Broadcasting House, the same approach was taken. Twenty-eight boxes, arranged in clusters of two or three, have been built; the big change is that they are glass on all four walls, with isolation built into the ceilings. Removable blinds can also be used on the rear wall for additional absorption. Sheridan acknowledged that getting the construction right, with the glass sides making secure joins, was not easy but it was achieved. Each box is self- contained, with its own Studer OnAir 3000 mixing desk and ancillary equipment. Although some presenters are using headset microphones, Sheridan commented that AKG 414s, which have been among the standard BBC voice mics for many years, are also being used. An isolation value of 44dB and an NR of 20 have been reached with the new studios. Sheridan explained that staff working near the boxes know recordings are being made and so keep any noise to a minimum. There is, however, still doubt about how good these structures are. British satirical and investigative reporting magazine Private Eye last year carried a story quoting anonymous members of World Service staff complaining about the sound quality. Sheridan responded that
“there will always be rumblings”, referring to rumours of discontent, but said people he had spoken to were happy with the glass boxes. “For speech radio they are more than good enough,” he said. A major driver behind the
innovative design was to save money on conventional build studios. Sheridan gave the cost for each box as £600,000 (€695,000), which he said was higher than at Bush House because of the four wall construction. There are also 10 traditional two-box studios, which cost £5.5 million, compared to £4.5 million for the rest of the World Service facilities. Despite the glass design and self-contained nature of the boxes, they still have an operations area outside for the studio manager, something that adheres to traditional layouts. So until noise cancelling technology is good enough to do without some kind of enclosed space, the basic blueprint of radio studios is still not changing that much, even if they are made of fused sand, soda and lime.n www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradiowww.munro.co.uk
DR Sound 1 ready for summer broadcastreport
NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM
A new music production mobile provides the Danish Broadcasting Corporation with flexibility and power, notes Marc Maes
DANISH PUBLIC broadcaster DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation, formerly Danmarks Radio) has commissioned DR Sound 1, a mobile enabling the broadcaster to “cover both small productions as well as festivals”. At the core of the new truck is an SSL C200HD digital console. SSL has been DR’s brand of choice for some time and technical project director Morten Laursen says it was natural to continue with the C200. “Our engineers know this console from inside-out. It allows the swift transfer of project files from the truck to the main control room.” “We have our own SSL
stageboxes with 144 mic inputs in total,” continues Laursen. “In addition, we can have up to 256 MADI channels for recording into two Pro Tools HD10 multitrack systems. Today, a lot of recordings are performed by connecting the monitor and FOH consoles directly to the truck. This configuration allows us to capture one live production while recording tracks from another stage at the same time – we can be connected to four stages simultaneously with a system that is powerful and flexible. DR Sound 1 is making use of fully redundant fibre connections.” Another feature on the DR Sound 1 is the telescopic transmission mast. “In Denmark, we have a nationwide network for transmission of audio content from audio or ENG trucks, like news feeds or radio production in stereo via an analogue dual-channel FM to the DR headquarters,” explains Laursen. “And wherever we have access to the internet, we plan, in the future, to use our audio over IP connection with the main control room.” This audio production truck
marks the second assignment for Belgian company Project Builders (a division of Videohouse Belgium). “Before starting to build this mobile, (Project Builders designer) Eddy Brants talked a lot with the people who have to work with it. With up to
three assignments per week, DR Sound 1 will be on the road most of the time, and these talks were crucial,” notes Laursen. Project Builders took on the complete design and acoustics of the truck, in close collaboration with Morten Laursen and his team. “We paid particular
attention to the acoustic insulation of the mobile studio,” explains Brants.
DR Sound 1 will become
operational in April, the first big assignment being the upcoming Roskilde festival in June.n www.dr.dkwww.projectbuilders.eu