Propresenter Guide

[Athina Dollison]

It's 2016. It's almost insulting that we still need to ask a volunteer to sit behind an iMac and press the "next" button for our lyrics presentation software. When they do their job right, no one notices them, and when they mess up, everyone hates them. Soon after I started using Ableton, I heard about the capability to control lyrics in ProPresenter. It sounded great but it also sounded too complicated to prep for every week.

Finally, I decided I wanted to up my game as a worship leader by increasing excellence in our worship service, so I decided to go all in and learn how to automate worship slides. I was tired of getting frustrated at my ProPresenter volunteers. I was tired of my pastors pointing out the fact that the ProPresenter cues were late.

It took me MANY hours to learn how to control ProPresenter with Ableton Live. Sure, there are a lot of free tutorial videos on Youtube, but none of them told me everything I needed to know to make it work. I had to piece information together from multiple sources to make it work.

Since learning this skill has made such a huge impact on my worship ministry, but the process of learning was so difficult, I decided it was best to create my own online course that would serve other as the ultimate video guide to controlling ProPresenter with Ableton Live.

If you are sick of late lyric slides in ProPresenter, and if you are already familiar with ProPresenter, then this online course is for you. You can enroll in the online course by clicking the button below. Before enrolling in the video tutorial, you can check out the rest of this blog post that shows you the process via screenshots. The screenshot guide is not nearly as complete, but it will give you an idea of how the process works. The online video course will be your ultimate guide to setting up this automation. Enroll today!

Finally, you are now ready to send lyric cues from Ableton to ProPresenter. As you can see from the process above, there are quite a few settings you have to have right before this all works. It's a bit of a learning curve understanding how MIDI works and getting these applications to talk to each other. If it isn't working properly, work your way through all of the steps above to confirm that everything is setup properly.

Welcome to the ProPresenter 7 User Guide. This guide is fully up to date as of ProPresenter 7.12. These pages are intended to give you a glimpse of all of the different features that ProPresenter offers. Check out each of the sections below and a little information on what you'll find inside!

Sending from vMix to ProPresenterSending from ProPresenter to vMixYou can both send the vMix Output to ProPresenter as well as receive the Output from ProPresenter to vMix by using NDI. Requirements

1. ProPresenter 6 with the NDI/SDI Module added. (Optionally also the Alpha Key Module if you would like to use an alpha channel over NDI).
   Or ProPresenter 7 and above.
2. vMix version 17 or higher

For this knowledge base guide demonstration we will be using ProPresenter 7 which already has NDI capabilities built into it. Sending from vMix to ProPresenter (ProPresenter 7 only)Step 1Open vMix and load your vMix preset ready to go for your production. Go to Settings (top right) and select the Outputs/NDI/SRT tab. Next to Output 1, tick the NDI button so it is green and says NDI On. Then Press OK. Step 2Next go to ProPresenter. (We recommend running ProPresenter on a second computer for best performance. Just make sure it is connected to the same local network as the vMix computer). Go to the ProPresenter menu up the top left and select Preferences. Step 3Select the Video Input tab. From the dropdown menu to the right, select the vMix NDI Output option. It will have your computer name followed by vMix - Output 1. EG. YOURPCNAME - (vMix - Output 1). Give your input a name in the field to the left to help you identify it. Close this window. Step 4Down the bottom left of ProPresenter is the Video Input section. Click the plus icon and select the Video Input option we have just added. This will now appear in your Video Inputs section. You can then choose to send it to your screens or use it within your ProPresenter production how you wish. Sending from ProPresenter to vMixStep 1Open ProPresenter than select the ProPresenter menu up the top left and choose Preferences. Step 2Select the Screens tab. Then click the Open Screen Configuration button down the bottom. Step 3Down the bottom of this window in the Hardware tab section is a dropdown menu underneath Output. Select this and choose the New NDI option and select the resolution and frame rate setting you would like. This will generally be the same resolution and frame rate as your vMix production. Once that is selected, you will see it show up down the bottom. Its name will be the computer name followed by - NDI 1 or 2 etc. Eg. yourpcname - NDI 1. If you would like your NDI output from ProPresenter to include an alpha channel (transparency), then from this same window, select the Alpha Key tab. Then tick the checkbox Enable. This is useful if you would like to send any song lyrics or scripture that is on a transparent background to vMix so you can use it as an overlay in your vMix production. Once that is all set up, close this window. Step 4Next, go to your vMix computer and open up vMix. Select the Add Input menu button at the bottom left. Then choose the NDI/Desktop Capture tab. Then select the NDI option up the top.

From here you should see the option to select the NDI Output being sent from ProPresenter. Click this and press OK to add to vMix. Step 5You can now either use this as a separate input in vMix to switch to in your production. Or if it has a transparent background, you can position and overlay it over the top of your vMix production.

By following these steps, you can effectively harness the power of a Mac Mini coupled with a Blackmagic DeckLink Duo 2 card to manage multiple video outputs for complex production setups. This setup is ideal for environments like churches, concert venues, or conference centers where multiple video feeds and outputs are necessary.

Remember to check connectivity and configurations before going live to ensure a smooth operation during your event. This setup not only enhances the professionalism of your productions but also provides flexibility in managing various video elements seamlessly.

This guide outlines steps to configure Stream Deck using Bit Focus Companion software for controlling Blackmagic Video Hub, essential in live production to switch video feeds efficiently through programmable buttons, including installation, connection setup, button programming, and testing.

The Decimator MD HX is a crucial converter for integrating newer Macs with Blackmagic ATEM switchers, solving signal compatibility issues. It supports various resolutions, offers reliable and simple plug-and-play functionality, and is invaluable for AV professionals in live production, ensuring seamless integration and high-quality output in modern AV setups.

If you are running Pro Presenter on a Mac, it is possible to trigger AppleScripts on that Mac from an Element via OSC. With a little digging around, you can send keystroke commands to any application.

The Eos Family consoles don't output MIDI over Ethernet, but they do output Artnet. There is a ProPresenter fixture profile already loaded on your desk (under RenewedVision in Patch). Take a look there.

Yes, you would need to connect both the Element and the iMac on the same ethernet network and configure their IP addresses so they're able to talk to each other. Once you've got that set up, you'd go into Patch on your Element, pick an empty channel, and assign it the fixture type for Pro Presenter.

There are actually two types of MIDI: MIDI Notes (which PP can output, apparently), and MIDI Show Control (also called MSC). The first challenge is that Element can *output* both MIDI Notes and MSC, but it can *only input* MSC. Can PP send MIDI Show Control commands?

The second challenge is that the Element does not process MIDI over Ethernet, so to use any form of MIDI you would need to add a hardware MIDI Output Interface to your iMac, and then run a MIDI cable from your iMac to your Element.

MIDI is a protocol that was first introduced in 1981. Over the years, folks have sort of figured out ways to make it do more advanced things, but there's no getting around its limitations. OSC replaces MIDI with many modern features. ETC and most other lighting control manufacturers have embraced OSC, and so I wouldn't hold my breath for new MIDI-In capabilities on the Element.

I do know it's possible to convert MIDI Notes to OSC (which the Element is happy to accept over Ethernet), but it involves purchasing a license to a program called Qlab. Is that something you'd be interested in doing?

I don't know anything about ProPresenter (as we've established!) so I can't help you with attaching MIDI note commands to ProPresenter. In my guide, I used Qlab as my MIDI Note source. So just replace everything I do in Qlab with stuff you do in ProPresenter.

This is a guide to properly and efficiently train your new tech volunteers! This is not a COMPLETE guide to the entire process that a volunteer will learn; however, it is a guide for the lead tech volunteer or volunteer trainers.

By this session, they should be comfortable with session one topics. There might be some hesitation on the cues for the Stage Time/Next Steps graphics, but they should be less dependent on you. The goal of this session is to continue to build on the practice of session one and two topics, as well as practice operating Resi, Hyperdeck and SAT.