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Companion / Streamdeck

If you would like to use your Stream Deck Mini, Regular or XL with the Middle Control software to control the camera & gimbal settings remotely and trigger presets, then you are at the right place. We support the Bitfocus Companion ecosystem through the Middle Control Companion plugin. Here is how to get going.

1. Download an install Bitfocus Companion​

Download the latest version of BitFocus Companion on the official website. Please note that in order to use the fourth custom page dedicated to position presets, you will need to run Companion 2.2 beta build 4060 or above.

Now, you could just start adding your buttons one by one just as you would with any other plugin. But we wanted to make it easy for you so we've built 4 custom Companion Pages :

Companion Pages

2. Install our Companion custom pages​

2.1 Download all the latest pages​

APRIL 4th, 2022 UPDATE

We released new improved V2.3.1 Companion pages that includes a 4th page for presets . They now show the current Camera parameter values (WB, Iris, Tint, Gain, etc..) and the currently selected camera ID in Middle Control. These dynamic variables can be accessed anytime in Companion. You can download these 4 custom v2.3.1 pages through the download button right below.

In order to use the custom Companion pages you need :

  • Middle Control version 2.3.0 or later.
  • Companion V2.2 - Public Release or later

If you want to use the 4th Preset page you need :

  • Companion V2.2.1 or above
  • Middle Things APC-R
  • DJI RS2
Download Companion Pages V2.3.1

note

You can still download our V1 custom Companion pages that are designed to be used with older versions of Middle Control and Companion.

2.2 Import the custom pages into Companion​

One after the other, import the four .companionconfig files into Companion using the Import / Export tab in Import Configuration . Select destination pages that are free from any buttons. Of course you can always re-arrange and delete the buttons you don't need later.

Streamdeck

On import, you will see that our custom pages require an ATEM instance and Companion will prompt you to create a new ATEM instance or to link your existing one. We recommend you link your ATEM instance. This way, you will get your own ATEM Names instead of the generic camera IDs selectors. And you will know which cameras are on air and in preview.

Streamdeck

3. Configure the Middle Control Instance​

Now go over to the Connections Tab -> Edit Middle Control module and set the IP adress of the computer that is running Middle Control on your network. If Middle Control is running on the same computer which has Companion running, just enter 127.0.0.1 , it's the easiest workflow, that we actually recommend.

Streamdeck

4. Press the buttons!​

Next, make sure you have Middle Control running, when you press camera selectionbuttons on the Stream Deck you should see them move in Middle Control.

A few tips from the Middle Things team
  • You can long press Focus / Iris / WB / Tint & ISO buttons for faster change.
  • In the preset page, long press any preset for 3 seconds to save the current state of the gimbal / camera into the preset.
  • Don't forget that for the preset page to work, you need Companion Beta 2.2 build number 4060 or above
  • After each camera selection action, you can also add a Aux/Output: Set source action for your ATEM. To set the selected input into an AUX Monitor output of the ATEM for instance.
  • You can recall the current camera & gimbal attributes (white balance, current camera ID, iris, pan / tilt speed etc ) within companion using the Middle Control variables in Companion!
info

For more information on how to use the BitFocus Companion plugin in more detail, feel free to check out our complete video tutorial on this topic :