Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) has installed two Studer Vista 9 consoles in its production audio control rooms, in order to support a range of media production activities.

The Atlanta station was experiencing problems within its system and looked to Studer for their resolution. Its previous audio set-uo was a hybrid of two different manufacturers, which – according to GPB Senior Broadcast Engineer Darvin Sparks – contributed to the system’s instability: ‘Our old system was frequently leading to downtime in productions. We wanted a stable, reliable audio system that would serve as a foundation for our productions and could grow with our future needs.’

GPB also sought enhanced production capabilities in several areas, including improved system I/O, a flexible internal routing architecture, both Madi and audio over internet protocol (AoIP) capabilities, and a minimum of 32 channel strips per console.

For Tom Spencer, primary audio operator at GPB, the new Studer consoles have been a valuable addition to the studios: ‘The two Vista 9 consoles consistently meet the station’s wide range of production demands,’ he reports. ‘Internal routing is extremely flexible and intuitive, allowing for any last minute modifications that should arise during the course of a production. The Vista 9 microphone preamps are incredibly quiet and the EQ has a musical quality. In addition, compression and limiting are both transparent in their operations.’

Spencer is also impressed with the functionality of Studer VistaMix automatic mixing, a software upgrade available to all Vista digital mixing consoles: ‘VistaMix is indispensable,’ he says. ‘The ease of post-VistaMix routing options are very helpful in meeting an array of studio monitoring demands. Metering is easy to customise. The overall ergonomic design of the desk allows the operator to perform all necessary functions without compromising listening position or comfort. There has not been a production of any size that our Vista 9s could not handle.’

GPB’s familiarity with Harman Professional Solutions made it an obvious choice when it came to selecting the consoles – the station exclusively uses JBL Professional studio monitors, in addition to AKG microphones, Crown amplifiers and Lexicon reverb units.

‘We wanted a vendor known for solid support and a company with longevity that we could trust,’ Sparks says. ‘We have received superb support from our Harman Professional Solutions sales and support engineers—both before and after the sale.’

Beginning as a five-station educational TV network in 1970, GPB is now a multiplatform media production facility with 18 radio stations and nine TV stations, serving approximately 98 per cent of residents throughout Georgia and parts of Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. It has five TV production studios, four radio production studios and numerous video and audio editing suites. The station’s two TV production control rooms are mirror images of each other, and both use Studer Vista 9 consoles.