Tucked away between the larger studios in the Dutch city of Hilversum – host to numerous media organisations, as well as radio and television broadcast studios – is Studiohuyz, where a new Yamaha TF-Rack mixer is playing a key part in a wide range of webinars and other online broadcasts.
Designed by architect EG Middag and built in 1934 the modernist architecture of Studiohuyz is an appropriate setting for Erik Huizinga’s studio to keep pace with advances in online broadcast. Having worked in the broadcast industry since 1986 as an independent producer, director and format designer, Huizinga was among the first Dutch online producers. His business, RTV & Film Produkties, produces online seminars for many customers, mainly related to in-service training in the medical, aviation and economics industries.
Since 2006 Huizinga has purchased all his technical equipment through Roger Creemers at Cue-Support BV, with Creemers designing the technical workflow and also supplying technicians, if necessary, to deliver the highest quality content. The studio can currently be operated by three people – one for all the cameras, one for the internet connections and a third operating everything else, included the audio. This multi-tasking approach meant the studio needed a high-quality digital mixer that was easy to operate, but had a comprehensive feature set.
‘The fact that TF-Rack is small, lightweight and has important things like Dan Dugan auto mixing, snapshots and can be remote controlled using Yamaha’s TF Editor software made it a great solution for the studio,’ Creemers says.
Inputs to the TF-Rack are from three to six wired lavalier microphones, with the outputs routed to a computer capable of running Zoom, Skype, MS Teams and Google Meet. An audio signal is routed from the computer back through TF-Rack to the monitor speakers in the studio, while there is also routing for combined audio and video recording of each session.
‘Another very nice thing about TF-Rack is the four user defined control knobs, which we use for quick volume control of several mixes, etc. We have also made several snapshots with, for example, different EQs that are instantly recallable,’ Creemers adds.
Huizinga also owns three mobile studios that all include a TF-Rack as their audio mixer. One is located in Atlanta (US) for medical congresses, while two in Europe are used for symposia, congresses, lectures, meetings and streaming events. The compact size of TF-Rack allows each complete mobile studio to be housed in a single flight case, making them a technically advanced, but highly portable broadcast solution.
‘While I focus on content and my customers, Roger and his team form the infrastructure and technical backbone of my company, thanks to his technical knowledge, skills, insights and innovative thinking,’ Huizinga says. ‘We always aim for the highest broadcast quality and I completely trust them to choose the best equipment, which is why TF-Rack is a central part of my systems.’
More: www.yamahaproaudio.com
