It was two years ago when Reuters America first converted to digital video production in its Washington, D.C., Studio A, based around a Ross Synergy MD Series production switcher. It was only a matter of time before the company would address the audio side of the equation. Recently, they did just that, selecting a Yamaha DM2000 as the centerpiece of the changeover.
Reuters’ Studio A produces a variety of news shows and news magazine shows, such as “Hispanics Today,” “Religion and Ethics News Weekly,” “Democracy Now” and “Viewpoint with James Zogby” on Abu Dhabi Television. In addition, the company does production for Homeland Security.
Driving factors for the change included a need for more inputs and additional processing options, providing more flexibility. Consulting with contract engineers who frequent Studio A, Reuters Washington learned that the DM2000 was a proven, solidly built platform that is programmable to fit any application, with four fader layers, channel copy function and programmable soft knobs as key configuration tools.
The installation did require some remodeling. New equipment racks were pre-wired as much as possible, then the crew gutted the approximately 12ft x 14ft audio control room (Studio A is 30ft x 40ft). The connection to the router itself and the connections to the intercom system were among the only things left. Keith Allen, TV maintenance engineer for Reuters, then installed the racks and the equipment.
Despite some delays in the first month, Studio A has been running smoothly ever since. With many radio productions involving panel discussions, having noise gates and comp/limiters on every channel was a necessity, and the Windows-based outboard computer software has also proven popular with contract engineers working in the facility.
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