TriCaster Advanced Edition 2 (4-0) - Things you need to know

AE 4-0 is a huge update, and we're aware that - as usually happens with our big updates - it has potential to overwhelm some users who just jump in without realizing how deep the water is. I want to start a thread especially to list things that might bite you or simply confuse if you don't know about it in advance. To keep it legible, I'm going to take everything that gets posted here and consolidate it into one bullet list, then delete the contributors original post.

Let's start:

• Docs: The "What's New" doc provides a lot of valuable introductory information for those upgrading from Standard Edition, or an earlier version of AE. Although it doesn't cover everything, failure to read this is a mistake. With regard to NDI, the "Getting started with NDI" doc included with the free NewTek NSI Tools pack from NDI.NewTek.com is 'required reading'. The new apps are really deliberately very simple to use, but especially someone used to our old IP workflows should read this. NDI Connect and NDI IsoCorder come with docs of their own, which answer most of the questions not covered in the guides previously mentioned.

• Configuring external inputs: External inputs are represented by either 8 or 12 buttons on Switcher and M/E rows. These are no longer locked to specific inputs, though; they can be assigned to any external input (NDI or hardware connector) in any order. Having assigned a specific hardware input to a button using the Input Configuration panel, click the config gear shown at right next to the Source menu to open the Hardware Configuration panel if you want to modify the default connection type (SDI or HDMI "Auto-detect"). You can open Hardware Config by double-clicking the Program monitor, too.

• Configuring Audio: Audio routing has changed in several important ways (in some cases, this may require you to rethink your audio cabling). First, every TriCaster now supports four independent 4-channel busses, each with full 4x4 routing. See the Advanced Audio configuration panel for any Mixer control group for this feature. Also, The main output busses have been re-organized. Outputs 1-4 are all four channel, and can be configured to carry many different signals. Obviously, some models do not have four physical output connector groups, but the 'surplus' outputs are available as NDI audio outputs).

• NDI/Network Sources

• Control Surfaces (mapping): The new sources NDI makes available make it impossible to map the different CS units (labeled as shipped) exactly to the software. For example, some surfaces have far less buttons in their M/R or Util rows than TriCaster AE now provides. By default sources are mapped to the labeled source as much as possible, even where this breaks the natural order shown on the interface. The User Guide shows tables for every CS for every TriCaster model in chapter 21.

• DSK/KEYs