Free AV templates and signal flow diagram templates

Why start from an AV template?

Most live productions are variations on a handful of shapes. A three-camera stream into a small switcher. A church service with PTZ cameras and a feed from the audio console. A conference room with a lectern, a projector and a couple of wireless mics. The details change from job to job, but the structure is the same, and so are the mistakes: the missing adapter, the cable that turns out to be five metres short, the audio feed nobody thought about until soundcheck.

These templates give you a known-good starting point. Each one is written by people who build these rigs, shows every connection from output to input, and comes with the paperwork you need on the day. Use them to sanity-check a design, brief a volunteer, or put a quote together faster.

What is in each template

Every diagram template follows the same pattern, so once you have used one you know where to find things in the others:

• A signal flow diagram drawn left to right, with sources on the left, processing in the middle and destinations on the right. Cables are colour coded by type (HDMI, SDI, XLR, USB, Ethernet and so on) and carry a short label such as V01 or A01.
• A patch list with one row per cable: cable type, label, length, from item and output, to item and input. It downloads as a CSV and uses the same columns as the patch list export in H2R Gear.
• A packlist with amounts, items and categories, ready to print and tick off while you load the cases.
• Practical tips for the setup, and answers to the questions people most often ask about it.

The checklist and cable schedule templates skip the diagram and focus on the spreadsheet. The live stream equipment checklist is grouped by category so you can work through one case at a time, and the AV cable schedule template gives you a blank CSV plus a filled example.

How to use a signal flow diagram template

Treat each template as a sketch, not a spec. Start by swapping in your actual gear, because port counts and connector types matter. An ATEM Mini has four HDMI inputs and two 3.5mm mic inputs; a larger switcher might take SDI and XLR instead. Next, measure or estimate every cable run and write the length against its label. Our cable length calculator helps with the maths, and the guide to estimating cable lengths covers the rules of thumb. Finally, check the audio path end to end. Most stream problems are audio problems.

If you want the diagram, patch list and packlist to stay in step as the design changes, build it in H2R Gear instead of a spreadsheet. You place real gear from the community library, drag cables between real inputs and outputs, and the packlist updates itself. On the free Starter plan you get two active plans and the packlist. The patch list is included on Pro and team plans. See pricing for the full breakdown.

Free AV tools to go with the templates

Templates cover the layout. The free AV tools cover the numbers. They run in your browser with no account:

• AV diagram maker to start a signal flow diagram from scratch.
• Easy packlist to turn a list of gear into a printable checklist.
• Patch list tool to build and export a patch list.
• Video bandwidth calculator and streaming bitrate calculator to size your network and upload.
• Power consumption calculator to check you are not overloading a circuit.

Pair a template with a couple of these and you have most of a show pack before you open a single case.