PTZ ComposerUSB joysticks and gamepads
A USB stick or gamepad drives the console, mapped the way the hand holding it wants it.
A flight is an authored camera move, with a planned route, framing and pace from departure through landing. HID and SDL joysticks and gamepads plug into the computer and drive the console. Common stick families are recognized on sight, and anything else is mapped by hand: move an axis, give it a role, give a button an action. Deadzone, curve and top speed are yours to set, so the stick feels the way your operator wants it to feel. One axis can ride a prepared flight along its route, which is how a volunteer gets live control of timing without the freedom to steer the shot somewhere nobody composed.
How it connects
Plug the stick into the computer running the software. It is found on its own, and a mapping editor shows what every axis and button does before anybody touches a camera.
What it does
- It recognizes common stick families on sight, and lets you map anything else by moving an axis and giving it a role.
- It lets you set deadzone, curve and top speed, so the stick feels calm in the hand of the person who will use it.
- It lets one axis ride a prepared flight along its route, so a volunteer controls the timing without the freedom to leave the composed shot.
What it does not do
- It does not let the stick steer a prepared flight away from its route. The person riding it supplies pace, and the framing stays composed.
- It does not change your video path. The stick talks to the computer, the computer drives the cameras, and the pictures go where they always went.
Setting it up
Plug the stick into the computer
Connect the joystick or gamepad to the computer running the software. It is found on its own, and a common stick arrives already mapped.
Map it the way the hand wants it
Open the mapping editor, move each axis and press each button, and give each one a role. The editor shows what everything does before anybody touches a camera.
Ride a prepared move in rehearsal
Give the rider axis to the person running the night and let them ride each prepared flight in an empty room. They learn one habit, and it applies to every move.
Questions
Which joysticks work?
Joysticks and gamepads that the computer sees as a standard game controller can drive the software. Common families are recognized on sight, and others are mapped by hand in a few minutes.
Can a volunteer use this without training?
A volunteer learns one habit: push to move the prepared flight forward, pull to move it back, and the shot stays on the route either way. The route and the framing were composed in advance, so the volunteer controls timing and nothing else. That is a short conversation, not a course.
Can we use two sticks at once?
Tell us how your room divides the work, for example one person on the wide cameras and one on the close-ups. We confirm at setup how the sticks should be mapped for that room, so each person knows exactly what their stick controls.
Does it work on both macOS and Windows?
Yes. The software runs on macOS and Windows, and one license covers either. The stick plugs into whichever computer runs the software in your room.
Where it comes up
Houses of worship
Prepare the camerawork before Sunday. Perform it with the moment.
SchoolsSchool plays and K-12 theatre
Block the cameras like you block the cast.
PodcastVideo podcast studios
Your set never moves. Your cameras finally should.
CreatorsStreamers and creators
Set the shots once. Trigger them while you stream.
Music venuesMusic venues and concert halls
The reveal on the downbeat. The slow push through the solo.