Well placed among Australia’s leading teaching facilities, Macquarie University in Sydney has recently refitted its Faculty of Arts Radio Studios including installing a Lawo crystal broadcast console.

In keeping with its academic reputation, Macquarie operates some of the best radio facilities of any Australian university. The newly refitted studios include an on-air studio with a 12- fader crystal console, an on-air production control room, production booth and digital outside broadcast facility to support location broadcasts. Live broadcasts are possible via a broadcast link to community radio station 2-SER FM, which also has studios in the Y3A building at the university. This allows close collaboration between university and broadcaster. Radio is increasingly becoming multi-platform, and so the facilities tie closely to the Media Futures Lab and creative media platforms for integration across broadcast and online contexts.

In cooperation with Macquarie Radio Facilities Manager Peter Ring, Professional Audio Television supplied the Lawo crystal MkII console with a crystal frame to replace the existing ageing infrastructure. After a lengthy evaluation process, the university settled on the crystal system paired with VisTool control and visualisation software. Due to the flexible and intuitive customisation possibilities Lawo offers with the VisTools software, Ring took it upon himself to do most of the custom configuration.

‘Macquarie Uni made the right decision in providing students with a technology platform that they will encounter in the real broadcast industry,’ says PAT Engineering Manager, Adam Langham. ‘It was a pleasure to work with Mr Ring to deliver a cutting-edge studio for one of the leading educational facilities in Australia.’