"EVS Tips & Tricks: Save Seconds, Save the Show — Master Your Default Clip Duration"
- szymborskipiotr
- Dec 23, 2025
- 3 min read
(This applies not only to EVS, but the same “default duration mindset” translates perfectly to RIEDEL SIMPLY LIVE and other replay systems like GRASS VALLEY K2 DYNO.)
In live replay, time is your most expensive currency. The faster you can create clean, usable clips, the more brainpower you keep for what really matters: storytelling, replay timing, and staying calm when production goes full chaos.
One of the most underrated time-savers is simply this:
Set a
Default Clip Duration
— and let the system do the boring part for you.
What “Default Clip Duration” really means
If you set a default duration (e.g., 30s):
Mark IN → the system automatically builds a 30s clip forward from that IN.
Mark OUT → the system automatically builds a 30s clip backward from that OUT.
So instead of IN… jog… OUT… trim… save…
you’re doing one decisive mark — and moving on.
IN vs OUT marking — and why eSports folks often love OUT
My personal workflow is IN-based. I want to feel the start of an action and hit IN when it begins.
But I’ve noticed something interesting: many eSports replay operators prefer building clips from OUT. Why?
In fast eSports sequences, the “moment that matters” is often the end result (kill/KO/objective).
OUT gives them a clean anchor: “That’s the moment — build backwards.”
There’s no “right” religion here — just what’s fastest in your hands.
RIEDEL SIMPLY LIVE approach: one button, centered action
One feature I genuinely love in RIEDEL SIMPLY LIVE is the idea of a clipping duration that can be symmetrical around “now”.
Example: set 30s + 30s.
Press ENTER at the key moment → you instantly get a clip that includes 30 seconds before and 30 seconds after.
For football, that’s gold:
Goal happens → hit ENTER → you already have the whole story built in one move.
It’s the same philosophy as EVS default duration — just with a slightly different “center point” workflow.
Two real-world setups that save serious time
1) Handball: “Action-first” clipping
Handball is about compact, repeatable action blocks. My go-to:
Default Clip Duration: 15 seconds
Workflow: Hit IN at the start of the action
Result: you almost always capture the full play cleanly without extra trimming
This keeps your hands free to manage playlists, banks, and timing — instead of constantly micro-editing.
2) Speedway: “PGM heat capture while you build replays”
Speedway is a different beast — because you often need to log every heat from PGM, and you simply don’t have time to babysit the clip while also preparing replays.
Here’s the cheat code:
You know a heat is ~55 seconds
Set Default Clip Duration: 60 seconds
At the start of the heat: mark IN and press ENTER
Now the magic happens:
the heat keeps running,
you keep building replays,
and the system auto-creates the full heat clip in the background,
saving it straight to the bank when it reaches the duration.
That’s not just faster. That’s how you stop logging from stealing your replay focus.
The real takeaway
Default duration isn’t a “setting.”
It’s a mindset: reduce decisions per action.
When your clip creation becomes automatic, you regain:
attention,
reaction speed,
confidence under pressure.
And that’s what makes operators feel “fast” on air.
Want more like this?
🎓 Broadcast Academy (University of Television)
Inside, we go deep on EVS, RIEDEL SIMPLY LIVE, and GRASS VALLEY K2 DYNO workflows — with VOD training and operator-friendly manuals designed for real live production.
#UniversityOfTelevision #UTV #BroadcastStrong #EVS #RIEDEL #SimplyLive #GrassValley #K2Dyno #Replay #LiveProduction #SportsBroadcasting
Comments