!!!

 

You can respond here, or my email is iwillreplytoyou@hotmail.com

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Vision mixers vary quite considerably from small ones with only half a dozen buttons to larger ones where you can do anything up to and including destroy large inhabited planets.

 

http://www.globalmediapro.com/av/attach/43/wj-ave55.gif

 

This is a sample vision mixer, It is a simple domestic one, and one that is quite popular for this type of job.

 

you can see in the centre of the mixer 2 rows of 7 buttons.

 

Next to them is a fader/slider.

 

the 7 buttons represent 7 sources.

 

the slider selects which one you are looking at.

 

 

there is a little light on the 7 buttons to show which source is selected on the A row or the B row.

 

as you move the slider from one row to the other the picture fades from one to the other.

 

you can now select a new source on the row (bus) that you are not using and make a new fade.

 

This mixer has 4 inputs, the other 3 sources are either internaly generated sources (like black or a colour) or effects (If the effect button is enabled on this desk then two buttons will be lit on each bus, the effect one and the source that is having the effect applied to it.)

 

Effects can include, strobe, B&W, Blockey, Blurry, or colour tinting (using the joystick on the left of the mixer - push it towards the red green or blue area and it tints the picture, the more you push it the more it affects it.

 

Accross the top of the mixer are three buttons that controll how the mixer fades from one video source to another, you can set it to disolve, wipe or superimpose. (luminence or chroma keying)

 

Hopefuly this gives you an idea of how this type of vision mixer works, It won't give you any hints towards the art of vision mixing, which is a skill learned best in paractice. If you want a training course then there is this one which will take some beating! but in reality you just need to get behind a vision mixer and play.

 

Many of the cheeper domestic vision mixers work how I have discribed the one above, Professional vision mixers are a different concept,

 

http://www.donlinte.com/web_products/gvg100.JPG

 

Take this one for example,

 

here you have three rows of buttons of your sources a Programme bus, a Preset bus and a Background bus.

 

Basicaly with no keying going on, what is selected on your programme bus is your output If you want to Cut to something else then all you do is press its button on the programme bus. If you want to fade to something select it on the Preset bus and move the T bar. As you start to move the T bar both lights become illuminated on the programme bus indicating that both sources are being outputted. As you complete your fade by moving the T bar to the other side the original light on the Programme (PGM) bus will go out and will now be selected on the Preset bus (PST) Again you will have internaly generated sources on the mixer like black, colour bars etc...

 

Please pardon my earlier attempt at humour, it is unlikly that you will end up distroying any planets unless you are presented with one of these.

 

http://www.usedvideo.org/march2005_pics/gvg200_1.jpg

 

James

[DeanAU]

Just think of it as a really crappy lighting desk :)

[mac.calder]

Ummm... no... A vision mixer and an LX desk are COMPLETELY different things. They have TOTALY separate purposes and interfaces. If it was to be compared with something, an audio mixer would be a closer comparison - as you are mixing inputs to an output with the desired parameters, not just setting output levels.

[paulears]

Just think of it as a really crappy lighting desk :)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

you mean it makes lights flash and has dodgy buttons?

 

 

Not, if you don't mind me commenting - that helpful!

 

Jinxed is obviously worried as this post appears on the ABTT too.

[Jinxed]

Hi there,

 

Thank you so much for your replies.....yup definately definately worried - to put it mildly. My stomach is in such big knots, I could put a professionally put up flys gallery to shame !!! While I have a tech theatre degee, I usually stick to the proping and SM work, and so while its always good to learn, and I'm sure the experience will be one I'll never forget, right now I am scared rigid ! I want to look professional, so I am trying to learn all I can.

 

Sadly, the course you posted, james, is way out of my budget. I'm only getting £100 for the day (if I get it at all in the end) via a charity, but thank you anyway. I really do appreciate it, greatly. Also the information you posted is very helpful. Admittedly, now I am really really nervous, but I shall now hit the internet big time and see if there is an on-line desk of some sort I can play with. I shall also contact the SM and ask about make and model.

 

I just had a though to get in touch with the hire company and see if they can let me have a look at least......just to increase my stress of course !!! heeheeheee !

 

Thanks guys. I really do appreciate your replies.

[James]

Jinxed

 

I don't think you need to worry.

 

I apologise if my post has confused things for you.

 

I am a TV engineer, not an operator. We think about things in a slightly different way to operators.

 

With ten minuites of sitting down with one in front of you - you should get to grips with all you will be asked to do.

 

 

Good Luck

[Jinxed]

Hi all, I just wanted to say thank you very much for all your support!!!

 

Settle down....its an adventure of a show report....from a nervous wreck's point of view !!!

 

The Desk was a Panasonic Mixer MXJ-50, for those who want to know.

 

The show went up, and I really, really enjoyed the experience of Vision Mixing. I really got into it in the end. What was all the fuss about !?! Hahahahaaa !

 

Ok, so the projector was badly set up in the beginning and required some hasty replanning on the day, and the disk which was meant to have a 40 minute company/show logo slide show thing on it, only had a 4 minute burst, and required constant attention to run smoothly. We had no cans to anyone at all in the building - good thing we can all shout loudly, - as the incorrect equipment was sent by the hire company, and the balloon net was hung right in front of the lighting box so I couldn't see a thing except the side walls of the upper circle, so had to soley rely on an output monitor. Then Camera 3 broke down, beyond repair, and as we fiddled with the thing and other bits, the SM announced that we couldn't do a proper full dress rehearsal, or tech run so we all were flying as blind as the proverbial bats. Surely it couldn't get worse !?!

 

HA! To top it all, I hit the opening 'audience entry' visuals, to run, and on my monitor of what was projecting, everything looked fantastic. I felt really good, with a totally self satisfied 'Can Do' attitude. Unfortunately, whilst I personally 'can do', there are other things that clearly can't ! After about 6 minutes the SM burst into the box screaming "Where's the f*****g visuals!?!" and I answered smugly, and with retrospect, all too sarcastically "on the projection screen" whilst pointing incredulously at my output monitor, which looked stunning in its presentation of the aformention visuals, only to be screamed at in horror that 'the screen on stage was blank', and 'what did you touch' ! After a hasty descent of 3 flights of stairs and a banged elbow (who on earth puts gigantic steel handles on doors anyway !!! ) I saw for myself, just what a wonderously shocking sight that a blank projection screen with a projection unit visably suspended in front of it, on an opening show visuals sequence, looks like !

 

I returned with more haste and a banged knee (well, I never said I could run fast, upstairs in a darkened and unfamiliar environment!) to the box to find a variatable hoard of folk, randomly punching buttons and twisting knobs on the desk, and of course, wiggling wires behind the desk and all the 4 visual monitors ! To say I was panicked by this attack on my workstation, would be an understatement! Chappie whom had set up the day before had all but done the job for me. I had no idea what had to be lit and what hadn't !

 

Suddenly it all went down. The thing died. A few more random punches later, and much flicking of back switches by the SM, she saw it all flicker back to life, and told me that it was now alive, before making hasty exit, and yes, the machine was indeed alive....on its own ! The monitor screen showed a varietable display of effects, which I dearly would have loved to have been able to acheive with a little more time and teachings, however this was not the time, and the desk acted like a thing possessed ! Thankfully at that time the projection screen remained blank. Chappie whom had set up the previous day, and caringly left his phone number to call in case of emergency, and as it turns out, was clearly a very sadistic, and sneaky man. He lulled me into a false sense of security with these digits, and then let me listen to the joyous melody of a constantly ringing tone, and a lovely voice of a particular mobile answering service ! The words 'the show must go on' and indeed it did, were of no comfort !

 

Then the Camera man - I know he was meant to film all of the show, on his one remaining camera, for future prosperity, but the exciting action was definately happening in the lighting box ! - said, of the very much alive Mixing Board " Does it have a Demo Mode ? " Genius !!! We found the button, reset the thing - I started then to read the manual, and reset all my programmes, and ..................monitor looked great ! Images looked great ! Camera man hastily reminded of his paid post for which he was there to film, regardless of what happened, was depatched,.....and cue and hit the switch, Fade in.........errrr.........ok....not good!... black screen ! AAARRGGGHHHH !!!

 

The conclusion was then that the fault must lie within the projector unit. Lighting guy - who was an absolute saint and a pleasure to work with, was covered by the SM, and we set off to wiggle cables from the gamtry...well actually, he did, I got lost and ended up in a positive labyrinth of stairs and locked doors, but I got there in the end, and he waggled some electrical bits, and as I burst through the doors, he turned to me and said ' its working! Go!', before taking off like Satan was on his back and making back for the box. I followed at a somewhat slower pace, not being built for great speed, and hindered by my banged, and now swollen, knee, from my earlier ascent up some stairs, but I proudly got there only seconds behind, flopped into my seat, to find the camera focused on the performer on stage and to be informed that this was also showing, in focus, on the projection screen !!! YIPEEEEE !!!!! Phew !

 

The only hitch then was to cut across to visuals, and fade in on stage performers, between the occassional patch of camera work, that wasn't focused on the ceiling, or the bit of LX tape on the stage, or the back of the projection unit, or even the truss, but that view was the workings of technical theatre was only filmed for future prosperity, for about 20 minutes of the 40minutes remaining of the entire showcase, so really, we did good !!!

 

The last thing to go not entirely according to plan, was the release of the balloons. Unfortunately the pull cord failed and resulted in much random hacking up of the balloon net - after it left the rigging and floated gracefully towards the cord puller chap ! After a few anxious minutes - I, and the rest of the technicians in the box, were then hysterical by the irony of it all - watched as the net then opened on one corner and the audience members immediately below were drowned by a sudden deluge of 1000 multicoloured balloons. The way they frantically batted at the balloons made it look like we had hired, one of those tennis ball shooter training machines. Still, at least it spread the balloons out, across the auditorium, and with such impressive speed too !

 

All in all, the show was a success, and when it got down to it (and the Valium kicked in !), I had great fun. The actual Mixing Desk was easy to pick up, and the advice of 'relax and just have a play', was very true and useful, as was the encapsulated guide to their useage !

 

To be honest, I don't know what the fuss was about, with the desk. And was very happy to see that it had a Demo Mode....I just wish it would have been viewable at a time that I could have appreciated its abilities a little more, rather than think I was sitting in front of the first known 'haunted' Vision Mixer, and uttering under my breath repeatedly "It wasn't me ! I didn't touch anything!".

 

So, many thanks once again for all your help, and advice. *sigh*I think I need a hug !!! Hahahahahahaaa !!!

 

Thanks guys !!!