ATEM SuperSource Builder – Visual Layout Tool for ATEM Mini Extreme

The ATEM SuperSource Builder is an essential engineering utility designed for Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme and ATEM Mini Extreme ISO users who need a faster way to configure complex screen layouts. While the ATEM Software Control offers powerful numeric inputs, manually calculating X/Y coordinates and scaling values for up to four boxes is a tedious and error-prone process. This tool replaces the "guess-and-check" workflow with a high-precision visual editor.

In professional broadcast engineering, speed is critical. Whether you are setting up an Interview Side-by-Side layout or a 4-Camera Grid, this builder allows you to drag, resize, and crop your sources in a native 16:9 environment. It eliminates coordinate drift by using center-anchored scaling logic, ensuring that your layout remains perfectly aligned with official Blackmagic hardware specifications. Once your design is ready, you can instantly export a compatible Macro XML to import directly into your switcher.

Export ATEM Macro

How to Import:

  1. Copy the XML or download the file.
  2. Open ATEM Software Control.
  3. Go to File > Import and select your saved Settings XML.
  4. Or, create a new Macro and paste the code into your existing XML configuration.

Why SuperSource is Difficult to Configure

The internal coordinate system of Blackmagic switchers uses a custom scale where the center is 0, 0 and the edges range from -16 to +16 (X) and -9 to +9 (Y). Unlike standard web pixel coordinates (where 0,0 is the top-left), this center-anchored math makes it extremely challenging to align multiple boxes precisely without visual feedback.

According to official Blackmagic Design specifications, SuperSource is a dedicated multi-layer engine. However, the lack of a visual drag-and-drop builder in the official software often forces engineers to spend hours tweaking numeric values. Our ATEM SuperSource Builder addresses this by bridging the gap between visual intent and hardware requirements.

How to Use SuperSource in ATEM Mini Extreme

SuperSource acts as an extra video input on your switcher. To use it effectively, you must first enable the boxes and assign their sources (HDMI 1-8). Once the sources are assigned, you need to set the position, size, and crop for each box. For high-end productions, it is also important to consider system-wide latency by using our streaming latency calculator.

FAQ: ATEM SuperSource Configurations

Does this work with ATEM Mini Pro?

No, the SuperSource hardware engine is only available on the **ATEM Mini Extreme**, **Extreme ISO**, and larger **ATEM Constellation** models. The standard Pro models only support a single DVE for Picture-in-Picture.

How do I handle A/V sync with complex layouts?

When using many layers in SuperSource, minor processing delays can occur. We recommend validating your final output using our A/V sync calibrator to ensure your guests' video remains in sync with the audio mixer.

What are the storage requirements for recording complex layouts?

Recording SuperSource as part of your Program feed increases the visual complexity of your H.264 stream. Check your target data rates with our video bitrate calculator to ensure your SSD can handle the throughput.