The first Studer Vista 5 M3 digital mixing console has been installed by audiovisual technical services provider Euro Media for use on the popular C à Vous, a live, prime-time TV programme.
The mixing desk is at the heart of the hub of the audio system that is presently installed in a converted studio in a Paris industrial building. The former factory now hosts C à Vous, a cookery programme broadcast by France 5, in which guests join host Anne-Sophie Lapix ‘at home’. Euro Media also supplied the production company with the necessary technicians.
The building has been converted from its original use into a fully-equipped apartment on one floor, complete with a kitchen and its own dedicated video and audio production areas. Audiopole director Jean-Philippe Blanchard describes it as ‘a highly credible studio facility’. As well as presenter Anne-Sophie Lapix, the show features food critics and guest chefs preparing dinner in the studio kitchen, and is filmed on a fixed set.
However, space in the audio control room is limited and Euro Media required a large-capacity console in a reasonably compact footprint – and chose the Vista 5 M3. The desk includes TM7 touchscreen loudness metering alongside a its Vistonics touchscreen user interface. The production team was already familiar with the Vista platform and according to Blanchard, the team is really happy with the upgrades.
‘The Vista 5 M3 is a sensible use of their budget – and it’s the first sale of this console in France,’ Blanchard confirms. ‘They particularly like the FaderGlow feature, and they are really enjoying using the integrated loudness bargraph.’
The console is used in conjunction with Studer’s VistaMix, as multi-participant, unscripted shows such as this inherently suffer from both microphone spill and background noise, as active mics are successively added to the mix. Consequently, the overall sound quality deteriorates, leading to decreased intelligibility and phase distortion.
Instead of manually riding all the faders, VistaMix automatically mimics the action of a human operator so that active mic gain is increased while others mics are dimmes for a clean and balanced mix. ‘In this situation, VistaMix provides them with a perfect solution,’ Blanchard says.
The console was supplied by Audiopole, the French distributor for Studer.
See also:
Studer VistaMix
More: www.studer.ch
