Merging Technologies has announced the update to its Ovation 12 audio playout system and show sequencer software, introducing native video playback, enhanced synchronisation, and expanded I/O performance.
With Ovation 12, video playback becomes part of the show workflow. Video files can now be dragged and dropped directly into playlists and handled like any other cue – even while a show is running. Audio fade-ins and timing can be precisely aligned to picture using Ovation’s active cue window, ensuring tight synchronisation during rehearsals and live operation.
The update supports all common video formats, with files easily trimmed directly within Ovation or prepared in Pyramix. Up to four video streams can be played simultaneously via standard computer graphics cards, delivering powerful visual integration without additional complexity. Ovation 12 also introduces native generation of multiple LTC outputs, enabling operators to drive several external sequencers simultaneously – each with its own independent time code.
LTC can be routed to any audio output, generated at any frame rate, and sourced flexibly from show time, timed cue lists, or individual cues. Time code readouts can be displayed anywhere on the operator’s screen, providing clear, real-time visibility in mission-critical environments. This new capability eliminates workarounds and significantly simplifies synchronisation in large-scale, multi-system productions.
Further, Ovation 12 deepens the integration with Pyramix, allowing sound designers to create content in Pyramix and publish it to Ovation with a single operation, with fully bidirectional automation exchange.
Automation data can now flow both ways between Ovation and Pyramix, enabling engineers to refine cues in Pyramix during rehearsals and seamlessly return them to the show environment – without losing automation detail. This enhancement delivers unprecedented flexibility for adapting productions right up until showtime.
Ovation 12 significantly increases the number of simultaneous inputs and outputs available in Native mode across the Elements, Pro and Premium editions, while continuing to scale to extreme channel counts when paired with MassCore.
This expansion provides greater headroom for large, multichannel productions and reinforces Ovation’s position as a high-resolution, low-latency platform built for demanding applications.