Hey guys, I'm new to the forums. I wanted to fill you in on a project I have in the works. I am currently in the planning stages, and will start development soon. The idea is to create a physical interface for vMix, just like a standard switcher / mixing console. I have been researching some design ideas, and will have some mock-ups available soon.

Considering how vMix is not your standard video mixer / switcher, and you start looking at console designs such as the ATEM 1 M/E controller. You can start to see how a physical console could actually limit your abilities in an application like vMix. Unlimited inputs, multiple overlay layers, multiple transition modes, etc. Considering how flexable vMix is for setting your own shortcuts, and assigning custom keyboard shortcuts. I start to wonder if there is even a point to having a physical interface.

But in the end even with how easy vMix is to operate with a keyboard and mouse. I still find myself missing the physical interface. I have listed below the main design ideas and features.

* Input Row - Each input will have the following features.
- LCD Screen: To Display the title of the input
- Program Button: Will light up Red When on AIR, and functions as a CUT
- Select Button: Lights up when selected, and puts the input into your preview bus
- Audio Button: Same function as the software, lights up when audio is activated

- Page Up / Page Down: These buttons allow you to switch between banks of inputs, vMix is unlimited your board should be too!
- LCD to display your current bank of inputs selected (eg "Bank 1 of 2" ).

* Above the input row will be a set of dedicated macro buttons.
- Assignable to any API function (any option available for shortcut keys).
- Assign multiple triggers/events to a single button. Such as transition to input 4, and display input 10 on Overlay bus 1 (would be very hard to do quickly in software).

* To the right of the input row will be a T-Bar with your main functions.
- T-Bar or slider for controlling the virtual T-Bar
- Cut Button
- Quick Play Button
- Overlay Buttons: All four of them.
- Transition Buttons: All four of them.
- FadeToBlack Button: Flashes RED when enabled

* To the right of this section will be your playback controls for the selected clip
- Play/Pause Button
- Reset Button
- Skip Forward
- Skip Back
- Jog wheel for frame by frame movement
- Playback Speed: knob to adjust playback speed for replay clips

* Above the Playback area you will have your production buttons
- Record to Disk: lights up when Recording
- MultiCorder: lights up when recording
- Streaming: lights up when streaming
- Capture Still: captures a still image of your program out and asks to save

* Touch Screen
- This is where you will configure your Control Surface
- Set the IP and Port to Connect to your vMix Console
- Program your macro keys

* Connectivity
- Power: Im sure we will have customers from all over the world, we will have options here. US, UK, etc
- Ethernet: to connect directly to your network
- WIFI Connectivity built in.

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Depending on the interest in this product, I will also pursue developing other products, and turn key system for vMix. Such as some possibilities listed below.

* Portable, Expandable vMix TurnKey Video Mixer
- Portable design
- Built in LCD Monitors
- Embed Mixing Console based on the above controller.
- Built in keyboard
- Rechargeable Battery: For the ultimate portable solution.
- WIFI built in
- Modular by design, mix and match your capture cards, just like any other vMix system.
- Full Windows environment: Required by vMix anyway. Use it as a full work station for Photoshop, Premiere Pro, etc, while on the road.

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I believe vMix is a very powerful platform. I wan't to help work with Martin, and the rest of the community to really put it over the top. If you have any questions, or suggestions please feel free to let me know. If you are interested in either of the products listed above. Please be sure to let me know. Also let me know what such a product would be worth to you. Obviously I want to keep the cost as low as possible. I want to create interfaces, and turn key solutions that rival the ATEM and TriCaster products, at a much lower cost.

Thanks in advanced, I look forward to your feedback.


Best Regards,

Wayne Hartmann

Thanks a lot TeODH4 for your interest and suggestions, as dundurs rightly said, different people uses vMix to achieve different thing, I will suggest u look into his comment well and see how to come up with more flexible way of using the external hardware.

And for the complete turnkey system with at least 3 built in inputs with LCD, that will be cool.. But streambreeze I guess have done something similar.

In all we are here to make this the best software in the market.

Regards,
Rottimmy

Thank you everyone for your input. I understand that the way I use vMix, and the way you use it can be dramatically different. So I will do my best to create a console, that is as flexible as possible. While preserving the abilities of a traditional switcher as well. I am considering some design changes to make that a little easier. Such as having several sections dedicated to a user specified input. For quick recall of said input or effect. while still having a dedicated input row to page through all of your inputs, to quickly access any you have not pre-programmed into the console. I believe this kind of hybrid setup would be ideal.

IceStream, The console will have an always on connection with vMix. That Combined with the multi-threaded design of vMix. Will not effect the usability of the console while setting up a pip shot, or even using another application.

Best Regards,

Wayne

simple and practical... Great job on this controller, very nice design. 1 like :)

regards

melody
www.espiritosanto.cc

Just a Photoshop mockup right now. Next step is the PCB, and CAD Mockups.

Hybrid Model

Using Http is a more generic approach, that can literally be used from all sorts of devices - so from vMix' point of view it might be the most flexible solution. But your hardware could act as a standard input-device (like a custom keyboard), that would give you more direct (and probably more responsive) control over vMix.

I am in for this, I like d design, most especially the hybrid type....

Well done TeODH4

Regards
Rottimmy

Thanks for your input. However you have seem to interpreted a couple things a little differently from the vision of the product. The 4 buttons that have their labels dictated by the LCD display. Are completely customizable. They can be used to recall a specific transition, assign to an overlay. They can be used for video playback controls on your non-live feeds. They can be used to trigger pretty much any function in vMix regarding that input. The SEL (short for select) is treated as your preview button, and CUT is treated as your program button. So in a sense you do still get your program and preview rows, just simply a different layout in an attempt to save space, and make the panel more flexible.

There are two modes for using the input section. You have your own custom layouts where you can individually select the inputs that get assigned to each input section on the console. You will have an unlimited amount of pages you can create here.

The second mode can be activated by pressing the mode button. This will put you into a "real input" mode, where all your channels are mapped out exactly as they appear in vMix.

Something to keep in mind, the illustration does not have any of the buttons lit up. but the cut buttons will be lit bright red when they are on air, and the select buttons will be lit up in green to show that input is currently selected for preview.

I feel this design is the best compromise I can make, while trying to appeal to everyone. If you really do not want all the added features and buttons per input, i can surly release a "basic switcher" model. Which could be available at a lower price point.

Please do not think that these mockups will be the final product, I am currently designing the PCB layout, and I have made a few changes to the design, including button spacing/placement, and lcd screen sizes. But we are getting there. Then its just a matter of getting enough people interested in purchase to warrant a full scale production of these devices. I am considering running a kick starter campaign to raise funding, and get the information out there. Let me know what you think, I will do my best to please everyone with the design.

Martin, if you are reading this and are interested in offering this device for sale on your website. Please get into contact with me, so we can work something out.

Everyone give me about a week to finalize the PCB design. I am working with a hardware developer from atemuser.com regarding a low cost T-Bar option. So, I am very excited about that. He is working hard to get the next prototype out. So, before I can finalize the PCB design, I am waiting to get the info back on it. With the upcoming release of vMix, the API will have new features that are required for some of the key functions of this console. So we are also waiting on this update.

Please have patience, and we will get there sooner than later. We will start taking pre-orders in the near future. I will update this thread as soon as I have some more information.


Kind Regards,

Wayne Hartmann

Any update on your work ? I'd love to see your progress !