Getting Started

RouteMaster Lite needs minimal configuration to get up and running. Here’s a simple guide.

Connection to the Network

Make sure the RouteMaster Lite’s PC is connected to the same network as your NDI sources. If you haven’t already done so, install NewTek’s NDI Tools on the same computer and check that NewTek Studio Monitor can view the NDI Sources.

Start RouteMaster Lite

When you start RouteMaster Lite for the first time you will see this screen.

As the RouteMaster Lite server isn’t running, press the RUN button at the top right to start it.  After a few seconds the NDI sources should be detected, and you’ll see a screen like this.

Let’s run through the various areas of the window.

  1. The control bar contains “RUN” and “STOP” buttons to stop and start the RouteMaster Lite server.  When the server is stopped, routing cannot be changed but NDI video still runs on any existing routes.
  2. The left column shows NDI Inputs that have been detected. The icon for each source shows its  status
  3. The right column shows the router’s outputs, and the name of the source connected to each. along with the Lock status.
  4. The “TAKE” button (shown disabled) takes the chosen input to the chosen output.
  5. The monitoring section shows video and audio metering for the selected input and output,
  6. The status bar gives an overview of the system status, including client licenses in use.

Make a Route

Let’s route some video: Select an input from the left column, and an output from the right. You’ll see video and audio in the monitoring section, and the TAKE button will be enabled.

Press TAKE and video will be routed. It’s as simple as that.

Wait, where did my video actually go?

NDI systems know about all sources on a network, but have no knowledge of destinations. So how can RouteMaster Lite send video to a destination?

The answer is this: It creates new sources on the NDI network, which must then be assigned on the destination device. For example, with Studio Monitor we can view the outputs from our router, and select one. When that’s done, Studio Monitor will display whatever video is routed to that output. All outputs from RouteMaster have a prefix “RM-”

Now you’ve seen how easy it is to route video, let’s dive into some of the configuration options.