Guides
Practical write-ups on camera setups, stage lighting, audio sync, control rooms and live workflows, written by the people who plan and review them.
Our guides explain how studios and live crews solve everyday technical problems, from lens choice to delay compensation. New articles appear about once a day, each focused on a single topic.
· Audio SyncHow to Check and Fix Lip Sync Drift Before a Live Show
A step-by-step method for finding audio delay in a studio chain, measuring it against picture, and setting compensation so presenters and playback stay aligned for the whole programme.
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· Control RoomControl Room Operations: A Checklist to Work Through Before You Decide
Before committing to a gallery layout, signal routing plan or operator procedure, these are the questions worth settling first, written from the audio side of the desk.
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· Camera DesignCamera System Design: Six Mistakes We See Before the First Take
Most trouble in a multi-camera studio starts at the planning stage. Here are the mistakes we meet most often in camera layouts, lens choices and signal paths, and how to avoid each one.
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· LightingWhat Stage Lighting Planning Costs and What Moves the Price
A plain account of how lighting plots and fixture schedules are priced for television and live work, and which decisions about the room, the rig and the cameras raise or lower the cost.
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· Case storyA Saturday Studio Show That Kept Drifting: Marcus and the Workflow Review
Marcus runs a small live studio show and could not find why it fell apart each week. A written workflow review gave him a short, ordered list of fixes. This is how it went.
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· Audio SyncAutumn Audio Sync Checks Before the Winter Schedule Starts
Longer evenings bring more studio hours and more live events. Daniel Okafor sets out the audio sync checks worth making in these weeks, from delay settings to cable runs.
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· Control RoomTally, Talkback and Take: Gallery Terms Explained Plainly
A plain-words guide to three terms heard in every gallery: tally, talkback and take. What each one means on the desk and why mixing them up causes trouble.
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· Camera SystemsPrime Lenses or Zooms for a Small Studio: Which Suits Your Cameras
A plain comparison of fixed prime lenses and broadcast zoom lenses in a multi-camera studio, with a clear recommendation based on room size, show format and crew.
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· LightingHow a lighting plot goes from empty grid to camera-ready studio
A look at how Daniel builds a lighting plot in practice: the site survey, the first sketch, the test on camera and the schedule handed to the crew.
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· WorkflowWhat Does a Live Production Workflow Review Actually Cover?
The question we hear most before a review is what lands on the desk afterwards. Here is what is examined, how the written report is arranged, and what you are asked to prepare.
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· Company newsAudio Sync and Mixing Workflows: What We Now Offer Studio Teams
Our audio sync and mixing work now covers a clear sequence from embedded audio and delay compensation to mixing set-ups. Here is what each stage involves and what we need from you.
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· Control RoomThe Tools We Use to Plan a Gallery Layout
A look at the drawings, signal lists and run sheets we rely on when planning a control room, and why each one earns its place before any desks are moved.
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· How-to guidePutting a Camera Plan Down on Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide
A practical walk through turning a camera idea into a written plan: floor marks, lens notes, cable runs and a rehearsal check that catches problems before show day.
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· LightingStage Lighting Planning: A Checklist Before You Commit to a Plot
Daniel Okafor lists the questions worth answering before you approve a lighting plot or sign off a fixture schedule, from camera needs to power, rigging and presenter comfort.
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· Workflow ReviewSix Common Mistakes in Live Workflow Reviews and How to Avoid Them
A review of a live or recorded workflow only helps if it is done carefully. These are the errors we see most often, and the habits that keep a review useful.
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· PricingWhat Audio Sync and Mixing Work Costs, and What Moves the Price
A plain account of how we price audio sync and mixing workflow work, which parts of a studio or venue add time, and what a written quotation covers.
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· Case StoryA Gallery Reorganised: How Marcus's Team Stopped Talking Over Each Other
A short account of one regional studio gallery, the layout and call procedures we changed with their vision mixing team, and what the first live shows felt like afterwards.
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