JOHNSTON, Iowa—Iowa PBS has installed three new Solid State Logic System T S300 Dante-native audio mixing platforms.

The broadcaster installed a 48-fader S300 at its headquarters here in a control room connected to a studio theater capable of seating up to 300 people. It also installed a 32-fader S300 in another control room as well as the third in a mobile broadcast truck, the company said.

The three S300 control surfaces are each combined with a TE2 Tempest Engine supporting 256 processing paths and have been integrated with a wide variety of local and shared Network I/O interfaces and SB stageboxes, it said.

The new integration is the first step on the road to a wider Dante AoIP implementation, said David Feingold, senior audio engineer/production technician senior at the statewide broadcast network

“This is the first time we've used Dante. We only have two other pieces of gear — outboard recorders — that use Dante right now, but we can expand, which is really nice,” he said.

The Dante integration that’s a part of System T means “you don't ever have to go out to the Dante Controller to route things,” he said.

I really enjoy the built-in router in it as well, and how quick it is to route things internally. That's all Dante, so that was a big draw,” said Feingold, adding that the System T’s sound quality is “exactly what I would expect from SSL.”

The new platforms have replaced three SSL C100 HD digital desks that the network has used for about 16 years since transitioning to HDTV.

System T’s operational ergonomics are a change for the network’s audio operators compared to the more traditional knobs and switches of the older C100 worksurface, he said.

“System T is a much simpler tactile experience than the C100,” he said, adding “I really like the touchscreen interfaces.”

However, many System T features are familiar, driven by System T’s Tempest Engine’s processing power, which makes it possible for the broadcaster’s engineers to continue using established workflows. “Right out of the gate, I’m using the compressors just like I did before,” he said.

System T also offers many new built-in features that Feingold has found to be invaluable. “The de-esser is a huge thing for me. You used to be able to sidechain a de-esser in the C100, but now it's built into every channel in the System T — and it works great,” said Feingold. “The Automixer is another huge thing for our roundtable shows that we do. I use it subtly, not as a mixer, but more as a ducker.”

“The way that System T integrates with Pro Tools through the HUI control is very cool, as well,” he added.

System T’s advanced DAW control enables operators to make level changes using the console faders and also adjust plug-in parameters from the worksurface.

The two control rooms are networked together via Dante. While separate systems, the two share the same I/O throughout the building, giving the broadcaster greater flexibility and the ability to share the same resources, said Feingold.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Charlotte, N.C. — Charlotte-based Elevation Church now has 19 campuses around North Carolina, all with very high production values. Each of the locations has its own worship band, and services are streamed from Elevation’s broadcast location to its satellite locations and the internet during worship experiences each weekend.

About four years ago, one of the technical volunteers at the main broadcast campus where sermons originate, got tired of wearing the large bulky double muff can-style headsets for tech team communication. So he bought a Point Source Audio CM-i3 in-ear headset with his own money. Its innovative lightweight design goes behind the head, as opposed to over the top of the head. A lightweight frame goes over his ears and it has small earbuds, a head strap around the back, and a mic that’s a little larger than a lavalier-style mic.

Other techs took notice and now 15 volunteers at Elevation have all purchased their own set.

Jared Olson is production director at Elevation’s Ballantyne Campus. Olson says, “I wear mine for 8-10 hours a day every Saturday and Sunday. I’ve had the same headset for four years with no problems. Any production I do, I do with this headset. I wear glasses and any muff-style headset gives me a headache.” Olson continues, “Most of the techs have custom in-ear molds and you can easily replace the stock or standard earbuds with your in-ear molds. It’s even more comfortable, and also provides an added measure of isolation.”

During those 8-10 hours a day, Olson says he wears the headset listening to rehearsals, front-of-house mixes or the streaming mix, as well as for conducting party line communication with camera operators, graphics, the stage, the band—the full production team. As production manager, he says the team has to know he is always available, so that’s why he wears the headsets the entire day. “Even between services we often take cameras outside to shoot interviews and video,” he says. Through it all, Olson is wearing his CM-i3 headset.

Elevation volunteer Mike Mitchell was the first member of the team to buy the CM-i3 back in 2016. “When I first used the CM-i3 headset, it was transformational,” says Mitchell. “The ability to hear better and protect my hearing at the same time has improved the way I approach my role in the production process.”

The headsets feature the company’s EM-3 in-earphones which can be switched with earphones of the user’s choice. The flexibility also extends the serviceability and lifetime of the product. The headset has a boom moving coil dynamic element with a cardioid pattern and a frequency response of 300 to 10,000 Hz. The earphones feature a single-driver ported design and come with three sizes of ear tips, a windscreen with an o-ring, and a custom storage case.

The newer CM-i5 in-ear headset is a back-electret condenser design offering a noise-canceling cardioid pattern and expanded frequency response of 100 to 10,000 Hz. The earphones feature an improved single-driver ported custom-molded style, universal design that can also be easily switched with the user’s personal earbuds.

Volunteers and staff now using the CM-i3 and CM-i5 in-ear headsets at Elevation Church say using them has made a huge difference in the ease and comfort of the production process and has been well worth the personal investment.

Point Source Audio will be showcasing the CM-i3 and CMi-5 in-ear headsets at the NAB Convention in Las Vegas, April 6-11, booth C2357. To learn more about Point Source Audio products, please visit www.point-sourceaudio.com.

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About Elevation Church
Elevation Church is a multi-site church pastored by Steven Furtick, based in Matthews, North Carolina.Elevation has 19 locations, with 9 in the Charlotte area, as well as locations in Raleigh; Greensboro; Winston-Salem; Roanoke Virginia; Melbourne Florida; and the Greater Toronto Area. From 2007 through 2010, Elevation was cited by Outreach Magazine as one of the Top 100 fastest growing churches in the United States. www.elevationchurch.org

About Point Source Audio
Point Source Audio (@PSA_audio) manufactures and distributes worldwide their SERIES8, EMBRACE, and CONFIDENCE collection of miniature microphones — a unique line of headset, earworn and earmounted microphones known for their robust bendable boom and waterproof features. The company also holds two patents for the EMBRACE concealable microphone as well as the patent for the world’s first modular in-ear comms headset that is supporting the hearing health for audio, lighting and camera techs using headsets everywhere from sports to space. Founded in 2004, Point Source Audio is headquartered in Petaluma, California. For more information call (415) 226-1122 or visit www.point-sourceaudio.com. Follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PSA_audio.

RASTATT, GERMANY – EUROMEDIA will be riding alongside the competitors of the 2015 Tour De France as it broadcasts the 22-day cycling race. The C42, EUROMEDIA’s new hybrid OB truck, will be on site for each stage and is equipped with Lawo’s V_Pro8 and mc256 to assist in production.

The V_Pro8 is a compact video processor that allows eight video channels to be used with 384 audio channels. It offers cross-format conversion, color correction, embedding and de-embedding. On the C42, the V_Pro8 will be used for color correction of the video signals received from the motorcycle camera teams capturing the races.

The 48-fader mc256 audio mixing console will perform the sound mix. The mc256 comes with a 7U compact core providing 144 DSP channels and a capacity of 5120x5120 cross-points in redundant operation.

Lawo is a manufacturer of audio and video technology for TV and radio headquartered in Rastatt, Germany. The Tour De France began July 4 and will conclude July 26.