This was awesome. If you were ever to speak at a conference or something, the “come along as I figure something out” format like this would be super fun.
The "woman who transitions across the screen" is Kiki Stockhammer, who worked (and does again) at Newtek and was often the demonstrator at events, but is also known for being in Star Trek parody band "Warp 11" which is why they're known as Kiki-wipes.
ruclips.net/video/u4qWe60BVgE/видео.html Drew Scanlon (that blinking guy from the gifs, who used to work at Giant Bomb) talks about going to see Kiki and Warp 11
Wow that tested video is a blast bro! GiantBomb has been in my life for almost a decade, only place I hear of a tricaster referenced regularly, and I hear warp 11 referenced on another show every week. Weird intersection here.
Just searched kiki-wipes found this little gem ruclips.net/video/jUrj-h3GejA/видео.html "FX-Grabs 3" Tape (Video Toaster "Kiki Effects" raw footage studio shoot)
Ohh man this is great! I worked at a bottom of the barrel local television station for a few years many moons ago and very frequently used the smaller variety of Tricaster for broadcasting local events from the van. This one is pretty different from what I used but also pretty similar. Huge blast from the past, thanks for sharing this!!
This was great! The basic effects had a real 80's 'corporate training video' feel about them. I was dying over the sprite overlay on the Windows training video. Oh man lol. There's potential for 'almost nekkid beefy sprite guy' to be placed in awkward situations since the keying worked so well. I bet you could get the keying to work well in other production applications, as well.
I assume the "pause a 3D transition halfway between" thing is used on e.g. sports broadcasts when they need to transition back to the commentators or a replay but they aren't quite ready, so you end up with like the MLB/NBC Sports/whatever transition for 5 seconds or so when normally it would last one second.
26:10 That was actually IMHO the most epic thing about TriCaster. (I worked on 8000 Advanced Edition.) There it is called the V buttons, or Virtual Inputs, on our 8000 it was called Mix Effects (M/E) - basically, you created a virtual 3D liveset in special editor with textures and everything, selected positions and translations for up to 4 live sources to mix into the scene (as virtual screens), uploaded it to the machine, and then the liveset became source on its own button (for example M/E 1, on here it would be V1), and you can chroma-key a live action into it from camera feed, and set different picture sources to the "virtual screens" in the liveset. You were then able to digitally zoom it all and create perhaps another closer shot of that same liveset, it zoomed the live sources accordingly... absolutely amazing technology. But also, as you were saying in the video, pretty unreliable... ;-)
"live set" is what is called a virtual set in the industry, where your talking heads are in a green screen environment, and the computer generates a virtual background depending on the actual physical position of the cameras
One of the many reasons I appreciate your channel is how squarely you fall into the particular demographic of "person who has third hand nostalgia for Tricasters because of Giant Bomb." There are dozens of us!
It's extremely funny that this is *the most prominent* positioning of the Tricaster, or *any* video production device I'm aware of, outside of the broadcast field.
You remember when you'd be watching one of those Nick Jr era shows with a host in one lil location, and after 20 minutes of nice wholesome content, they'd be like "okay boys and girls, time to go home" and they'd sing you a lil song to say goodbye to and you'd end the episode all happy looking forward to the next episode? That's the vibes I got from the end of this video, and I was really here for it. Vinny and the rest of the ol' GB Crew would approve of this ep.
This brings back memories! Back when I worked in Public Access we were fortunate to have a Tricaster in the studio and one for remote shoots - my training was pretty much video switcher basics and how to set up a title cards/crawls - you just played around or dug into the manual if you needed to know more. Thankfully, whatever (4U, Opteron/Core2-era) server hardware and software combo we had very rarely crashed. :)
I worked with simple BlackMagic switchers quite a few times, and this is a great intro to anyone who's interested in vision mixers. Usually when I run OBS, I set up the workflow the same way as a real video mixer. Amateur live television is really accessible with the tools we have today, where a setup like this would have been millions of dollars.
I love both your scripted and your less-scripted videos, you can't make me choose! One of my favourites remains when you just played with 1990s architecture/CAD programs for half an hour or so
Great video! It’s amazing how powerful Tricasters are, they are largely used by smaller productions as you said, but they do have a powerful suite of options. I look after 2 live broadcast studios and I can say that you pretty much nailed the basics! Interestingly though if you’re using a Sony, Grass Valley, Blackmagic or Ross desk they each have their own terms and names for things! Where you may have a DSK on a BM, you end up with a self auto key on a Ross. Typically with your effects like the kind you’re building, you’d typically have them in an identical bus called an ME (mix and effects) and then bring that to the PGM bus as it’s own source and big desks can have lots of ME’s, you have macro recalls and all sorts. Don’t be shy to really dig in and play around with these desks, you can always reset them or restore a config! I don’t usually leave comments but it’s so nice to see someone finding joy with the sort of gear I use all the time! If you want to get your hands on a capable desk that isn’t a trickster, look at the older grass valleys, Ross desks or a Blackmagic atem! If you ever need any advice, I’m here :)
Seeing the guy walking on the Windows backdrop and walking towards you with purpose had me dying, I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Best channel out there
This was such a fun video. I'd love to see more stuff like this. The part with putting Chad McMuscleman in the other videos had me laughing my ass off.
My dad has been a fan for years. I remember as a kid he would talk about the Amiga, Video Toaster and NewTek in the 90's I would just nod and pretended to understand lol. I remember he would take me to what he called a "Computer Show" where a lot of computer vendors would set up their table with equipment/cables/software, ect for sale because he used to run a public access channel (kind of still does to this day just sticks around to make sure everything is still functioning). Every time they release a new model he has the city buy it for the studio and truck. Eventually I got older and started using from 2008 - 2016. Watching this video sure does bring back memories!
that was so so fun, now I want a tricaster too! hope you left the beefcake walk animation in the system's memory so that the owner can turn him into a stinger transition.
Never thought I'd see a tricaster again! Last year my highschool bought one for their media class to tinker around with(though it was a very basic model a quarter of the size of the one you have). We had a blue screen and was able to record, stream, make fake weather broadcasts. It was a load of fun and one part of highschool I actually really miss.
@pasquaplays I really want to do exactly this - fake weather reports, to teach the kids at my Scout group all about different weather patterns. The material has potential to be a bit... dry... so I want to jazz it up with something much like what you did in school. You enjoyed the experience so I'm hoping the same will be true here🤷♂️ Initially I thought I'd cobble together PC, webcams with green-screen and do the rest in software. Any ideas? What I really need after that is blank animated weather maps with typical UK weather patterns: rain, fog, rain, foggy-rain and rainy-fog🤪 Joking - anticyclone, low pressure, cold front, warm front etc
I did actually get to use one of them in network television. Granted, it was a UPN affilliate, but that was still network. We still had it long after we stopped doing any live broadcast, it chilled in the editing suite next to the fruit colored imacs and our synth collection.
We put our faith in Slam Beefchest! Yes, I *am* going to make that reference every time you invoke him from now on, because he's awesome, and you're awesome for giving him that name.
As someone who has recently started a career in TV (formerly in electronic security, and before that IT), I found this very interesting (and amusing), as I currently work in Broadcast I don't work with equipment like the Tricaster, but its still neat to learn a bit about a piece of gear I may or may not end up encountering one day. Also, I noticed the "E420" tape - happy 420 day :)
Hey Gravis! Great video, brought me back to me beginnings in broadcasting... I've been a Technical Director (Vision Mixer for you Brits) for over 25 years now doing live sports, news, etc and you've got the basics just about right on all counts... Yes these machines are all based on the same principles dating back from the 60's and 70's when they became more "affordable" for smaller stations... The newer 4K models basically operate the same way the analog standard def ones did 30 years ago, making it easier for us to implement the newer possibilities alongside our long-acquired ways of doing things. Control room automation is slowly making bigger switchers obsolete though, with new systems consisting only of a processing frame and networked computer screen interface... We now do live show with only 2 operators compared to the 4-6 persons crews of the past... I run the switcher, robotic cameras, playback and graphics all from one interface... And people at home basically don't see the difference!!! The latest systems even integrate internet video calling all inboard, permitting to put on-air basically anybody with a computer/phone/tablet within seconds... Soon all this "broadcast" gear will be a thing of the past, replaced by cloud-based apps running on basic computers... Such is the evolution of technology...
I love your videos. I work as an AV engineer for a consultant/integrator. I've been looking at broadcast equipment for the first time and your videos showcasing NewTek devices have been really informative. Thank you
You have no idea how up my alley this is. On my way to use a TriCaster right now for a college baseball game. Thank you for the 30 minutes of entertainment you provided me today!
I work with professional stage lighting gear on a very regular basis and I absolutely love the feel of those machines. They're just built right, especially ETC machines, which have big full-height keys and absolutely wonderful dials.
Ever since I started livestreaming for my church at the beginning of the pandemic, I've learned a bunch about the de-facto standards of the industry. It's amazing how a lot of the basics haven't changed. Some of the software I use is still in that skeuomorphic stage of UI that they have a virtual board full of that exact style of button, and even a T-bar to interact with.
I love you for this, man. Thank you for being such a techhead. Can’t find stuff like this on RUclips ever. You also seem like a genuine person, I love it! Thank you so much
My highschool unusually had a Tricaster 3-box flight case for moving in and out of a video truck for remote broadcasts over internet in 2010-2011 and serving double duty as our in-studio system and it was an experience. It really felt like a studio-in-a-box.
This is very entertaining to watch. I am a broadcast sports director and I use almost that exact model of control surface for some of the shows I run. I'm not the most experienced director ever but I do have some time at the controls. To answer your question about "stingers" as you call them, one use is for transitioning to replays in a show using a "replay" transition that looks similar to the "score" transition. Useful to let the audience know that what they're watching is no longer live. And to address how advanced this model of tricaster is: my understanding is that it's nowhere near the top of the line. Other models of switcher that I use (ROSS) connect to a graphics system called Xpressions that can feed a wide variety of graphics into the switcher for broadcast use: think player statistics, scores, etc. They can also be set up with macros to accomplish a wide variety of switcher actions at once. For instance taking DDR1 rolling the clip removing a key adding a new key and using a specific transition all in one button press perhaps this tricaster can do some of those things but I've never seen it.
Great Video! You are really good at connecting the dots! Every TV engineer knows the instruction manual is only to be used when flummoxed. The Video Toaster did do some of the special effects on the TV series Babylon 5 but not on Home Improvement. Most of those special effects were conceived by the great designer Jim Praytor and executed at Modern Videofilm in Burbank. I was lucky enough to be one of the cadre of compositing and online editors who worked on the show. Most effects were done in the Discrete Logic/Autodesk family of compositors, the Fire, Flame or inferno. We also would use camera stands and paper cutouts, shoot ad-hock green screen in the facility parking structure and heavily use the Grass Valley Kaleidoscope in the edit room for image manipulation. Contrary to the effects found in the TriCaster no "canned effects" were used in Home Improvement. Every effect or transition was purpose built for the show. We might re-use something created earlier, but they were all show original. I even got a cameo as a tiny green elf jumping out of a giant treasure chest. Coincidence of coincidences, today I just received an invite to see the latest NewTek product, the TriCaster 1 Pro. It lives on...
Oh wow - that's what I get for not checking my references. Did you know that there are people all over the Internet repeating that the toaster was used on that show, but when I went and checked just now, I can't find any primary sources for it? The wiki article that I'm guessing everyone has been citing for years doesn't have one either. Would certainly make sense if the reason for that is that it simply isn't true; I'll remove it from the wiki page later when I have a chance. It must be a bummer to have your work overshadowed by false association like that, my apologies for not doing my due diligence.
As someone who uses tricasters daily, small correction on your intro: they are used in some large productions! Typically as video playback on jumbotron feeds and as live-to-tape (prerecorded) machines. The fact that it's a souped up windows computer makes it unsuitable to 24/7 live production like many stations use, but they're very good for jobs where you unpack it at the beginning of the day and pack it back up at the end of the day. Happy to have found your channel, I subscribed!
Always been curious about seeing more about the Tricaster, after hearing so much tangential bits and whatnot from Vinny and Drew on GB vids and pods. I'm glad you had the opportunity to take it for a spin (I could feel you were always on the verge of exploding with excitement and glee), and jazzed you were able to give us all a tour! Despite the limited window, the vid felt every bit a CRD creation from soup to nuts. Thanks as always! 👍❤️
I took a video elective course in high school in the early 2000's. Part of the course we got to do some work for the towns public access TV station. This equipment and process reminds me of the stuff I worked with at the station. Thanks for the nostalgia trip.
This was AWESOME! I'm in charge of my school's video production club and we use the 455 (the slightly newer, 4-input version of the model in the video) as our main switcher, so I'm super familiar with this version of tricaster software. Awesome to see!
That payoff after all that setup was great lol. Beefy man should be a recurring character. Also as someone who loves tinkering with their OBS setup (and then never stream), that control surface would enable me to go absolutely sicko mode.
Awesome rundown! I actually work as a director in a local TV studio and you hit all the basic points of using one of these things. We have a 36in/24out Ross switcher with tons of bells and whistles these days but a decade ago we were using a Tricaster according to my predecessors. Tbh I never have had a reason to use the T Bar and none of the directors I worked under as an audio op did either. 50% of our transitions are cuts, 25% are 15 frame crossfades and 25% are custom wipes like the ones you mentioned that just use an animation to hide a wipe.
Also, when I was switching live music performances, 9 out of 10 times I switched directly on the program bus, calling attention to the camera operator and then punching them in live. Probably when the content is slower (ie. talkshows) you could compose your shot on the preview, but when you do fast-paced switching there's often no time for it.
@@Stoney3K Hot punching as we call it is something of a sin for tv news. Get in the habit of that and it's too easy to make a mistake and accidentally pop up a weather camera without the key turned on or hit the wrong button for video playback and roll a clip from yesterday's wildfire instead of the SPCA story you intended to roll.... I definitely see how it would be super useful when punching video for a concert or sporting event.
@@Aquatarkus96 I can imagine it being easier to composite a shot in a predictable environment like a news studio, so you can set up the shot in preview and flip over at a leisurely pace. In a fast-paced, improvised environment like a concert or a sports match... not so much.
i don't usually like videos of people i've already subscribed to (i don't really know why, it just doesn't make much sense in my mind), but slam beefchest walking towards you launched my hand towards the abstracted image of another hand holding its thumb up in a matter of mere nanoseconds. i think the more free-form type of doing things works really well for you! your videos always have "laying back with a very interesting and chill person" vibes, and this only enhances that. of course, you're free to do whatever works the best for you at the moment, i don't wanna push anybody! anyway, you have yourself a good and safe 4/20, this just made mine a lot better!
We just had the latest and great Tricaster setup in our TV studio at my high school. It took me an hour to create a lower third title and key out the green screen. And that's after training a few weeks ago. Super powerful stuff, just a big learning curve. At least you don't have to teach it to high schoolers after you've got it figured out!
I'm amazed at the amount of these effects I used to see in the earlier video production of the Internet. Something about the experience of doing it live had people using effects a sober and considered video editing session wouldn't dream of.
Also like... these were podcasts lol. They didn't need to do any of this live junk in the beginning. But every single one of those TechTV refugees in the various places they popped up over the years had abundant staff used to the live workflow and lofty aspirations to return to doing it live well ahead of the Internet's eventual live streaming boom.
Ooh, I remember the Tricaster. They made us learn how to use that the semester before the college TV station upgraded to HD. "Everything you learn this semester will be entirely obsolete next semester, thanks for you rmoney". Granted, ours was a bit older (video backups were recorded to full size DV cassettes).
Your comment reminded me of a course I took in college, that was an entirely different course, but they taught us outdated software in 2014, so for example, I think the college taught us CircuitMaker 2000 instead of some version of SolidWorks.
Thanks for the traumatic flashbacks of running the middle school morning announcements. As soon as you said "program/preview" Fortunate Son started playing in my head.
Dude so close to 100k!!! Keep it up! Also, as a long time viewer, your off the cuff style has grown tremendously and you can definitely see/hear how much more confident you are putting out new videos. You aced it CRD, Two thumbs up.
Thanks for showing off the Tricaster. I know about this device from watching TWiT (This Week in Tech) video/podcast network. I don't watch it nearly as much as I used to but they use a Tricaster and I've watched them play around with transitions between shows. I love the free form format. Watching you just play around with something is fun.
All this stuff takes me back to the days of linear editing, where an editor would have multiple machines synced up in the tape operator's room, and they would be recording everything to tape - one edit at a time. Since they didn't have a video timeline laid out for them to tweak endlessly (like with an Avid or later software solutions), they needed to be able to do precise edits as quickly and reliably as possible. This means that doing something like [22:03] picking the exact field in the middle of a transition was often required in order to replace whatever came after it. Things have obviously changed a lot in the past 25+ years, but tools like this are still valid and useful, particularly for producing live events in ways you simply couldn't with a mouse and keyboard.
Fantastic love this format of video, I love the long scripted ones too. I have always wanted to see the TriCaster and damn now I want one too, Good older amiga started it all. Awesomeness
My high school had two of these. One for our studio control room that they could also route cameras too from the auditorium, and one for the TV truck for football games and stuff
This was awesome! In high school, the Career and Tech department got a huge grant to build a broadcast studio with one of these things...I spent most of my Friday nights with a Tricaster pretty similar to that one.
I’ve actually been lucky enough to use one of these both in high school and now at college. And when he pulled out the P2HD it really brought back memories because that was the exact Switcher/camera combo I used in our tv studio!
Thanks a lot for showing this. There is a lot of content regarding the new versions of the Tricaster but this is the first time I've seen an early HD model. Nice of you to talk about the Amiga as well. Wonderful video and amazing format as well!
Absolutely loved this video! Both the subject of the video and being like a mate in the room watching as you figure out how something works. My missus wanted to watch a movie tonight but I saw this and HAD to watch beforehand.
Really fun stuff, you're just as interesting to listen to live as when you're scripted. I actually learned a couple of things about the TCD860 we have that I might use on the next board meeting I run.
This is cool. Even without a full bucnh of research and scripting, it's good to be able to explore something new. It was definitely fun to watch as I'm only really experienced with consumer SD gear, and when it comes to anything modern, it's just basic non linear editing on a PC for me. Seeing tech like this. Not everyone gets to see it, and the dive straight in approach showed it pretty well!
i have to have seen that hand transition in a bunch of things as a kid -- it makes total sense in retrospect for that to have just been a Video Toaster thing, lol
What a fun ride. The scope of how much experience, expertise, and skill an operator of this equipment would need to be efficient in a live environment is impressive.
I'm not sure what version this feature came, but a pretty awesome feature of the tricasters back in the day was the "live" graphics from after effects files. That meant you could design pretty decent looking graphics or lower thirds or whatever on another computer, you had to name some layers etc in certain ways but then you could load the file in a tricaster and render the gfx live, with text you input in the tricaster ui. this was pretty game changer for low budget producgtions, like sports events etc. I never used it back in the day for broadcast, but to just cast to the BIG screens on events.
Really enjoyed this video! Back in high school, I was a part of the ComTech club and we did live video production for like band performances and stuff, and we used a 1U Blackmagic design SDI switcher. It was so much fun to use, but we didn't have a physical control surface like the one you used (we'd use a laptop with the ATEM software for control). There really is something about equipment like this that makes it so much fun to play around with.
Really enjoyed this, it's a cool piece of kit that I would never have seen otherwise. I kinda want that control surface on my desk for just random hotkey functions, maybe use the T-bar as a volume control for my stereo.
Are you kidding? I already loved this channel. This... this right here...you just made me drop everything I'm doing to watch! I know a lot about Newtek and of course Lightwave3D/Toaster and Amiga (hence my channel) but I know very little about Tricaster as that was way out of my field at that point.
Same here. I owned a Toaster and stable of Amigas back in the 90s - and always lusted after a Flyer setup - but the Tricaster was never something I was interested in.
The illuminated color buttons are the most awesome thing. The control panel of the Death Star in the original Star Wars film is a video broadcast switcher.
![I bet YOUR photo printer couldn't do this! [Olympus P330]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZIrQX5bvzow/mqdefault.jpg)
![I bet YOUR photo printer couldn't do this! [Olympus P330]](/img/tr.png)
![Uncovering a Cancelled 90s "Metaverse" [Cyberpark]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6q6SXzmcqPY/mqdefault.jpg)
![I eliminated CD swaps FOREVER. [Nakamichi MJ-5.16]](/img/1.gif)
This was awesome. If you were ever to speak at a conference or something, the “come along as I figure something out” format like this would be super fun.
That would be a terrifically fun live show in general! Thank you so much!
@@CathodeRayDude I would love to see and come to such a thing too, especially since I'm in WA as well
@@zulc22 yeah I'm not sure where or when such a thing would be viable but I would absolutely love to do something like that
@@CathodeRayDude bit of a hike but VCFW is my first thought
@@CathodeRayDude completely the opposite side of the country, but this sort of thing is like, peak 2AM Magfest content.
Protect this man at all costs. I'm so glad you're filling this niche
Gravis laughing his ass off is exactly the kind of thing I needed to see today. So wholesome.
I lost it at "Slam Beefchest"
When he got Beefchest to start “walking purposefully” towards him, it was a beautiful moment.
😂😂A thousand times YES. I adore this human so much and tbh, knowing he’s doing what he loves genuinely makes me happy.
The "woman who transitions across the screen" is Kiki Stockhammer, who worked (and does again) at Newtek and was often the demonstrator at events, but is also known for being in Star Trek parody band "Warp 11" which is why they're known as Kiki-wipes.
There's a blast from the past!
ruclips.net/video/u4qWe60BVgE/видео.html
Drew Scanlon (that blinking guy from the gifs, who used to work at Giant Bomb) talks about going to see Kiki and Warp 11
@@ForTheBirbs NK. Haven't heard that name in a very, VERY long time!
Wow that tested video is a blast bro! GiantBomb has been in my life for almost a decade, only place I hear of a tricaster referenced regularly, and I hear warp 11 referenced on another show every week. Weird intersection here.
Just searched kiki-wipes found this little gem ruclips.net/video/jUrj-h3GejA/видео.html "FX-Grabs 3" Tape (Video Toaster "Kiki Effects" raw footage studio shoot)
Ohh man this is great! I worked at a bottom of the barrel local television station for a few years many moons ago and very frequently used the smaller variety of Tricaster for broadcasting local events from the van. This one is pretty different from what I used but also pretty similar. Huge blast from the past, thanks for sharing this!!
This was great! The basic effects had a real 80's 'corporate training video' feel about them. I was dying over the sprite overlay on the Windows training video. Oh man lol. There's potential for 'almost nekkid beefy sprite guy' to be placed in awkward situations since the keying worked so well. I bet you could get the keying to work well in other production applications, as well.
If there is some form of "Microsoft Agent" support left in Windows this should be pretty straightforward to implement.
This has to happen as a joke on another video later on this channel, really
I assume the "pause a 3D transition halfway between" thing is used on e.g. sports broadcasts when they need to transition back to the commentators or a replay but they aren't quite ready, so you end up with like the MLB/NBC Sports/whatever transition for 5 seconds or so when normally it would last one second.
26:10 That was actually IMHO the most epic thing about TriCaster. (I worked on 8000 Advanced Edition.) There it is called the V buttons, or Virtual Inputs, on our 8000 it was called Mix Effects (M/E) - basically, you created a virtual 3D liveset in special editor with textures and everything, selected positions and translations for up to 4 live sources to mix into the scene (as virtual screens), uploaded it to the machine, and then the liveset became source on its own button (for example M/E 1, on here it would be V1), and you can chroma-key a live action into it from camera feed, and set different picture sources to the "virtual screens" in the liveset. You were then able to digitally zoom it all and create perhaps another closer shot of that same liveset, it zoomed the live sources accordingly... absolutely amazing technology. But also, as you were saying in the video, pretty unreliable... ;-)
Virtual studio stuff is big, especially in news, so that makes sense!
"live set" is what is called a virtual set in the industry, where your talking heads are in a green screen environment, and the computer generates a virtual background depending on the actual physical position of the cameras
One of the many reasons I appreciate your channel is how squarely you fall into the particular demographic of "person who has third hand nostalgia for Tricasters because of Giant Bomb." There are dozens of us!
It's extremely funny that this is *the most prominent* positioning of the Tricaster, or *any* video production device I'm aware of, outside of the broadcast field.
You remember when you'd be watching one of those Nick Jr era shows with a host in one lil location, and after 20 minutes of nice wholesome content, they'd be like "okay boys and girls, time to go home" and they'd sing you a lil song to say goodbye to and you'd end the episode all happy looking forward to the next episode?
That's the vibes I got from the end of this video, and I was really here for it. Vinny and the rest of the ol' GB Crew would approve of this ep.
Thank you so much ^_^
CRD has got to be one of the most criminally underrated channels on this website
This brings back memories! Back when I worked in Public Access we were fortunate to have a Tricaster in the studio and one for remote shoots - my training was pretty much video switcher basics and how to set up a title cards/crawls - you just played around or dug into the manual if you needed to know more. Thankfully, whatever (4U, Opteron/Core2-era) server hardware and software combo we had very rarely crashed. :)
I worked with simple BlackMagic switchers quite a few times, and this is a great intro to anyone who's interested in vision mixers. Usually when I run OBS, I set up the workflow the same way as a real video mixer.
Amateur live television is really accessible with the tools we have today, where a setup like this would have been millions of dollars.
I wish this video was out when I started first time with an ATEM TV studio HD
I love both your scripted and your less-scripted videos, you can't make me choose! One of my favourites remains when you just played with 1990s architecture/CAD programs for half an hour or so
Great video! It’s amazing how powerful Tricasters are, they are largely used by smaller productions as you said, but they do have a powerful suite of options. I look after 2 live broadcast studios and I can say that you pretty much nailed the basics! Interestingly though if you’re using a Sony, Grass Valley, Blackmagic or Ross desk they each have their own terms and names for things! Where you may have a DSK on a BM, you end up with a self auto key on a Ross. Typically with your effects like the kind you’re building, you’d typically have them in an identical bus called an ME (mix and effects) and then bring that to the PGM bus as it’s own source and big desks can have lots of ME’s, you have macro recalls and all sorts. Don’t be shy to really dig in and play around with these desks, you can always reset them or restore a config! I don’t usually leave comments but it’s so nice to see someone finding joy with the sort of gear I use all the time! If you want to get your hands on a capable desk that isn’t a trickster, look at the older grass valleys, Ross desks or a Blackmagic atem! If you ever need any advice, I’m here :)
Seeing the guy walking on the Windows backdrop and walking towards you with purpose had me dying, I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Best channel out there
I'm part of the media club at my high school, and we use one of these to run the morning news! It's great to see this in another context lol
This was such a fun video. I'd love to see more stuff like this. The part with putting Chad McMuscleman in the other videos had me laughing my ass off.
You're a natural at "off the cuff" presentations. Nailed it.
My dad has been a fan for years. I remember as a kid he would talk about the Amiga, Video Toaster and NewTek in the 90's I would just nod and pretended to understand lol. I remember he would take me to what he called a "Computer Show" where a lot of computer vendors would set up their table with equipment/cables/software, ect for sale because he used to run a public access channel (kind of still does to this day just sticks around to make sure everything is still functioning). Every time they release a new model he has the city buy it for the studio and truck. Eventually I got older and started using from 2008 - 2016. Watching this video sure does bring back memories!
that was so so fun, now I want a tricaster too! hope you left the beefcake walk animation in the system's memory so that the owner can turn him into a stinger transition.
Loved your genuine laughter here. So many fake laughs on here, so its nice to see someone authentically get the giggles.
Having just finished it... It feels so much like public acess *chef kiss*
Never thought I'd see a tricaster again! Last year my highschool bought one for their media class to tinker around with(though it was a very basic model a quarter of the size of the one you have). We had a blue screen and was able to record, stream, make fake weather broadcasts. It was a load of fun and one part of highschool I actually really miss.
@pasquaplays I really want to do exactly this - fake weather reports, to teach the kids at my Scout group all about different weather patterns. The material has potential to be a bit... dry... so I want to jazz it up with something much like what you did in school. You enjoyed the experience so I'm hoping the same will be true here🤷♂️
Initially I thought I'd cobble together PC, webcams with green-screen and do the rest in software. Any ideas?
What I really need after that is blank animated weather maps with typical UK weather patterns: rain, fog, rain, foggy-rain and rainy-fog🤪
Joking - anticyclone, low pressure, cold front, warm front etc
I did actually get to use one of them in network television. Granted, it was a UPN affilliate, but that was still network. We still had it long after we stopped doing any live broadcast, it chilled in the editing suite next to the fruit colored imacs and our synth collection.
That sounds like the kind of room I could live in.
I really like this format of video. It kinda has a vibe of "hey look what rolled into the shop! Let's figure it out before it rolls out!"
We put our faith in Slam Beefchest!
Yes, I *am* going to make that reference every time you invoke him from now on, because he's awesome, and you're awesome for giving him that name.
As someone who has recently started a career in TV (formerly in electronic security, and before that IT), I found this very interesting (and amusing), as I currently work in Broadcast I don't work with equipment like the Tricaster, but its still neat to learn a bit about a piece of gear I may or may not end up encountering one day. Also, I noticed the "E420" tape - happy 420 day :)
Hey Gravis! Great video, brought me back to me beginnings in broadcasting... I've been a Technical Director (Vision Mixer for you Brits) for over 25 years now doing live sports, news, etc and you've got the basics just about right on all counts... Yes these machines are all based on the same principles dating back from the 60's and 70's when they became more "affordable" for smaller stations... The newer 4K models basically operate the same way the analog standard def ones did 30 years ago, making it easier for us to implement the newer possibilities alongside our long-acquired ways of doing things.
Control room automation is slowly making bigger switchers obsolete though, with new systems consisting only of a processing frame and networked computer screen interface... We now do live show with only 2 operators compared to the 4-6 persons crews of the past... I run the switcher, robotic cameras, playback and graphics all from one interface... And people at home basically don't see the difference!!! The latest systems even integrate internet video calling all inboard, permitting to put on-air basically anybody with a computer/phone/tablet within seconds... Soon all this "broadcast" gear will be a thing of the past, replaced by cloud-based apps running on basic computers... Such is the evolution of technology...
I love your videos. I work as an AV engineer for a consultant/integrator. I've been looking at broadcast equipment for the first time and your videos showcasing NewTek devices have been really informative.
Thank you
I could spend hours listening you nerdsplain things I'll probably never see in real life. Excellent video, keep it coming 💯
You have no idea how up my alley this is. On my way to use a TriCaster right now for a college baseball game. Thank you for the 30 minutes of entertainment you provided me today!
I work with professional stage lighting gear on a very regular basis and I absolutely love the feel of those machines. They're just built right, especially ETC machines, which have big full-height keys and absolutely wonderful dials.
Ever since I started livestreaming for my church at the beginning of the pandemic, I've learned a bunch about the de-facto standards of the industry. It's amazing how a lot of the basics haven't changed. Some of the software I use is still in that skeuomorphic stage of UI that they have a virtual board full of that exact style of button, and even a T-bar to interact with.
I love you for this, man. Thank you for being such a techhead. Can’t find stuff like this on RUclips ever. You also seem like a genuine person, I love it! Thank you so much
This was awesome! Both where great. Grew up in Seattle and wishing I was there. But Everytime I watch your videos I feel like I am right back home.
My highschool unusually had a Tricaster 3-box flight case for moving in and out of a video truck for remote broadcasts over internet in 2010-2011 and serving double duty as our in-studio system and it was an experience. It really felt like a studio-in-a-box.
This is very entertaining to watch. I am a broadcast sports director and I use almost that exact model of control surface for some of the shows I run. I'm not the most experienced director ever but I do have some time at the controls.
To answer your question about "stingers" as you call them, one use is for transitioning to replays in a show using a "replay" transition that looks similar to the "score" transition. Useful to let the audience know that what they're watching is no longer live.
And to address how advanced this model of tricaster is: my understanding is that it's nowhere near the top of the line. Other models of switcher that I use (ROSS) connect to a graphics system called Xpressions that can feed a wide variety of graphics into the switcher for broadcast use: think player statistics, scores, etc. They can also be set up with macros to accomplish a wide variety of switcher actions at once.
For instance
taking DDR1
rolling the clip
removing a key
adding a new key
and using a specific transition
all in one button press
perhaps this tricaster can do some of those things but I've never seen it.
This brings back fond memories of hanging around the NewTek booth at NAB in the late 90's.
This is awesome. It brings me back some good memories. Thank you.
Great Video! You are really good at connecting the dots! Every TV engineer knows the instruction manual is only to be used when flummoxed.
The Video Toaster did do some of the special effects on the TV series Babylon 5 but not on Home Improvement. Most of those special effects were conceived by the great designer Jim Praytor and executed at Modern Videofilm in Burbank. I was lucky enough to be one of the cadre of compositing and online editors who worked on the show. Most effects were done in the Discrete Logic/Autodesk family of compositors, the Fire, Flame or inferno. We also would use camera stands and paper cutouts, shoot ad-hock green screen in the facility parking structure and heavily use the Grass Valley Kaleidoscope in the edit room for image manipulation. Contrary to the effects found in the TriCaster no "canned effects" were used in Home Improvement. Every effect or transition was purpose built for the show. We might re-use something created earlier, but they were all show original. I even got a cameo as a tiny green elf jumping out of a giant treasure chest.
Coincidence of coincidences, today I just received an invite to see the latest NewTek product, the TriCaster 1 Pro. It lives on...
Oh wow - that's what I get for not checking my references. Did you know that there are people all over the Internet repeating that the toaster was used on that show, but when I went and checked just now, I can't find any primary sources for it? The wiki article that I'm guessing everyone has been citing for years doesn't have one either. Would certainly make sense if the reason for that is that it simply isn't true; I'll remove it from the wiki page later when I have a chance. It must be a bummer to have your work overshadowed by false association like that, my apologies for not doing my due diligence.
@@CathodeRayDude No worries. The reward was working on a great show with great people for many years.
As someone who uses tricasters daily, small correction on your intro: they are used in some large productions! Typically as video playback on jumbotron feeds and as live-to-tape (prerecorded) machines. The fact that it's a souped up windows computer makes it unsuitable to 24/7 live production like many stations use, but they're very good for jobs where you unpack it at the beginning of the day and pack it back up at the end of the day. Happy to have found your channel, I subscribed!
Always been curious about seeing more about the Tricaster, after hearing so much tangential bits and whatnot from Vinny and Drew on GB vids and pods. I'm glad you had the opportunity to take it for a spin (I could feel you were always on the verge of exploding with excitement and glee), and jazzed you were able to give us all a tour! Despite the limited window, the vid felt every bit a CRD creation from soup to nuts. Thanks as always! 👍❤️
I took a video elective course in high school in the early 2000's. Part of the course we got to do some work for the towns public access TV station. This equipment and process reminds me of the stuff I worked with at the station. Thanks for the nostalgia trip.
This was AWESOME! I'm in charge of my school's video production club and we use the 455 (the slightly newer, 4-input version of the model in the video) as our main switcher, so I'm super familiar with this version of tricaster software. Awesome to see!
That payoff after all that setup was great lol. Beefy man should be a recurring character.
Also as someone who loves tinkering with their OBS setup (and then never stream), that control surface would enable me to go absolutely sicko mode.
Awesome rundown! I actually work as a director in a local TV studio and you hit all the basic points of using one of these things. We have a 36in/24out Ross switcher with tons of bells and whistles these days but a decade ago we were using a Tricaster according to my predecessors.
Tbh I never have had a reason to use the T Bar and none of the directors I worked under as an audio op did either. 50% of our transitions are cuts, 25% are 15 frame crossfades and 25% are custom wipes like the ones you mentioned that just use an animation to hide a wipe.
Also, when I was switching live music performances, 9 out of 10 times I switched directly on the program bus, calling attention to the camera operator and then punching them in live. Probably when the content is slower (ie. talkshows) you could compose your shot on the preview, but when you do fast-paced switching there's often no time for it.
@@Stoney3K Hot punching as we call it is something of a sin for tv news. Get in the habit of that and it's too easy to make a mistake and accidentally pop up a weather camera without the key turned on or hit the wrong button for video playback and roll a clip from yesterday's wildfire instead of the SPCA story you intended to roll.... I definitely see how it would be super useful when punching video for a concert or sporting event.
@@Aquatarkus96 I can imagine it being easier to composite a shot in a predictable environment like a news studio, so you can set up the shot in preview and flip over at a leisurely pace.
In a fast-paced, improvised environment like a concert or a sports match... not so much.
i don't usually like videos of people i've already subscribed to (i don't really know why, it just doesn't make much sense in my mind), but slam beefchest walking towards you launched my hand towards the abstracted image of another hand holding its thumb up in a matter of mere nanoseconds.
i think the more free-form type of doing things works really well for you! your videos always have "laying back with a very interesting and chill person" vibes, and this only enhances that. of course, you're free to do whatever works the best for you at the moment, i don't wanna push anybody!
anyway, you have yourself a good and safe 4/20, this just made mine a lot better!
We just had the latest and great Tricaster setup in our TV studio at my high school. It took me an hour to create a lower third title and key out the green screen. And that's after training a few weeks ago. Super powerful stuff, just a big learning curve. At least you don't have to teach it to high schoolers after you've got it figured out!
I'm amazed at the amount of these effects I used to see in the earlier video production of the Internet.
Something about the experience of doing it live had people using effects a sober and considered video editing session wouldn't dream of.
Also like... these were podcasts lol.
They didn't need to do any of this live junk in the beginning.
But every single one of those TechTV refugees in the various places they popped up over the years had abundant staff used to the live workflow and lofty aspirations to return to doing it live well ahead of the Internet's eventual live streaming boom.
Ooh, I remember the Tricaster. They made us learn how to use that the semester before the college TV station upgraded to HD. "Everything you learn this semester will be entirely obsolete next semester, thanks for you rmoney". Granted, ours was a bit older (video backups were recorded to full size DV cassettes).
Your comment reminded me of a course I took in college, that was an entirely different course, but they taught us outdated software in 2014, so for example, I think the college taught us CircuitMaker 2000 instead of some version of SolidWorks.
This is so neat, was always jealous of the high schools that could afford TriCasters. Love seeing more videos exploring the world of broadcast tech :)
That fangled doohickey box is wild, man, I love it!
Thanks for the traumatic flashbacks of running the middle school morning announcements.
As soon as you said "program/preview" Fortunate Son started playing in my head.
Dude so close to 100k!!! Keep it up! Also, as a long time viewer, your off the cuff style has grown tremendously and you can definitely see/hear how much more confident you are putting out new videos. You aced it CRD, Two thumbs up.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for showing off the Tricaster. I know about this device from watching TWiT (This Week in Tech) video/podcast network. I don't watch it nearly as much as I used to but they use a Tricaster and I've watched them play around with transitions between shows. I love the free form format. Watching you just play around with something is fun.
All this stuff takes me back to the days of linear editing, where an editor would have multiple machines synced up in the tape operator's room, and they would be recording everything to tape - one edit at a time. Since they didn't have a video timeline laid out for them to tweak endlessly (like with an Avid or later software solutions), they needed to be able to do precise edits as quickly and reliably as possible. This means that doing something like [22:03] picking the exact field in the middle of a transition was often required in order to replace whatever came after it. Things have obviously changed a lot in the past 25+ years, but tools like this are still valid and useful, particularly for producing live events in ways you simply couldn't with a mouse and keyboard.
Fantastic love this format of video, I love the long scripted ones too. I have always wanted to see the TriCaster and damn now I want one too, Good older amiga started it all.
Awesomeness
That was an amazing and at the same time hilarious video, thanks YT for showing me this channel!
Great video, never seen how TV broadcasts do it. Never knew I was interested in it until I saw this.
As someone who works on a newer version of this machine every day, it’s fun to watch him figure everything out :)
My high school had two of these. One for our studio control room that they could also route cameras too from the auditorium, and one for the TV truck for football games and stuff
Those sports transitions remind me of the Brunswick bowling alley animations, childhood memories!
30:08 ❤
also let's take a moment to appreciate the E420 tape in the background on this glorious day
Ayyyyy a Tricaster video! Awesome. I got to learn how to use one of these at the broadcast school I went to. Very fun.
I’haven’t laughed this hard on something on RUclips for years when you did the superimposing. Awesome video.
This was awesome! In high school, the Career and Tech department got a huge grant to build a broadcast studio with one of these things...I spent most of my Friday nights with a Tricaster pretty similar to that one.
Super cool video Homeslice, right up there with your Video Toaster episode
I’ve actually been lucky enough to use one of these both in high school and now at college. And when he pulled out the P2HD it really brought back memories because that was the exact Switcher/camera combo I used in our tv studio!
Also you missed out on a load of fun with the virtual sets, those were always fun to play around with in the studio
Thanks a lot for showing this. There is a lot of content regarding the new versions of the Tricaster but this is the first time I've seen an early HD model. Nice of you to talk about the Amiga as well. Wonderful video and amazing format as well!
Dude! This is siiiick! You've got my support on Patreon :D
You had me cracking up right along with you, when you were playing around with Slab there at the end
Gosh I'm so thankful I found your channel. I absolutely love seeing all these videos about AV gear!
Absolutely loved this video! Both the subject of the video and being like a mate in the room watching as you figure out how something works. My missus wanted to watch a movie tonight but I saw this and HAD to watch beforehand.
Absolute wizardry, great video as usual Mr Ray Dude
Haha I love this, and how giddy you were playing with the different features! I sure would be too!
Really fun stuff, you're just as interesting to listen to live as when you're scripted. I actually learned a couple of things about the TCD860 we have that I might use on the next board meeting I run.
This is cool. Even without a full bucnh of research and scripting, it's good to be able to explore something new.
It was definitely fun to watch as I'm only really experienced with consumer SD gear, and when it comes to anything modern, it's just basic non linear editing on a PC for me.
Seeing tech like this. Not everyone gets to see it, and the dive straight in approach showed it pretty well!
I had no interest in the technicals of television until I watched this video. This is amazing! Thank you for your awesome content!
One of my favourite videos of yours for sure
Oh hell yes, I love transmission and broadcasting equipment!
i have to have seen that hand transition in a bunch of things as a kid -- it makes total sense in retrospect for that to have just been a Video Toaster thing, lol
What a fun ride. The scope of how much experience, expertise, and skill an operator of this equipment would need to be efficient in a live environment is impressive.
Great video, I liked the “watch me figure this out” format.
love this ch can't get enough of this stuff.
I'm not sure what version this feature came, but a pretty awesome feature of the tricasters back in the day was the "live" graphics from after effects files. That meant you could design pretty decent looking graphics or lower thirds or whatever on another computer, you had to name some layers etc in certain ways but then you could load the file in a tricaster and render the gfx live, with text you input in the tricaster ui. this was pretty game changer for low budget producgtions, like sports events etc. I never used it back in the day for broadcast, but to just cast to the BIG screens on events.
Yeah I like seeing you figure something out. Bringing that found footage game sprite guy in made me literally lol. Excellent work!
Great vid, happy to have some more of this type of stuff
Really enjoyed this video! Back in high school, I was a part of the ComTech club and we did live video production for like band performances and stuff, and we used a 1U Blackmagic design SDI switcher. It was so much fun to use, but we didn't have a physical control surface like the one you used (we'd use a laptop with the ATEM software for control).
There really is something about equipment like this that makes it so much fun to play around with.
Amazing video and you made the most with the loaned equipment.
Really enjoyed this, it's a cool piece of kit that I would never have seen otherwise. I kinda want that control surface on my desk for just random hotkey functions, maybe use the T-bar as a volume control for my stereo.
Are you kidding? I already loved this channel. This... this right here...you just made me drop everything I'm doing to watch! I know a lot about Newtek and of course Lightwave3D/Toaster and Amiga (hence my channel) but I know very little about Tricaster as that was way out of my field at that point.
Same here. I owned a Toaster and stable of Amigas back in the 90s - and always lusted after a Flyer setup - but the Tricaster was never something I was interested in.
I can't believe NewTek is still in business! I remember them from the Video Toaster ;) Fun video..
the random funny key chroma stuff would never happened if it were scripted, these moments are priceless
I thought the spinny PiP and the sports transitions were pretty good, but the chroma key stuff's *hysterical*! Lovely video.
Congrats on surpassing 100,000 subscribers!
Getting to the 30 minute mark and seeing all the hard work pay off was very satisfying, lol. Well worth it!
The illuminated color buttons are the most awesome thing. The control panel of the Death Star in the original Star Wars film is a video broadcast switcher.
Awesome video! The overlay chroma key stuffs is great xD