Japanese public broadcaster NHK has purchased another Lawo mobile audio kit – comprising a 24-fader Lawo mc²36 with a Compact I/O unit – to accompany its video trucks and mobile video equipment for capturing sports and cultural events.
Delivering a high-quality audio experience to NHK viewers, the new mobile kit joins a fleet of Lawo-equipped units, chosen for audio quality, reliability, flexibility and ease of setup. With individual video and audio units that can be combined freely, this flexibility provides efficient workflows and reduced set-up times in their NHK’s TV production.
Operating two terrestrial and two satellite television services, three radio networks plus NHK World Service, the state broadcaster the largest user of Lawo equipment in Japan with around 20 mc² systems – studio and mobile installations using mc²90, mc²66, mc²56 as well as mc²36 audio mixing consoles. NHK and Lawo also share a long R&D history, working together to develop the tools and practical applications needed to create an immersive audio experience with 3D surround audio (22.2). Both companies are committed to developing further technical innovations.
The mc²36 all-in-one mixing desk as it is also used in the NHK mobile kits, where it provides a comprehensive feature set that covers broadcast, theatre, house of worship, live and install applications. A powerful 96-DSP-channel micro-core with internal 512x512 port audio matrix, and integrated I/O suit mobile and permanent installations with limited space. As it is natively equipped with Ravenna/AES67 technology, the mc²36 integrates into IP infrastructures. For operational security, the console has redundant power supplies and DSP redundancy.
In terms of connectivity, the console’s interfaces include 32 mic/line inputs, 32 line outputs, eight digital AES3 inputs, eight digital AES3 outputs, eight GPIO ports, one Madi (SFP) port, three Ravenna/AES67 channels, and a headphone jack. In addition to the onboard I/O, a Madi tie-line connection and three Ravenna/AES67 Audio-over-IP ports provide future-proof connectivity for up to 384 external inputs and outputs, offering a total capacity of 496 physical inputs and outputs.
Lawo Compact I/O is a convenient and cost-efficient way to expand the mc²36’s connectivity, and to provide a distant stagebox solution in addition to the on-board I/O. Connected via Cat5 or fibre (optional), the ruggedised 5RU stagebox provides 32 Mic/Line inputs, 32 Line outputs, eight digital AES3 inputs, eight digital AES3 outputs, eight GPIO and a Madi (SFP) port. The mc²36 allows for connecting up to three mc² Compact I/O.
The mc²36 is also fully prepared for intelligent networking with other mc²36/mc²56/mc²66 consoles, and can be operated with Lawo Nova audio routers for access to thousands of audio channels. Lawo mc² consoles provide intelligent mechanisms (including user-rights management) to allow input sharing between consoles.
More: www.lawo.com
