Studio | BCC Live Productions

Finding the Best Way to Record Your Own Podcast

Two people recording a podcast in BCC Live's Studio

So maybe you’re passionate about something that you want to share with the world. Or you’ve got a great back-and-forth with your friends that makes people laugh. Or you read our last blog post and realized you’ve just been putting off starting your million-dollar podcast idea! No matter what’s motivating you, you want to get started with making a podcast of your own. But how?

We’re here for you! Whether everyone’s together or spread across the globe… Whether you want a cozy conversation or a bombastic debate… And whether your budget is gigantic or nearly zero, there’s options for you—and we’ve used them all! Let’s go through some options for different use cases so you can see what’s best for you.

STARTER SET: LOW BUDGET, NO PROBLEM

It’s easy to hear “podcast recording” and think of a bunch of people with thousand-dollar microphones in a soundproofed room with a dedicated producer listening in. And sure, that’s a great way to get a high-quality recording… but you don’t need all of that! You can get started with some very simple and affordable gear that’ll still give you top-tier audio.

For example, have a look at this road case that always lives in my bag. It’s about the size of a lunchbox, and it’s got two great options to get started in podcasting.

Sound Case with Recording Equipment — Sound Case

In the little cloth case is a DJI Mic, which is basically a silver bullet for sound recording. The single-mic version here is $159. And straight out of the box it’ll record premium-quality sound with an absurd battery life. It’s rated at five hours of continuous operation, but in our experience it’s far longer… And it stores fourteen hours of recordings internally, so you really don’t have to worry about running out of recording space!

We have a bunch of these in our inventory… They’re a must-have for any video or audio project we work on. It’s simply the best way to record someone for an on-camera interview, and whenever we need to record or transmit any sound in a pinch the DJI Mic is right there to help.

This is probably the absolute minimum starting point to record a podcast that sounds professional. You can pull this out of your pocket, press a button, and get audio good enough for any project. Plus, since it’s designed to be used outdoors and rejects wind noise well, you can record anywhere you get the inspiration! If you have multiple speakers, you just have to pass the mic back and forth to get the best sound… Or buy multiples, if it’s in the budget.

The downside is that this isn’t really the intended use for this microphone. It’s meant to be worn, not held, so if you’re passing it between your hosts you may find that the audio isn’t as rock-solid as when it’s clipped to you. And while the recording time and battery life are great, it’s still possible to be left high and dry with a dead battery right when inspiration strikes.

Here’s where we can step things up. Also in the case here is a Focusrite Scarlett Solo interface and a Shure SM58 microphone. These are both available for about a hundred dollars apiece. With these and a laptop or desktop computer, you’re off to the races. Just like the DJI Mic, this gear gives you professional-grade sound quality with few headaches, but you gain more control and a mic that’s meant to be passed around and used in any conditions. There are cheaper mics and interfaces out there, but with this setup you don’t sacrifice any quality or usability.

Take it from us… No matter the size of the job, we always take audio into our computers with a Focusrite interface… and we always hand performers an SM58 to speak into! It’s a great combination.

If you want an even better microphone for speech, upgrade to a Sennheiser MD46. This is our handheld mic of choice for our own podcasts, as well as for our mobile commentators on broadcasts. It’s just a little bit clearer for speech, whereas the SM58 is more tuned for singing and recording instruments. And if you still want to stay mobile, drop the computer and interface and go for a Zoom PodTrak P4, just like we talked about in the last blog post—that can take in four microphones and runs either on wall power or batteries.

No matter how many people you want to have on your new podcast, don’t be afraid to just start out with one microphone. It takes a little diligence so nobody talks out of turn, but you’ll still sound just fine. And it’s easier to work with a single audio track when you’re starting out! But as you grow and learn more, your first priority should be to get every speaker a microphone of their own so everyone can talk when they want to. Just make sure everyone has the same microphone, so nobody sounds strange in comparison!

RECORDING, EDITING, AND PUBLISHING: TIPS AND TRICKS

So you’ve got your hardware to start out and you’re sitting down to make your first episode. What next? Let’s run through a lightning round of pointers.

Don’t be afraid to hold your microphone close to your mouth. Too many people let the mic sit at their chest, and their recording fills up with ambient noise instead of their voice.
Always listen to the recording while you’re recording! Everything we mentioned above can have a pair of headphones plugged into it. And listening to the audio feed helps you ensure the audio quality is up to snuff. Some things can’t be fixed after the fact!
Even if it’s a spur-of-the-moment kind of show, it helps to have some ideas written down on what to talk about. You might hit a lull out of nowhere and need a topic to get you going again.
You don’t need a fancy editing suite to turn your recording into a finished podcast episode. GarageBand on Apple devices and Audacity on PC work perfectly and are easy to learn. Just learn the tools to set and balance the volume, and maybe how to remove noise, and you should be good to go.
Generally, less is more for editing audio. If you recorded well, you’ll need very little processing. It’s easy to try and “enhance” your sound too hard and end up with something that just sounds unnatural!
People listen to podcasts on a ton of different services, and uploading to each one individually is a pain. A service like Buzzsprout is $12 a month. In addition to giving you a website where your podcast lives, it also automatically uploads to every podcasting host under the sun! It’s well worth every penny to avoid the headaches, and we use it and recommend it with everyone.
There’s no need to include the show name in your episode titles when you’re publishing. Every service will have the show name easily visible, so including it in the title often just means the episode title gets cut off.

Make sense? Good! Now let’s see how you can amp up your capabilities to make an even better show.

REMOTE RECORDING WITH RIVERSIDE

What if you want to bring in a guest or a host who’s out of town? For years, this meant you had to sacrifice audio quality by bringing in someone’s audio through Skype or even a phone call. Nowadays, there’s a better solution. Services like Riverside are essentially a combined videoconferencing and recording platform. Everyone can talk to each other live through the website or app, but the recordings are made locally. So there’s no loss in quality by sending audio over the Internet.

It then automatically uploads everyone’s contributions so you can edit and publish the episode as if all your hosts were in the same room. It’s as easy as it gets! In fact, some podcasters just record everything in Riverside for its ease of use… Whether they’re all remote, all in the same place, or any combination of the two.

Now, this isn’t for free. To get good use of Riverside, you need to pay at least $15 a month. But just like with publishing through Buzzsprout, you really get what you pay for in terms of convenience. It can certainly save you from $15 worth of headaches every month! We don’t look anywhere else when it comes to recording remote guests. In fact, the majority of our podcasts for our clients are recorded through the service, even when they’re in our studio!

PUSHING IT TO THE LIMIT

By this point, you’ve got a rhythm going with your episodes, you know how to record and edit and distribute your show, and you can even pull in guests. The more you grow, the more you can elevate your production with better gear and more features. Rather than describing all of your different options, let’s have a look at our “pulling out the stops” setup to see all of the ways you can add to your production.

We have up to four mics going into a dedicated mixer with a team member listening in to adjust sound on the fly, without having to worry about also participating in the recording.
- Each microphone has a stand to leave the hosts’ hands free, as well as an external pop filter to prevent any big spikes in the audio.
The feed from that mixer goes into a laptop running Riverside… Both for easy recording and to allow remote guests to come in on a moment’s notice.
The mixer has sound effects and music built-in, so that we can play a show’s intro and outro or transitions live to save time in the edit.
We also have a dedicated desk and chairs in the studio for recording. Any old space works fine, but sitting down in the “recording space” helps you get into the right mindset.
Our studio has a greenscreen that the hosts sit in front of, and we always have a camera standing up to record the podcast—video podcasts aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but filming the podcast lets you grab highlights and fun moments to share on social media. Short video clips are a lot more engaging than trying to promote an hour-long show!
We’ve upgraded our audio-editing software from Garageband to Logic—though they work nearly the same, the extra effects and tools in Logic let us make some magic with sound.

It looks like a ton of extra stuff in comparison to the “one microphone out in the field” from the start of this post—and it is! But we built this studio out piece by piece, just getting new things whenever we ran into the limit of some piece of hardware. As you’re making each episode, just keep in mind what things are bothering you or feel like they’re holding you back. Upgrade the things that give you headaches, and piece by piece you’ll end up with a killer setup!

But of course, don’t let the allure of new gear distract you or hold you back. As we said at the start, the most important thing is to record and get new episodes out there—“perfect” is the enemy of “done.” The podcast with ten episodes on starter gear is way better than the high-tech podcast with only one episode! What you should focus on is being comfortable with your gear, being comfortable with talking at length even if nobody’s around, and improving your skills at editing.

The more refinement you can put in on the gear you’ve got, the better your podcast will be, and your listeners will respond to it. Before too long, you’ll be a podcasting pro!

Five Minutes of Planning: Making Our New Podcast

Group recording a podcast outside on chairs and benches

In today’s world of easy livestreams and even easier video production, it’s nice to know that podcasts are still going strong. The simplicity and easy consumption of a podcast means they’ll probably never go out of style… Especially if our clients have anything to say about it!

Recording, editing, and publishing podcasts is a key part of our day-to-day work here at BCC Live. We’ve got podcasts on our schedule for people talking about triathlons, pop culture, their life story, pro athletes, and much more. It’s rewarding work, and we have a lot of different ways to record a podcast based on what the client wants… But more on that later.

What we want to talk about today is the story of our own podcasts… How they came to be… To show you how that workflow goes and what you can think about if you want to become a podcaster yourself. Let’s get into it!

HOW TO SKI IT PODCAST

How to Ski It has been a long-running project here at BCC Live. We’re an office full of passionate skiers, and we love talking about our favorite places to ski. How to Ski It was originally a video series that started out in early 2021. We talked about local ski runs and (of course) how to ski them. We’d been talking about how to expand the project into more than just video for more than a year when we finally bit the bullet and decided to make a podcast after a day on the slopes.

Fortunately for us, the fact that we’re A/V professionals with active podcast projects for our clients made this an easy undertaking. Though our studio is mostly set up for live broadcasts, we also keep hardware set up to record for post-production… So essentially all we had to do was walk into the studio, power on some gear, and get going. We’ll talk about this more later, but the number-one things stopping us from starting a podcast earlier was… just getting started!

Group recording a podcast in BCC Live's studio — How to Ski It Podcast Recording

We had talked for ages about elevating the idea… Getting guests to film in the studio, making custom songs and sound effects… But all of those things got in the way of just getting started. In the end, we ended up recording on some simple (but powerful) gear… A Rode RodeCaster mixer with two Rode ProCaster mics and two Sennheiser MD46s, and an assorted helping of headphones. For a podcast, the sound quality is just as good as our much more expensive kit. But the ease of use of the RodeCaster with its integrated recorder gave us that boost to get going.

And every time we sat down to record, we had a blast! Sure, it’s never going to hit the top-downloaded charts, but even with a few hundred to a few thousand listens per episode we get lots of feedback and ideas that keep us motivated to keep going. Once ski season picks up again, we’ll be right back at it in the studio to record some more. Generally speaking, we put in a good amount of effort to edit, master, and make promotional clips for How to Ski It, so we get episodes published within a day or two of recording.

But what if we could go even faster? Break down the barrier to just getting started even more?

500 CATS

This is where things get fun. 500 Cats started out as a running gag on How to Ski It: a podcast that didn’t exist. Since our main body of work is in the event industry, and the BCC team has been working events for 20 years now, we have a lot of fun stories and interesting opinions about the event scene—and whenever that came up on How to Ski It, we would just tell people to go listen to 500 Cats to hear the whole story. We figured people would get a good laugh trying to find a story that didn’t exist and then move on… but people kept asking where to find episodes!

This was going to be the state of affairs forever: we’d allude to a fun story or someone we like talking to, reference our second podcast that didn’t exist, and move on. But as time went on, it sounded like a better and better idea to actually tell some of these stories. This all came to a head as we prepared to fly out to our biggest event of the year: the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona. A bunch of our favorite people would be there to interview. And there’s always interesting stories, so what better time to start?

Problem is… we weren’t traveling light. In fact, we were traveling very heavy. Here’s a picture of all the bags of gear we were taking. This is for four people.

BCC Live team with their bags at Denver International Airport — BCC Live Travels to Kona

Even the reliable RodeCaster we use for How to Ski It would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was the last day before we flew out. There was only a tiny amount of room left in one bag, and no time to go get something new… but we still wanted to just get started. Just before the last zipper was closed, we grabbed a PodTrak P4 from our gear shelf—a simple audio recorder about the size of a club sandwich—and threw it in. We didn’t know if we would actually record anything. But the option was there.

And then, one morning onsite, the compulsion to get going hit us. We pulled four microphones from the camera cases we were going to use for the broadcast, dug some batteries out of the bottom of Dylan’s backpack to power the recorder, and walked out onto the pool deck trailing cables behind us like an angry squid. Total time elapsed from deciding to make our joke podcast real to being ready to record: about five minutes.

We didn’t have a sound-treated studio, a space to ourselves, or even some talking points. The ambient noise was loud enough that it was hard to hear each other—but we hit record and got going. What started out as a discussion about what we had accomplished on the island turned into a heartfelt experience as one of our longtime friends, Bob Gitsham, walked past and we persuaded him to join in and tell his story. Soon enough, we went from no talking points to all the talking points in the world… Why wouldn’t we have a new friend of the team on every episode?

There’s a lot to be said about spending a long time on a project to make sure that it’s perfect… Editing and revising and re-recording until you’ve made a perfect gem of a product. A lot of the podcasts we make for our clients go through weeks of revisions until they’re ready to ship. But our experience with 500 Cats showed us that with the right team, you can make something great in a very short time. Like this:

We threw a recorder that hadn’t been used in months into our bag as a last-minute decision.
We walked out to the nearest place with four chairs to record—first choice, best choice.
While the episode was recording, Cate got an account set up to post it—and it was ready before the recording was done.
Dylan made a rough mix of our audio while the recording was ongoing, then finalized the edit in a single skillful editing pass to get it ready to roll.

Total time elapsed: 45 minutes recording, 45 minutes editing, exporting and posting. An hour and a half from getting the idea to make a podcast to getting it out the door, and it sounds great! It can really be that easy to get your idea on the way to greatness. It’s all well and good to polish a gem of an idea, but as they say: “Perfect” is the enemy of “done”.

We’re still turning out episodes of 500 Cats on this breakneck pace… And once the ski season gets going, How to Ski It with its extra production work will back it up wonderfully. We’ve always been good at making content in record time. But this just goes to show that we can do more than we ever expected if we (say it with me) just get started.

Want to apply this to your idea for a podcast? We’ve got you covered! In an upcoming blog post, we’ll go over what you can do to get started, whether that’s a full-on studio production or a simple setup to get going fast. Stay tuned!

BCC Live Colorado media Podcast Podcasting Studio

The Art And Technology Of Sports Broadcast Graphics

Screenshot of custom designed graphics showing key athlete information

Here We Go…

In the fast-paced world of live sports broadcasting, every second counts. From triathlon, to soccer or gravel racing… Our studio team must always be on our toes, ready for anything. For events as large and dynamic as IRONMAN races, a critical role behind the scenes is that of the Graphics Operator. At BCC Live, the Graphics Operator is responsible for creating and managing all the visual data that viewers see on their screens… From leaderboards to race analytics, sponsor integrations, and more. These elements don’t just enhance the broadcast; they help tell the story of the race.

From Signage to Screens: How Broadcasting Began

My journey into the world of graphics operation began in a place you might not expect… Designing and producing signage for large corporations. Working with national brands, I learned the importance of adhering to design criteria, brand guidelines, and local regulations. This experience, combined with my passion for endurance sports, ultimately led me to BCC Live, where I now oversee the visual elements of our IRONMAN broadcasts and other live broadcasts we produce.

Just like in signage, precision is key in broadcast graphics. I’ve come to rely heavily on tools like Adobe Illustrator for initial designs and asset management. This allows me to scale graphics seamlessly across resolutions and devices. Beyond the technical skills, what drew me to this role was the opportunity to use graphics as a storytelling tool—especially in long-form broadcasts like IRONMAN events and Gravel Worlds.

Behind the scenes view of the Graphics Operator Workspace — Graphics Operator Workspace

Designing the Broadcast for the Ultimate Race Day

The process of designing graphics for a broadcast starts with the client’s brand identity. At IRONMAN, we work closely with event organizers to make sure every element—from logos to color schemes—resonates with their audience. Whether it’s the Roka Swim Course or the Hoka Run Course, each branded segment not only reflects the larger IRONMAN identity but also provides sponsorship opportunities that sustain the broadcast. This methodology is applicable no matter the event. Whether it’s sports or a live conference broadcast, we ensure every element of the show helps us tell the story of the event.

Creating a graphics package involves more than just slapping logos on the screen. We design visual elements that guide viewers through the race—clocks, scrolling tickers, leaderboard updates, and even athlete bios and headshots. We carefully craft every element to engage viewers and keep them informed about race developments in real-time.

Engineering Systems for Precision and Efficiency

One of the most exciting aspects of my role is building the technical systems that make race-day graphics possible. Behind every graphic on screen is a network of software and hardware working in harmony. At BCC Live, we’ve developed a seamless system that allows us to pull real-time data from race timing platforms like RTRT, which gives us the ability to display timing splits, leaderboards, and estimated finish times with millisecond precision.

To make things even more efficient, we also use cloud-based tools like Viz Flowics. This HTML5 graphics solution allows us to render native elements directly on our NewTek Tricaster 2 Elite over the web as a buffer source, minimizing the need for imported assets. We’ve also integrated automation into our system with devices like the Elgato Stream Deck, enabling operators to trigger graphics at the press of a button.

TThis focus on simplicity and scalability ensures that, even in the heat of a live broadcast, any operator—whether a seasoned expert or a first-timer—can manage our intuitive system.

Operating Graphics During the Broadcast on Event Day

On race week, the real work begins. In the days leading up to the race, I prepare by loading all the pre-set libraries specific to the event. This includes setting the race or event name, location, athlete information including start lists, speaker information, bib numbers, country codes and flags, swim cap colors, and any sponsorship obligations. Once the event begins, my job is to ensure that all graphics are synced with the live action, and to ensure a seamless viewing experience.

Some elements, like the scrolling ticker of leaderboard results, are automated, pulling data directly from platforms like RTRT. We manually trigger other elements, like athlete IDs or sponsor spots, based on what’s happening on the course. With IRONMAN events lasting upwards of 10 hours, the graphics need to be updated constantly to reflect the action.

One of the biggest challenges we face is managing the story-telling when traditional timing systems may not update as often as we like. While timing mats are reliable, they only update at specific points on the course… Meaning that a lot can happen between checkpoints. We’re constantly working to improve how we display these live updates, and aim to give viewers the best sense of where the athletes are in real-time.

Gravel cycling race with graphics showing distance, elevation, and weather — Gravel Cycling Race Graphics

Why Graphics Matter in Live Sports Broadcasts

At the end of the day, the graphics aren’t just there to look good… They’re there to help tell the story of the race. In an IRONMAN or long distance cycling broadcast, where viewers might tune in and out throughout the day, it’s crucial that the on-screen information provides a clear snapshot of the race’s progress at any given moment.

Graphics are also key to maintaining the broadcast’s commercial viability. We integrate sponsors into the race narrative to create value for both the viewers and the brands involved. Whether it’s displaying the “First Out of the Water presented by Wahoo” or the “Hoka Run Course,” our graphics packages create a cohesive, branded experience that resonates with both the athlete community and corporate partners.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Graphics in Live Broadcasting

As we look to the future, the role of the Graphics Operator will continue to evolve alongside advancements in technology. At BCC Live, we’re already pioneering new tools like AI-powered race analytics and enhanced GPS tracking systems to deliver even richer data to viewers. We’re also constantly refining our systems to be more intuitive and efficient… Making it easier than ever to produce high-quality broadcasts.

What keeps me passionate about this work is the constant drive to innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Every race presents a new challenge… And with it, a new opportunity to create graphics that enhance the viewer experience in fresh and exciting ways.

Want To Learn More About BCC Live’s Broadcast Roles?

Exclusive Glimpse Behind The Broadcast Desk – Master Of Multitasking

Switching Up the Game: Live Broadcast Technical Director

Gravel Cycling Race with Graphics in the Lower Portion of the Screen — Custom Graphics for Gravel Cycling Race

BCC Live Boulder Broadcast Colorado Custom Graphocs Graphics Graphics Operator Livestream media Studio

Switching Up the Game: Live Broadcast Technical Director

It’s Time to Dive into an Inside Look at BCC Live’s Live Broadcast Production

Ever wondered who’s the unsung hero behind those thrilling IRONMAN Pro Series live broadcast shows? At BCC Live, we’re the orchestra conductors, orchestrating the magic behind the scenes. One of our key roles is the Director/Technical Director (or “TD”). We’re the final checkpoint on the production train, where all the elements – camera feeds, commentary, graphics, and more – converge to create the masterpiece you see on screen.

Broadcast booth set up in studio — Broadcast Desk

The TD’s Role: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

Typically, our job involves taking a clean feed from another company’s camera mix and adding our unique touch. We collaborate with various production companies worldwide, including Carr-Hughes (renowned for horse racing in the US) and ASO (the mastermind behind the Tour de France). Think of us as the final step in the production journey. We infuse the broadcast with host commentary, dynamic videos, ad breaks, and eye-catching graphics before sending the final product to the world. It’s a high-stakes, real-time juggling act, but it’s the thrill of the challenge that keeps us coming back.

Multicam setup in broadcast desk — Multicam Setup

Taking the Reins: A New Frontier

This year, we’ve pushed the boundaries of our role. For two of the Pro Series broadcasts, St. George and Boulder, we took complete control of the production, from handling eight on-site cameras to all the usual TD wizardry. It was like stepping into the director’s chair; the adrenaline rush was exhilarating, and the pressure was palpable. Each of our on-site cameras streamed directly back to our studio, where the director would choose the right shot at the right time.

With a broadcast lasting over eight hours, you can imagine the constant switching and coordination required. The director had to stay in constant communication with the on-ground crew to ensure every camera knew when its shot was live, when to find a different angle, locate a different athlete, or even troubleshoot technical issues. To be honest, I don’t think I sat down during either of those broadcasts!

A New Challenge: Garmin Gravel Worlds Live Broadcast

We even ventured into new territory with Garmin Gravel Worlds, producing the entire broadcast, including on-site cameras. It was one of the first-ever live broadcasts of a full gravel race, covering 150 miles around Lincoln, Nebraska. Our team executed a remarkable broadcast for an incredible race, putting the gravel community on the map.

Man working in broadcast desk at tricaster — Studio Tricaster

A Testament to Our Team

We’re immensely proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve pushed our boundaries, expanded our capabilities, and elevated the art of live broadcasting. And the best part? This is just the beginning. We’re hungry for more, eager to explore new horizons, and ready to keep surprising you with what we can do.

Conclusion

So, the next time you’re captivated by a BCC Live broadcast, remember, there’s a dedicated team working tirelessly behind the scenes, passionate about delivering the best possible viewing experience. We’re excited to see where this journey takes us next. Stay tuned!

Interested in learning about other roles during a broadcast? Check out our post on the Replay Operator… https://bccliveproductions.com/blog/the-replay-operator/

And don’t forget to check out our video work… https://vimeo.com/bccliveproductions

BCC Live Broadcast Livestream Studio

Exclusive Glimpse Behind The Broadcast Desk – Master Of Multitasking

Three Computers, Two Keyboards, One Show: The Replay Operator at BCC Live

One of our most high-profile jobs here at BCC Live is the production of all the broadcasts for the IRONMAN Group’s triathlons worldwide. Every event that goes out on TV or on streaming services goes through us first. And we’re honored to be a part of it! Today, we’re going to be talking about The Replay Operator!

Specifically, what we do is take camera feeds (either from our own team on the ground or from one of IRONMAN’s other production partners) and add graphics, bring in commentary from our announcers in our studio, insert commercials, and add in additional content to give the show extra life… All this happens before we send it onwards to a whole bevy of streaming services.

Camera Operator takes video of 2 Sports Commentators in front of a lake. — Live Broadcast Production

If you know anything about an IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon… You know one thing: it’s a long distance and a lot of time. It’s a huge time investment just to sit down and watch one take place! To make the broadcasts more digestible and give people the highlights after the fact, we create and run replays during the broadcast to get people up to speed.

And that’s where our replay operators come in. During IRONMAN broadcasts, we have one replay operator. While the rest of our team is working on switching cameras, mixing audio, and making the show run smoothly and on time, one key person at the replay desk creates videos from our show… Among other things. Dive in with me to a breakdown of the workflow at this station. I’ll show you what the replay operator does in a typical broadcast!

First, Let’s Have a Look at our Replay Desk.

On the far right here are the monitors and dedicated control surface for our 3Play 3P2. This is a dedicated system by NewTek (now Vizrt) designed for instant replays in sports broadcasting—how convenient! Though it’s primarily intended to be used for quick highlights (like replaying a notable pass)… We use it for far more. Our 3Play is working hard all the way through the show to turn out fresh content. The replay operator spends most of their time on this machine… But more on that later.

In the middle is the TalkShow VS-100’s display. This is another piece of NewTek/Vizrt hardware. It serves a single purpose: bringing in remote callers over Skype to include on the broadcast. As you can see, the replay operator has other responsibilities as well!

And off to the left of this image is my laptop… In addition to holding a copy of the script and monitoring our chat on Microsoft Teams with remote team members, this also controls Grabyo. Grabyo is a separate replay and video production system to the 3Play. Why do we need two of those? Well, I’ll get into that!

Two Replay, Two Hands

What’s the point of having the 3Play and Grabyo running at the same time to generate content? Well, each has its strengths and weaknesses—and they send video to different places!

Grabyo, a web-based service, receives a single stream from our studio. The straightforward interface is designed by the system to take single clips from a stream and save them to cloud-based servers. From there, those clips can be downloaded or posted directly to linked social networks. It’s meant to be a quick and versatile tool to get posts based on a livestream out to your followers. If you’ve seen moments from an IRONMAN broadcast posted on their social media while the broadcast was going on… They came from Grabyo!

Image of Grabyo software program running on a computer screen — Grabyo

But it’s not a do-all service. For one, the fact that Grabyo receives only a single stream means that the content it receives is relatively limited. It’s always getting video from the “program” feed and audio from our commentators. For another, the “live clipping” service described above can create clips just as precisely as the 3Play. But editing clips together to make a longer video is a separate service on Grabyo… We don’t really have the time for one operator to switch between the two during a show!

Edit, Edit, Edit

Meanwhile, the 3Play has some considerable editing power—more than you really need for instant replays! It can pull in up to eight feeds simultaneously that can be switched through on demand. It can add music and transitions, edit using keyframes, and build out playlists of clips that can be exported out as full and robust videos to use as you please.

It’s not too shy of a full non-linear editing system like Premiere or Final Cut! So, the power is in your hands to make videos that look exactly how you want them to. What’s more, the 3Play is designed to interface with the TriCaster that serves as the main switcher for our broadcasts. This makes it a snap to pull clips and playlists from the 3Play to play on the live broadcast.

3Play Interface on computer monitor — 3Play

However, the 3Play has its idiosyncrasies. If you make a playlist of clips and want to export that as a video to use somewhere other than the TriCaster, you have to wait until you’ve stopped recording to do so. Which means you wouldn’t be able to grab clips of other events while exporting. Not ideal for a live production where anything can happen! And even if you could export while recording… The only option is to create a file you would need to pull onto a separate computer to use during a production. There are built-in settings to export directly to various social media sites. Updates to the sites have made them all non-functional.

Export Them Out!

So, the 3Play’s role is to make more well-produced and longer videos during the broadcast that are either played back on the broadcast through the TriCaster or exported for use after the show. We primarily use it for creating “what you’ve missed so far” videos and highlight reels. We play these during and after the broadcast.

Exporting and posting these videos after the race is over isn’t ideal… But it’s still faster than having an editor download the whole show to edit after the fact! Meanwhile, the Grabyo feed creates social-media-ready clips that are relatively basic. But they can be online just seconds after a notable moment takes place. And it’s the replay operator’s job to run both systems! Luckily, both Grabyo and the 3Play are relatively easy to use when you get into a groove… So the task of operating two replay systems simultaneously isn’t as difficult as one might think. But it sure looks impressive to an outside observer!

A Day in the Life of a Replay Operator

Let’s run through a typical broadcast experience for me as the replay operator. My day begins about an hour before the show starts. I log in to the various pieces of hardware and make sure that everything is running smoothly and receiving signal. From then until showtime, it’s all just preparation… Reviewing the script, checking the incoming and outgoing feeds to see that they have live video. And making sure the rest of the team has everything they need.

Handwritten notes on a white piece of paper — Athlete Cheat Sheet

Also on my desk are a couple cheat sheets I’ve written up beforehand. I write out the broad strokes of the race schedule in our time zone, so I don’t miss any important cues coming up on the clock. The other is a list of the notable pro athletes competing in the race that day… With their bib number and (once I spot them) what their race gear looks like. Pro triathletes can often look very similar. So, it pays to know who you’re looking at when it comes to putting together videos in a pinch!

It’s Almost Time…

Not long before the broadcast starts, everyone in the studio starts recording the show on a myriad of different devices for safety. When the 3Play starts recording, it’s ready to start making clips for the broadcast, so it’s good to start as soon as solid footage is coming in from the ground team—but the recording of a full triathlon takes up a lot of space, so I must make sure there’s up to a terabyte of free space on the 3Play’s drives first!

5 black rectangular external backup drives — Backup Drives

Once the show starts going, everything falls into a familiar rhythm. The TriCaster operator starts switching the show, pulling up graphics and switching between viewpoints as the announcers introduce the region and the featured athletes. I’m grabbing clips on Grabyo of the start line and the top competitors—those are always a hit on social media—and filling up my “pre-race” clip list on the 3Play with nice scenic shots to establish the race in the videos I start cutting together.

Go Time!

Then the gun goes off, the athletes are in the water, and we’re going at a breakneck pace—there’s lots to talk about right at the start, it’s hard to tell who’s who, and every athlete is jockeying for position. The clip list on the 3Play grows longer and longer as I try to snag picturesque shots of every athlete in the field (you never know who might end up on the podium, after all), match names to faces, and keep track of who’s leading and who’s falling behind.

Moreso than anyone else in the studio, my job is to keep an extremely close eye on the progress of the race. It’s easy for a critical pass to go by in the blink of an eye, or even not show up on the broadcast, so you don’t want to be making clips and videos wrongly assuming someone is in the lead. Tracking the leaders, the passes, and any difficulties that may transpire on the course makes it that much easier to tell the story in the short videos that are being built out on the 3Play—some of them need to recap the whole race in just 90 seconds!

It’s challenging to receive terrific footage from our team on the ground and cut out so much of it for the sake of these highlight videos, but that’s the cost of telling a good story.

Watch, Clip, Edit, Repeat

If there’s a lull in the action, that’s a great opportunity to get returning viewers caught up on the story so far. I build out a rolling “let’s get caught up” video that’s ready to play by the time the athletes are out on the bike course, and with just a few clicks the TriCaster operator can import that video to play out on the air in seconds.

We also often try to have individual recaps of the swim, bike, and run, in the event the studio announcers want to look back on a specific leg of the triathlon. I must work quickly to get these ready for action and let the TriCaster operator know they’re good to go, as they could get played at any moment.

Stay the Course

All while this is going on, I’m calling up remote guests on the TalkShow so they can weigh in with their thoughts on the race, picking out picturesque or funny moments to clip on Grabyo for social media, making sure we have clips of sponsored segments, and watching the leaderboard to see if any major passes took place off-camera. It’s a lot to do all at once, especially for upwards of nine hours!

Man working at replay operator desk in broadcast studio — Ryan Working as Replay Operator

But all things come to an end in time. Once the top three men and women cross the finish line, we enter the closing segment of the show. We interview the top three athletes, run a podium ceremony, discuss the scoreboards with the announcers, and then… We close the show with one more video from the 3Play: we set the 90-second recap mentioned earlier to music and end the show on a high note. The end slate comes up, the streams stop, and I breathe a sigh of relief…

Show’s Over…

…And then start exporting all the videos I made throughout the day! Having a quick turnaround on the content we make during the race is one of our strengths, so there’s no time to lose. This is also the time for one last watch-through to make sure every edit is as good as it can be and every video follows the full story of the race, showing the top finishers throughout the race to highlight their story.

List of video deliverables on Vimeo — Video Deliverables

Before too long, every video is offloaded from the 3Play and begins uploading to Vimeo for distribution. By the time the rest of the team shuts down their gear and chats with the announcers about how the race went, I’m getting ready to send off the videos and start downloading a full copy of the show from Grabyo to hang on to for later. In just a few short minutes, IRONMAN has full highlight reels to tell the story of the day, we have all the footage we need for a longer cutdown for syndication, and we’re all ready to go home. It seems like it flies by!

At BCC Live, running the replay desk is a constant juggling act of managing different systems and services while picking out all the best moments that make triathlon so interesting. It might feel overwhelming sometimes when everything’s happening at once, but getting to watch athletes perform at their peak while you sit at the epicenter of a major broadcast production never gets old. I love it every time—and I hope you love the videos you get to see of it!

https://bccliveproductions.com/blog

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2024 Has Been Awesome! Let’s Do A Mid-Year Review!

BCC Live in high-visibility vests working at an event

Wow! It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached the midpoint of 2024; it’s the perfect time to reflect on the exciting projects and milestones we’ve achieved at BCC Live. This year has been one of our busiest yet; a whirlwind of creativity, innovation, and collaboration. We’re thrilled to share some of the highlights with you.

Expanding Our Horizons

So far in 2024, we’ve expanded our capabilities and services to better serve our clients’ diverse needs. Our goal has always been to elevate our clients’ creative visions, and this year, we’ve taken significant steps to ensure every project is a seamless and enjoyable experience from start to finish.

Memorable Projects

People practicing Yoga, watching their instructor teach virtually — Kaiut Yoga – 7 Day Practice Intensive

We kicked off the year with the Kaiut Yoga – 7 Day Practice Intensive. During this event each year, we provide the technology for Kaiut Yoga to bring in a remote instructor who leads the courses during the event. It’s an inspiring event that brings practitioners together physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Stage set up for a panel of speakers with an LED screen behind it. — ETH Denver

Auditorium set up with audience chairs and projectors. — Running USA Conference

Back of House set up — Running USA Conference

February brought us a few great events! We sent our team to Orlando, FL for the Running USA Conference and then moved straight into ETH Denver. During ETH Denver’s breakout events, our team managed multiple live streams and offered on-demand video services to share insights from the blockchain community.

As we moved into March our crew traveled to the Chattanooga Marathon, the Skyway 10k, and the Portland Shamrock run. These are all events where we provide comprehensive video coverage and event production services. Dave even announces the race at the Portland Shamrock run! Each one is unique and so much fun!

Videographer from behind while he shoots video on a cruise ship — Shooting Video on a Cruise

April brought the team an entirely new experience… shooting video on a cruise. BCC took on the challenge of filming on a moving vessel while still delivering stunning visuals. This trip was full of sunshine and scenic views that we were able to capture behind the lens.

Cameras shooting video at a soccer game — Broadcasting the Colorado Storm

Capturing video of women's soccer — Colorado Storm Women’s Soccer Broadcast

In May we began broadcasting soccer for the first time! We partnered with the Colorado Storm and were able to livestream all of their home games throughout the season. It was an opportunity to provide real-time updates and live coverage to keep fans engaged and involved in the sport.

Back of House setup at a corporate conference. — The Business of Running Events Conference

June had a few more corporate conferences in store for us. We provided livestreaming and video production for the US Heat Pump Summit and The Business of Running Events Conference. We had a blast capturing keynotes, panels, and networking sessions.

Live Broadcast of IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder

Dave wearing goggles while flying a drone — Flying Drones & Having Fun!

Flying a drone in the desert of St. George, UT. — Live Broadcast of IRONMAN 70.3 St. George North American Championship

And we can’t forget IRONMAN and Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. We continue to travel all around North America for these events, as well as broadcasting races worldwide. This year we took on a new challenge with our long-term partners. We produced the entire broadcast for IRONMAN 70.3 St. George and IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder. This means we weren’t just the team in the studio… We were also the team in the field. We were the team running the cameras and providing on course commentary. It was an incredible learning opportunity and we’re so grateful for all our partners who made the whole thing possible!

Livestream Innovations

Broadcast hosts sitting at the broadcast desk. — BCC Live Studios

Livestreaming and broadcasting continue to be a cornerstone of our offerings. This year, we introduced new technologies and techniques to enhance the viewer experience. Our team successfully broadcasted a variety of events, including corporate conferences, sporting events, and live performances. Each broadcast was tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients, ensuring high engagement and seamless execution. We’ve made great progress in our live graphic development, enhancing the viewing experience for anyone who tunes in. We’ve enjoyed collaborating as a team to learn and master new skills and then show them off to the world!

Engaging Digital Media

Our social media presence has grown significantly in 2024. We’ve been actively sharing behind-the-scenes content, project highlights, and client testimonials on our Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. These platforms have become valuable spaces for us to connect with our audience, showcase our work, and share industry insights. If you don’t yet follow us, please do! We promise to deliver funny & engaging content and love connecting with new people.

Looking Ahead

As we move into the second half of 2024, we’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in event production and digital media. We have several exciting projects on the horizon and look forward to sharing more incredible stories with you.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, if you have a vision, we’re here to bring it to life.

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Live-Production.tv Press

In an insightful feature by Live-Production.TV, the spotlight is on BCC Live’s strategic adoption of AJA BRIDGE LIVE to meet the encoding and decoding demands of their diverse live production projects. This integration has empowered us to address the myriad of technical challenges that arise in live event production, from IRONMAN to Rock n Roll Marathon broadcasts. AJA BRIDGE LIVE’s flexibility and efficiency have notably streamlined our workflow, ensuring high-quality delivery across platforms. Dive into the full story on Live-Production.TV

“Whether broadcasting or running tests, BCC Live deploys BRIDGE LIVE nearly every weekend to support a range of production demands (i.e., 1080i or 1080p, 50 or 60 frames, Secure Reliable Transport, etc.).”
AJA BRIDGE LIVE Helps BCC Live Meet Encoding/Decoding Demands Across Productions by Live-Production.TV

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AJA Video Systems Press

BCC Live is featured in an AJA Video Systems press article discussing their innovative approach to transforming client ideas into tangible, high-quality live productions. Utilizing AJA’s BRIDGE LIVE, BCC Live adeptly navigates the technical complexities of live event broadcasting, emphasizing the importance of reliable, versatile technology in executing client visions effectively. This partnership exemplifies the fusion of creativity and technology to exceed client expectations in live production. For a deeper dive into their strategy and success stories, visit AJA’s website.

“Boulder, Colorado-based BCC Live may have gotten its start in information technology (IT) but has quickly evolved into a live production powerhouse. Committed to ensuring customers’ success, the company thrives on solving the most difficult broadcast and live stream challenges for customers across the globe.”
Article by AJA Video Systems

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