Multicamera recording by session: planning coverage and checking files

Start with the agenda and intended use of each session

Ask the person using the footage to identify what they need from each segment: a complete talk, a re-edit, questions, a demonstration or promotional excerpts. Include moments that cannot be missed, such as the speaker’s opening, a product detail or the panel’s closing remarks.

Assign a stable identifier to each session. If its time or title changes, keep that identifier in the agenda and matrix. The operator’s log and editing brief will then continue to refer to the same session.

Use one row for each recording item you need

Separate the material by function before counting equipment. The switched program, isolated cameras, slide feed and audio sources each need their own recording decisions. Include only agreed items and flag anything the recipient still needs to confirm.

The table is an example for defining the request. Fill it in using your agenda and review with the crew which paths and formats can produce the required material.

Connect each item to the path that will record it

Beside each item, identify its source, input and storage destination. Record who confirms the model, recording mode, format and media. Even if a connector is available or a picture appears in multiview, open the test file to check what was captured.

If the request includes several simultaneous signals, check that combination in the exact model’s manual and test it with the planned setup. The recording guide (Spanish) covers formats, workflows and media; use this matrix to identify what each session requires.

For Ki Pro Ultra 12G, check the recording channel guide (Spanish). For ATEM Mini Pro ISO, see how to enable input recording (Spanish). Match each test file to its row before considering the setup ready.

Give each recorded camera a useful assignment

For each segment, identify which camera can cover the speaker, panel, an audience question or a detail. Consider what happens while a camera repositions: its input may keep recording, but the move may not provide the shot the editor needs.

For a demonstration, mark when hands, the product and the presenter need to be visible. For a panel, rehearse changes between the ends of the panel and the audience. Agree on these priorities with the director and operators; the camera guide (Spanish) helps review positions and lenses.

List the voices and content that must be heard

Walk through the agenda with the sound crew: speaker, moderator, panelists, questions, clips and remote participants. For each session, specify what belongs in the mix and what is needed separately. If multiple languages are involved, identify which each recording item must preserve.

During rehearsal, use the actual planned sources and listen to the saved take. Record the file and segment in which you identified them. The delivery audio map will later explain those tracks to the recipient.

Agree how to cover starts, changes and endings

Decide who confirms that all required recordings are running before the start and who authorizes ending a session. Define how to log a pause, media change or new segment according to the equipment’s procedure. Share that approach with the people cueing the program.

If a session runs long or moves to another room, notify the recording crew and update the coverage period. Review changes to staffing, media and timing; the session identifier helps connect any resulting segments. Do not assume the ending is covered just because the scheduled time has passed.

Rehearse the combination of tasks the session needs

Prepare a sample with the planned tasks running together: camera cuts, presentation, clips, audio, recording and streaming where applicable. Then open the files for the rows you want to verify. If the test used fewer sources or ran for less time than planned, record that limitation.

Choose recognizable moments to review, such as an identified voice, a slide change and a close-up demonstration. Record which file contains each and whether picture and audio match the moment. For a long take or signals from different recorders, also review the editing references described in the recording guide (Spanish).

Also test the editing workflow. In Premiere’s multicamera source sequence workflow, timecode synchronization requires correct values; audio synchronization needs a consistent reference across the clips being synchronized. Move Source Clips to Processed Clips bin leaves clips that do not meet the synchronization criterion outside that bin. Compare them with the matrix: creating a sequence does not by itself verify which material was included or which portions it covers.

Separate recording status from the result you reviewed

During a session, the operator can log recording status, media and alerts without claiming to have checked the entire file. Log program changes and incidents with their times too. Agree when a take can be opened without affecting recordings still in progress.

When reviewing, link the row to its file or segment and record the portion watched and heard. If you checked only the opening and one question, list those points and leave the rest unreviewed. File present, sample reviewed and full session reviewed are different states that need separate records.

Carry missing items into delivery using the same identifier

Download the coverage matrix. It starts blank: fill in the plan before the event and add checks when performed. Use one row per session and recording item; repeat a row to distinguish files or segments with different results. Assign an owner and next action for any unconfirmed source, missing segment or review issue. In prior_test, identify the take, date and test scope.

At closeout, use session identifiers to link this matrix to the delivery inventory. The inventory organizes the files; the matrix compares them with the requested coverage. Send both when you need to review a discrepancy or prepare an edit.

ULXD4Q: why do two tracks contain the same microphones?

If you expect isolated voices but several tracks contain the same microphones, check Audio Summing on the ULXD4Q receiver.

The Shure manual states that Audio Summing affects both XLR and Dante. Check DEVICE UTILITIES → AUDIO SUMMING; OFF disables summing. This table applies to ULXD4Q:

During rehearsal, test one voice at a time and listen to each recorded track. Log the mode, channels and result in the worksheet. If you need isolated voices, check the path with summing disabled. Also review levels (Spanish).

QL5/QL1: does pre-fader mean recording without EQ?

On QL5/QL1, the selected Direct Out point determines which channel processing reaches the recording. These instructions apply to the V5.8 reference manual for those models.

The Yamaha V5.8 manual distinguishes the following Direct Out points. PRE HPF is after DIGITAL GAIN; it does not mean a completely unprocessed signal.

Select the channel and open DIRECT OUT from SELECTED CHANNEL VIEW. Check the tap point, DIRECT OUT PATCH, ON and LEVEL. During rehearsal, record EQ and fader changes separately; listen to the file and identify the segment in the worksheet. For dropouts, check the Dante guide (Spanish).

QL5/QL1: which path am I recording over Dante?

Before changing gain, identify the source and signal path feeding each track.

The Yamaha guide explains that Port-to-Port sends inputs to outputs without passing through mixing channels. On QL5, the initial patch sends INPUT 1–32 to Dante 33–64. On QL1, INPUT 1–16 must be assigned to Dante 17–32.

The V5.8 manual shows the source in SETUP → OUTPUT PORT and lets you check port GAIN. DIRECT OUT LEVEL belongs to a different path: the channel’s Direct Out.

Record the source and destination; during rehearsal, record a voice while changing one setting at a time. Listen back and identify the segment in the worksheet.