Faders in the DIT tent: sACN upstream from the DoP's desk

BeamBridge usually carries universes from the console out to the set. On one shoot it carried them the other way — from a small desk next to the DoP back into the main console — and it turned out to be one of the most useful things it does.

The setup

The main console and the operator were where they usually are. In the DIT tent, next to the DoP, sat a small desk with a handful of faders and a beam node. The node picked up the small desk's sACN and sent it upstream through the relay to the console's network, where a node re-emitted it as a normal universe.

The main console took that universe as an input and merged it. The operator decided which faders on the small desk mapped to what — a key light level here, a colour temperature there — and could change the assignment on the fly from the desk.

What it felt like

The DoP and the gaffer could ride the levels they cared about from where they were watching the monitor, without a radio call, without waiting, and without ever touching the main desk. The operator kept the whole rig. Nobody on the set side noticed that the two desks were on different networks; with normal mobile coverage it was as immediate as a local CRMX link.

Why this matters

• Two-way by design. The relay does not care which side is "the console". Any node can be a source, any node can be an output, and the routing matrix is the same for both directions.
• The operator stays in control. Because the merge happens in the main console, the operator chooses what the remote faders are allowed to touch and can take it back at any moment.
• No special gear. A small sACN desk, a beam node, and the console's own input features. The same trick works with an OSC app on an iPad through the OSC bridge.

Where it goes next

This is exactly the use case BeamBee is designed for: a proper hand-held console with motorised faders that follows the main desk and can take over the channels it is given, sitting on a beam node so it works anywhere there is coverage.