Middle Remote
Congratulations for getting your hands on your first Middle Remote! In this section we are going to get started with setting up the Middle Remote with the APC-R for a complete remote gimbal + camera workflow.
You can also follow our complete Middle Remote hands on video tutorial on the Middle Things Youtube Channel.
Prerequisites
In this section, we will assume that you have already configured your APC-R and that you can control both your gimbal & camera with the Middle Control buttons or a USB joystick. If you haven't, be sure to follow our complete APC-R tutorial on the Middle Things Youtube Channel or the APC-R Getting Started section.
Two ways to connect
There are two ways to connect the Middle Remote to Middle Control:
- Option 1 — Direct (recommended). Middle Control talks to the remote itself over USB (or over the network with the Middle Remote Pro) — no extra software to run. It is the simplest setup and the most responsive.
- Option 2 — Via Glue. The Make Pro X Glue app bridges the remote to Middle Control. Use this if you want Glue's advanced button re-mapping, or its ability to connect other devices to the remote (Behringer X32, DMX lights, and so on).
Middle Remote Connection must be set to Direct for Middle Control to look for the remote at all. While it is set to Glue, Middle Control does not scan USB or the network — a remote connected either way simply never appears, with no error message. If your remote isn't showing up, check this setting first.
Option 1 — Connect over USB Recommended
- In Middle Control, open Preferences ➜ Advanced Settings and set Middle Remote Connection to Direct.
- Connect the Middle Remote to your computer with a USB cable — or put it on the same network as your Mac (see over the network below).
- Within a couple of seconds it appears automatically in the left sidebar under Controllers — no Glue, no solution code.
- Click it to open its detail page. Give it a nickname and colour, and assign a Camera ID — either Master (follows the currently selected camera) or a fixed camera for a multi-operator setup.
Direct over the network
Direct mode is not USB-only. On the Middle Remote Pro, with Middle Remote Connection set to Direct, Middle Control also looks for remotes on the network and connects to them automatically — useful when the remote sits away from the computer, or when the USB port is already taken.
- Put the remote and the Mac on the same network. Middle Control finds the remote by itself; there is no IP address to type in.
- It appears under Controllers within a couple of seconds, exactly like a USB one, and is configured the same way.
- If it doesn't appear: confirm Middle Remote Connection is set to Direct (see the warning above), then check that the remote and the computer really are on the same network — a computer with several network interfaces can be on a different one than you expect.
Multi-operator: Fixed ID and the CAM buttons
Set the remote's Camera ID to a fixed camera on its detail page and it becomes an independent operator: it always drives that camera, and its assignment is protected — selecting a different camera elsewhere in Middle Control no longer pulls the remote off its own. Its CAM buttons then switch the remote's own camera rather than the global selection, so one operator can hop between their cameras without disturbing anyone else. On a Master remote (and in Glue mode) the CAM buttons change the globally selected camera as before. See Multi-Operator Control.
Assign the knobs and buttons
The remote arrives with a sensible default layout, but you can remap everything from its detail page:
- Knob Assignment — choose what each knob controls: Focus, Iris, ISO / Gain, White Balance, Tint, Shutter, Saturation, Contrast, Black Level, ND, Roll, or the Pan/Tilt and Zoom speeds. (Pan, tilt and zoom moves are on the joystick.)
- View Mappings — reassign the buttons and encoders to any camera or gimbal action, exactly like a gamepad mapping.
The remote's OLED screens update automatically to match.
On the AG-CX350 and its siblings, the White Balance and Shutter knobs work in steps: each detent sends a 100 K or one-shutter-step change, and the OLED shows the value read back from the camera instead of a slider bar, because these bodies accept no absolute white balance or shutter value over IP. The Iris knob uses the lens's real f-stop ladder; tint, saturation and pedestal show the camera's values. A knob assigned to Contrast is disabled on these camcorders (they have no contrast control over IP) and shows --. This is the same with ATEM Link on or off.
Option 2 — Connect via Glue
Prefer Glue? Connect the remote through the Make Pro X Glue app instead.
Download & Install Glue
Glue connects Middle Control to the remote. It also lets you re-assign the buttons on the remote the way you like, and connect other devices to the remote like the Behringer X32 or DMX lights.
Load the Middle Control Solution
- Start Glue. You'll be greeted with a welcome screen — select Download from Cloud.
- Enter the Middle Control Solution code:
middle-control-1. - Choose the latest version, press OK, and click the Middle Control folder to open the solution.
- Go to the MakePro Devices tab and connect your Middle Remote to your laptop's USB port. It will appear in green on the left sidebar under My Devices.
Depending on your purchase date, your remote may go through an automatic update. While updating, it will show "Updating..." next to the remote name. Do not disconnect the remote until the update is finished.
- Start the Middle Control software and make sure it is connected to your ATEM.
- In Glue, go to the Features tab. You should see a green dot next to the Middle Control feature.
Your remote will now display all of your ATEM camera values on the small OLED displays, mapped to the 8 touch-sensitive encoders. Select any of the Camera ID buttons (1, 2, 3, or 4) at the bottom of the remote and start controlling your gimbal and camera.
Assign the Middle Remote buttons
In order to get you started as soon as possible, the remote is loaded with a default configuration, but you can assign the encoders and buttons differently. In order to do so, follow the instructions below:
- Go to the MakePro Devices tab.
- Click on any of the actionable remote buttons (encoders, rgb buttons...)
- In the right sidebar, double click any action you want to assign to that button.
The OLED screens will automatically update.
In the Glue Settings -> Behaviour , we recommend you activate the following:
- Keep Glue running in background
- Start Glue automatically after logging in
- Hide Window on Launch
- Automatically load last opened Solution
This way, Glue will silently boot in the background each time you start your computer!
What's next?
Anything unclear or buggy in this tutorial? Please contact us at [email protected].
Also, feel free to share your feedback / questions in the new Middle Things user group on Facebook! 👍