AV Portable Studio User manual

Portable Studio
Battle Creek Area Community Television
70 West Michigan Ave., Suite 112 • Battle Creek, MI 49017 • [phone] • http://accessvision.tv

1. Choose Your Positions
If possible, do a site survey ahead of time. The portable studio can accommodate 1 - 4 cameras. Think
about camera positions, power availability, location of the studio and where sound will come from -
microphones or sound system feed?
Place the studio:
• Near power
• Near the sound source
• In a quiet, secluded place where the director can talk
without interfering with the action
Place the cameras:
• Where they can best see the action happening
• Where they will not block anyone’s view or
interfere with the action
• Where they will need the shortest length of cable
to connect to the studio
• So that they do not cross the 180º axis (see diagram)
2. Set Up The Cameras
(SEE DIAGRAMS ON NEXT FEW PAGES)
1. Attach the battery.
2. Mount camera on the tripod and connect the remote zoom cable.
3. Open the LCD screen to turn on power.
4. Remove the lens cap.
5. Make camera adjustments: manually set exposure, focus and white balance, if necessary.
Remember to set the AUTO/MANUAL switch to the MANUAL position to make adjustments.
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180˚
Cam
Cam 2
Cam 3
Stage/
Presentation area
Keep cameras all
on this side

Attaching the battery
Remaining battery life is shown as a percentage on the top left corner of the camera screen.
Press the latches on both sides of
the lens cap and remove it.
Removing the lens cap
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Setting exposure
Tip: Use the ND FILTER only when shooting outside, if necessary. The iris should not have to be
higher than F8; if it is, use the ND lter. NEVER USE THE ND FILTER INDOORS. If “ND OFF” ashes
on the screen, turn the ND lter OFF.

Adjusting Color
To set the White Balance, which adjusts the color in the cameras:
1. Set the AUTO/MANUAL switch to
MANUAL.
2. Press the WHT BAL button
3. Press MENU > CAMERA SET >
WB SET > (execute).
4. Point camera at something white;
press EXECUTE to set.
Adjusting Focus
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3. Set up the studio
1. Unpack. Remove the covers from the rack case. Remove the rack case from the wheels and set it
on top of the empty camera case.
2. Connect power. Turn on the master power
switch and wait for the switcher to start up.
3. Unfold the monitor. Use input #1 for viewing
the switcher’s multi view screen. The multi
viewer allows you to display multiple video
inputs and program output simultaneously on the
monitor. A red frame around one of the boxes
indicates that input is selected for program or
“live”/ “hot”.
The monitor’s input #3 displays video & sound directly from the recorder.
4. Connect cables. Keep the cable reels as close to the studio as possible. Unwind the cables from the
reels rst, then connect the ends to the camera and the studio. Avoid running cables across walkways.
Use gaffer’s tape to secure any cables in areas of trafc.
Plug cables into cameras and into rear rack plate. Keep track of which camera is plugged into which
input number. Connect audio cables to microphones or to sound system mixing board. If connecting to
a mixing board, make sure to plug the studio into the same power circuit or use a ground lift.
5. Connect the intercom.
Connect the XLR cables (bundled with the camera cables) to the appropriate intercom jacks and plug
the other end into the intercom beltpacks.
Connect the intercom headsets to the beltpacks. Press and hold down the TALK button to talk, or click
it twice to keep the mic on. The green light indicates that the mic is on.
Plug the director’s headset into the front of the ClearCom unit in the rack and push the left TALK button.
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Audio Inputs
Camera Inputs
Intercom Connections
PREVIEW PROGRAM
CAM1 CAM2 CAM3 CAM4
PC

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4. Switcher
Block 1 is the audio mixer, where you control the volume for any sound sources.
Block 3 is the video switcher. The top row of
buttons is called the PROGRAM BUS (PGM).
Whichever input is selected to be recorded
(or “live” or “hot”) lgihts up in red.
The bottom row of button is called the PRE-
VIEW BUS (PST). Whichever input is selected
to transition to next lights up in orange.
To cut from one camera to another, simply
push a different button on the PGM bus.
The input button on the PST bus that is lit is what will be taken next when the CUT button is pushed.
To dissolve to the PST input, move the fader bar or push the AUTO TRANS button.

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Block 4 is the transition control block. Use the
fader bar or AUTO TRANS button to gradually
transition between sources. Use the CUT but-
ton to cut from the PGM bus to the PST bus.
Use the FTB (Fade To Black) button to fade
from the PGM bus into black.
Block 5 is where you choose the wipe or
transition pattern.
Cross-Point Button Switching
This is the most basic form of switching. Switching between video A and video B occurs instantly
without added effects.
You can cut between videos by pressing a PGM cross-point button to which a different video is
assigned. The button you pressed lights red, and the video is output as the program output.
Applying Effects while Switching (Mix/Effect)
Instead of an instantaneous cut, you can gradually switch from one video to another through the
various effects.
Mix: Transition into the next video by gradually overlapping the existing image.

Switching with Mix
1. Press the PGM cross-point button of
the video for program output.
2. Press the PST/KEY cross-point button
for the next video for output.
3. Press the MIX button in the transition
control block - the button lights up
orange.
4. Execute the transition by pressing the
AUTO TRANS button, or by manually
moving the fader bar.
Fader lever (manual execution)
The video switches over as you move the lever. Move the lever in the direction of the lit transition
indicator. The transition starts, and proceeds according to the rate at which you move the lever. When
the lever is completely raised or lowered, the transition is complete and the transition indicator for the
opposite direction will light.
NOTE: If both indicators are lit, completely raise or lower the fader lever in either direction.
Effect: You can use Wipe, NAM (non-additive mix), Slide, Squeeze, Door, Frame In/Out, Flip, Tumble,
PinP (picture-in-picture), Mosaic and Defocus effects. For example, when transitioning using a wipe,
the next video for output replaces the current program video output as if wiping it away.
Switching with Effect
1. Press the PGM cross-point button of the video for program output.
2. Press the PST/KEY cross-point button for the next video for output.
3. Press the EFF button in the transition control block - the button lights up orange.
4. Execute the transition by pressing the AUTO TRANS button, or by manually moving the fader bar.
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