1 m/e vs 2 m/e

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1 m/e vs 2 m/e

Aendru

I don't get what 1 m/e and 2 m/e means
I'm currently looking into buying an "ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K" and I'm wondering what the difference is to the "ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K".

I'm asking because I'm considerung to buy also the "ATEM (1 M/E) Advanced Panel", and on the website of Blackmagic Design it is written that with the "ATEM (1 M/E) Advanced Panel" you can control all M/Es in larger switchers.
In future, I would like to have a modular setup, so I can add inputs to the system if I need more (or occasionally need more for a conference or so) (and don't need to renew the whole setup)

Has anyone experience with this hardware and can explain the M/E to me and maybe recommend a modular setup?

joelwsmith

Aendru

Thanks for reaching out and welcome to the community!

M/E stands for "mix effects". It is basically the main part of a production switcher that allows you to do things like cuts, cross dissolves, and overlay (also referred to as "keying" when any portion of an above layer is made transparent to reveal the lower layers) video or stills.

The full term is actually "mix/effects bus". The bus part refers to the two rows of buttons on the hardware control panel (preview buttons on bottom, program buttons on top). A single pair of preview and program buttons makes up one M/E.

For every M/E you also essentially get a "program" feed, which is the final video you see after all the cutting, cross dissolves, and keys are done. It's what you see on the final recording or live stream, for example.

So if you have a switcher that has multiple M/Es then you can have multiple program feeds for various things. One example of using multiple M/Es in a production is one feed used for a live stream and another feed used for in-house projection (also called IMAG). This allows you to have two separate "looks" happening at the same time from the same switcher.

You can also mix downstream M/Es (higher numbers) with upstream M/Es (lower numbers). So, for example, you can show M/E 2 on M/E 1 just like you would another source, like a camera or graphic.

Can you describe your situation and needs in a little more detail? Is this for a church or another type of situation? How many cameras (or total inputs) do you need to start with? Do you need the ability to have multiple feeds at the same time, like streaming and IMAG?

Aendru

Thanks for your answer.
The setup is for a church.
Currently we have only 2 cameras (Sony HXR-NX5R) and a Webpresenter (not yet the new one) and we are streaming through OBS.
The WebPresenter is also used as switcher (one camera connected trough SDI, the other through HDMI, no Multiview)
Currently, the Lyrics are coming via NDI into OBS (with Alpha Key).

We have had a meeting last week and we (I) first thought about the "ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K", but then someone came up with the idea of a modular setup and brought the Advanced Panel into consideration. So what we think we need for Input and Output:

Input (at least)

Both cameras as input
ProPresenter Alpha Key Input (so this already needs 2 inputs)
ProPresenter Full Screen (what is currently shown in House) displayed through AUX in House (so I could also show camera feed in House if I want to)
PTZ Camera (not this year, but planned)

Output

PGM Out for Streaming (I'm thinking of PGM Out to WebPresenter HD for Streaming)
AUX Out for in House Projection (Camera feed would rarely be used, but possibility should be available)
Multiview for seeing all sources

I'm open for other options.

What we want is a modular system that would be able to be upgraded without changing everything.
We want to stream in 1080 (currently only 720 is possible due to the limitation of the old Webpresenter)
Occasionally be able to show camera in House
Have the option to show a presentation from a laptop which is located on stage

joelwsmith

Aendru

All of that info really helps. Thank you.

You can accomplish everything you want to do with the ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K, the ATEM 1 M/E, or the ATEM 2 M/E. It just requires at least 6 inputs, a single program output (stream), and an aux output (projection).

Now, while the ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K has all of those features, it doesn't give you much room at all to grow. So I would agree that the ATEM 1 M/E or 2 M/E models would be a better fit. And having a more modular system, like you've described, is also a great benefit.

In my opinion, the biggest advantages that the ATEM 2 M/E has over the ATEM 1 M/E are actually more inputs and more aux outputs, not really the added M/E, especially for churches. Most churches find that they max out the inputs or outputs way quicker than they anticipated.

So, with that said, I would recommend the ATEM 2 M/E with at least the 1 M/E Advanced Panel if your budget allows for it. Add the Web Presenter HD and you have a really great setup.

I would also recommend having a local recording using something like the Hyperdeck Studio Mini or another hardware recorder. That way you have a good quality backup and a way to edit/archive rather than having to use the stream files.

I hope all this is helpful!