More than ever, technology suppliers in 2026 are meeting media entities where they live and work, with a hybrid, flexible and often invisible ecosystem.

Audio infrastructure manufacturers and providers agree that while the “sound” still must be perfect, the exact location of the gear no longer matters.

“We are not moving towards a future where the physical location of the audio suite doesn’t matter anymore,” said Calrec Director of Product Management Henry Goodman. “We’re already there.”

WHO, HOW AND WHERE

While the “where” has shifted, the “who” remains the foundation of the broadcast. Humans are still largely mixing and shaping program output. “But how and where they do all this has changed beyond recognition,” Goodman said.

The show’s exhibit floor offers ample evidence for television, radio and streaming contexts.

Wheatstone is showcasing its VMX virtual mixing platform, which can serve as a single mixing backend for multiple consoles or surfaces, at its booth.

Marketing Director Dee McVicker said the cost benefits from virtualization are a focal point. “Not to mention removing the massive physical limitations of the studio as we know it,” she said.

For manufacturers, the challenge is ensuring that as consoles move from isolated desks to complex networks — whether on-site, on edge or in the cloud — the engineer’s experience remains intuitive.

Solid State Logic intends to decouple the “big console” experience from the giant desk. Berny Carpenter, SSL’s broadcast product manager, said that through the company’s Virtual Tempest Engine, the software can be deployed across public clouds or private data centers.

Does this flexibility mean that mixing can be performed truly anywhere? Wheatstone’s McVicker offered a nuanced take.

“We’re not taking away from the tactile feel of a fixed console, yet we’re not limiting you to that or where you might be mixing at the moment,” she said.

Goodman too said Calrec’s approach is to provide the “big console” experience in a portable package.

FIXED HARDWARE TO MOBILE APPS

In the West Hall, Lawo is preaching a philosophy of agility through its HOME Apps platform. The concept is a departure from the “one box for each task” style of broadcasting.

For a media outlet using a generic commercial off-the-shelf server, Lawo believes the platform is ideal for managing a succession of workflows, allowing a broadcaster to decide on Monday that it’s an audio mixer and on Tuesday that it’s a multiviewer by switching containerized microservices.

“Hardware infrastructure no longer dictates workflows: Workflows now define the agile processing stack,” said Wolfgang Huber, Lawo’s public relations manager.

According to Huber, that kind of agility is important in mobile production trucks, where every inch of rack space and watt of power counts.

Wheatstone’s VML, an HTML5-based virtual console, can be accessed through a web browser, offering mixing on a laptop, tablet, smartphone or desktop. “You have a lot of flexibility to set up remote broadcasts, temporary studios in a disaster situation or even add on a permanent production studio,” McVicker said.

BY YOUR SIDE

But how does an engineer harness all of the power available now, particularly from AI and automation?

At Telos Alliance, AI is framed as a “mixing assistant riding shotgun,” said Clark Novak, its marketing content manager.

Telos’ flexAI platform utilizes the Jünger Audio Intelligent Companion, an AI-powered automixer.

Novak explained that flexAI pushes background noise down while keeping dialogue consistent, allowing the engineer to focus on the overall mix while the platform handles “small corrective moves.”

SSL offers a similar philosophy with its System T Dialogue Automix. Carpenter said that the system focuses on the active speaker across a large number of sources to reduce crosstalk.

“It allows the operator to focus on the output, rather than reacting to who is currently speaking,” Carpenter said.

Lawo, for its part, sticks to deterministic algorithms in its KICK sports mixing technology, for example, to avoid “AI hallucinations” in high-stakes environments.

But with the platform’s close-ball mixing, which is automated based on camera tracking data, Lawo’s Huber said the technology allows the audio engineer to focus on creative storytelling rather than manual gain-riding.

But a recurring theme is that disappearance of large surfaces. For instance, Telos Alliance’s Axia Altus and Studio Essentials lines allow mixing to be controlled entirely via a web browser.

“Virtual mixing isn’t about replacing the studio,” Novak said, “it’s about expanding it to other locations.”

Wheatstone’s McVicker called it a hardware-agnostic philosophy.

As NAB Show exhibitors will demonstrate, the movement to flexibility is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Most facilities are adopting a hybrid approach — keeping hardware where tactile control is needed, but moving the “heavy lifting” to the cloud.

As Calrec’s Goodman concluded, the tools must provide the operator with the ability to adapt to demanding environments.

Whether the processing happens in a basement rack or a distant data center, the mission remains the same: clear and compelling audio.

© 2026 NAB

HOUSTON—Regional sports network Space City Home Network has upgraded its audio control room with a Solid State Logic System T S300-32 audio console as part of the broadcaster ongoing buildout of Dante network infrastructure.

SCHN is a regional sports network that provides coverage of Houston Astros MLB and Houston Rockets NBA games across a five-state area via satellite, cable and OTT providers.

“I’ve always been impressed by Solid State Logic and the System T was the natural progression from the C10 [from Solid State Logic] that we had previously,” Chris Frazier, chief broadcast engineer, said. “When you're on a C10 you have already bought into how well Solid State Logic builds their desks.”

SCHN’s C10 came from NBC News in Los Angeles when the Houston facility was under different ownership. “We continued to use a C10 that was manufactured in 2011 all the way until this year, so we got a good 13 years out of it,” he commented. “The fact is, SSL builds good stuff.”

​SCHN’s production facility is connected to the teams’ local sports venues via dark fibre. Video and audio feeds are taken directly from the respective venues, with the production team located at SCHN’s facility. Road games for both teams are produced from the SCHN studio. Following the installation of the System T, Frazier said, “we've already extended our network so we're now doing our pre- and post-game shows with Dante across the dark fiber network.”

​The System T S300 32-fader control surface at SCHN is controlling a TE2 Tempest Engine. To interface with the control room’s new and legacy audio equipment, the System T is connected to two Net I/O D64 AES to Dante converters, a pair of Net I/O A32 SSL SuperAnalogue line level I/O to Dante and AES 67-based IP network interfaces, and a Net I/O SB i16 SuperAnalogue mic/line to Dante stage box, the two companies explained.

System T’s market-leading Dante integration was a critical factor in SCHN’s purchase decision. Through previous capital expenditure projects, Frazier said, SCHN had already installed a variety of Dante-enabled audio signal distribution equipment. “We had a lot of the appliances that we needed but we weren't ready to develop our Dante network until we had the desk here, because it's central to all of what we do. The ability to manage the entire Dante network from the desk is crucial. System T’s inbuilt Dante routing control determines 90% of our routes.”

​San Francisco-based Advanced Systems Group LLC (ASG), which is headquartered in the Bay Area with an office in London, supplied and integrated the new System T platform, having provided asset management, archive and broadcast equipment to SCHN’s previous owner’s regional sports network facilities around the country. The decommissioning of the C10 and the commissioning of the new System T were scheduled during a four-day break from live productions. ​

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Chris and his team for nearly a decade, and this solution was a great fit,” said Tyler Berry of ASG. “We deployed System T at a former owner’s facility with seamless results. When SCHN needed to replace the C10, System T was the clear choice for its flexibility and SSL's outstanding support. Thanks to Chris, SSL, and ASG’s systems integration team lead by Michele Ferreira, the project was a resounding success."

Decommissioning started on a Saturday, Frazier reported. “The System T configuration process started Monday morning, by Wednesday morning we were capable of doing a complete show and by Thursday afternoon we were trained and fully operational,” he said. “SSL’s Support Manager Richard Wand was awesome. We really enjoyed his leadership and his ability to get us up to speed. He was a great resource.”

Frazier said he also appreciated the support of Jason Martin, a provider of A1 broadcast remote audio services who works in the broadcast truck at Houston home games, and who has had extensive experience with System T. “System T came highly recommended from Jason; he was a huge advocate for it. He was already familiar with the System T from a previous installation he had done where he mixed, so his level of expertise came in handy,” he said.

Space City Home Network, which re-launched under its new name and new ownership in October 2023, broadcasts about 250 games annually “We don't have a lot of downtime here,” Frazier says. “On average, we do six games a week during baseball season, and an average of three to four during the basketball season.“

SCHN is available through a variety of providers in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico. ​

More information is available at www.solidstatelogic.com.

OXFORD, U.K.—Solid State Logic will unveil its System T plug-and-play IP-native MPL 16-8 stagebox offering cost-effective connectivity for touring flypack and installed systems during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

The MPL 16-8 is a Dante-enabled stagebox that delivers streamlined audio connectivity for the SSL System T platform. It is well-suited to budget-conscious applications requiring SSL performance as well as applications with System T’s TCA-based systems, the company said.

The new stagebox offers 16 mic/line inputs and eight line outputs in a compact two-rack-unit format. With both primary and secondary Dante ports using robust etherCON RJ45 connectors, it delivers stress-free performance and redundant network support in mission-critical environments.

High-density SSL mic preamps give the stagebox a gain range of +5 dB to +60 dB in precise 1-dB steps, and it can be adapted to either 48-kHz or 96-kHz operation for integration into a wide range of installations, it said.

“The MPL 16-8 stagebox broadens access to SSL digital consoles and is a perfect fit for setups that require the sound quality of SSL but not necessarily the full comprehensive feature set other SSL I/O boxes offer,” said SSL director of product management Tom Knowles. “Its single-console control support simplifies operation for dedicated systems and means the MPL 16-8 is hyper-focused on more cost-efficient and specific applications.

“The simplified MPL 16-8 sits apart from SSL’s Network range of I/O stageboxes,” he said. “It makes it a great option for live sound engineers and broadcast teams working with the TCA system who want a more economical and straightforward way to expand their I/O.”

The company will also make the IBC debut of its native SMPTE ST 2110 card to bring greater flexibility and IP connectivity with automated signal discovery and management to audio workflows.

Designed to streamline ST 2110 workflows and simplify the management of flexible and remote infrastructures, the card enables SSL’s customers to take advantage of the benefits of ST 2110-based environments as well as hybrid ST 2110/Dante setups, with minimal investment in hardware. SSL’s native implementation also simplifies integration, leveraging NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 for automated discovery and signal management, SSL said.

SSL will also showcase its System T Cloud NDI update for the first time at IBC2025. The update supplements System T Cloud’s established Dante Connect audio transport with native support for NDI to enhance agility in virtualized production.

It allows broadcasters to process audio natively from a range of NDI-enabled devices, such as cameras and replay sources, lowering deployment costs and expanding the range of connectivity options available to SSL customers operating in the cloud, it said.

Furthermore, enhanced support for NDI simplifies signal acquisition by adopting an array of NDI-enabled devices, as well as enabling broadcasters to service content tiers that may have previously been cost-prohibitive.

SSL will also feature the new System T v4.2 upgrade with updates including new integrations with Jünger Audio, Dolby, New Audio Technology and TiMax. With the latest version, SSL is combining its established System T user interface with external processing platforms to simplify a variety of complex Next Generation Audio production tasks, it said.

See SSL at IBC2025 Stand 8.B73.

More information is available on the company’s website.

Solid State Logic will debut the new S400 console and a variety of enhancements for its System T broadcast audio production platform as part of its V4.1 software update during IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

Featuring flagship control for live-to-air broadcast applications in a compact and cost-effective format, the new S400 is well-suited for OB, event space and music applications, or anywhere premium control features are required but space is a consideration, the company said.

The S400 console offers the same high-quality fader experience as the S500, featuring premium 100mm touch-sense faders and a dedicated OLED display for every fader. Level metering and status LEDs covering dynamics, auto mix and external control are also present by every fader to further enhance visual feedback for operators, it said.

The V4.1 software update, which is available across all System T consoles and DSP engines (including virtual), delivers immersive 9.1.2, 9.1.4 and 9.1.6 channel paths and buses, in addition to existing 9.1.2, 9.1.4 and 9.1.6 monitoring capabilities, it said.

These join advanced immersive panning tools, a range of multichannel FX, including the SSL Bus Compressor, multiband compression, Dynamic EQ and delays as well as sophisticated Link Bus architecture for dynamics processing across objects and beds. 

Additional studio-quality FXs are added to the System T FX rack, including SSL's highly regarded Blitzer vibe compressor and Sourcerer isolator. Parallel compression on every audio path is also now available, with each channel dynamics section now featuring a wet/dry control, it said.

The company also will make the European debut of System T Cloud, q virtualized audio mixing solution for live-to-air broadcast. Delivering new workflows and production agility, System T Cloud is an innovative platform offering flexibility and scalability for seamless management of live productions from multiple venues via the cloud, it said.

System T Cloud features:

• Cloud instances of the Virtual Tempest DSP Engine and Tempest Control App. 
• 256 processing paths.
• Full immersive formats up to 9.1.6
• Dante Connect cloud audio transport and routing.
• 256x256 Dante Connect connectivity on Virtual Tempest Engine.
• NDI conversion options.
• Hardware and/or software control positions located anywhere.
• Control positions in multiple locations simultaneously. 

More information is available on the company’s website.

See SSL at IBC 2024 Stand 8.B73.

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.

OXFORD, England—Solid State Logic has launched its Tempest Control App (TCA) supporting the next generation of live-to-air broadcast production and will showcase the app as well as hardware additions for its System T modular AoIP-native platform at the 2024 NAB Show, April 13-17, in Las Vegas.

TCA, a virtualized fully featured software control interface, opens the door to new system design possibilities and offers broadcasters production and operational advantages as well as economic efficiencies, the company said.

It enables operators to control every aspect of System T mixing, routing, processing and monitoring from a touchscreen. TCA directly controls System T’s DSP and is compatible with all new and existing Tempest Engines, including virtualized cloud-based processing, it said.

Additional hardware control can be integrated with TCA when needed. For instance, operator positions requiring fader tiles can be incorporated into furniture for studio installations or deployed in flypacks for remote applications, it said.

The app also provides a robust, cost-effective alternative for backup systems and compact or second-operator positions, it said.

Any combination of System T hardware and software control interfaces can be used across the entire system, and all System T control interfaces offer a unified operator experience, it said.

TCA can run at home on a local PC, on a virtual machine on a shared server or in the cloud.

Solid State Logic will also show the latest developments for the immersive/NGA production tool kit for its System T broadcast audio production platform. Offering object and channel-based immersive production via specifically designed features and integrations, System T makes producing next-generation content simple and effective, it said.

Using System T’s flagship S500m large-format modular console paired with a 5.1.4 monitoring system, the company will demonstrate the latest features of its immersive audio production toolkit for live-to-air broadcast and music production applications, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

See Solid State Logic at NAB Show booth C6307.

AUSTIN, Texas—As Austin City Limits prepares for its 49th season on PBS stations in fall 2023, the production has upgraded its live music recording and post production equipment with the Solid State Logic System T broadcast audio platform. 

The new System T is the first mixing platform to be installed in 22 years in the audio control room at the 2,750-capacity Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater (ACL Live) venue, the show’s permanent home. 

The system comprises a 48-fader S500m console and dual TE1 Tempest Engines with a variety of Network I/O interfaces providing microphone preamps, multi-format connectivity and A-D/D-A conversion.

“This is a major step for the show. It's going to put us in the 21st century, as well as up our audio game quite a bit,” said Randall Reynolds, Audio Supervisor for ACL, which is produced for PBS by KLRU-TV and is the longest-running music show in the history of U.S. television.

During the decision-making process on the upgrade, he added that “[o]ne of the selling points for us during the demo was the mic pre’s. These are the best that there are. We're super stoked about this desk.”

The first performance recorded through the new S500 console was a show in late April by MUNA, a Los Angeles-based electro-pop band. It was tracked via the production’s transformer splitter and exclusively through System T’s microphone preamps. If permitted by the artist, ACL will simultaneously generate a live stream of the performance through the console. The audio control room also takes a stereo mix from the artist’s front-of-house engineer. 

That provided the first opportunity to really hear the System T in action for ACL audio director David Hough, who has mixed almost every broadcast since the pilot episode featuring Willie Nelson in October 1974.

“When Sachiko [Robertson, Audio Recording, ACL] put up her mix, compared to the mix that was being fed to us from front-of-house, I liked hers better. It was sweet, it was smooth and it was creamy. It was just wonderful,” Hough says.

In addition to MUNA, Austin City Limits has also announced that Lil Yachty, Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra, DOMi & JD BECK, Jenny Lewis, Margo Price, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Tanya Tucker and Jorge Drexler are currently scheduled to record shows for season 49.

The show’s workflow involves two operators at the console during recording, one mixing the live stream plus a feed to the show’s director and one controlling the redundant 128-track Avid Pro Tools systems and monitoring the gains to the DAWs. A typical show uses around 100 channels, including talkback, but a large band, especially one featuring multi-instrumentalists, can require many more, Hough reports.

The show’s previous console operated in split monitor mode, with “tape” returns coming back into the left-hand input channels, Hough continues. “System T can be configured to work like an inline console, it can easily switch the monitor between what's going to ‘tape’ and what's coming back from ‘tape,’” he said. “So now we only have to label channels once, rather than twice. That’s one feature that I was delighted to find out about.”

The shows reported that the ACL Live venue hosts around 100 shows a year, 20 of which are captured for broadcast on PBS. Those performances are edited down to 13 one-hour episodes, with some ACL shows spotlighting a single artist and others featuring two. Artists such as Lyle Lovett and Steve Miller have also independently commissioned the ACL audio team to record their concerts at the theater. 

“That was one of the selling points of this console,” Reynolds said. “I think that more of these one-offs will happen once people see that we're running an SSL console in here. We're going to bring more clients in than we currently do, especially for the high-end quality recordings that they could get in the process.”

The standard PBS deliverable for all ACL shows is a 5.1 mix, but Hough is looking forward to being able to use System T’s native 7.1.4 immersive audio production toolkit. Hough says that when Chuck Ainlay mixed Lyle Lovett’s ACL season 48 performance for 5.1 broadcast, he also sent him the crowd microphone tracks so that he could create a Dolby Atmos mix, just to evaluate the potential of the show’s technical setup. “His response was that, with the eight crowd mics that I had installed out there, he felt like he was standing in the room,” Hough reported.

Having relied for years on the dynamic automation capabilities of the previous console, that was a must-have feature on any replacement desk, Reynolds says. “That's something that's really important to our post production, and something that the System T offered that other consoles did not.”

Hough has been using outboard stereo reverbs since the start of the show, he says, but now intends to utilize System T’s onboard processing once he begins mixing performances for the upcoming season. “For a mix that I have coming up, the lead singer has asked for a nice little slap effect on her vocal. I intend to use SSL’s on-board processing, and with SSL’s Dynamic Automation System (DAS) software, I’ll be able to recall all of those moves and then send her a reference mix and ask, ‘Do you want more or less? How many repeats?’” he said.

There was a time when approvals would be done in-person at the console, he added. “But now we're relying on emails to do all this,” he explained. 

A performance by War on Drugs during season 48 helped persuade Reynolds that an SSL console was the way forward. “The band was running SSL Live consoles at front-of-house and at monitors,” Reynolds reveals. “I felt that the sound quality of that show, from house mix all the way to broadcast, was superb. Seeing those consoles doing their work was really attractive to me and pushed us into a System T demo.”

Ultimately, he continues, “I spoke to every single member of our team, both temps and full-time, a lot of whom have been on the team for over 10 years. And unanimously, when it came time to decide how we were going to go forward, they chose System T. Everyone on the team feels that this is the right solution.”

Key Code Media, guided by the company’s Senior Solutions Architect, Andrew Twenter, implemented the production’s first-ever Dante AoIP network, upgraded the DAWs and integrated the new System T into the control room infrastructure, Reynolds also reported.

Additionally, Twenter was part of the console purchase decision-making. “Andrew had operated SSL boards prior and was very interested in continuing to work with the brand. He also hired amazing people to come in, do all the wiring and get all the I/O where it needed to go,” he said. “I was happy to have Key Code as an active participant.”

Twenter and Key Code Media specified two SSL Network I/O SB 32.24’s and four SB i16 Stageboxes units for stage Mic inputs, an A16.D16 providing AES and Line level Dante conversion, plus four MADI-Bridges and four MADI Opti-Coax converters. Together, the devices provide analog mic/line patching to the A-D converters, a pair of redundant (Primary/Secondary) Dante patches and four lanes of MADI over coax as well as fiber, totaling 496 channels of 96 kHz audio.

BEGBROKE, U.K.—Solid State Logic will unveil its latest immersive and Next Generation Audio (NGA) production workflows for live-to-air broadcast as well as feature its forthcoming SSL Live V5.2 software and advanced DAW controllers and interfaces at the 2023 NAB Show, April 15-19, in Las Vegas. 

The company has developed a no-compromise immersive/NGA production toolkit for its System T platform, offering object- and channel-based immersive production, delivered with workflows and features specifically designed to make producing next-generation content simple and effective, it said.

The System T immersive production toolkit includes:

• Immersive channel and bus formats with integrated XYZ and rotational Theta 3D panning.
• Intelligent immersive up/downmixing functions.
• Comprehensive range of immersive effects, including delay, dynamics, EQ and modulation.
• 360-degree transcoder with A-B conversion for Sennheiser AMBEO VR.
• Binaural 3D encoder with input formats from 4.0 to 7.1.4.

The company will make the demonstration with its System T S500 large-format modular control surface and TE2 processing engine set up with 5.1.4 immersive monitoring, it said.

Solid State Logic also will show it Audio Creation Products (ACP), including UF8 Advanced DAW controller and a range of USB audio interfaces, it said.

Personalized demos and consultations are available. To book a time, visit the company’s 2023 NAB Show webpage. To register for a free SSL guest pass visit the NAB portal and use code LV95443.

See Solid State Logic at 2023 NAB Show booth C6107.

More information is available on the company’s website.

INGLEWOOD, Calif.—The NFL Media headquarters—a state-of-the-art IP media broadcast production center that opened less than a year and a half ago—leverages one of the world’s largest Dante audio networks in the world with some 18,000 Dante connections as well as connections to 31 direct fiber audio locations at SoFi Stadium here and six local direct fiber audio locations.

The ultramodern IP-based 4K and HDR-capable facility, home to NFL Network, NFL.com, NFL RedZone, the NFL app and other departments, is also connected to all 30 NFL stadiums via 10-Gbps interfaces and all 32 NFL practice facilities. 

Currently the facility, which employs more than 1,000 people, houses five main stages supported by numerous production control rooms, audio control rooms and workstations, has a post-production operation with 18 high-end edit rooms, two audio-sweetening suites and 90 VDI thin-client desktop editors accessible from anywhere in the facility or remotely, said Bruce Goldfeder, NFL Media vice president of broadcast engineering.

At the moment, NFL Media produces 1080p60 broadcasts with Dolby 5.1 audio, but the facility’s infrastructure can support 4K60 with Dolby Atmos 7.2.4 audio and is capable of scaling to future formats, including 8K and HDR.

To bring all of this together, the facility relies on nearly 18,000 Dante audio network connections, 16,000 MADI connections and more than 2,000 Riedel intercom channels. The Dante audio-over-IP platform enables audio and control data to be transported via standard 1GB Ethernet networks. More than 3,500 products from 500 manufacturers support Dante, which replaces point-to-point analog and digital connections with software-based routing, making it possible to send audio channels anywhere on the network.

For audio production, the various NFL Media studios are equipped with a mix of 11 System T Dante-enabled broadcast production audio consoles from Solid State Logic.  

“This is one of the largest, if not the largest, Dante installations in the world, and the NFL team picked SSL in part because we offer the most Dante-integrated broadcast production consoles available,” said Phil Wagner, senior vice president at Solid State Logic. “The Dante ecosystem is huge, and it continues to grow because Dante is incredibly solid, flexible and secure.”

The facility also uses Dante Domain Manager to secure audio networks and allow for seamless expansion of Dante systems over any network infrastructure. DDM is a complete network management software that enables user authentication, role-based security and audit capabilities for Dante networks.

“The Dante network and tools like Dante Domain Manager make it easy for us to quickly and easily reconfigure our audio workflows to bring together the equipment and people needed for any production,” said Goldfeder. “We needed a solid infrastructure for the productions we’re creating today, and we need to know that the system we have in place can grow with us and accommodate our future needs. Dante offers that level of scalability and flexibility.”

More information is available on the Audinate and Solid State Logic websites.

BOSTON—Emerson College has upgraded broadcast audio capabilities at its downtown main campus, equipping four of its TV production control rooms with Dante-networked Solid State Logic T digital audio platforms.

Powered by a TE1 Tempest Engine, each SSL T platform provides up to 256-path capacity and is controlled by an S300 surface and Tempest Control Rack (TCR) with Fade Tile, the company said. 

Three of the upgraded control rooms originally were built in 2003 and underwent a previous update in 2010. That installation include SSL C10 HD digital broadcast desks. 

“We were so pleased with the C10 that we wanted to stick with SSL,” says Tim MacArthur, director of technical operations for media technologies and production, which oversees use of the college’s production and post-production technology.

The college replaced the C10 with an SSL System T S300 surface in its Audio A Studio in the Vin Di Bona Television Studio in the Tufte Performance and Production Center (PPC). “We wanted to increase the flexibility of pooled resources among our facilities, and this summer we embarked on a complete central machine room initiative,” said MacArthur. “Previously we had three disparate machine rooms for our facilities but wanted to consolidate, so we invested in new fiber to make that happen.” 

The Tufte Television Studios also are home to the Teaching Studio and Control Room B, a classroom inside a standard television control room, where the audio facilities now incorporate a System T TCR—a 3RU PC enclosure that runs System T control software—as well as a Fader Tile control interface.

The TV studios are now interconnected with the nearby Journalism Production Center, Emerson Television Channels, the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym and Cutler Majestic Theatre.

The college also replaced its core Evertz router with a Dante hub. It enables embedding, de-embedding and other functions necessary to transport signals in a Dante environment and process them with System T. “Using Dante with multicast was just such an appealing promise to us; being able to grab a mic from a preamp in one studio and bring it to a control room in another,” said MacArthur.   

Besides the Dante workflow, the college was attracted to the solution because of the infrastructure flexibility the System T and Dante offer. “And logic is intuitive once you wrap your head around the new world of audio routing,” he said. “Plus, the power of the effects processing on every channel is just phenomenal.”

The college also deployed an SSL System T Fader Tile and TCR systems at the control room and studio facilities in the Journalism Production Center. “It’s largely instructional, so we’re teaching journalists and producing daily newscasts, whether they’re self-contained as a course resource or posted online,” he says.

A Fader Tile and TCR combination also was integrated into a control room in the nearby Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym to support live coverage of men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball games. The onsite mix control system is networked to its TE1 Tempest Engine in the central machine room in the Tufte PPC.

Students find the upgrades particularly appealing, said MacArthur. “What’s interesting for us, with the generation of students that we have now, and especially with the TCRs, is the touch screen option,” he said. “So many of our students will intuitively grab a ‘fader’ with their finger and slide it.  It’s a very elegant display.”

The physical controller also meets the college’s requirements for solutions that stand up to the wear and tear that can be expected in an educational setting. “The Fader Tiles are so well constructed. We’re optimistic about their durability with novice users,” he said.

Diversified provided system integration services for the upgrade.

More information is available on the company’s website.

OXFORD, England—Solid State Logic has announced its new UF8 Digital Audio Workstation controller offering a user-focused design, insightful displays, intelligent faders and control access and a production-enhancing control layout.

“UF8 is an obvious next step in SSL’s development in ergonomically designed studio tools for today’s mixers, producers and creators,” said Andy Jackson, SSL studio product manager. “The layout and build quality are all about our fixation with human engineering, creating products that keep you in the creative zone with high-speed access to every fader or control, without operator fatigue or discomfort.”

The controller, which supports multiple stand angles for user-defined placement, offers high-spec touch sensitive faders, encoders and high-resolution color displays that complement the UF8’s premium build, the company said.

The control surface of the UF8 can be expanded to 32 channels and integrated with all major DAW platforms, SSL said.

Priced at $1,299, the UF8 is well suited to production and mixing, post production, webcasting and music creation. The company’s new SSL 360-degree control software for Macs and PCs manages multiple controller configurations, customized user keys and DAW switching across multiple layers, making it easy to switch between sessions, the company said.

Other features include:

• Eight endless rotary encoders 
•  Five banks of eight user keys and three quick keys for a total of 43 assignable keys per UF8 
• Intelligent multipurpose Channel encoder 
• Mouse scroll emulation 
• Switch control between three DAWS connected at the same time 
• Expandable up to four UF8s for a 32-channel SSL control surface 
• SSL Native Vocalstrip 2 and Drumstrip plug-ins included 

More information is available on the company’s website. 

WATERTOWN, Mass.—When NESN moved out of Boston’s Fenway Park and into a 40,000-plus-square-foot. Building in Watertown, Mass. 14 years ago we became the first regional sports network to broadcast every single Red Sox and Bruins NHL game in HD.

Along with the move to HD, we also began to lay the foundation to transition to 5.1 audio by purchasing two 32-fader Solid State Logic C100 digital broadcast mixing consoles, one for each of the two new studios.

Today, NESN uses audio to create a more captivating live sports experience.

MOVE TO DANTE

Two years ago, we decided to replace the C100s with the intention of adopting a Dante audio-over-IP infrastructure and eventually move to AES67. We felt moving NESN’s core audio infrastructure on a Dante network would be beneficial because hundreds of manufacturers and products support Dante, offering a high level of integration going into the future.

We were also looking for a console that could handle live pre- and post-game productions in our studios, as well as live game programming. Plus, the mixing platform needed to integrate tightly with our Ross OverDrive automation and Evertz EMR router. SSL’s System T broadcast platform met all of our requirements, so in February 2019, we commissioned twin System T S500 consoles with 48-fader control surfaces, each with redundant Tempest processing engines, together with a number of SSL’s Network I/O interfaces.

In our facility, the System T consoles manage more than 300 active inputs—a mix of native Dante, analog, AES, SMPTE ST 2110 and SDI-based sources. Operators can switch between different layers on the 48-fader surfaces—for instance, one layer could be the pregame setup, which flips with the press of a button to the game programming build. The Tempest T80 Engine has an 800-path capacity, and we are nowhere near maxing that out. We are now using close to 400 paths after adding an extra control room and integrating more Dante-enabled peripherals to handle added productions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dante integration is key to the flexibility that System T has brought to NESN’s operations. In a traditional audio infrastructure, physical cables are needed for each individual signal path. With Dante, the individual cables are not necessary as long as all the devices are connected to the same network; audio signals could be made available everywhere and anywhere inside NESN and at remote sites. This made the entire process for NESN engineering and the audio engineers to implement and support new audio consoles much easier.

EASY PATH TO SET UP

A1 and NESN engineering now support all the network audio controls to all edge devices without getting involved in physical point-to-point infrastructure for each edge device. If we need more I/O we just plug in a suitable Dante device and it’s instantly available everywhere on the network. We can add any device from any control room, studio or master control. Yet there is a layer of protection that prevents one console from taking a route from the other, so you can never inadvertently affect the setup in the control room next door.

Even though the new T platform has been designed from scratch with a new OS, our A1s required minimal time to get up to speed on the new system. The control interface is very flexible—some of our operators prefer to use the touchscreens, others prefer the hardware panels. We also utilize the SOLSA (SSL On/Offline Setup Application) software, which can access console routing and resources we can’t control from, say, Ross OverDrive.

The rapid development of consumer television and audio devices over the last decade has expanded the range of listening experiences. NESN’s move to next-generation audio-capable devices fits our roadmap to stay ahead of the curve and enhance the home viewers’ viewing and listening experiences.

Fahad Haider serves as CTO and vice president of engineering at New England Sports Network. He has led efforts to implement new strategies to enhance operations, production, engineering and transmission workflows and efficiencies utilizing established and emerging products. He can be contacted at sports@nesn.com.

For more information, visit www.solidstatelogic.com.

OXFORD, England—Solid State Logic has announced the latest version of its System T broadcast platform, which is designed to expand AoIP integration for direct console routing control for ST 2110-30 and AES67 streams as well as an embedded operating system upgrade for remote production and increased IP expansion and connectivity.

This new version of System T, v3.0, provides new functionality across the whole console range, including the S500, S500m and TCR. It also builds on previous enhancements like NGA and immersive audio, and DAW and dynamic automation, SSL says.

The platform has migrated to Windows 10 Embedded for reduced development cycles and advanced feature deployment. It also has added support for TeamViewer, which enables consoles to be remotely accessed through a standard internet connection.

“System T provides the most advanced AoIP integration of any audio console, supporting Dante, AES67 and ST 2110 on the same hardware interfaces, with full discovery and dynamic routing of any Dante enabled devices directly from the console GUI,” said Tom Knowles, SSL Broadcast product manager. “With this new level of management and control, the System T console becomes your routing control system for AoIP of any variety.”

Additional updates have been made to System T’s onboard Effects Rack with a new reverb with degenerative noise controls, a 10-band parametric EQ with FFT overlay, plus an overhaul of channel and bus path presets.

For more information, visit www.solidstatelogic.com.  

BOSTON—WHDH, the Sunbeam Television Corp.-owned independent station in Boston, has deployed Solid State Logic’s System T broadcast audio production console to replace an SSL C100 console in continuous service for about 14 years, SSL announced.

“The C100 has been a fantastic workhorse, but it was time to replace it and get on SSL’s current platform, which is fully Dante-compatible,” says Jim Shultis, director of engineering at the station.

The new System T consists of a Tempest T25 256-path processing engine and a three-bay, 48-fader S500 control surface with a meter bridge.

At the end of 2016, the station announced it would begin airing more than 80 hours of news a week as it lost its NBC affiliation—up from the eight to nine hours per day it was producing. Solid State Logic’s System T, which makes it easy to create mix-minuses for IFBs to reporters in the field and talent on set, was a good choice for an SSL C100 replacement given the station’s news commitment, says Art Murphy, assistant engineering assistant at WHDH. 

“We have 24 mix-minuses going on,” he says. “We could wire more if we wanted to, but 24 is a good number for us.” Noting that setting up mix-minuses on the System T is different than on the C100, Murphy says that “once you get used to it, it’s a little bit more logical—a more direct process.”

At the same time WHDH installed its C100 console in 2006, it installed a new video switcher, which was swapped out two years ago for a new switcher. “But the C100 just kept going,” says Shultis, adding that it is more difficult to replace an audio console than a video switcher.

However, System T’s native support for Dante made its installation easier than installing the C100, says Murphy. “We put stage boxes in our newsroom, where all our main mics are,” he explains. “So all of our mic wiring became a lot easier, wiring right into those stage boxes. Then, we use Dante to bring those into the network switch. It really makes a much cleaner installation as well,” says Murphy, adding that a second studio is used for production.

System T is different operationally from the C100. It offers an assignable rotary encoder, which is quite different from the knob-per-function C100 strip. “It takes time to get used to, but once you do, it’s very flexible,” says Murphy. 

PLUS: Solid State Logic Focusing on AoIP

System T’s flexibility makes it easy to accommodate multiple operators at the station, each of whom can configure the console to meet individual needs.

“One thing we do like is that we have one show file and a bunch of scenes,” says Shultis. “The operator can load the main show file, but then everyone has their own scene. So it’s really easy for an operator to come in and load their scene up and have the board exactly the way he or she wants it. And they load really quick. That’s a nice feature.”

More information is available on the Solid State Logic website.

Solid State Logic’s spring product lineup will put the focus on new Audio over IP capabilities, as well as new features for its System T broadcast audio platform.

Many of the new developments for the System T platform are designed for advanced AoIP integrations or new immersive/Next Generation Audio (NGO) workflows. SSL will show how the System T architecture provides processing for multiple audio formats for immersive and three-dimensional audio. There is also a new partnership with Sennheiser AMBEO that adds on-board conversion support for the AMBEO VR mic, with a 360 transcoder. The platform also supports multiple formats, including ATSC 3.0, Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H.

Another technology that SSL plans to highlight is its Dante-based IP Network I/O portfolio, including the HC Bridge SRC. This I/O device provides 256 bi-directional channels of sample rate conversion for AoIP networks and also facilities connecting audio between devices running at different sample rates or in different clock domains on Dante, AES67 or ST 2110-30 networks. The network connections can be physically or virtually separate networks.

SSL also will feature the latest update for its range of console control surfaces. This covers the configurable S500 and S500m surface, as well as pre-configured surface options in the S300. The consoles run a Dante AoIP backbone and are compliant with AES67/2110 protocols. With System T, the consoles can integrate into an existing or future AoIP infrastructure. 

For more information, visit www.solidstatelogic.com. 

OXFORD, U.K.—Solid State Logic has announced the release of V2.3 System T broadcast production platform with new features for the range of System T consoles, including S500, S500m, S300 and TCR.

Used for live broadcast applications, event space audio, recoding and post-production, the latest release includes DAW control, immersive audio, dynamic automation, patch manager CSV files, access control, event manager, scene automation and an on-board FX rack, the company said.

Solid State Logic also announced the Network I/O V4.0 update with support for SMPTE ST2110, ST 2059-2 and ST 2022-7 for all devices, providing AoIP and Dante technology simultaneously on the same chipset, allowing organizations to use IP networks for both infrastructure and console-based routing workflows without proprietary hardware TDM routers. It also adds TSL UMDv5 support, which provides operators with information about the source currently on each fader.

Signal path checking is simplified with an additional tone injected on the channel input, and a new per-path-talkback inject for channel and bus direct outputs enhances communications switching and conferencing, the company said.

System T’s Event Manager offers graphical and user-programmable macro functionality for GPIOs, console functions, MIDI, AFV Ember+, user keys, fader starts and scene triggers. The release of V2.3 adds path event control. Three controls per path offer up to 2,400 additional assignable switches, which can be controlled via touchscreen or hardware quick controls above the faders, the company said.

The V2.3 release also adds Dante Domain Manager (DDM) login directly to the console software. Support for Network I/O Dante HC SRC, SB 32.24 and SB 16.12 SRC has been added. The release also includes additions and updates for the onboard FX rack.

T-SOLSA provides System T control software for standalone computers or virtualize servers.

More information is available on the Solid State Logic website.

LAS VEGAS—Solid State Logic is giving its System T broadcast audio platform a boost with a new software that will debut at the 2019 NAB Show, the Dynamic Automation Software. DAS is designed for all of the System T mixing consoles—the S500, S300 and TCR.

System T is able to be programmed to provide setups specific to a usage case, including TV production, live news or sports. The new DAS software option expands these capabilities.

SSL’s Mixed Automation has been updated to match the needs of the modern broadcast production environment. Automated parameters on the console are stored with mixes against MTC or LTC and can be managed from within the console’s file system. There are also touch sense faders and encoders, as well as touch screen controls.

Combined with DAS, users can have control when conforming audio for picture. A mix is developed via multiple passes through a timeline, with each pass auto incrementing at the rollback position. Mixes stored in the Mix Pass manager can be recalled for printing, or used as starting points for further mixes. Mix data can be stored in the background showfile to ensure capture.

DAS will be a part of SSL’s booth display (C3026) throughout the NAB Show. To register for the NAB Show, visit www.nabshow.com.

FORT MYERS, FLA.—Waterman Broadcasting has installed two identical Solid State Logic System T audio production consoles –one for its WBBH-TV NBC affiliate, the other for WZVN-TV, the Montclair Communications ABC affiliate it operates under a local marketing agreement, in twin control rooms with a Tempest Control Rack for backup and disaster recover.

“The primary role of the station is news and we do, depending on how you want to count them, 19 to 21 newscasts per day over the two stations,” said Waterman Broadcasting director of production Bob Hannon.

“The two stations are in one building, the news staffs are in one building, but the shows are produced completely separately. It’s like working in the Ark: we have two of everything.”

Each console system consists of a 32-fader S300 control surface with a T25 256 path engine and 512 channels of I/O. The Tempest Control Rack serves as a backup that can be controlled via a desktop touchscreen.

The setup ensures the broadcaster does not have a single point of failure, an important design consideration for Waterman given Fort Myers’ hurricane-prone location. During a hurricane, the stations begin simulcasting the same programming on both channels.

The system Waterman installed enables the broadcaster to “do everything from one spot,” said Hannon. The flexibility of the S300 allows operators in one control room to access every audio source in the facility.

“It also lets us use one control room for x amount of time, have the other control room fired up and ready, let them take over, and that gives us time to do any preventive maintenance or just let things breathe in the first control room for a little while,” he said.

Hannon also identified ease of use as an important factor contributing to the broadcaster’s decision to select the S300. Most of Hannon’s 42-member staff are in their first jobs and have been trained in-house, making ease of use especially important.

While the S300 is “a powerful board,” he said, “it’s simple in its design, and that’s what drew me to it,” said Hannon.

"I’m a firm believer that the simpler you keep it the more you can do, the better your productions are, and the better your product is. And that’s what System T allows us to do.”

OXFORD—Solid State Logic will spotlight the latest enhancements to its System T software architecture at the 2018 IBC Show, Sept. 13-17 at the RAI in Amsterdam.

The new S300-32 is a 32-fader compact broadcast console for SSL’s System T broadcast audio production platform, featuring a fixed layout control surface. The S300 integrates with SSL’s System T control, Network I/O and processing engines, or in standalone arrangements.

The System T S300 fully incorporates arbitrated radio and control resource sharing to SSL’s Network I/O range, for all Tempest platform-based consoles. This means the S300’s System T can bounce from one control room to another within the same facility, or be added on as a backup surface to the larger S500.

To add to that flexibility, SSL has also added more System T and I/O transport, routing and control devices to its suite. The TCM1 and Network I/O has GPIO 32 units that allow direct LTC, MIDI, and GPIO connectivity to System T’s Event Manager software. TCMI will thrive in music production and post production workflows due to its standard LTC (XLR) and MIDI (DIN) connections, along with two USB ports and 25-way GPIO ports. Each of these connects to System T through USB.

Also new is SSL’s immersive audio implementation for System T, with support for ATSC 3.0, Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H. To accommodate the emergence of 3-D audio immersive audio in film and broadcast, SSL offers new 3-axis coordinate panning for System T, which uses 2 and 4-channel overhead speakers for available channel and bus formats.

To compliment the channel and bus, SSL has a 12-channel monitoring system — with 49 inputs formed as one primary input and a 12-channel AFL monitor bus, together with a pair of 12-channel insert points for internal processing and “rendering engine returns.” These features work especially well within multilanguage productions, according to SSL.

SSL will be in Stand 8.D83.

CHESSINGTON, ENGLAND—Audiotonix continues to grow its group of audio brands with the acquisition of Solid State Logic. SSL now joins DiGiCo, DiGiGrid, Calrec and Allen & Heath as part of Audiotonix.

Audiotonix designs, engineers and manufactures professional audio mixing consoles and ancillary products. The company includes products from the members of its group of audio brands to be used in live sound, broadcast, recording studios and other productions.

Solid State Logic joins the group as a manufacturer of analog and digital audio consoles and creative tools for music, broadcast, live and post production professionals.

NEW YORK—SportsNet New York continues to build its team for its new studios at One World Trade Center with the addition of Solid State Logic’s System T networked audio broadcast systems. System T and a fully redundant Dante AoIP Ethernet-based networking infrastructure were installed in SNY’s audio control rooms.

Each audio control room features a three-bay, 48-fader System T S500 control surface with dual touch screens and a pair of SSL Network I/O: SB 8.8 Dante stageboxes. Each controller is connected to dual-redundant T80 Tempest audio engines. Six SSL Network I/O: SDI Bridges connect the studio’s existing SDI production system; there are also additional Network I/O: AES Dante units and a selection of Dante stageboxes.

The System T is able to work and integrate with third-party systems that make up SNY’s infrastructure, including Ross Overdrive, Grass Valley Ignite, Sony ELC and Viz Mosart production automation systems.

SNY is the television home of the New York Mets, New York Jets and UConn men and women’s basketball teams.

AMSTERDAM—Solid State Logic will be touting its new System T-S300 compact audio console at this year’s IBC Show. The S300 is a fixed layout compact control surface that can be combined with the complete portfolio of System T network objects: consoles, remote tiles, touchscreen interfaces, Tempest Processing Engines, remote PC software and network I/O. It can be specified as part of a larger System T installation or as a standalone configuration.

SSL is offering the S300 in two version: 16+1 faders and 32+1 faders. The system can connect to either at Tempest T25 or a T80 Processor Engine, and runs the same software as the S500 surface and Tempest Control Rack.

Included in the S300 is a fully integrated Dante control API that provides arbitrated audio and control resource sharing for SSL’s network I/O range across SSL��s Tempest platform based consoles. Routing control is directly from the console GUI or software instances of the console control software running on standard PCs remotely connected to the main surface.

Additional features include complete showfile compatibility between all System T consoles and controllers; up to eight Dialogue auto mixers and two Dynamics sections per path; full processing capabilities on all channels and busses; and an additional effects rack to provide multiple reverbs, dynamic EQ, noise reduction, signal generators, summing tools, upmixers, downmixers and bus compressor.

SSL will demonstrate the System T-S300 at its booth, 8.D83, during IBC 2017.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2017 NAB Show, Solid State Logic (SSL) will highlight new options that give its System T automated broadcast audio production system direct control of the broadcast mix without need for a dedicated physical console. System T is a powerful set of network objects that include processing engines, audio I/O devices and control interfaces, including mixing console surfaces and PC-based control via T-SOLSA.

The new Tempest Control Rack (TCR) and T25 Tempest Processor Engine options facilitate applications such as automated and remote fly-pack production. The TCR, which runs System T control software, allows the screen to be mounted in 19-inch racks or angled studio furniture. And the Tempest Processor Engine uses SSL’s Optimal Core processing for real-time, 64-bit CPU-based, floating point mixing and processing.

With the T25 Engine, the system now offers an economical version for 256 paths, which supplements the original T80 version for 800 paths. The TCR and Tempest Engines can be used with any SSL Network I/O or third party Dante or AES67 products to build large, scalable AoIP infrastructures and connect to other AoIP systems.

Dante by Audinate provides interoperability, including audio transport, registration and capability discovery, and configuration and routing control across products from more than 350 manufacturers. Network I/O and Dante products can be controlled and routed directly from TCR or System T surfaces and via many third-party routing control systems via the Dante API.

The 2017 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 24-27. Solid State Logic (SSL)will be in boothC2627. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

BOULOGNE, FRANCE—A new facility-wide network for the Canal Factory facility of Canal+ has been installed, featuring a number of Solid State Logic systems. The facility has added four large-scale SSL System T broadcast audio production systems, an SSL L500 Live console and SSL Network I/O interfaces. All of these systems are connected through a high-capacity, redundant Dante AoIP network that shares the Canal Factory IP infrastructure.

The pair of 64-fader, 3.5-bay main System T control surfaces are split amongst Canal Factory’s two audio control rooms, as well as PC-based T-SOLSA control software with a 16-fader panel connected to one Tempest Audio Engine, plus an additional 16-fader 1.5-bay pre-mix/back-up surface connected to another Tempest engine. Dante system-wide routing can be controlled directly from the consoles, or through the control system panel in each room.

SSL’s OCP network handles communication between the Tempest Engines, which are located in the facility’s machine room. The machine room also houses SSL Network I/Os: SDI-MADI and Network I/O: AES units on the Dante network, plus Dante services and control servers. SSL Network I/O SB 8:8 stageboxes are also used for flexible analogue I/O.

Canal Factory uses the SSL L500 consoles for a music pre-mix facility. The L500’s audio input is from the stage via MADI, and the console feeds the main Dante network.

Canal Factory houses French premium subscription channel Canal+ and free to air channel C8.

BOTHELL, WASH.—The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has a trio of new companies that have come on as members in Clear-Com, Bridge Technologies and Solid State Logic.

Bridge Technologies and Solid State Logic have joined the alliance as associate members. Clear-Com has signed on as a full member.

AIMS is an organization representing a group of broadcast and media companies with the goal of assisting the transition from SDI to IP through industry standards and interoperable technology. Currently, the organization officially endorses an IP transition that includes support for SMPTE 2022-6, AES67, VSF recommendations TR-03 and TR-04, and AMWA NMOS IS-04.

CROATIA—Solid State Logic’s System T broadcast audio production environment is experiencing Croatia first hand, as the system was recently installed into a mobile production vehicle for the country’s national television network, Nova TV. The HD OB Van 3 has already been used for a number of Nova TV productions, including music and sporting events.

The System T unit in the truck consists of a 48-fader main surface with full meter bridge, plus the Tempest engine and a redundant Dante network. SSL Network I/O Stageboxes provide inputs and outputs for deployment outside the truck, while more Network I/O provides SDI, AES, and analog I/O inside the truck. An SSL Network IO SDI embedder/de-embedder with Dante and MADI connectivity is also available for embedding audio tracks from the network to multiple video channels.

System T uses both physical identities and logical identities for the Dante network I/O, with a layered tagging and filtering system. Combined with Dante’s distributed routing and plug-and-play discoverability features, any input or output on the network can be found without proprietary crosspoint routing systems.

The HD OB Van 3 truck measures in at 14 meters long, has double width extensions and features 16 cameras and a large video production gallery.

MEXICO CITY—When the 66th FIFA World Congress kicked off in Mexico City, Solid State Logic’s SSL Network I/O: SDI was used as a core component for Evident Productions’ infrastructure. The production company utilized the SSL Network for embedding, de-embedding and distribution, using a Dante Audio-Over-IP network as the source.

Feeds were provided for more than 20 international broadcast networks that were covering the event. The audio source was taken from the Dante Break Out connections on the Lake LM26 processors and contained six different translations, plus the main left and right house channels.

The Network I/O: SDI was connected to the redundant Dante network and audio was embedded into several video formats—1080i, 720p and 480i—and passed onto the broadcasters. The platforms multi-format I/O options on the box can help provide whole-system redundancy by connecting both to the source.

The SSL Network I/O: SDI has eight 3G-SDI paths with embedders and de-embedders for 16 audio channels, and provides bi-directional bridging between three formats simultaneously: embedded SDI Audio, Dante and MADI. Additional features include channel-by-channel routing, full broadcast spec redundancy, and sample rate conversion in the audio path to and from SDI.

LAS VEGAS—SSL will unveil System T, a fully networked broadcast audio production environment at the 2016 NAB Show. System T allows hardware and software control interfaces—and high-quality stage boxes—to be placed anywhere on a network.

System T

With the AES67 transport standard, the system fully supports Dante-based I/O and routing featuring Dante HC connectivity. Broadcasters benefit from the interoperability enabled by the growing assortment of third-party Dante-compatible products on the market.

System T can incorporate multi-touch and gesture-driven screen technology, hardware control, and an intelligent, intuitive workflow. System scaling requires only additional networking switch capacity, not expensive proprietary routing hardware, making large-scale deployment extremely cost-effective.

Up to three consoles or control interfaces can access a single or fully mirrored redundant pair of Tempest processor engines. These advanced engines use SSL’s optimal core processing for real-time, 64-bit CPU-based, floating point mixing and processing. Multiple processor engines can be used on a single network. And, control interfaces and processing resources can be re-configured to suit daily requirements.

The 2016 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 18-21. Solid State Logic (SSL)will be in booth C2627. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

SAN ANTONIO—KSAT-TV, San Antonio’s VHF digital television station, has installed a Solid State Logic C10 HD Plus as its new main production console. The C10 will help handle the stations daily news and entertainment show broadcasts.

C10 HD Plus assists with KSAT's daily news and entertainment show broadcasts

The installation of the C10 system was part of a technical restructure by KSAT. The station cut down on support cabling by embedding a number of its sources, including interfacing with the station’s HD video infrastructure and connecting the SDI feeds directly into the C10 via SSL Network I/O. For KSAT’s live news broadcast, the C10 is controlled from the station’s automated production room using Sony ELC automation.

The station has also tested a Dante link from its remote studio via an 80GHz microwave link using the SSL Network I/O. The Dialogue Automix has also been added to the infrastructure to assist with management of multiple live mics, with automatic adjustment of multiple active channels to the equivalent of a single channel.

KSAT is a part of the Graham Media Group.

Solid State Logic is a manufacturer of analog and digital audio consoles and provides tools for live, broadcast and post production professionals.

NEWARK, N.J.—NJTV, the public television network for New Jersey, has installed a Solid State Logic C10 HD Plus compact broadcast console at its downton Newark facility. NJTV, which is an affiliate of New York’s public TV station WNET, serves all of New Jersey and parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The C10 console includes a number of features , including a preset mode, mix minus capabilities, automation and DAW control. It also features the Dialog Automix, which is able to pick out the lead voice in a conversation and amplify it without overwhelming the other voices. There is also the C-Play Audio Playout system that incorporates a full-featured spot and music playout system into the console. NJTV is also using SSL’s SDI-MADI interface to extract audio from SDI video signals.

Solid State Logic is a manufacture of digital and analog audio consoles for broadcast, live and post production professionals.

NEW YORK—As the 139th AES Convention gets underway in New York, Solid State Logic has announced that it will introduce its new Beta 500 format module hardware development kit. Featuring SSL components, the Beta module allows audio electronic users to build their own creation.

Beta

The Beta offers a self-illuminating Perspex front panel that is supplied with a collection of components identical to those used in SSL’s large format consoles. The kit includes five log, antilog and linear pots with SSL’s signature knob caps, a selection of two and four pole switches and dual color status LEDs. The components mount within the front panel in a fixed configuration but are also freely assignable to any function. The panel and controls come with a standard 500 format edge connector and is supplied with resettable fuses. The kit does not come pre-assembled and additional components, like potentiometers and tapers, can be purchased through the online store.

Solid State Logic will make the Beta available exclusively through its online store starting in November.

NEW YORK—Solid State Logic is set to debut its new upgrade to the Sigma Remote Controlled Analogue Summing system at the 139th AES Convention, the Sigma Delta. New updates for the hybrid production environment include Delta-Control software, a new cross platform Remote Control app, and direct MCU control.

Sigma Delta

SSL’s Delta-Control system uses DAW plug-in architecture to enable analogue signal path automation from a DAW. The main interface for Delta-Control is a native AAX/RTAS/VST/VST3 plug-in that allows automation of Sigma channel volume as if it were a DAW plug-in. The automation system in the DAW is used to record and playback Sigma volume control data entered either directly from the fader in the plug-in GUI or from an MCU control surface controlling Sigma directly.

The new Sigma Remote Control app provides full control of Sigma functions in addition of the ability to store and recall saved settings. Able to run on a Mac, PC or tablet device, the app connects through Ethernet or wireless if on a tablet. Three main screens provide control and set-up of the Master Section, Channel Control and Global Settings parameters.

In addition, MCU control gives Sigma direct control over the Sigma analogue mix path and monitor switch from SSL’s Nucleus DAW controller or any other Ethernet equipped MCU enabled hardware control surface. MCU control requires a 16 fader MCU compliant surface to be connected via a network cable to the same DHCP server or router that Sigma is connected to. This connection becomes a fully integrated 32 into four automated line mixer, with full monitoring and talkback capabilities.

SSL will release Sigma Delta in December. AES 2015 attendees can get a preview at booth 227 during the convention, which takes place from Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in New York.

BOTHELL, WASH.—The Media Networking Alliance has made some new additions recently, including appointing members to its board and welcoming in Solid State Logic to the alliance.

MNA has confirmed that Rich Zwiebel, vice president of systems strategy at QSC Audio Products LLC, will serve as chairman of the board; Terry Holton, general manager for Yamaha R&D Centre, has been named vice chairman. Marty Sacks, vice president of sales, support and marketing at the Telos Alliance will be financial officer. Bill Scott, vice president of engineering and technology at Bosch Communications Systems, and Andreas Hilmer, director of marketing and communications at Lawo, have also been appointed to the board.

Pro-audio manufacturer Solid State Logic is the most recent audio company to join MNA; other members include the BBC, Digigram, Harman Professional, Lawo, Riedel Communications and Yamaha.

MNA will take part in the 139th AES Convention, which takes place from Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at the Javits Convention Center in New York. The company will be located at booth 344.