Frequently Asked Questions

Answers about our guides, consultancy and how to work with the journylo team from Oxford.

Questions we hear most often

These answers cover how our guides and consultancy work, who they suit and what to have ready before you write to us. If your question is not here, send it by email.

What kind of productions do you advise on?

We work with television studio and live media productions, from small single-camera sets to multi-camera galleries. Our focus is camera configuration, stage lighting, audio synchronisation, control room operations and live production workflows. If your setup sits somewhere between those areas, describe it and we will say honestly whether we can help.

Do you publish guides or only offer consultancy?

Both. We publish practical guides and articles on the site, written by the people who also carry out consultancy. The guides explain methods step by step, while consultancy applies those methods to your own equipment, room and crew. Many readers start with the articles and write to us only when they hit a specific problem.

Can you help with audio drifting out of sync with video?

Yes, this is Thomas Whitcombe's main area. Drift and latency usually come from mismatched clocks, buffering in converters or uneven processing delays between audio and video paths. He traces the chain from microphone to output, measures each stage and recommends where to correct timing. Send us a simple signal diagram if you have one.

Do you design lighting plots for presenters and live audiences?

We advise on lighting plots, colour temperature and dimming control for presenters, sets and audiences. Priya Nair leads this work. She considers camera exposure, skin tones, background separation and how the lighting behaves when cameras and people move. We explain our reasoning so your own crew can maintain the design afterwards.

Can you review how our control room currently runs?

We carry out workflow reviews covering vision mixing, intercom, graphics and monitoring in a working gallery. Oliver Hartley, who spent years in studio galleries, usually leads these. The aim is to find where cues are missed, where roles overlap and where small changes would make a show calmer to run.

What should I send when I first get in touch?

A short description of the production is enough: the type of show, the number of cameras and the main problem you are facing. Photographs of the room, an equipment list or a rough signal diagram all help. Do not worry about technical polish. We would rather see an honest picture of what you have.

How quickly will someone reply to my enquiry?

We read every message that arrives through the contact form or by email and reply as soon as we can, usually within a few working days. If your question is urgent because a live date is close, say so in the first line and we will take that into account when planning our response.

Do you only work with teams near Oxford?

No. We are based in Oxford, but much of our guidance can be given by email and phone, using your diagrams, photographs and descriptions. Where a question really needs someone in the room, we will say so and talk through what a visit would involve before anything is arranged.

Still have a question

Tell us about your studio or live show

Write to us with a few lines about your setup. We will read it, reply with questions or suggestions, and say plainly whether our guides or consultancy fit what you need.

Contact

Before you write

How to get the most from an enquiry

Most useful enquiries begin with a clear description of what is happening on the day, not a guess at the cause. Tell us what the audience or the director sees going wrong, when it started and whether it happens every time. A fault that appears only after an hour of running points to different causes than one that appears at power-up.

It also helps to name the equipment in plain terms: the camera models, the mixing desk, the lighting controller, the converters between them. You do not need a full inventory. A rough list or a photograph of the rack is often enough for us to ask the right follow-up questions and avoid sending you general advice that you already know.

Think about who will act on our advice. A guide written for a vision mixer operator reads differently from one written for the engineer who maintains the signal path. If you tell us who will use the result, we can pitch the explanation at the right level and keep the steps practical for that person.

Timing matters too. If a recording, broadcast or live event is already booked, give us the date, even loosely. We cannot promise to fit every deadline, but knowing it lets us suggest what can be tested safely beforehand and what should be left alone until after the show.

Finally, tell us what you have already tried. Changes made in a hurry, such as swapped cables, altered delay settings or reset presets, can hide the original problem. A short list of what you changed, in order, saves time and keeps us from repeating tests you have already done.

Useful details to include

The type of production and how many cameras and microphones it uses
A rough signal diagram or photograph of the rack and gallery
When the problem appears and whether it is repeatable
Any changes made to settings or equipment before it began
The date of your next recording or live event, if there is one
Who on your crew will carry out the advice we give