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Live Switcher · for ATEM

Your ATEM switches itself.

The Live Switcher listens to every mic and cuts your ATEM’s cameras to whoever is talking while you record or stream. OnAirCut at the switcher: you focus on the conversation.

Two apps in one. The Podcast Editor comes with it, and it works without an ATEM: it builds the multicam edit of any recording for Final Cut, Premiere or DaVinci, from each person’s audio and each camera’s video. About the Podcast Editor

macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon Notarized by Apple

cameras — every input of your ATEM
20
cameras — every input of your ATEM
of the time the right camera on air, in a real 66-minute session
93%
of the time the right camera on air, in a real 66-minute session
shots shorter than 2 seconds, at Normal speed
0
shots shorter than 2 seconds, at Normal speed

What you’re looking at

  1. 1 Who is talking The meter bridge: one meter per mic, with a white light on whoever has the floor.
  2. 2 What’s on air One monitor per camera, like the ATEM’s multiview: red border on air.
  3. 3 The program The ATEM’s output, live over USB-C — what your audience is seeing.
  4. 4 Why it cut The last cut and its reason, readable at a glance.
  5. 5 The last 60 seconds Who spoke and which camera was on air: every cut, explained.
  6. 6 Every cut The log: automatic cuts, yours and the ATEM’s.
Works with ATEM MiniMini ProMini ExtremeSDISDI Extreme ISOTelevision Studio

What you need

Your ATEM, your console and a Mac.

  1. 1

    An ATEM switcher

    Any model of the family — Mini, Mini Pro, Mini Extreme, SDI, SDI Extreme ISO or Television Studio — by USB or Ethernet. OnAirCut finds it on its own.

  2. 2

    A multichannel USB console

    One that sends each person on their own channel to the Mac — a Mixcast 4, for example. Wired or wireless mics, as you already work. A console that only sends the stereo mix isn’t enough.

  3. 3

    A Mac

    With Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 14 Sonoma or later. The audio is analysed on the Mac and never leaves it.

Streaming with OBS? OnAirCut cuts the ATEM and OBS streams the ATEM’s output, as usual. How to set it up

How the live switching works

Set it up once. Then press ▶.

  1. The ATEM and the console, found on their own
    1

    Connect

    The ATEM by USB or Ethernet — OnAirCut finds it on its own — and your multichannel USB console, one person per channel.

  2. The mic check: each voice on its own channel
    2

    Set up

    A one-minute assistant: which mic is whose and which camera shows whom. Then each person says a sentence to check their mic — fix a channel or a name right there.

  3. The session, like a recorder
    3

    Press ▶

    AUTO cuts to the tightest camera that shows whoever has the floor. ● REC records a WAV per mic and every cut, for the edit later.

How it decides

It cuts like an operator who knows the show.

One person talks

The tightest camera they appear on, about half a second after they start.

Both talk at once

After a moment together it goes to the shot that shows them both — here, the wide.

A short “uh-huh”

A quick reply doesn’t take the shot from whoever has the floor.

Nobody talks

After the seconds you choose, it stays, goes wide or goes to a camera you pick.

You cut by hand

Keys 1–9 or a click: it respects your cut for a few seconds, then carries on.

Voices leak

The other mic hears César too, but it knows that’s bleed, not Miguel talking.

Read the manual →

During the show

It keeps listening, and adjusts.

Voices change over a show: a shy guest opens up, someone leans back from the mic, a topic gets quieter. OnAirCut keeps measuring every voice and adjusts on its own — you don’t touch anything.

  • Louder or softer

    It follows each person’s normal level. If someone starts quiet and opens up, or lowers their voice on a delicate topic, it keeps up — and a loud guest never takes the shot from a quiet one just by talking louder.

  • When someone moves

    If someone leans back, comes closer or moves their mic, it notices and keeps the right person on camera.

  • Noise that appears

    Air conditioning or a hum that starts halfway through the show doesn’t count as a voice.

What it learns is saved in the profile every 2 minutes, so the next show starts where this one ended.

For your guests

A clock everyone can see.

Put the recorded time on a TV in the studio: your guests know when they’re on, how long they’ve been talking and what time it is.

When does it start?

Automatically, when you record or When you decide · ⌘T

Automatically, when recording starts: with ▶, since Always REC comes on, or with ● REC if you turn it off. The sound check before doesn’t count. Or you decide when the episode begins, with one key.

How does it start counting?

Right away or With a countdown

From 00:00:00 at once, or first a countdown — “STARTS IN”, the time you choose, then “ON AIR!” — so your guests can get ready. Recording starts at zero, or with the countdown if you prefer.

  • In step with the operator

    The app’s clock, next to ● REC, shows the same countdown and the same “ON AIR!”, even if you can’t see the TV.

  • The time of day

    For a studio rented by the hour: the Mac’s time, in 12 or 24 hours, at the bottom of the screen.

  • Your logo and colors

    Your show’s logo and colors, HH:MM:SS or timecode, and a red frame while recording, like a tally light.

How to keep your podcast on time → Read the manual →

The recording clock on a TV while recording, with the time of day
The countdown: STARTS IN 00:04:59At zero: ON AIR!

When the show ends

The edit doesn’t start from zero.

While it switches, OnAirCut records each mic and every cut. Open the session in the Podcast Editor, add each camera’s video, and the multicam edit is ready for Final Cut, Premiere or DaVinci.

About the Podcast Editor →
  • A 24-bit WAV per mic, in sync with every cut
  • Every cut with its exact time: automatic, by hand or from the ATEM
  • Markers: press M to mark a moment; they reach Final Cut, DaVinci and Premiere
  • Always REC: every ▶ records too; only ■ stops it, and it asks first
  • Saved every 5 seconds: a power cut leaves the session whole

Built for the room it runs in

Never slows the show

No App Nap, the Mac doesn’t sleep, and the network runs on its own thread.

Reconnects by itself

If the ATEM or the console drops, it finds them again.

Sessions are crash-safe

Saved every five seconds: a power cut leaves the session whole up to that moment.

Errors that explain themselves

Every error says what happened, why, whose side it’s on and what to do.

Specifications

Everything the Live Switcher does.

Mac and licence

Mac
Apple silicon (M1 or later), macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Languages
English and Spanish
Licence
2 Macs at once, 10 changes every 30 days
Offline
Keeps working 14 days since the last check

Cameras and switcher

Switchers
The whole ATEM family — Mini, Mini Pro, Mini Extreme, SDI, SDI Extreme ISO, Television Studio
Cameras
Up to 20 ATEM inputs; keys 1–9 cut directly
Connection
USB or Ethernet, found on its own; reconnects if it drops
Shared shots
A camera can show several people; the wide shot shows everyone
Transition
Straight cut, or the transition set on the ATEM (a dissolve, for example)
Other sources
Never cuts over a logo, black or the media player you put on air

Microphones and voice

Consoles
Any multichannel USB console that sends one person per channel (a Mixcast 4, for example)
Microphones
As many as your console sends — each one read on its own
Bleed
Learns how much of each voice leaks into the other mics, and discounts it
Level
Compares each person with their own normal voice, so a quiet guest keeps the shot
Noise
Air conditioning or hum doesn’t count as a voice
Assistant
Mics, cameras and a quick mic check per profile; the room and each voice it learns during the show

How it switches

Speed
Very fast, Fast, Normal or Calm — or every time set by hand
Several at once
Goes to the tightest shot that shows them all, after the time you choose
Short replies
An “uh-huh” doesn’t take the shot from whoever has the floor
Silence
Stay, go wide or go to a camera you choose
Variety
After a long stretch on one person, a few seconds of another shot, then back
By hand
Click a camera or press 1–9; it waits before cutting on its own again

Recording the session

Audio
A 24-bit WAV per microphone, in sync with every cut
Cuts
Every cut with its exact time: automatic, by hand or from the ATEM
Safety
Saved every 5 seconds; a power cut leaves the session whole
Clock drift
Corrects the small clock difference between the console and the Mac
Always REC
On by default: every ▶ records too, and the recording goes with the session — only ■ stops it, and it asks first
Markers
Press M to mark a moment; it shows in the editor and goes into Final Cut, DaVinci and Premiere
Disk
Shows how much recording fits, and asks before recording with less than an hour left
Recording clock
In its own window for a TV: automatically when recording (with ▶) or when you decide, with a countdown, the time of day, your logo and colors
Sessions
A list with length, cuts and size; deleting goes to the Trash, never straight away

Questions

Before you download.

Which ATEM models does it work with? +

The whole family: ATEM Mini, Mini Pro, Mini Extreme, SDI, SDI Extreme ISO and Television Studio, by USB or Ethernet.

Which audio consoles does it work with? +

Any multichannel USB console that sends one person per channel to the Mac — a Mixcast 4, for example. A console that only sends the stereo mix isn’t enough: it needs each mic on its own.

How does it know which camera shows whom? +

Each person has their own mic on their own console channel, wired or wireless, as you already work. Once, in the assistant, you mark who appears in each camera: a camera can show one person, two, or everyone.

What about 6 cameras and 3 people? +

It works the same: when one person talks, it goes to the tightest camera that shows them; when several talk at once, to the camera that shows all of them. Up to 20 cameras and as many mics as your console sends.

Do I still need someone at the switcher? +

It’s up to you. OnAirCut switches on its own, so you can run the show by yourself and focus on the conversation. If someone is at the switcher, they work together: they can cut by hand at any moment and OnAirCut respects it.

Does it change OBS scenes? +

No. OnAirCut cuts the ATEM, and OBS streams the ATEM’s output as usual, so your audience sees every cut. Stream a podcast with an ATEM and OBS

Is it the same as the ATEM’s Audio Follow Video? +

No. AFV makes the audio follow the camera; OnAirCut does the opposite — the camera follows whoever is talking — and the mics stay on. The ATEM’s AFV, explained

Does it record video? +

No: it records a 24-bit WAV per mic and every cut. You add each camera’s video in the Podcast Editor, which builds the multicam edit from that session.

Is it AI? +

No. It’s an algorithm tuned, little by little, on the podcasts of César, who makes OnAirCut. The audio is analysed on your Mac and never leaves it.

Do I pay for each app? +

No. OnAirCut is two apps in one: the Live Switcher and the Podcast Editor come in the same plan. It’s free until January 7, 2027 (public beta until December 24, then a 14-day free trial); after that, 19 USD a month or 190 USD a year.

From the blog

Live switching, step by step.

All guides →

On air

Let the cameras switch themselves.

Works with the whole ATEM family. The Podcast Editor, which needs no ATEM, comes with it.

Download for Mac

macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon Notarized by Apple