34 l October 2012
www.prosoundnewseurope.com
broadcastfeature
Livewire radio desks are now able to have compatibility with Ravenna-equipped products, including Lawo consoles. Studer has adopted the Axia
Stagetec’s On Air 24 has beeen installed in facilities throughout Europe
Livewire system as a D21m option for its I/O system and is also a proponent of MADI. Watson comments that “AoIP has grown rapidly as an option” for radio desks. Stagetec uses Dante for AoIP on its desks but, as Treva Head points out, is also part of the OCA (Open Control Architecture) Alliance. “AoIP is important these days,” says Head, “but our philosophy is that there should be a hybrid
more standards there are or interconnection the better for all. To cover this AEQ produces AES3 units for baseband audio interconnections, AES10 interfaces for dedicated multichannel optical fibre links and is a member of the N/ACIP standard for audio over IP contribution, as well as Ravenna for multichannel interconnection. On the last point Robles says: “We hope AESx192 can be the final standard for the complete broadcast world.” From another perspective,
Marcus Brooke of Sonifex comments: “Audio-over-IP is effective for a whole station
The ARENA digital audio mixing console from AEQ
along with some relic that looks like it was salvaged from a 1950s nuclear power plant, or trade up to general-purpose mixers from the local guitar store which have none of the features they need,” she says. We came up with another option, actually two, which are professional analogue broadcast mixers aimed at community broadcasters, webcasters, podcasters and freelancers.” According to Keith Watson,
marketing director for mixing products at Soundcraft Studer, digital has “mostly replaced analogue” as prices fall and features become “more attractive to modern broadcasters looking to reduce resource costs”. He adds that more automation, a key part of radio operations since the 1980s, can be implemented over digital networked systems, including for newsrooms at larger stations, using systems like Studer’s EMBER protocol interface. Watson agrees size is a consideration but that because software can be adapted to specific situations and used with remote I/O over MADI, the amount of connection interfaces on a desk can be reduced. “User interface is probably the most important factor,” he says. “The easier and more intuitive it is alleviates hours of training and familiarisation, both for staff as well as freelance engineers.”
Clyde Broadcast claims to be coming at the market from a different angle by concentrating more of the operational functions of a radio station into the desk and removing the need for the other systems that have been attached to it over recent years, including automation. The manufacturer has
developed its own playlist scheduling system for the Synergy Core digital console, which marketing director Brian Rowan sees as addressing a need as the radio market reacts to economic pressures. “For some time radio stations have been based on having several pieces of equipment to do specific jobs, such as mixing, automation and play-out,” he explains. “All that needs to be supported by a full- time engineer but few companies can afford to do that so we are looking at bringing all those functions together in the desk.” D&R is also targeting the more
budget-conscious station with the new Airence-USB radio console. This features an integral USB remote control that can be connected to playout systems, with four stereo audio channels to be played back and record simultaneously over a single cable. (See box for more details.)
CONNECTION POINTS Connectivity has always been important in radio – getting feeds in and out of the studio from listeners on the phone and
“AoIP is important these days but our philosophy is that there should be a hybrid solution with real-time processes in TDM but also having AoIP for stage and I/O boxes on the distribution side”
Treva Head, Stagetec
reporters in the field – but it now seems almost an over-riding feature that also has an economic driver. “Customers expect a certain cost efficiency,” comments Axel Kern, senior product manager for Radio OnAir products at Lawo. “They are very aware of how workflow is these days and we build consoles and a production chain based on their needs. Part of that is tri-media working, connecting radio, TV and the web, so the console has to be on a network and connected to all that.” Audio-over-IP (AoIP) is the prime candidate to be the main carrier and connection format in radio for the future. Lawo has been leading the way in the past few years through the ALC NetworX Ravenna platform and recently announced a partnership with AoIP pioneer Axia, which has been using the technology, based on Livewire, for its radio consoles since the early 2000s. Under the agreement Axia’s
solution with real-time processes in TDM but also having AoIP for stage and I/O boxes on the distribution side.” Wheatstone is backing AoIP
for radio desks through its WheatNet-IP protocol. This is based on what company spokesman Scott Johnson describes as a series of building blocks, called BLADES, which operate on a distributed intelligence principle. This, he says, makes controlling a number of devices easier. The AES and EBU are looking
at creating a common standard for AoIP to move the technology away from proprietary systems. This will take existing systems into account, as well as including AES-X192, which was developed for high-performance streaming audio-over-IP interoperability. Gustavo Robles, director of
international sales at AEQ, which produces both digital and analogue consoles for radio, says the company believes the
approach, say for Ravenna, Axia Livewire or WheatNet, but even these need interfaces for external connectivity, some of which they provide. It will be a while before every product – let’s say a typical microphone or speaker pair – is AoIP enabled, but it will happen.” The on-air desk has always been the centrepiece of the radio studio but it was largely a way to deal with the sources in a specific area. Now, through powerful routers and IT-based distribution technology, it is the heart of a much more wide-ranging technical operation. Just don’t let the presenters know that... n
www.aeq.eu www.allen-heath.com www.axiaaudio.com www.d-r.nl www.lawo.de www.sonifex.co.uk www.stagetec.com www.harman.com www.wheatstone.com
NEW PRODUCT: D&R AIRENCE-USB
From the Netherlands: Airence-USB
This is a split version console designed to satisfy what D&R sees as the increasing demand for a low-cost radio desks with built-in USB remote control that can work in conjunction with automation and playout systems. The main unit is able to pass four USB stereo audio channels over one USB cable for simultaneous play- back and recording. The internal HID-based USB control section is able to handle 24 switch functions and an encoder (scroll) feature. The system also includes a software meter/clock application. Prices start at €2,295.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60