About The Software

Open-Source and Free

The software is proudly open source and is distributed under the MIT license. Pull requests are welcome! Donations are also welcome to keep the project going.

Easy to Install

The software requires very little setup to be up and running. Just install the Node.js runtime and a few extra steps. It can run on MacOS, Windows, or Linux and was designed to lightweight to run well on a Raspberry Pi.

Web Browser Interface

Once installed, the software can be configured and maintained through a web browser interface.

View Tally On Phone

You can view tally data from a phone, tablet, or any device with a web browser.

View Tally with a blink(1)

You can use a blink(1) USB light to view tally data, even wirelessly on a Raspberry Pi Zero W!

Works with traditional Tally connections

You can easily connect to your camera CCUs or other systems using GPO or contact-closures by using the provided Tally Arbiter GPO and Relay listener clients.

View on M5Stick-C ESP32 Arduino

You can use an M5Stick-C for very portable wireless tally!

View on M5Atom with a Tailbat

You can use an M5 Atom 5x5 Matrix with a Tailbat battery for ultra portable, ultra bright, ultra cheap tally!

Send tally data to the cloud

Easily send tally data between servers so that you don't have to have users tunnel into your private production network.

Features

Tally Arbiter has many features with more being added as the user base grows.

Cloud Support

Local servers can send tally data to a master cloud server, enabling access to tally data from outside of closed networks without having to set up network tunneling.

Outgoing Webhooks and Actions

Tally states can be configured to send outgoing webhooks, custom TCP strings, or OSC requests if a certain device enters or exits the Program layer, for example.

Producer View

A dark-mode page designed for Producers to see all Devices and their current tally states.

Built-in Messaging

Messages can be sent between the server, Producers, and supported tally clients to communicate status and other production needs.

View Tally Data in Many Ways

Several different types of listener clients are available, from viewing on a phone, to using a blink(1) USB light on a Pi Zero, or even control relays and GPOs. All connected over the network, ethernet or wifi. It also emulates popular tally protocols, such as TSL 3.1 and VMix, so you can use it with any of your favorite tally clients.

Many Switcher and Protocols Supported

The software can work with Blackmagic ATEM, Ross Video, StudioCoast vMix, OBS Studio, Roland Smart Tally, Newtek Tricaster, Analog Way LiveCore, OSC, and any broadcast system supporting the TSL UMD v3.1 or v5.0 protocol.

Controllable by Companion

View tally states for devices and ping/flash any connected listener client through the free software, Companion, by Bitfocus. Controllable by Companion

How It Works

Tally Arbiter is so much more than a simple tally light system.
It supports tracking tally data from multiple switchers of different types, at the same time.

Supported Systems

Tally Arbiter supports many different systems and protocols, with more being added!

Manufacturer Product(s)
Analog Way LiveCore Image Processors
Ascender 48 LE - 4K
Ascender 32 LE - 4K
Ascender 16 LE - 4K
Ascender 32 - 4K - PL
Ascender 16 - 4K
NeXtage 16 - 4K
NeXtage 08 - 4K
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini, Mini Pro, Mini Pro ISO, Mini Extreme
ATEM Television Studio
ATEM Television Studio Pro HD
ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K
ATEM 1ME Production Studio 4K
ATEM 2ME Production Studio 4K
ATEM 4ME Broadcast Studio 4K
ATEM Constellation 8K
Smart VideoHub 12x12
Smart VideoHub 20x20
Smart VideoHub 40x40
Universal VideoHub 72x72
Universal VideoHub 288x288
FOR-A HVS-490
HVS-1200
HVS-2000
HVS-6000
Any FOR-A product that supports the TSL UMD 5.0 Tally over Ethernet protocol
Newtek Tricaster TC1
Tricaster Mini
*Any Newtek product that supports their Tally over Ethernet protocol
Open Broadcaster Software OBS Studio
Open Sound Control (OSC) Any software can send tally states into Tally Arbiter via OSC.
Panasonic AV-HS410
AV-HS6000
Any Panasonic product that supports the TSL UMD 3.1 or 5.0 Tally over Ethernet protocol
Roland V-60HD
XS-62S
VR-50HD-MKII
*Any Roland product that offers Smart Tally capabilities
Ross Video Acuity
Carbonite
Carbonite Black
Carbonite Black Solo
Carbonite Ultra
Graphite
TouchDrive
StudioCoast VMix
TSL UMD 3.1 Protocol Any device that can send tally data over the TSL UMD 3.1 Protocol is supported
TSL UMD 5.0 Protocol Any device that can send tally data over the TSL UMD 5.0 Protocol is supported

Documentation & Videos

Introduction

See what Tally Arbiter can do.

TSl Protocol Conversion

TA can take any tally data from any supported source and relay it to your TSL clients, to drive multiviewers and other tally systems.

Cloud Server

Learn how to set up Tally Arbiter Cloud and send data from behind your private production network to anywhere in the world.

Control with Companion

Viewing tally data on a streamdeck and flashing a connected client has never been easier.

M5StickC Arduino

A portable ESP32 tally light! See it in action.

Using with OBS

Learn how to set up Tally Arbiter from scratch, downloading the source code, and setting it up to work with OBS Studio.

Tally Arbiter 1.4 with multiple ME monitoring for Blackmagic ATEM

Check out the new interface of Tally Arbiter 1.4 which also supports multiple ME monitoring for Blackmagic ATEM switchers.

Tally Arbiter 1.5 Release

This includes support for VideoHub, VMix server emulation, linked device sources, new tally clients, and more.

Download

Head on over to Github and download the Tally Arbiter server software to get started.

View on Github

Testimonials

Team

Primary Contributors to the Tally Arbiter Project

Joseph Adams

Founder
"I wrote this software because we needed a tally system at my church, but I released it open source because I wanted a low-cost and flexible tally light solution to be available to anyone who needs it. You can read more about me and my other projects on my blog, techministry.blog."

mg-1999

Contributor
"As a full time AV-Tech in the broadcast industry, I search to find smart solutions that can elevate your production to the next level. Tally systems are always expensive, and this is a cheap start in the right direction. Love to work on it and see what it becomes!"