AUSTIN, TEXAS—When the Liquidation Channel, a home shopping TV network based here in Austin, began upgrading to HD in 2013, the usual questions arose about which manufacturers to partner with. When it came to audio, a short search made it clear that one manufacturer stood above the rest in terms of features, flexibility, and cost: Logitek and its Pilot console coupled with its Jetstream-Mini audio engine.
Jeremy Mott with the Liquidation Channel’s Pilot system
A SINGLE SYSTEM
During our search, we spoke with many manufacturers looking for “the one” that was robust and big in features, but also compact and fit into our budget. Among the manufacturers we were looking at, all requirements could be met through melding all of them together, but we weren’t readily able to find everything in just one.
Because of LC’s 24/7 live programming, there is no downtime for maintenance, so keeping all systems happy and well maintained requires aversatility that allows portions of the system to be worked on while other parts are still live on air. Most digital matrix-style systems these days can do this; but once considerations for GPIOs, multiple control rooms, various studios and edit suites, and engineering and master control are made, complications multiply.
Having worked in broadcast engineering for more than 20 years—nine in radio—I was familiar with Logitek and its offerings for the radio market. But after shifting into TV engineering, the thought of an audio console upgrade for this industry had never crossed my mind until a visit to the Texas Association of Broadcasters convention in 2012. I happened by Logitek’s booth for a tour of and realized fairly quickly they could meet all of our requirements.
FITTING INTO TIGHT SPACES
Due to limited space in LC’s control rooms, and the need for quick, on-the-fly access to multiple audio features, we went with the compact footprint Pilot series. On the backend, the Pilot, along with Logitek’s other consoles—ROC, Mosaic, and Artisan—all communicate with LC’s Jetstream Mini Engine.
As with the control rooms, limited rack real estate in engineering also rquired a compact option. The Jetstream Mini allowed us to install two engines in only four rack spaces, for a total of 32 digital and 24 stereo analog inputs, 16 digital and 16 stereo analog outputs, as well as 24 GPIs and 32 GPOs. For LC’s particular design, we opted to use the 25-pin D-connector style IO card option to facilitate connectivity to the plant versus the RJ-45 option. These connections were then brought to terminal blocks on rack drawers for easy access and connectivity.
Additionally, using the Logitek Command Builder software, routines such as timed events, auto routing, salvos, and automation can be easily programmed via the software, as well as the ability to design soft panels for computers across the network for remote monitoring and control of audio as well as GPIOs on the fly.
Looking back on the installation and flawless operation since, making the sound decision to partner with Logitek definitely made our audio transition a highlight of our transition to HD.
Jeremy Mott is the senior engineer for the Liquidation Channel and has worked in broadcast for more than 20 years. He can be reached atjeremy.mott@liquiddationchannel.com.
For more information, visitwww.logitekaudio.comor call 877-231-5870.
