Switcher

The Switcher controls your vMix or OBS: put an input or scene in Preview, cut or fade it to Program, run transitions and overlays, mix audio, and start or stop streaming and recording.

Where to find it

Open Produce > Switcher.

• In Tech Manager (the desktop app on the booth computer), the Switcher talks directly to vMix or OBS on that computer's network.
• On the web app, you first pick a booth. Your clicks are sent to that booth's Tech Manager, which runs them on vMix or OBS. Tech Manager must be running on the booth computer.

If the booth's main switcher is a Blackmagic ATEM, the page says ATEM is controlled from the Dashboard. ATEM controls are on Produce > Dashboard in Tech Manager.

Pick a booth (web app)

1. Go to Produce > Switcher in the web app.
2. You see a list of your church's booths that run vMix or OBS. Each row says vMix connected (or OBS connected) with a green dot, or that the booth is offline.
3. Click the booth. The Switcher opens with the booth's name above the title.
4. To choose another booth, use the back button, Back to switchers.

The list refreshes on its own every few seconds, so a booth that starts up after you opened the page appears without reloading.

Put an input in Preview and take it to Program

1. Go to Produce > Switcher (on the web, pick the booth first).
2. Click an input tile (vMix) or a scene tile (OBS). It loads into Preview. Its tab turns orange; the tile on Program is green.
3. Click Cut in the middle column to cut Preview to Program.
4. Or take one input straight to Program from its own tile: Cut for a hard cut, GO (vMix) or Fade (OBS) for a transition.

The two monitors at the top are labelled PREVIEW: and PROGRAM: with the input name.

In Tech Manager you can make a single click send a tile straight to Program: click the click-function button (Click to Preview) and choose Click to output.

Run transitions, the T-bar and overlays (vMix)

1. On Produce > Switcher, the middle column has two transition buttons named after their effect (for example Fade and Zoom). Click one to run that transition from Preview to Program.
2. Type a length in milliseconds in the box beside a transition and press Enter to change its duration.
3. In Tech Manager, click the small arrow beside a transition to pick a different effect.
4. Drag the T-bar slider to mix Preview into Program by hand.
5. Overlay buttons 1 to 8: left-click toggles the overlay on Program; in Tech Manager, right-click toggles it on Preview.

Each input tile also has overlay buttons. Left-click sends that input to the overlay on Program.

Play clips, mute inputs and set buses (vMix)

On Produce > Switcher, each vMix input tile has these controls:

• The play/pause button plays or pauses a clip. A finished clip shows a replay button (Tech Manager only).
• The loop button turns looping on or off (Tech Manager only).
• The speaker button mutes or unmutes the input.
• The letter buttons (M for Master, then the buses that exist in your vMix) assign the input to a bus.
• Clips show a playhead under the monitor. Drag it to jump to a point in the clip.

Mix audio

1. On Produce > Switcher, the audio panel is on the right. Each strip has a fader, a level meter and an Audio button that mutes or unmutes it.
2. Drag a strip by its handle to reorder strips. Drag the line between the tiles and the audio panel to make the panel wider.

On the web app the vMix audio strips show live levels, but the faders and Audio buttons are off ("Bus mixing runs on the booth Tech Manager").

Start or stop streaming and recording

1. On Produce > Switcher, find the buttons under the tiles.
2. With vMix, first check the Event button. It shows the scheduled live stream the buttons will use. Click it to pick a different one, or choose "No event — use vMix's current stream settings". Picking a live stream loads its destinations into vMix right away.
3. Click Start streaming or Start recording. The button turns red and reads Stop streaming or Stop recording.

With a live stream picked in Event, Start streaming starts the vMix slots that live stream loaded. With no event, it starts every stream slot set up in vMix. When Tech Manager reports more than one slot set up, you are asked first: the dialog Start every vMix stream? names them (for example "vMix will start all 3 stream slots: Stream 1 (Custom RTMP), Stream 2 (YouTube) and Stream 3 (Facebook Live)."). Click "Start all 3" (the number matches your slots) to go ahead, or Cancel. To start only the WorshipMetrics slot, use Start sending on the live stream's run screen in Publish > Live Streaming > Live Streams.

Starting the stream sends video to the platforms, but you still go live from Publish > Live Streaming > Live Streams when they are ready. Stopping the stream does not end a live stream that is already live; end it on that page too. If the Event list is empty, schedule a live stream there first.

Rename or colour an input or scene

1. On Produce > Switcher, click the gear on the tile (Input settings for vMix, Scene settings for OBS).
2. Change the Input name or Scene name and pick an Accent color.
3. Click Save.

Drag a tile by its :: handle to reorder tiles. Right-click a tile's name bar to collapse or expand it. In Tech Manager, right-clicking a vMix title input opens Edit title text instead.

Choose what fills the monitors

On Produce > Switcher, the pictures in the Preview and Program monitors can come from different places:

• On the web app: under the Program monitor, choose Booth snapshots, Booth live (WebRTC), or Local capture (this machine) for a capture device or virtual camera plugged into your own computer.
• In Tech Manager: under the Program monitor, choose Snapshots or the switcher's virtual camera for live video. The "Preview & Program Feed" card switches between Snapshots and NDI live, and Snapshot Speed sets how often tiles refresh (try 2–3 fps first; faster costs CPU).

Control the switcher from a phone (Tech Manager)

1. In Tech Manager, go to Produce > Switcher.
2. Click the arrow beside Mobile control.
3. Scan the QR code (Scan to open) with a phone on the same network, or use Copy beside the LAN URL.

Troubleshooting

My booth is not listed on the web Switcher

The page says No switcher-capable booths online. A booth appears once its Tech Manager reports a vMix or OBS connection. Check that Tech Manager is open on the booth computer, that vMix or OBS is running and connected there, and that the computer is enrolled: in Tech Manager open Settings > Fleet Enrollment and add this computer.

The header says vMix Offline or OBS Offline

Tech Manager cannot reach the switcher. For vMix, make sure vMix is running with Web Controller turned on (default port 8088). For OBS, turn on its WebSocket Server. Then connect from Produce > Dashboard in Tech Manager, or under Settings > vMix or Settings > OBS Studio. On the web, an offline booth shows its last inputs greyed out.

A button is greyed out on the web and says it runs on the booth

Some controls only work in Tech Manager on the booth: picking transition effects, looping, replaying a finished clip, Preview overlays, editing title text, and the vMix audio faders. The "Preview & Program Feed", Snapshot Speed, Mobile control and switcher-choice controls are not shown on the web at all. To use them, open the Switcher in Tech Manager on the booth computer.

The web picture is slow or a few seconds behind

Web tiles are snapshots relayed from the booth. Choose Booth live (WebRTC) under the Program monitor for live video, or Local capture (this machine) if a capture device is plugged into your computer.

Start streaming worked but the platforms are not live

Starting the stream only sends the signal. Go live from Publish > Live Streaming > Live Streams.

Start streaming asks "Start every vMix stream?"

No event is picked and vMix has more than one stream slot set up, so this button would start all of them, including any old destination left in a slot. Click Cancel if one should not go out. Pick the live stream in Event to start only its slots, or use Start sending on the live stream's run screen to start only the WorshipMetrics slot.

Good to know

• The Switcher only controls vMix and OBS. Blackmagic ATEM is on Produce > Dashboard in Tech Manager.
• In Tech Manager, the switcher button (it reads "Switcher: vMix" or "Switcher: OBS") chooses which switcher this booth uses.
• On the web, a switch shows on screen right away and is confirmed when the booth next reports. If the booth refused it, a message says why.