PLUGIN # A2Q - ATEM Control Plugin for Q-SYS Comprehensive Q-SYS plugin for Blackmagic ATEM switchers. Program / preview switching, full transition control, keyers, macros, aux outputs, and tally. Included with the A2Q Bridge hardware and shipped with it as a single product. Q-SYS Designer name: Fresh AV Labs\~A2Q  Status Beta Version 1.3.3 Works with Blackmagic Design *** The A2Q plugin gives Q-SYS programmers a full, stateful interface to a Blackmagic ATEM switcher without the latency and CPU-load problems of running ATEM control directly in Lua. > **Ships with the A2Q Bridge hardware.** The plugin is included with the bridge and the two ship as one product. The plugin will not function without the bridge, and the bridge is purpose-built for this plugin. See the [A2Q Bridge product page](https://freshavlabs.com/hardware/a2q-bridge/) for the hardware side of the pairing. The bridge terminates the noisy ATEM UDP protocol on a dedicated single-board computer and exposes a clean TCP command stream. The plugin consumes that stream, mirrors switcher state into Q-SYS controls, and exposes program, preview, transition, keyer, macro, aux, and tally surfaces to any UCI or script. ## Supported switchers Every shipping Blackmagic ATEM switcher is supported, and the Q-SYS UI adapts itself to the model. Input counts, M/E count, USK and DSK counts, aux outputs, multiviews, clean feeds, color bars, and SuperSource all light up or hide based on what the connected switcher actually has: * **Mini family**: ATEM Mini, Mini Pro, Mini Pro ISO, Mini Extreme, Mini Extreme ISO * **SDI family**: ATEM SDI, SDI Pro ISO, SDI Extreme ISO * **Television Studio**: HD, HD8, HD8 ISO, 4K8 * **Constellation HD**: 1 M/E, 2 M/E, 4 M/E * **Constellation 4K**: 1 M/E, 2 M/E, 4 M/E * **Constellation 8K** The plugin reads the live model on connection and surfaces a model-mismatch indicator in the connection sidebar if the running switcher does not match the model declared in Q-SYS Designer. No surprises mid-show. ## What you get in Q-SYS * **Program and preview** source selection across every input, plus black, bars, color generators, media players, and SuperSource (model-dependent) * **Transitions**: Cut, Auto, Fade-to-Black, plus style selection (Mix, Dip, Wipe, DVE) and rate control * **Keyers**: per-DSK on-air and tie controls, per-USK on-air and type controls * **Macros**: trigger up to eight macros, with live macro name and running state mirrored back from the switcher * **Aux outputs**: route each aux to any input, program, preview, clean feed, or multiview, on switchers that support them * **Tally**: per-input program and preview booleans, ready to drive lamps, UCIs, or downstream tally outputs * **Multi-M/E support** for 2 M/E and 4 M/E Constellation switchers * **Connection diagnostics** with model-mismatch detection so you know if the wrong switcher shows up on the other end ## Why a bridge If a Q-SYS Core could run this plugin on its own, we would have shipped it that way. We tried. Lua is single-threaded, and the ATEM protocol is chatty enough that one Lua thread cannot keep up with the polling rate without dropping events: switcher state goes stale, tally lags, and cuts get missed. The bridge moves that protocol work onto a dedicated single-board computer, leaves the Core free for everything else in the design, and gives Q-SYS a stable TCP surface that feels like a native peripheral. Specifications | Specification | Value | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Protocol | TCP, paired with A2Q Bridge | | Switching | Program / Preview, all input sources, color generators, media players, SuperSource | | Transitions | Cut, Auto, Mix, Dip, Wipe, DVE, Fade-to-Black | | Keyers | Per-DSK on-air and tie, per-USK on-air and type | | Macros | Up to 8 with run state and live names | | Aux outputs | Per-aux source routing including Pgm / Pvw / Clean / Multiview | | Multi-M/E | Active M/E selector for 2 M/E and 4 M/E switchers | | Tally | Per-input Program and Preview tally indicators | | Q-SYS firmware | 9.10 or later | | Licensing | Licensed to the A2Q Bridge it ships with, no separate activation | Compatibility * ATEM Mini, Mini Pro, Mini Pro ISO * ATEM Mini Extreme, Mini Extreme ISO * ATEM SDI, SDI Pro ISO, SDI Extreme ISO * ATEM Television Studio HD / HD8 / HD8 ISO * ATEM Television Studio 4K8 * ATEM 1 / 2 / 4 M/E Constellation HD * ATEM 1 / 2 / 4 M/E Constellation 4K * ATEM Constellation 8K Documentation Documentation coming soon. Articles * [Q-SYS ATEM control from any panel in the building](https://freshavlabs.com/articles/q-sys-atem-control/)