Automated camera switching for radio
When a presenter starts talking, VRA selects their camera in the ATEM, vMix or OBS you already run. Camera Assist prepares supported PTZ shots while they are off air. You set the shots and the pace, and can take over whenever you want.
Cutting cameras by hand takes a second person.
Every time the conversation moves, somebody has to pick the next shot. In a radio studio that means a second person on the switcher for the whole show, or a wide shot that never changes. VRA reads the microphones you already have and selects the shot in your Blackmagic ATEM, vMix or OBS, while the presenter keeps their eyes on the guest.
How automated camera switching works
You set it up once for the studio. From then on the microphones drive the cuts.
Connect
Bring in the microphones
Connect your studio's microphone channels to Audio Triggers. Calibrate each input against the room and the voice at that mic.
Choose
Give each mic a shot
Assign a camera angle to each presenter. Add a shared shot for two people talking and a fallback for when nobody is.
Frame
Prepare the picture
On supported PTZ cameras, Camera Assist adjusts the framing while the camera is off air, ready for its next cut.
Switch
Let the conversation lead
Audio Triggers selects the shot and VRA sends the command to your video switcher. You keep control of the pace and can switch manually.
Listen
The microphone picks the camera.
Every microphone has a camera angle. When the level on that mic passes the threshold you set, Audio Triggers selects its shot. Hold times keep short pauses from causing unnecessary cuts.
A trigger group can select a shared shot when two microphones are active together.
Frame
The next shot is already framed.
A new guest sits higher than the last one. On a supported, calibrated PTZ camera, Camera Assist adjusts the off-air shot to the size you chose before it is selected.
Choose a shot size and target face count for each angle. Framing runs off air, so the audience does not see those adjustments.
How the framing worksVary
Add variety during a long answer.
A pre-shot opens on a wide before the cut settles on whoever is talking. If someone holds the floor a while, alternative angles cut away and back on an interval you set, so a long answer still looks directed.
Choose the minimum and maximum cutaway interval. VRA varies the timing within those limits.
Switch
Your switcher makes the cut.
VRA sends the input change. The video never passes through VRA: your ATEM, vMix or OBS handles it as before.
Switch by hand whenever you want. Automatic switching and automatic framing each have their own off switch.
What a typical studio needs.
Take a talk show with two presenters, a guest and three cameras. Each microphone needs a channel of its own into the studio machine running Audio Triggers, which reads any audio device Windows or macOS can see and recognises Dante and RAVENNA interfaces by name. Camera Assist connects to the PTZ cameras. Panasonic, Sony, Canon and BirdDog models are in its model list, and a fixed camera can still be one of the shots. If you switch in vMix, camera automation needs vMix 4K or higher.
What this does not do.
- Follow people around the room
- Camera Assist frames to a shot size on a calibrated PTZ camera while it is off air, and does not follow anyone around the room. Canon CR-N and CR-X cameras are the exception: there you can hand the framing to the camera's own tracking.
- Mix or encode video
- The cut happens in your ATEM, vMix or OBS. VRA sends the command; your switcher and encoder do the rest.
- Move a fixed camera
- A fixed camera can be an angle and be cut to. Pan, tilt and zoom need a supported PTZ camera.
- Fill silence on its own
- What happens when every mic is closed is a fallback you configure: a wide shot after a delay, or a sequence of commands.
Camera switching questions.
What is automated camera switching for radio? +
Automated camera switching uses the studio's microphone activity to select which camera goes on air. In VRA, Audio Triggers decides which shot to take, Camera Assist controls the camera angles, and your existing video switcher makes the cut.
Can VRA switch cameras automatically in ATEM, vMix or OBS? +
Yes. VRA sends the switching commands to a Blackmagic ATEM, vMix or OBS, and the video stays in that switcher. VRA does not mix or encode it. We check your switcher version and connections during setup.
What happens when two presenters talk at the same time? +
You can assign a shared camera angle to a group of microphone triggers. When those triggers are active together, the group can take priority over the individual shots. Hold times and switching controls let you avoid rapid cuts between close-ups.
Does automatic camera framing follow people around the studio? +
Camera Assist frames to a shot size you choose, such as a close-up or a wide shot. On supported, calibrated PTZ cameras, it corrects the composition while the camera is off air, and it does not follow anyone around the room. On Canon CR-N and CR-X cameras you can hand the framing to the camera's own tracking instead.
Does the camera stay locked on one person the whole time they talk? +
Not if you don't want it to. A pre-shot can open on a wide before settling on the talker, and alternative angles can cut away and back on a randomised interval while one mic stays open a long time.
Can I use fixed cameras as well as PTZ cameras? +
Yes. A fixed camera can be assigned to a camera angle and selected by the switcher. Automatic pan, tilt and zoom adjustments need a supported PTZ camera. The camera model and protocol determine which controls are available.
What does the audience see when nobody is talking? +
You choose the fallback behaviour. After the configured delay, VRA can select a wide shot or run a sequence of commands. Turning off audio-directed cuts does not stop that fallback; each has its own switch.
Can an operator still take control of the cameras? +
Yes. Manual camera selection and automation controls remain available. Audio Triggers and Camera Assist have separate automation controls, so you can decide which part of the workflow to operate yourself.
Do I need new microphones or a new audio console? +
No. Audio Triggers listens to the channels your console or audio interface already delivers to the studio machine, through any audio device the operating system can see. A trigger listens to one channel, so each presenter needs a mic on a channel of its own.
How do I stop the camera cutting on every cough? +
Give each presenter's trigger a hold time. The mic has to stay open that long before it takes the shot, so a cough shorter than the hold time does not cut. Each channel also has a noise gate with a speech floor, and calibration measures the quiet room and the presenter's voice to set the threshold.
Which vMix edition do I need for automatic camera switching? +
vMix 4K or higher. Every edition connects to VRA, but camera-angle automation and script triggers need at least the 4K edition.
The products behind it.
See the cameras follow your conversation.
Tell us which microphones, cameras and switcher you use, and we will show you the switching on a setup like yours.