Skaarhoj designs and manufactures universal tactile control surfaces for the broadcast and AV industries. The company’s philosophy centers on providing high-quality physical feedback, allowing operators to keep their eyes on the visual content rather than on the control interface. Skaarhoj develops its own hardware components, including custom joysticks and encoders, to ensure a consistent and reliable user experience across a wide range of third-party equipment.
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At the core of their product line is the RCP (Remote Camera Panel), which provides universal color control for cameras from various manufacturers. The system connects over Ethernet, enabling a single hardware unit to control cameras from brands such as ARRI, Blackmagic Design (URSA Broadcast), Grass Valley, Ikegami, and Canon. This interoperability allows a camera shader or colorist to sit in a control room and match multiple cameras from a single station, adjusting parameters like iris with a joystick and seeing live tally indications. The RCP features a motorized fader that automatically moves to the correct position when switching between different camera profiles.
Skaarhoj’s product ecosystem is modular, demonstrated by their fader panels for audio control. These units, such as the Wave Board Mini, can be magnetically connected to expand the number of channels. Each panel features motorized faders that synchronize with software settings for bidirectional control, along with OLED displays for clear labeling. The system includes page and channel selection, and the buttons can be assigned to functions like solo or mute. The tactile design includes curved buttons that can detect presses on their upper and lower edges, offering expanded control possibilities from a single physical button.
The design of Skaarhoj’s controllers emphasizes tactile feedback and durability, using high-quality components. The panels feature classic broadcast-style buttons from NKK, a Japanese manufacturer, known for their specific shape and 3.5 Newton actuation force, which meets the expectations of professional operators. Other custom components include a T-bar with an integrated color LED and a VU meter display. The OLED screens above each button and knob dynamically update to reflect the current function, providing clear context for the operator.
A newer development showcased is a motorized encoder that provides different modes of tactile feedback. In one mode, it functions as a standard encoder with detents. In another, it becomes a smooth, free-spinning volume knob. This motorized component can provide absolute position feedback, moving to a specific value when a setting is recalled. This focus on haptic and physical feedback is a consistent theme across the company’s entire range of control surfaces, from joysticks and faders to buttons and encoders.
