Manhattan Center Studios has completed a major upgrade of its Studio 1 TV production facility.
The historic performance, music recording and television production complex in central Manhattan has placed a Solid State Logic C10 HD Compact Broadcast Console at the heart of its TV1 Control Room, bringing improved audio quality and optimised workflow to its audio production.
‘Before the physical upgrade to Studio 1, we were constantly struggling with a digital console that was really designed more for a music recording environment, so everyday TV items like generating a simple mix-minus were a chore,’ says Marvin Williams, Director of Video Engineering & Operations. ‘With the C10, we now enjoy pushing a button to create one or multiple mix-minus feeds, saving time and letting our engineers focus on critical mixing for live-to-capture sessions. The C10 really solves our problems for audio production by giving us great sound, flexibility and features designed for TV applications.’
Manhattan Center Studios encompasses the magnificent Hammerstein concert space featuring 75-ft ceilings, The Grand, a 10,000-sq-ft (929 m²) space seating 1,200 people, two audio recording studios and two large TV production studios with associated edit suites. While the C10 in the TV1 Control Room is primarily used for Studio 1 productions, the console can service the audio needs of any of the Manhattan Center’s recording or production spaces, including The Hammerstein, through a 256-channel router.
The Hammerstein, one of New York City’s most renowned performance spaces, was built in 1906 by theatre impresario Oscar Hammerstein 1 as the Manhattan Opera House, with the aim of offering New Yorkers cheaper seats than the rival Metropolitan Opera. This landmark venue can accommodate up to 2,200 seated guests.
‘We really needed to move into the future and the C10 allows us to do just that,’ says Manhattan Center Studios Chief Engineer, Travis Butler. ‘The console addresses how we need to workand because of the industry standard design, the C10 is also familiar to many of the outside engineers we bring in for special sessions.’
Production of BBC America’s new Would You Rather…? With Graham Norton and Yes Network’s Centerstage benefitted from the C10’s Dialogue Automix feature, which automates level control for panel-type discussion programs. Once relative mic levels are set by the engineer, Dialogue Automix delivers smooth levels between participants while maintaining a consistent ambient level.
‘Would You Rather…? With Graham Norton is a comedy programme where panellists are asked outlandish questions, followed by heated and funny discussions,’ explains Williams. ‘The pace is very fast and that is perfect for the Dialogue Automix function on the C10. Programmes like these are now easy to accomplish. Also, as we will shoot the episodes for a particular show over several weeks, the ability to save and recall complete projects and individual presets is extremely useful to help speed up our workflow. In every way, the C10 makes easy work of our engineering tasks, improving the way we do business, and that is good for the bottom line.’
More: www.solidstatelogic.com
