The growing production challenges and I/O requirements associated with prime-time entertainment TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing have led the BBC to re-evaluate its audio mixing facilities. As a result, BBC Studios and Post Production has replaced the Studer Vista 8 at its George Lucas stages at Elstree with a Vista X.
The new fully redundant set-up offers sound supervisors a vast increase in I/O capacity and processing through the use of the system’s Infinity Core, with 12 high-capacity/high-speed A-Link audio interfaces providing more than 5,000 inputs and outputs, and more than 800 audio DSP channels. VistaMix – the automated microphone mixing for unscripted shows – and the fact that A-Link is being adopted by other manufacturers offers greater possibilities for audio distribution, routing and expansion.
BBC Studios and Post Production’s Sound Supervisor Andy Tapley is responsible for the sound infrastructure at the studios. The commissioning of the Vista X extends the studios’ long relationship with Studer, after Tapley chose the first Vista 8 for TC1 at BBC Television Centre a decade ago. ‘I always look forward to introducing new technology,’ he says. ‘We moved four Vista 8s to Elstree when we relocated from Television Centre in 2013 and at the same time revamped four of the stages, upgrading the desks to go further down the Madi route. But there comes a point where it becomes difficult to keep upgrading existing desks as production requirements change and grow. As a provider of premium studio space, we have a commitment to provide our clients with all the benefits of new technology.’
Tapley began mapping and populating the console in preparation for its debut (on The People’s Strictly for Comic Relief). It is accompanied by four high-density D23m frames, which break out the A-Link fibre connections to standard analogue, digital and video interfaces. ‘The fact that the new frames are backwards compatible with the D21 cards meant we could use all our existing I/O hardware’, he says.
The Vista X comfortably meets the demands placed on it by productions: ‘Our investment in the Vista X has further strengthened our gallery offering and enables us to streamline the delivery of studio audio, ensuring the requirements of a complex audio set-up like The People’s Strictly for Comic Relief are met without compromise. We’re delivering a high track count within a short space of time for each dance, and we have the flexibility to rearrange a mix to meet any last minute changes.’
To exemplify, this production is running 160 mono and 60 stereo channels on Strictly Come Dancing in addition to surround stems. VistaMix is a vital component, ‘This is a proven system,’ notes Tapley, ‘and one we have been using for over two years – it works extremely well. When you don’t know who is going to speak, it auto mixes in an intelligent way and you don’t hear any transition. And with 15 couples on radio mics cascading so that 30 radio mics are live at the same time, with all the ambient noise, that’s no mean feat. It’s well thought out and easily integrates into the desk.’
For redundancy, Studer’s Quad Star technology provides two independent DSP cores run in parallel to achieve ‘instant’ changeover. In practice, anyone accostomed to working a Vista can operate the desk: ‘Aside from the ergonomics the new meter bridge provides more information and a ‘history display’ shows the last 50s of waveform audio for each fader.
‘In the heat of a live show you cannot underestimate the importance of a colour reference on the desk to direct your hand to the right fader,’ he says of FaderGlow.
The installation was jointly carried out by IPE, who were responsible for the technical fit-out, and Custom Consoles, who provided the furniture. Run in tandem with the studio’s existing Studer OnAir 3000 console, which serves as a grams desk, studio router and more, the facility now has a set-up to carry it into the future.
More: www.studer.ch
