Winston McFarlane standing behind his multicam live-stream fly pack
Production gear walkthrough

My multicam fly pack.

A rolling 6U system built for podcasts, conferences, live streams and concerts. One case, eight inputs, four ISO recorders and far fewer loose cables.

6UCurrent rolling rack
8ATEM HDMI inputs
4HyperDeck recorders
8UNext-stage rebuild

Everything inside

The complete gear list.

This follows the video from front to back. Products marked Planned are upgrade candidates, not gear already inside the rack. If I did not name an exact model, I say that clearly.

Core rack

Case, switching, recording, power and monitoring
Gator GRR-6L rolling 6U rack case
0:55Current case

Gator GRR-6L rolling 6U rack

The wheeled pull-handle case that protects the build and lets me load in fast without carrying a stack of loose gear.

ATEM Mini Extreme ISO installed inside the fly pack
1:47Brain of the rack

Blackmagic ATEM Mini Extreme ISO

Eight HDMI inputs, a fast live-switching surface and an ISO safety recording. Everything in the rack routes back to it.

Blackmagic HyperDeck Studio family
2:53Quantity 4

HyperDeck Studio HD Plus

Four decks can record four separate cameras. One deck can switch to key-and-fill playback when every camera ISO is not needed.

Blackmagic Micro Converter family
2:34Quantity 2

Micro Converter BiDirectional SDI/HDMI 3G

The SDI-to-HDMI bridge for SDI camera feeds and a HyperDeck key-and-fill playback path into the HDMI-only ATEM Mini.

Furman PL-PLUS C rack power conditioner
3:42Power

Furman PL-PLUS C power conditioner

One place to protect and power the rack. The pull-out work lights make cable checks easier in a dark venue.

SEETEC SC173-HSD-56 17.3-inch pull-out rack monitor
3:491RU monitor

SEETEC SC173-HSD-56 monitor

A 17.3-inch pull-out HDMI and SDI display that gives the fly pack a full multiview without the price of a premium broadcast monitor.

Sources and control

Graphics, guest playback and wireless operation
Raspberry Pi single-board computer
2:00Model not specified

Raspberry Pi

Runs overlays, transitions, graphics and AI-assisted automation. I use a second Pi for the wireless control surface.

Apple TV 4K
2:18Model not specified

Apple TV

The easy guest-input path. A presenter can AirPlay a phone or laptop and get media into the fly pack without a cable handoff.

Elgato Stream Deck XL
4:15Wireless control

Elgato Stream Deck XL

A Raspberry Pi, battery pack and Bitfocus Companion turn this into a wireless ATEM control surface anywhere in the room.

Connections and transport

Wireless video, cameras, custom I/O and network
Accsoon CineView HE transmitter and receiver kit
5:13Two receiver paths

Accsoon CineView HE

Dual-band wireless HDMI for cameras that need freedom to move. It has latency, but it works for my small events, podcasts and conferences.

Camera operator using a Sony a7 IV during a live performance
5:39Camera example

Sony a7 IV

One of the cameras I run into the fly pack. A camera operator used it onstage with the performers while sending video wirelessly.

Custom front panel and internal routing inside the fly pack
5:50Custom I/O

Penn Elcom custom rack panels

All the rack connections in one clean place: HDMI, SDI, monitor out, USB, WAN, LAN and power, built with D-size connector cutouts.

GL.iNet Slate AX travel router
6:15Local network

GL.iNet Slate AX router

The local network and internet bridge for the ATEM, HyperDecks, Raspberry Pis and Apple TV. The b-roll shows model GL-AXT1800.

GL.iNet router product page shown in the fly pack video
6:20Model not specified

NETGEAR 8-port gigabit switch

The hardwired center of the private rack network, connecting the recorders, switcher, control computers and Apple TV.

The 8U upgrade path

Planned, not installed yet
Gator GRR-8L rolling 8U rack case
7:19Planned

Gator GRR-8L rolling 8U rack

The next shell for the build. Two additional rack spaces make room for proper audio management and the larger video workflow.

Blackmagic ATEM Constellation switcher family
7:50Planned

ATEM 1 M/E Constellation 4K

The switcher upgrade I am considering as the workflow grows past what the ATEM Mini is designed to handle.

Blackmagic Web Presenter family
8:00Planned

Blackmagic Web Presenter 4K

The dedicated streaming encoder the Constellation build needs to get a finished program feed online.

Teradek Bolt 6 wireless video system
5:31Considering

Teradek Bolt 6 LT 750 class system

A future near-zero-delay wireless path to replace the CineView system when the job calls for tighter live camera timing.

Still being chosen

Audio is the open decision.

The 8U rack creates room for proper audio management, but I have not named the exact mixer or professional wireless receiver system yet. Those links will be added when the build is final.

Rack mixerModel not selected
Wireless audio receiversModel not selected