APC Support Center
In this section you will find all the latest downloads, compatibility notes and information that will help you use the APC.
Compatibility
Compatible Switchers, Cameras, and controllable settings.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Downloads
Drivers, Software and Updates.
Troubleshooting
for maximum flexibility
Compatibility
Here is the list of the camera, switchers, gimbals, and settings that you can control remotely with the APC.
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Which Switchers ?
The APC is compatible with the majority of Blackmagic Design ATEM Switchers. These are :
- ATEM Television Studio HD
- ATEM Television Studio Pro HD
- ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K
- ATEM Production Studio 4K
- ATEM 1M/E & 2M/E Production Studio 4K
- ATEM 4M/E Broadcast Studio 4K
- ATEM Constellation 8K
Note that the APC is not compatible with the ATEM Mini series. Only the APC-R supports the ATEM Mini, Pro & Extreme.
The APC only supports 3G-SDI signals. If you are switching in a 4K / UHD standard (12GSDI or 6GSDI), use a Teranex Express to convert the 6G/12G output to 3G. -
Which Gimbals ?
The APC-R can control the following gimbals :
- DJI Ronin-RS2*
- DJI Ronin-RS3 Pro*
- DJI Ronin-S*
- DJI Ronin-SC *
- DJI Ronin-2
*The small DJI Focus Wheel is required since the APC connects to the SBUS connexion port of the Focus Wheel.
The DJI RSC2 and RS3 are not, and will never be supported since they have no RSA connection port.
You need to use our Ronin connexion cable, which is not included by default and can be purchased as an option on the product page.You can control the Pan & Tilt movement of the gimbal using the ATEM Advanced Panel 1 M/E , 2 M/E or 4 M/E, or with any supported USB joystick using the Middle Control software.
While it is also possible to use the thumb wheel of the ATEM Television Studio Pro HD or 4K to adjust your gimbal Pan / Tilt , we do not recommend it, it is not very practical and doesn't work well.
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Which Cameras ?
The APC can control the following Blackmagic Cameras :
- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
- Blackmagic Ursa Broadcast
- Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro
- Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro G2
- Blackmagic Micro Studio 4K (check out :How to Use a Micro Studio 4K with an APC and a DJI Gimbal)
If you need to control multiple cameras, you will need to use one APC per camera.
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Which Joysticks?
Middle Control Software should work with any USB gamepad controller, but the following USB joysticks have been tested and confirmed working :
- ThrustmasterTCA Sidestick Airbus Edition
- Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition
- Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X
- Thrustmaster USB Joystick
- Microsoft Xbox One Wireless Controller V2
- Logitech Extreme 3D Pro
- Logitech Gamepad F310S
- THE G-LAB K-PAD THORIUM
You can connect up to 4 simultaneous joysticks.
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Which Settings ?
When used with compatible ATEM Switchers and Cameras, the ATEM Pocket Controller can adjust the following settings remotely through Bluetooth : iris, shutter, gain (ISO), white balance, zoom (with compatible lenses), focus (with compatible lenses), pan & tilt (with compatible gimbals), hue, RGB lift, RGB gamma, RGB gain, detail sharpening.
Important note : Due to a Blackmagic Design limitation that is out of our hands, some color correction settings can only be controlled by the APC if you have a laptop connected to the ATEM switcher and running the Middle Control Software. These are : Pedestal (Luma lift), Luma Gamma, Luma Gain, Contrast & Saturation.
Also, Tally information (Red On Air, Green Preview) is not shown on the camera.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can't find the answer you are looking for ? Feel free to live chat with us at the bottom right of the screen or shoot us an email at support@middlethings.co
Payments & Shipping
Where are you from and where do you ship ?
Our company is in France (Europe) and we ship internationally using DHL or Fedex.
What payment methods are supported ?
You can pay securely using your credit card (Stripe) , Paypal, Wire Transfer, or through Apple Pay.
Can I cancel my order ?
- -If it's not shipped yet : send us an email and we will cancel and refund you ASAP.
-If it is already shipped : send us an email and we will give you return instructions : you can send it back within 30 calendar days after reception. It must be in good condition, ready for resale. Then we will refund you with the full amount paid. You only have to pay for return shipping.
Will I have to pay customs taxes and duties ?
Orders are shipped from our warehouse in Europe. International orders may be subject to customs duties, taxes, and fees required for the shipment’s entry into the destination country.
Customs, duties and taxes vary from country to country and are out of our control. Import taxes are not included in the cost of shipping or handling your order.
Technical Questions
Is the APC compatible with my setup ?
Scroll above, in the Compatibility section you can see which switchers, gimbals and cameras are compatible with the APC.
What is the APC Power Consumption ?
Max current is around 0.35A (4W). The APC comes with a 12V DC 2.5mm power supply.
Can the Middle Control software be used without any APC ?
Yes ! You can use it to start all the camera recordings remotely for instance, or map Iris / Focus / Zoom to USB joystick axis. APC is only required if you want to control the Pan / Tilt of your camera using a gimbal.
Can I use the APC with a Blackmagic Micro Studio 4K ?
Sure ! The Micro Studio doesn't have Bluetooth but you can just take the SDI PGM feed of your ATEM Switcher into the APC, and connect the SDI Loop Out of the APC to the Micro Studio 4K. Please check this out : How to Use a Micro Studio 4K with an APC and a DJI Gimbal)
What is the Bluetooth Range ?
You should avoid leaving the APC more than 2 meters away from the camera. Range can go further but response will loose in smoothness. The Blackmagic bluetooth chip isn't very powerful.
Can I use one single APC to control multiple cameras ?
No, with one APC you can only control one camera and one gimbal. You need to use multiple APC units, one paired to each camera.
Is there a lot of latency ?
The latency depends on which settings you adjust, but it is very minimal. It tends to feel slightly higher when adjusting Pan / Tilt of Ronin-S/SC/2 because of the motors inertia.
Can I save position presets ?
Unfortunately, that is not possible with the APC for technical reasons, but it will be possible with the upcoming APC-R.
Can I use Level A signals ?
The APC does not support Level A signals in 50i / 50p / 59.94i, you have to use a Level B signal.
Do I have to use the Middle Control Software ?
No, the Middle Control software is not required to use the APC. You can control your DJI gimbal straight from the ATEM Advanced Panel 1 M/E joystick without any PC software. However, having the Middle Control software running in the background of a PC, connected to the ATEM, adds the following :
- - Contrast / Saturation / Lift / Gamma / Gain Luma adjustments for your Blackmagic cameras
- - Support for a USB joystick to control the gimbal, connected to the PC running Middle Control
- - Support for setting the speed of the gimbal directly from the Middle Control desktop app, instead of the DJI Ronin mobile app. So that you can make fine adjustments, even far away from the gimbal.
What is the second SDI connexion for ?
It's an SDI Loop Out connexion, so it's the exact same signal that the SDI IN signal that you feed into the APC. It is NOT a conversion of the Pocket Camera HDMI OUT connexion.
Can the APC read 4K and UHD SDI Program Signals ?
The APC can only read 3G-SDI 1080p and 720p input signals. So If you have a UHD program signal you have to convert it to 1080p first using a Teranex Express for instance. The Decimator 12G Cross or AJA 4K2HD won't work.
Can I control the APC using Fiber ?
Yes ! You can control both the BMPCC and Ronin-S/SC/2 over Fiber using either the Blackmagic ATEM Camera Converter or Mini Converter - Optical 12G. All of those systems give access to SDI Program Return Information from the switcher, that the APC uses.
Can I use the DJI Focus Motor to control the zoom of my lens ?
It is not possible with the APC. However, this will be possible with the APC-R. You can for example control the Zoom with the DJI focus motor, and the focus using the lens's internal focus motor if you have a supported Blackmagic Camera.
What motorized Zoom & Focus lenses can I use ?
If you need both Zoom AND Focus lenses, here are the options for Pocket 4K (MFT) :
- Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6
- Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175mm f/4.0-5.6
- Olympus 12-50mm M.Zuiko f/3.5-6.3 ED EZ
- Olympus 14-42mm M.Zuiko f/3.5-5.6 ED EZ
And for Pocket 6K (EF) :
- Canon CN-E 70-200 T4.4
- Canon CN-E 18-80 T4.4
Other Questions
Do you have a reseller program ?
Contact us at hello@middlethings.co, and we'll get back to you shortly.
Where can I buy the APC ?
You can either purchase on our website or through our authorized resellers .
Do you have resellers / distributors ?
Please check out the reseller map at middlethings.co/resellers
Downloads
Here you can download Middle Control software, free of charge, on Mac OS, or Windows. The APC / APC-R is not required to use it.
iOS iPhone app
In order to pair the APC to your BMPCC and set the Camera ID, you have to use the Middle Setup iOS app on the Apple App Store here or by scanning the QR Code below.
Windows 10/11
Download the latest Middle Control Software.
Middle Control Download
Version 2.5.2 / November 6th, 2022
Firmware Update : Guide & Procedure here
Info for Companion Users : Download our Custom Pages for Companion here
Changelog & Legacy Versions :
See what's new!
Mac OS
Middle Control for Mac OS can be downloaded on the Mac App Store
Version 2.5.1 / July, 15th 2022
Firmware Update : Guide & Procedure here
Info for Companion Users : Download our Custom Pages for Companion here
Changelog : See what's new!
Read the gimbal setup guide !
In this section, you will learn how to set up your APC with the Ronin-S / SC / RS2 or Ronin 2 from start to finish.
Ronin SETUP guideTroubleshooting
Having a hard time with your APC ? Here is a list of possible issues, that we will update over time.
- My APC doesn't show up in the iPhone app
- My APC doesn't power up
- My camera doesn't show up in the camera list of my APC on the iPhone app
- I cannot pair my camera to the APC
- My camera is paired, but adjusting settings on the ATEM Software has no effect on the camera.
- I cannot control my Ronin-S/SC/2 with my ATEM Advanced Panel properly
Can't find the answer you are looking for ? Feel free to live chat with us at the bottom right of the screen or shoot us an email at support@middlethings.co