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NL Broadcasting Ltd. | Kamloops, BC | |||||||
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AudioArts
Console with Wheatnet Router |
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 Ara in the CJKC ON-AIR Control Room |
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NL Broadcasting Ltd by Dave Coulter - Chief Engineer NL Broadcasting Ltd of Kamloops, BC in Canada was granted a new FM license in July of 2005 by the CRTC. This was something the company had taken two years to achieve and although it had been hard work we knew the hardest part of the project was yet to come. We were already operating 2 stations in Kamloops and another growing operation in Merritt an hour south of Kamloops. Although we had been very aggressive with our studio updates a decade earlier, almost all aspects of the facility were at the end of their usefulness and we knew it was time to upgrade all parts of the studio in Kamloops. This would mean I would be building or refitting 3 On Air rooms and another 3 production facilities within 12 months. Meanwhile I would have to keep the existing operations and the transmitter repeater systems spread over 40,000 square km operating without any interruptions. I had attended NAB 2005 in Vegas with the GM and Operations manager prior to the license being granted, as we hoped to have our equipment wish list pretty well in place should we have a positive decision from the Canadian regulators. We wanted once again to feel we had the technology to take us through the next decade and it was the GM who was insisting we not think short term and encouraged me to not overlook some of the more high end products out there. The key components that obviously had to be replaced were the tired consoles and the automation system. It was a very exciting time to be looking at the options available to us as so many manufacturers have now moved into networked audio solutions. Our infrastructure had always been miles of cable, DA’s and jackfields so you’ve got to know how excited I was to see how we could distribute just about any source to just about any destinations via some kind of network link. We had never owned a traditional routing switch as the facility has just kept expanding bit by bit but never in a phase large enough to justify the large expense. The Wheatnet solution was one that excited me from the start and from there I compared other networked solutions and started the process of nailing down budgets with pros and cons of the various manufacturers. The budgets for complete solutions were getting pretty high but we were prepared to sacrifice other areas to insure we could take advantage of the technology. During the back and forth with Wheatstone, Darrin Paley was keeping me abreast of a new option that was being worked out by their designers. The AudioArts console with the optional Net-75 panel was being reworked to give it more capacity using some of the Wheatnet technology. Just as we were reaching the point of making a decision on whose and what technology we would go with, the new product was offered to us. For our 6 studios the AudioArts solution fit like a glove. AudioArts with the Net-75 gave us all the flexibility we would ever need and the technology is simple to implement and maintain. Although we didn’t want to make the decision based on price alone, no one could touch the value we got. Other factors were that we still had the backbone of a traditional console to fall back on. We could easily have backup feeds that did not rely on any networking. The network was simple Cat5e that anyone could install and maintain. The only real proprietary components were inexpensive to have backup for and easily swapped out should there ever be a failure. The AudioArts consoles themselves have been around for a long time and the flexibility for local analog or digital inputs and outputs gave me all the choices I would need. We took delivery of all 6 consoles in January. As rooms are renovated and millwork installed I am putting them into action. I thought at one point I’d better not let the GM know how easy they are to install but I’ve since found out that he is very happy for me. It didn’t take him long to realize that this meant I had more time to look after other things that one can normally let slide during major studio renovations. We joke about the single “red network” cable that I plug in that takes care of all the I/O’s. Having the Logic controls follow with the audio sources makes it easy to move any automation system to any console seamlessly. With Longview Extenders on the PC’s we can patch any PC controls to the same rooms in seconds. We have a very active newsroom with 8 workstations that required audio sources. Using the XYC software here and other Jox prep areas we easily distribute the audio anywhere we want. I have simple complete control over who can switch what Source or Destination. Remote location audio is now only a mouse click away for anyone. The system has required almost zero support from Wheatstone. Within hours one can configure and have audio available throughout the network. It is very intuitive software and simple hardware connectivity. I’m going to be able to removes miles of multipair cable and gain back a wall in the rack room that was tied up with the dozens of R66 blocks and jumper cables. In minutes or even seconds I can give users access to audio that previously would have taken hours to jumper and document or worse …run cable to. AudioArts with the Net-75 is giving me the flexibility to deliver like never before. |
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