vMix to Lights
Enable NDI on a vMix output or input and drive studio lighting from Spectralite using the live production feed.
In a studio, the lighting is usually static because nothing is driving it. vMix already knows what is on air, and sending that over NDI gives Spectralite something to react to, whether that is a color wash behind the presenter or practicals that change with the segment.
Enable NDI output in vMix
Open Settings and go to the Outputs / NDI / OMT / SRT tab. An output type has to be switched on here before it can be sent over NDI.
Two options are worth knowing beyond the main output. Cameras/Calls/Audio Inputs converts every camera, call, and audio input in the current session into its own live NDI output, which is the fastest way to expose a specific source rather than the program mix. Audio Outputs turns each enabled audio bus into an audio-only NDI output.
Outputs 2, 3, and 4 are shared with External 2, 3, and 4, and can be assigned to NDI in vMix 4K and higher editions. To start or stop the external output itself, use the External button in the main window; the cog beside it opens External Output Settings. vMix documents the tab in its Outputs reference.
Pick up the stream in Spectralite
Go to Edit > Inputs > NDI and turn on NDI input enabled and Auto-discover sources.
Put the video on your fixtures
Add a Timeline layer with the built-in NDI Input effect, or build the mapping yourself with an NDI Input node in the Node Editor.
Choosing which feed drives the light
Program output is the obvious choice and often the wrong one. Lighting that reacts to the program mix will jump on every cut, which looks wrong in a room where the audience sees the light rather than the cut. Publishing a single input instead, using the Cameras/Calls/Audio Inputs option, gives the rig one steady source to follow.
For a title or lower-third card, a dedicated input holding the segment's color works well: the light picks up the brand color for that segment without anyone touching a fader.
Related
- Receive video from another app: performance and troubleshooting for every NDI source.
- NDI input dialog: the settings reference.
- Color: how a sampled color is reproduced on a fixture.
- Connect Your Software: guides for other applications.