Kuala Lumpur-based Hot FM has opened two new regional radio studios in the Malaysia states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Driven by demand from listeners in the east coast communities of Malaysia, Hot FM has become Malaysia’s most popular station in these states. The new studios also represent the first Studer OnAir 1500 placements in Southeast Asia.
The digital mixing consoles have been supplied by local Studer and Harman Professional distributor Mahajak Trio Electronic. ‘Studer’s reputation is legendary in the audio industry and the attractive new OnAir 1500 product fitted the needs of our customer perfectly,’ says Mahajak Trio Senior Manager, Sales & Projects, Lee Chin Kah.
Hot FM is part of Synchrosound Studio, a subsidiary of Media Prima Berhad, Malaysia’s leading integrated media investment group, which also owns TV3, 8TV, NTV, TV9, Hot FM, Fry FM and One FM. Each station of its new studios has been equipped with one main and one back-up studio using 12-fader Studer OnAir 1500 consoles.
The four new OnAir 1500s will now feature as key parts of Hot FM’s daily news and music programming, taking network feeds from the National Broadcast Centre in Bandar Utama. Each studio can also go live-to-air with local programmes for the regional states.
Since acquiring Malaysia distribution of the Harman Professional brands, Mahajak has set about offering a complete one-stop solution to broadcasters. Hot FM was quick to arrange demo of the OnAir1500: ‘It ticked all the boxes and, most importantly, fitted the Hot FM budget while providing all the advanced features required,’ Lee says. ‘This newly developed digital mixing console is innovate, attractive, flexible, easy to configure and at the right price point.
‘Furthermore, no advanced programming skills are required,’ he adds. ‘The OnAir 1500 has all the features available in Studer’s complete range of OnAir consoles and provides a fully scalable platform of solutions to broadcasters.’
Despite its advanced feature set, the OnAir 1500 console boasts a compact form factor and is super slim for ergonomic table top installation and ease of relocation. The Nano SCore engine frame contains all the control and audio functions, with standard XLR sockets, making any additional breakout panel unnecessary. Future audio expansion is possible with the two separate card slots on the back of the Nano frame.
With more than 15 years experience of TV and radio projects (including projects for the Media Prima Group), Lee understands the precise needs of the customer – a fact acknowledged by, Sales Director of Studer Asia Pacific, Keith Prestidge. This has enabled the Mahajak Trio team to offer first class product support, including console user and maintenance training, which took place at the station’s Bandar Utama HQ.
‘The station’s engineers like the easy-to-use GUI, which is critical in a live self-operation studio environment, and the simple installation, as well as the unique touch and action concept of controlling the console intelligently,’ Lee reports. ‘Advanced features can be accessed quickly, while the intelligent colour coding system will steer the operator to the exact control required very quickly.’
The Media Prima engineering team was equally positive: ‘We needed a console that was reliable, well supported locally, fully featured and flexible to meet our workflow needs – but at the same time it still needed to meet our tight budget. The Studer OnAir 1500 console was the perfect fit.’
