Tutorial: vMix GO Portable Live Production Solution

Adding an External Monitor

Note that you can add an external monitor to your vMix GO by connecting the monitor, choosing the desired view, and clicking full screen at the top center of the main interface (Figure 16, below).

Figure 16. Adding an external monitor.

Saving a Program Configuration as a Preset

When you finish your configuration, you can save it as a preset by clicking Save Preset (Figure 17, below). This lets you save and recall multiple configurations for the various projects that you produce.

Figure 17. Saving a present configuration. Click the image to see it at full size.

Live Output Recording

Figure 18 (below) shows the controls for recording the live output of your event. vMix works with third-party codec and recommends the free Grass Valley HQX intermediate codec for maximum quality and cross-platform compatibility.

Figure 18. The Recording Setup dialog. Click the image to see it at full size.

The MultiCorder (Figure 19, below) lets you record any or all of your input cameras, and offers similar configuration options as a feature known as ISO recording, usually reserved for higher-end systems.

Figure 19. Setting up ISO records in the MultiCorder dialog. Click the image to see it at full size.

Live Streaming Options

vMix can stream live to any RTMP-compatible server. Figure 20 (below) shows a preset for YouTube Live. I've good pretty good bandwidth, so I'm shooting for 1080p at 5 Mbps.

Figure 20. A YouTube Live preset created in the Streaming Settings dialog.

vMix can even create streams at multiple bit rates, as shown in Figure 21 (below).

Figure 21. Streaming Quality settings; note the ability to create streams at multiple bit rates. Click the image to see it at full size.

With all of these elements configured, I'm ready to go live. In the Footer bar (Figure 22, below), I will click Record, Stream, and MultiCorder to start recording the live output and the camera input, and to start sending the stream to YouTube.

Figure 22. Ready to Record, Stream, and MultiCord. Click the image to see it at full size.

Since vMix uses both GPU and CPU to process the event, total CPU usage peaks at around 19% leaving plenty of overhead.

After the Webcast

When I'm done with my production and back in my office, I can edit and output the recorded footage on the computer. vMix includes a full version of Sony Vegas, but if you prefer a Premiere Pro or Avid, you can install that as well.

Overall, you will find the vMix software exceptionally functional and refreshingly easy to use while offering features that will rival systems that cost two or three times as much. The vMix GO hardware offers affordable and portable HD-SDI high connectivity and a powerful platform you can use for live productions, editing, and more.

vMix GO ships in three different versions: Base, demonstrated here ($9,495 at Videoguys.com); Plus, with bundled storage ($11,495 at Videoguys.com); and Junior, the lower-cost HDMI version.

For more information about the vMix GO, contact this video’s sponsor, Videoguys.com, at 1-800-323-2325.