Mavis Studio turns the iPad into a live production control room
Mavis Studio is an iPad live production app that combines multi‑camera switching, graphics, audio mixing, recording, and streaming so AV teams can run professional shows from a single touch interface instead of fixed hardware switchers. With its latest update unveiled at InfoComm, the platform is pushing iPad live production deeper into professional territory, adding tools that usually belong on dedicated control surfaces and PCs. The app already targeted AV teams, venues, educators, houses of worship, and content creators who wanted a portable live production workflow; now it aims to fit directly into networked video and NDI streaming iPad setups. By bringing NDI monitoring, PTZ camera control, USB audio interfaces, and 3D layouts under one UI, Mavis is arguing that an iPad can serve as the main production brain for small and mid‑sized shows rather than a companion device.
NDI Preview lowers the barrier to IP-based iPad live production
The headline feature of the Mavis Studio update is NDI Preview, a five‑minute trial mode that unlocks full networked‑video access without an upfront subscription. During that window, operators can bring NDI sources into the iPad, monitor tally, and even try PTZ camera control. This matters because any NDI streaming iPad setup relies on a well‑designed IP network, and many teams want to confirm stability before committing budget and workflow changes. The preview mode lets them test switch counts, bandwidth, and camera compatibility during preproduction instead of discovering problems on show day. According to Cined.com, the goal is to help AV teams “confirm network performance, check that your sources are compatible, and understand how the app fits an existing setup before committing budget.” For integrators exploring portable live production, this trial-style NDI access is almost a built‑in proof‑of‑concept tool.
Integrated PTZ camera control replaces separate hardware panels
Alongside NDI Preview, Mavis Studio now adds PTZ camera control straight into its touch interface, a significant shift for iPad live production workflows. For supported NDI cameras, operators can pan, tilt, zoom, and focus from inside the app using a redesigned multi‑mode control wheel. That wheel adapts to the selected source, switching between PTZ camera control, media transport, and 3D layout adjustment, while nearby buttons handle common actions. This approach pulls functionality that traditionally required a separate joystick controller or web UI onto the same glass surface used for switching and graphics. In compact AV installations—meeting rooms, lecture halls, small worship spaces—where crew counts and budgets are tight, folding PTZ into the main UI can remove one more piece of hardware from the rack. It also aligns with the broader trend of IP‑connected PTZ rigs controlled from software‑centric production hubs.
USB audio and 3D layouts make iPad shows sound and look more polished
On the audio side, the Mavis Studio update adds support for USB audio interfaces, letting operators feed up to four channels of external audio into the app’s built‑in mixer and monitor via the same device. In practice, that means a common desktop interface can bridge microphones, mixers, or venue feeds directly into an iPad live production without extra converters. For visuals, new 3D layouts allow layers to be angled and positioned in depth, so titles, picture‑in‑picture boxes, and branded elements can occupy more dynamic virtual space. Because the control wheel can switch into 3D layout adjustment mode, a single operator can refine composition, tweak perspective, and move layers mid‑show from the same surface they use to cut cameras. Together, these USB audio and 3D layout upgrades make the iPad feel less like a tablet workaround and more like a compact, integrated production switcher.
Positioning the iPad as a credible control surface for AV
Mavis is presenting this update squarely to the InfoComm audience, where fixed control rooms and hardware panels still dominate large‑scale workflows. Mavis Studio already combined switching, playback, graphics, recording, and streaming on the iPad; now, by adding NDI preview, PTZ camera control, USB audio, and 3D staging, it is pressing the argument that portable live production on a tablet can meet professional expectations for many events. “Mavis Studio is about giving people the tools of a professional live production system in a format that is far more portable and accessible,” said CEO Patrick Holroyd. For systems integrators and in‑house AV teams, that pitch is less about replacing high‑end flypacks and more about filling the growing gap between one‑operator shows and traditional broadcast control rooms, with the iPad itself standing in as a touch‑driven control surface.
