Rick Skelton

Mac tools for events and broadcast

I build small, focused Mac apps for the events and broadcast industry. Each one came out of a job where the existing options were either far too heavy or did not exist at all, so they tend to do one thing properly rather than everything badly.

No accounts, no subscriptions, no telemetry. You buy or download the app, it runs on your Mac, and your work stays on your machine.

MacroMotion

On the Mac App Store

Animation macros for Blackmagic ATEM switchers.

Design a picture-in-picture move visually, using DVE keyers or SuperSource boxes, preview it live, then export it as a macro that runs on the switcher itself. Set a From and To pose, choose an easing curve, and the app works out the keyframes. Because the finished move is an ordinary ATEM macro, it runs from the switcher with no Mac attached on the night.

Switchers
Every ATEM model, from ATEM Mini to Constellation
Formats
PAL and NTSC, 25 / 50 and 30 / 60 fps
Editions
Free on the Mac App Store. Pro at £4.99 records macros straight onto a connected switcher
Requires
macOS, Universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel

StudioClock

Coming soon to the Mac App Store

An NTP-accurate studio clock and countdown for the gallery and the studio floor.

A precise, local-first clock for broadcast studios, live events and control rooms. It holds NTP-disciplined time with an honest, visible sync status showing offset, round trip and source, and if the network drops it holds the last good time rather than blanking. Lay out clock, countdown, ON AIR and logo tiles on a second display, then mirror that display to any browser on your network through the built-in read-only viewer. Everything runs on one Mac, with no cloud and no account.

Clock faces
60-mark studio ring, analogue, seven-segment, split-flap, dual studio and UTC, world-clock strip
Control
OSC in and out, for Stream Deck, Bitfocus Companion or a hardware panel
Tally
TSL UMD, to drive ON AIR straight from the mixer. Works with ATEM, Ross, vMix, OBS, TriCaster and Tally Arbiter
Platform
Native macOS app
Editions
£8.99 on the Mac App Store. The Studio edition, £9.99 direct from this site, adds NDI video output

Pixel Candy

Coming soon to the Mac App Store

The complete planning toolkit for professional LED video walls.

Pixel Candy plans the geometry, the outputs and the cabling, then prints the paperwork your crew actually builds from. Pick a panel, set the wall size, and read the figures that matter on site: resolution, physical size, weight, peak and average power, and how many circuits you need. Map screens to processor outputs and export pixel-perfect raster maps. Draw or auto-route data and power runs with live feedback on port and circuit loading. One command prints the whole job as a spec sheet, wall drawing, raster maps, cable schedules and power circuits.

Editions
Free for up to three projects. Pro adds unlimited projects, multiple outputs and unwatermarked exports
Safety
Every electrical, power and rigging figure is in the free version. Safety detail is never behind a subscription
Companion
Free iPhone and iPad app for site work, with AR wall preview and sync through your own iCloud account
Units
Metric or imperial

Pixel Candy is a planning tool. Always have a competent person verify electrical and rigging figures before anything is built or energised.

About

I have spent my working life in live events and broadcast, and these apps are the ones I wanted to hand to the person sitting next to me. If something here is nearly right for your setup but not quite, I would rather hear about it than not.

Get in touch about any of them.