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Videonics MX-1 Mixer Tips & Tricks
http://www.studio1productions.com

There is a common misconception that is the type of connections or cables used determines the video format of the signal. Such as composite equals VHS and Y/C equals S-VHS. This is not true. The connection cables do not change the format of a of the signal. In other words, just because you are using a composite cable, doesn’t mean you are not getting a high resolution signal. For example, a composite video output from a Betacam SP source does not mean it will be a VHS signal. What you will have is a very high-quality Betacam SP video signal traveling along a composite video cable. It is only when that signal is recorded onto a VHS VCR that is becomes a VHS video signal.

Creating The Film Look

You can give your videos a “film look” by using the first strobe setting on the MX-1 mixers. Add a slight orange/yellow tint, which will give the footage the look of an old 8mm movie. It’s a great effect for special openings and closing highlights.

Setting the Black IRE Level to 7.5

The Videonics MX1 video mixer comes with a factory default setting of 0 IRE. This causes problems with some pieces of equipment, such as certain editing decks. However, you’re in luck, you can change the IRE setting from 0 to 7.5 by going into the Advanced Set Up menu and changing it from 0 IRE to 7.5 IRE.

Keeping Your Equipment In Sync

The Videonics MX-1 video mixer doesn’t have an external sync or Blackburst output jack, but what happens if you are using and editing VCR that requires as external sync signal for operation?

You can use a stand-alone sync generator to feed the reference sync signal to the inputs on your VCRs. You don’t need to feed this reference sync signal into the MX-1 since it will automatically lock-up to whatever video signals are fed into its inputs.

An alternative method is to use the MX-1 video mixer as the sync generator by connecting the MX-1’s composite video output to the reference sync input on your editing VCRs that need a reference sync signal. The actual video will be sent to the MX-1 via the S-Video (Y/C) connections. Any source VCRs that don’t require a sync signal will automatically lock-up once they’re fed into the MX-1’s video inputs.

If you use the MX-1 video mixer as a sync source for editing decks such as the Sony Betacam UVW-1800, you will need to go into the MX-1’s Advanced Set Up menu and change the Frame Lock Disable setting from 0 to 1. If you leave it set in the factory default setting of zero, you will get a “non-standard video signal” warning. Also, in the Advanced Set Up menu, you have to change the IRE setting from 0 IRE to 7.5 IRE.

Time Base Correctors and Video Mixers

If you are using a stand-alone time-base corrector the TBC should always follow the video output of a playback VCR, not after your digital mixer. If possible, connect the appropriate sync cables from the mixer to the “sync in” on the TBC and to the “external sync in” jacks on the playback VCR if it has one. This insures that all three pieces of equipment are “marching to the beat of the same drum.”

Composing/De-Composing on the Videonics MX-1

In addition to the various sized still pictures that you can paste about the screen in the Videonics MX-1 Compose mode, you can also create a variety of background patterns using the Background and Border Colors.

A nice effect is the creation of a combination of different abstract horizontal and vertical lines in different colors and then cut a “hole” in about a quarter of the screen to let live video show through from underneath.

This combined with titles makes for a great sequence or transition page when going from one “chapter” of your video production to another (i.e. “Coming Up Next...”).

As a matter of fact, you can create a video tape of your own custom backgrounds that can be later used as a source tape when you want to place a Picture-In-Picture inside of one of your patterns.

As always, experiment with this very powerful feature on the Videonics MX-1. You’ll be surprised with what you might come up with.

Next we will discuss a trick that we called “De-Composing” (the step by step removal of composed pictures to reveal a full-screen picture underneath). You can also begin with a solid colored screen to “build” a full-screen picture by using the same “de-compose” technique but this time with a disappearing background color instead of disappearing still pictures.

“De-Compose” with your MX-1 video mixer

By now, most of you have experimented with the “Compose” mode on your Videonics MX-1 video mixer where you created a box pattern, place it where you wanted it on the screen, and then “composed” in a frozen video picture. And, of course, you realize that you can compose over a full screen video source (either live or frozen).

A nice effect is to begin with an entire screen full of composed pictures and then, one by one, each of your composed video stills disappear to eventually reveal the full screen video underneath it all.

A wedding videographer might want to “build” a collage of composed baby photos of the bride and groom growing up through the years where maybe twenty or so photos end up on the screen in the Compose mode.

Then, perhaps to the beat of accompanying music, each photo disappears revealing a small portion of a full size picture underneath. The anticipation comes to a climax when we reveal our bride and groom’s engagement photo in it’s full-screen elegance, which eventually dissolves into a shot of the wedding invitation and then to the establishing shot of the church.

“De-Compose”, as we affectionately call it, dismantles a composed collage rather than builds it, one picture at a time. Here’s how:

Begin with your full-size engagement photo assigned to the “Current” buss on the Videonics MX-1 video mixer and begin building the composed collage over it, making sure that every square inch of the TV screen is covered.

Now you can begin recording this collage onto your editing VCR and pause the editing VCR about every six seconds. While the editing VCR is paused, “cut a hole” in your composed collage by creating a box frame and placing it over any one of the twenty or so pictures that you have on the screen.

Hold down the “Shift” button while you press the “OK” button and that particular frozen picture will vanish revealing a portion of the original full-screen picture underneath. Now un-pause your editing VCR and let it record for another six seconds and pause it again. Keep repeating this process until the very last composed picture is removed.

When you play the tape back in real time, the little frozen pictures will magically disappear until the present-day stars of our wedding production are revealed.

Take time to get familiar with the Compose mode on the Videonics MX-1. It’s a very unique little feature that will keep your imagination really jumping. (Note: Make sure that you do not accidentally press the “Compose” button once you have started. If you do, you’ll be dumped out of the Compose mode and you’ll have to start all over.)

Dual Freeze Frame On the Videonics MX-1 VIdeo Mixer

Here is a trick to simulate a dual bus freeze frame on the Videonics MX-1 Video Mixer..

Step One: Enter the mixer’s Compose mode and create a Compose picture box on the Preview screen that completely fills the monitor’s screen. To do this hold down the Shift button while pressing the Up arrow key until the Compose picture box reaches the edges of the screen.

Step Two: Press any of the “Next Bus” buttons along the bottom of the mixer to place a frozen picture into the full-sized Compose picture box.

Step Three: Press the Freeze button on the MX-1 to freeze whatever picture is on the Current (on-line) bus.

Step Four: Pressing the Play button will transfer this effect from the Preview monitor over to the Program monitor. Now you can perform a dissolve between the two frozen buses.

If you want to replace the Current picture, which is the picture behind the Compose picture, release the Freeze button and capture a new picture by pressing the Freeze button again.

If you want to replace the frozen Compose picture, press any of the bottom bus buttons and whatever video signal is present on that particular input will be frozen into the Compose picture box.

Now MX-1 owners have the ability to perform dual-bus freezes, allowing you to create photo montages cleanly. 

Videonics MX-1 Video Mixer Chroma Key Tricks

What if you want to key yourself in front of a very large background, such as a skyscraper or mountain, and your blue or green backdrop is only about 8 feet by 6 feet?  Well, you could get a larger backdrop that would dwarf you in comparison. Or you could just miniaturize yourself electronically.

Begin by creating a Picture-In-Picture (about 1/9th size) with you and your blue backdrop inside of the P-I-P. On the outside of the P-I-P, select Background Color as the image that surrounds the P-I-P. Referring to the instruction manual or your copy of “The Videonics MX-1 A Perfect Mix” instructional video, create a “custom” background color that identically matches the color of the backdrop in your P-I-P. What you’ll see on the screen is a little tiny you in front of a very large backdrop.

Now record this image onto a video tape and take that tape out and put it into your playback (source) VCR. With that tape now playing as the incoming source, set up your Chroma Key and let that gigantic backdrop be filled in with Mount Everest or the Empire State Building.

Shifting Backgrounds

Since the Videonics MX-1 video mixer can lock onto virtually any background color as a backdrop, try setting up a multitude of colors on your studio wall and set up the Chroma Key to reveal the keyed image through all of the color (by moving the cursor about the screen and pressing “OK”).

Now, with someone in front of the multi-colored wall, begin panning your camera from left to right and back again. What you will see is portions of the background image revealing and un-revealing itself (even though it will not appear to be moving). What you’re doing is deliberately confusing the Videonics MX-1 Chroma Key setup so that it will only reveal a background when it’s right on axis with the pre-registered color. Truly a bizarre effect.

Kill the “Jaggies”

If you’re picking up jagged edges off of your keyed in subject, it’s usually because the backdrop color is somehow bleeding onto your subject.

The first thing to do is move your subject away from the backdrop. Then make sure that your diffused lights illuminating the backdrop are not creating shadows out of your foreground subject. And then make sure that you are not trying to key in a shinny object, such as a silver-colored model airplane (which will allow your backdrop to “bleed” all over it causing jaggies). For shinny things, such as metallic objects or bald heads, try some of the matting sprays available from art supply stores (i.e. Glare-Away) which should take out most of the shinny objects reflective qualities.

Another “color bleeding” problem solver for Chroma Key is the use of amber-colored gels over your backdrop illumination lights. These gels will have a tendency to absorb the bleeding characteristics of the color blue (which is the color most people use for Chroma Key backdrops).

Play around with the Videonics MX-1’s Chroma Key section. See if you can come up with a few tricks of your own.

 Videonics MX-1 Video Mixer Luminance Key Trick

If you’ve been having problems with keying pre-recorded animations through the Videonics MX-1’s luminance key modes, try using the Chroma Key mode instead.  When setting up the Chroma Key, just treat the black portions of the animation tapes as if they were a color (place the cursor on the black areas and press “OK”).  The nice thing about the Videonics MX-1’s Chroma Key section is that it will treat any color or shade as a background color, even black and white.

Please Note:  We DO NOT sell or provide support for video mixers.
We have no further information on the Videonics Mixers than the articles
on the website.