NEW BERN, N.C.—Wheatstone will demonstrate its VMX virtual mixing platform at IBC 2026, Sept. 11-14, in Amsterdam.

The VMX platform is server-based and web-browser accessible for mixing in any environment on a variety of devices, from recessed touch screens in the studio to tablets at the ballpark.

VMX can be installed on an existing server or a dedicated appliance and offers a selection of tiles including basic utility mixers, a simple virtual mixing interface and complete virtual broadcast consoles for the television newsroom or the radio on-air studio, Wheatstone said.

Virtual consoles are accessible through a web browser, allowing users to quickly add newsrooms, control rooms, voicetrack booths and remote mixing instances on demand—complete with backup mirroring synchronized in real time for instant failover.

VMX is AES67-compliant with an easy-to-install setup wizard, the company said. It is scalable from large enterprise systems to the VMX Nano, priced and scaled for remote or emergency broadcast applications, according to Wheatstone.

VMX is part of Wheatstone’s Layers software-based broadcast suite for virtualizing studio functions as an extension of the WheatNet IP audio network.

Wheatstone will demonstrate the VMX total virtual mixing experience at IBC 2026 stand 8.A51, along with its WheatNet IP audio network of virtual and fixed consoles, talent stations and intelligent I/O access units.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BURLINGTON, Canada—Evertz will feature full integration of its Studer brand Vista digital mixing consoles with its Evertz Software Defined Video Networking (SDVN) platform as well as audio console support for SMPTE ST 2110 during IBC 2023, Sept. 15-18, at RAI Amsterdam.

Evertz, which acquired Studer in 2021, also has brought together Studer Vista and its DreamCatcher BRAVO Studio virtual production control, enabling users to produce high-quality live content quickly and easily at a lower cost, the company said.

The addition of Vista BRAVO provides virtual access to a full mixing console featuring all of Studer’s enhanced audio capabilities. Vista BRAVO gives users the flexibility needed to enhance audio whether they are working on-premise or via the cloud, it said.

Another innovation to the Studer Vista range is expanded Vista control using the Evertz VUE Intelligent User Interface. Now offering more than 2,000 bidirectional controls, the combination of Vista and VUE has created a tool well-suited for multiple small production suites and remote productions, it said.

“The amalgamation of VUE and Vista is remarkable,” says Paul Shorter, Studer-Evertz Audio Solutions product manager. “Its ease of use has been a paramount focus for the VUE interface, whilst retaining the power and flexibility of the Vista’s controls.”

New to the Studer Vista console range is the Video PFL (Pre-Fade-Listen) feature that maximizes the capabilities of Evertz MAGNUM OS orchestration, monitoring and analysis software. With Video PFL, audio operators can select an input to pre-fade while listening to the audio and seeing the accompanying video for that channel on the multiviewer in the audio control room. By allowing the video to follow the audio, Evertz gives engineers a visual representation of the audio on the PFL, thereby ensuring that the right source is always selected, the company said. 

Evertz will also show other developments for BRAVO Studio, including the new Highlight Factory, where clips and stories are automatically created using AI technology and published to Ease Live where users can pick their own highlights, it said.

See Evertz at IBC 2023 Stand 1.B79.

More information is available on the company’s website.

RASTATT, Germany—Lawo today launched its new diamond broadcast console for radio and TV applications, an IP-native mixing system based on the open AES67/RAVENNA audio-over-IP networking standards.

The mixing system, introduced during a special live streamed event from the company’s headquarters, also complies with SMPTE ST2110-30/-31 and ST2022-7. Powered by the Lawo Power Core Engine, diamond provides expandable I/O accommodating AES67, MADI, analog, AES3 as well as Dante audio sources and destination, Lawo said.

Available in configurations from two to 60 physical faders, diamond is a modular mixing solution that can be used in desktop and flush-mounted builds. Fader-adjacent color displays give extended source information, and two fader layers allow operators to switch instantly between multiple tasks, it said.

Silent, motorized faders and precise encoders –like those used in Lawo’s mc² audio production consoles— permit integration with program automation and playout systems. They are well-suited for multiple-layer operations involving voice tracking, remote production or DAW control. Programmable, color-coded LED button and encoder lighting highlights common control functions, it said.

Optional Virtual Extension modules feature HD color TFT displays for extended information and touch control. Ember+ and HTML5 integration enables control of third-party hardware and software, Lawo said.

Based on a holistic concept, diamond is a completely modular production system that enables broadcasters to build exactly the console they envision, tailored to the specific requirements of users and workflows, it said.

The console employs smart algorithms that speed up production workflows. Assistive mixing technologies are available. The AutoMix function automatically maintains the balance of multi-mic productions, and AutoMix Grouping allows this intelligent automatic mixing to be applied to multiple independent source groups. AutoGain, an automatic gain setting function, optimizes guest and host mic levels with a single button press, the company said.

The diamond display apps take maximum advantage of IP studio networking, giving users the ability to operate their consoles remotely with complete access to every function from a PC with a LAN or WAN connection.

A recording of the live introduction event is available by registering online.

More information is available on the company’s website.

With all the utilitarian advances in digital mixing console technology, there is no doubt that the digital mixing desk should be the audio control center in the modern television studio

and OB van. In the long run, a versatile mixing desk saves everyone money because today’s digital mixing desk is capable of the sound management of the entire studio and OB van—from I/Os for routers, recorders, transmission points, pre-hears, to speaker feeds and headset feeds—essentially all things audio will probably pass through the mixing desk.

The digital mixing desk consolidates the processing and routing of audio signals and with dense channel audio formats like MADI and AES67, along with fewer and cheaper connectors, the digital audio mixing console saves time in the installation (copper and connector costs + labor) and saves money in the operation of an OB van simply because of the reduction in weight from less permanent cable and connectivity.

Soft patching through the mixing desk facilitates an easier and faster setup for the operators and fewer interruptions for the sound supervisor/sound mixer. From a retired OB sound mixer, for me an unheralded aspect of a digital mixing console is that only the control surface needs to be in the audio mix room. This not only saves space in the audio room, but the noisy CPU fans and other electronics can be located elsewhere in the OB van and away from the ears of the mixer.

As studio complexes expand and remote broadcasts swell, the need for equipment to be able interconnect and exchange digital audio and data has never been greater. A significant development for digital equipment and particularly the digital mixing console was a protocol that established a standard language for audio transport work over IP. The standard

is codified under AES67 and insures and simplifies interconnectivity between different manufacturers of equipment.

IP interoperability has been a major effort of Philipp Lawo through one of his brands Ravenna, who along with AES, Dante, Q-Sys, Livewire+ and WheatNet-Ip from Wheatstone share in the 2020 Technical and Engineering Emmy Award for the development of synchronized multichannel uncompressed audio transport over IP networks.

Lawo and Wheatstone digital mixing desks manage I/Os through an IP network, which has become a common platform for resource sharing when operations have to scale up and down or change over to another show within minutes. There is no doubt that high-performance IP interoperability will affect all engineering technologies in television.

TECHNOLOGY SHIFT

The audio and broadcast industry is witnessing a technology and operational shift with the next generation of digital mixing consoles coming online. When first-gen digital consoles rolled out they somewhat mimicked the analog architecture, flow and format that digital was replacing. Eight-buss architecture was never an issue until the broadcast format went to immersive sound.

The interest in and production of immersive sound had been gaining traction during the time that console manufacturers were slowly working on next-gen digital mixing consoles, even while some immersive sound productions were underway. In the June 2019 issue of TV Technology (“Hearing It, Believing It”) I wrote about NHRA’s immersive sound production using concentric 5.1 mixing buses on an eight-buss mixing console. There are a lot of mixing consoles with this architecture because eight-buss architecture has been the standard for several decades. But now it seems the stars have aligned and the major console manufacturers have made true immersive sound a reality.

Localization using the concentric 5.1 method of immersive sound production has proven adequate for some sports and entertainment productions, but precise localization is only possible with three-dimensional panning. A significant creative aspect of advanced mixing console technology is that the live mixers can spatially pan 3D audio in the horizontal and finally vertical axis, also known as XYZ panning, something Christian Struck, senior product manager at Lawo already offers.

“Lawo can offer XYZ Panning on up to 128 channel strips, supporting various channel-based mixing formats including 5.1.4 and 22.2,” Struck said.

USE OF PLUG-INS

Precise localization is the basic foundation of immersive spatialization; however, beyond panning is advanced processing, which can be applied to audio signals within the console through plug-ins, a specialized code for an audio task or processor that can function in the mixing console’s operating system. Plug-ins are usually developed by third-party developers and are both inexpensive and beneficial to the audio industry. These programs have been useful for up-processing, spatialization and other sonic applications that are not native to the mixing desk such as volume, routing, panorama, equalization and dynamics.

Plug-ins save time and money. For example, at the Grammy Awards, the artist comes into the audio OB van and gives John Harris and Jay Vicari a USB stick with the plug-in settings of virtually every single channel and instrument. This is obviously a significant time saver, and with instant recall the turnaround time for musical acts is little more than the time for a commercial.

Sports has seen an increase in the use of plug-ins because often production music for bumpers, features, billboards and breaks comes to the venue, OB van or studio in stereo and needs to be up-processed to surround and immersive formats. I have seen this done more often on a laptop that feeds the mixing console although there is no reason this application cannot be done in the mixing console.

I have been amazed at the little use of plug-ins by broadcast sports mixers, but my most recent survey of live mixers showed that in the last two years there has been an modest increase in the use of plug-ins—particularly as the age demographics tick down with new and younger mixers.

I also think that the up-and-coming generation of audio mixers have better listening facilities in the OB van and studio than ever before and are motivated to work on the nuances and sonic quality of their sound.

Finally, sound management of multiple audio formats and speaker systems is necessary for a successful dimensional production. You have to be able to hear what you are mixing across all the channel and speaker formats you are supporting.

The live audio world needs a mixing desk that is affordable, has a modest footprint, versatile control surface and lots of capacity to tame the demanding world of immersive sound. Oh, and did I say easy to operate? I think we are getting there.

Decades ago, I had the opportunity to mix The Talladega 500 for CBS on a 32-channel Ward Beck console with a 12-channel vertically racked side mixer for tape machine playback. Many years later I asked my friend Fred Aldous, long-time mixer, sound designer and

Emmy winner for Fox Sports, how many channels of audio he averaged on a NASCAR race. He shook his head and said “Hundreds.”

It just makes my analog head hurt thinking about it.

Dennis Baxter has spent over 35 years in live broadcasting contributing to hundreds of live events including sound design for nine Olympic Games. He has earned multiple Emmy awards and is the author of “A Practical Guide to Television Sound Engineering,” published in English and Chinese, and is currently working on a book about immersive sound practices and production.

He can be reached at dbaxter@dennisbaxtersound.com or at www.dennisbaxtersound.com. 

AMSTERDAM—Studer, a Harman brand, recently unveiled the Vista 1 Black Edition, a redesigned version of its Vista 1 digital mixing consoles, at IBC 2015. With a Vistonics user interface and 40 on-screen rotary knobs, the Vista 1 is now similar to the Vista X and Vista V models and features capabilities like true broadcast monitoring, talkback, red light control, GPIO, N-x busses, snapshot automation and DAW control.

Vista 1 Black Edition

The Vista 1 Black Edition comes with software v5.3, allowing SpillZone and FollowSolo functionality, as well as a server-based event logger application. With an integral DSP engine of 96 channels, the Vista 1 can handle mono, stereo and 5.1 inputs and comes with 32 mic/line inputs, 16 line outputs and four pairs of AES inputs and outputs on rear panel connections. I/O can be expanded with the Studer D21m card slot on the rear, which allows MADI, AES, AoIP, ADAT, TDIF, CobraNet, Dolby E/Digital, SDI connections and more. MADI links can connect to any of the Studer Stagebox range for XLR connectivity as well as other formats.

Additional features of the Vista 1 Black Edition include an integral jingle player, played from files on a USB jingle stick and triggered by a series of eight dedicated keys in the master section. The system also comes with redundant PSU and RELINK integration with other Studer Vista and OnAir consoles.

Harman features a number of brands that design and engineer connected products, including audio, visual, enterprise automation, and connected services.

NEW YORK—All Mobile Video is in the process of outfitting its latest remote truck and has announced that it has added the Harman Studer Vista X mixing console to the trucks infrastructure.

Studer Vista X

The Vista X features Studer’s Infinity Processing Engine DSP core, which uses CPU-based processors to provide control of 800 or more audio channels and 12 A-Link high-capacity fiber digital audio interfaces providing more than 5,000 inputs and outputs. Other features of the Vista X include Vistonics color touchscreen interface, VistaMix automated mic mixing, Quad Star technology, Dante connectivity, and two Lexicon PCM96 reverb and effects processors integrated into the console.

AMV’s new truck will feature three Studer Remote Stageboxes, all of which will be linked to the Vista X console. One of the Stageboxes is equipped with a Dante card.

The new truck will be operational by the end of 2015.

LOS ANGELES – Roland has added a new addition to O.H.R.C.A.-based M-5000 series consoles, the M-5000C live mixing console. A more compact version of the M-5000, the M-5000C is designed for use in theaters, portable churches, OB trucks/vans, touring and more.

M-5000C

The M-5000C features a 96kHz sampling rate for sound quality, a 72-bit summing bus, discrete analog circuitry and redundant power supply. It also has 16 inputs and eight outputs, and two expansion interface slots for REAC, Dante, MADI, Waves SoundGrid and other XI-Series expansion cards.

In addition, the platform includes a 12-inch color touchscreen, 20 channel faders in three groups, anchor points, DCA spills, multifunction knobs and buttons, and a user assignable selection. The system also will have remote control software that extends the user interface beyond the built-in GUI available for customers in the near future.

The Open High Resolution Configurable Architecture provides the M-5000C a mix engine of 128 definable audio paths, open audio architecture supporting Dante, MADI, Waves SoundGrid and REAC audio protocols, and audio delivery over video using SDI, DVI and SFP cabling. The systems built-in REAC ports support integration from the console, Roland M-48 personal mixers, and I/O boxes at 24-bit 96kHz.

The M-5000C will be available in the fourth quarter of 2015.