The Most Advanced User Interface Just Got Even Better: Studer Releases Vista 9 Digital Console

Building on the acclaimed and proven Vista digital mixing platform, the Vista 9 combines advanced ergonomic design with complete system flexibility, pristine audio quality and groundbreaking new features to create a console fit for a new age of broadcast and live production.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Following on from the Vista 5, 6, 7 and 8 desks, the Vista 9 takes the operator experience to a higher level, supplementing the Vistonics™ interface with radical and innovative ‘wide screen’ based TFT metering, FaderGlow™ and numerous other innovations.

The new metering really does give precision feedback on signal status. The channel meters are able to show mono--right through to 7.1 channel signals--in the upper section of the screen, while the lower portion can show bus assignment or for surround channels an image of the surround composite, providing a clear and easily understandable display of the surround signal. 

Alternatively, a unique HISTORY mode records events such as overloads in the audio path of each channel, and highlights them in red on the channel waveform. The operator can then review which channel had such an event, up to 30 seconds after the event has occurred. Furthermore, all stereo inputs and stereo masters have a correlation meter bar above the bargraph display.

The Control Bay meter section can be configured to show any choice of output busses and input channels and displays up to 40 meters at the time.

Studer’s patented Vistonics has won many friends worldwide thanks to its speed and ease of use and affinity to the analogue channel-strip way of working. Each touch-sensitive TFT screen shows 10 channel strips, with rotary encoders and switches mounted directly onto the screen, providing the operator with ‘Where you look is where you control’ ergonomics.

During a hectic live production, the context oriented FaderGlow™ provides the operator with an instant overview of the console status by illuminating each fader in one of eight freely-assignable colours. Suddenly it’s easy to see exactly where your channel groups are, dramatically increasing reaction time and reducing the stress of mixing in an environment where there is no second chance.

The new Vista 9 gives you absolute freedom to place input, as well as master channels, anywhere across the surface. You decide how you want your mixing session laid out. From surround input channels with an intuitive input balance section to stereo input channels with a 5.1 up-mixing panner to automatic down-mixer processes for outputs, the Vista 9 has all the practical tools for today’s and tomorrow’s surround productions built-in.  This includes dual speaker group 7.1 control room monitoring connectivity integrated into the desk.

Drawing on more than 60 years of experience in the design of rock-solid, industry-proven broadcast equipment, failsafe redundancy comes as standard with the Vista 9. Dual PSU’s as well as a dual control system ensures that component failure doesn’t mean loss of control over the mix, while a redundant network system keeps up the vital communication to the DSP core.

The Vista 9 integrates nicely with other Studer Vista and OnAir consoles and Routers by making use of the Studer RELINK network technology.  Communication to third party control systems is also provided, making the Vista 9 a future-proof investment.

The Studer Vista 9 has already shipped to the first customer installations, and is in full production. The Vista 9 will be on show for the first time at the Broadcast Equipment Exhibition of the Shanghai TV Festival and KOBA the following week.

Video examples of the Vista 9 metering can be seen at http://harmanprogroup.blogspot.com/2010/06/vista-9-video.html

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems.  HARMAN has a workforce of about 11,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $3.2 billion for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2010.  The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.


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Andy Trott Appointed President of AKG

Soundcraft, Studer and AKG combine under the same management team.

VIENNA, Austria – Andy Trott, President of Harman’s mixer business Soundcraft Studer, with facilities in the UK and Switzerland, has also been made responsible for AKG, headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

Stefan Gubi, who has headed up AKG or the past five years, is departing at the end of June, returning to a senior post in the telecom industry from where he originated prior to joining AKG.

Andy Trott, who has architected the ‘digitalisation’ of Soundcraft Studer’s business since he joined in early 2003, is understandably excited at the prospect of leading AKG. Speaking from Vienna today, Trott said, “Having a background as a digital engineer and a recording musician I am absolutely thrilled at the prospect of leading another legendary name in the audio industry. AKG has always been a brand I have revered and having now met with many of the team in Austria I can see many synergies with the new product development programs we have been pursuing in Soundcraft Studer.

“Harman’s strategy is to develop centres of excellence and by bringing our microphone and headphone business closer together with our mixer brands, we will be able to capitalise on engineering innovations currently under way in both camps--for example, we have several digital programs in place that can benefit from sharing one another’s creativity.”

Regarding organisation there will be minimal change, according to Trott. “We will obviously look for efficiencies and make sensible changes, but AKG is running well, much to the credit of Stefan’s [Gubi] work over the past four years. Nigel Beaumont, our VP of Operations, has been running our manufacturing operations across all three brands for almost a year now and the marketing teams, in line with all Harman Professional brands, work together on a daily basis so the businesses are comfortable working together.”

Accepting his new appointment in the same year as AKG received a coveted Technical GRAMMY Award, Trott was keen to point out that his strategy is to spearhead growth. “Like Studer, AKG has over 60 years of proud history valued by staff, distributors and customers alike, and this is something we want to protect as we pioneer new technologies--no other brands can offer such an integrated set of possibilities for future products as we can.”

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems.  HARMAN has a workforce of about 11,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $3.2 billion for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2010.  The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.

Harman Professional Shows Its World-Class Capabilities At Spectacular Opening Ceremony For Expo 2010 Shanghai China

Harman brands BSS Audio, Crown Audio JBL, Soundcraft and Studer will support the theme of the world’s largest-ever world’s trade fair, “Better City – Better Life”, with the advantage that Harman Professional technology brings to everything application: “Better Sound”

SHANGHAI, China — Underscoring its leadership in audio technology design and manufacturing, Harman (NYSE: HAR), a leading provider of branded audio and infotainment electronics for the home, the car, and sound professionals, today announced that key Harman products will play a crucial role in the Opening Ceremony for Expo 2010 Shanghai China, which takes place on April 30, 2010, in Shanghai.

The ceremonies, which will inaugurate the world’s largest-ever trade fair, where an anticipated 70 to 100 million attendees will view exhibits from over 200 countries during the event’s 6-month duration, will be dramatic, including music, vocalists, dancers and pyrotechnics.   The World Expo Opening ceremony, produced by DAE, will be an ambitious, highly coordinated multi-site spectacle with synchronized indoor programs at both the Expo Center and Performance Center and outdoor programs at the Celebration Square and along the Huangpu River.  An audience of 40,000 is expected to view these magnificent presentations. To assure that the ceremony will have the absolute best sound possible, the event planners have turned to BSS Audio and Crown Audio, JBL, Soundcraft and Studer to provide the most reliable and advanced audio technology in the world.

The technical scale of World Expo 2010 Shanghai is stunning and vast: the sound will need to cover over 3.2 million square feet of event space; 440 channels of Crown amplification totaling 350,000 watts of power as well as nearly 40 miles of fiber-optic cabling will be deployed – its total length can encircle the Tiananmen Square in Beijing 23 times! To meet these enormous requirements, the highly sophisticated Studer Route 6000 audio router’s 1728x1728 I/O capability is more than sufficient to address the 536 I/Os the audio systems will require, including 24 channels of stereo upmixed to 5.1 and 5.1 surround audio downmixed to stereo for the broadcast portions of the shows. The audio will be processed using 165 BSS Audio BLU 160 signal processors, creating a matrix of 660 channels of EQ, delay and dynamics processing. The audio will be delivered to the massive crowds though a number of JBL systems which will include a large distributed system utilizing Control 29AV two-way loudspeakers.  The primary loudspeaker system for Celebration Square will include Vertec VT-4889 and VT4880A line array clusters.  VRX Series will also be used in some select areas for the ceremonies.

“The scale of these ceremonies will be truly astounding,” explained Michael MacDonald, Harman Professional executive vice president of marketing & sales, noting that it will take a small army of 80 technicians 40 days to put all of the systems in place. “The scale, performance and reliability that an event like this demands can only be provided by a family of companies that are found within Harman. We’re extremely pleased to be working with Expo 2010 Shanghai China and show producer DAE to assure that these opening ceremonies will be the most amazing ever seen.”

Harman HiQnet™ is the world's first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by engineers from across Harman’s Professional Division and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Studer Vista 5 SR Console Helps Carrie Underwood’s North American Tour Bring Country To The Continent

Leading sound company Clair is providing live sound reinforcement for Carrie Underwood’s current North American tour, with a Studer Vista 5 SR digital console handling front-of-house duties. A previous winner of American Idol, Underwood is one of country music’s biggest stars and recently earned Entertainer of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music for the second year in a row--the only woman to ever accomplish that feat.

Underwood’s current production is elaborate, to say the least, with 12 tractor-trailer trucks alone transporting the tour’s equipment. When it comes to mixing each show, however, front-of-house engineer Randy Lane says his responsibilities are relatively straightforward, though challenging all the same. “I like to make sure that Carrie’s vocal is the focal point, but I’m also trying to make sure that what the band plays on stage is conveyed accurately to the audience,” he says. “She has a top-notch band with her and I’m trying to capture exactly what they play and just stay out of the way.”

As is often the case, Lane’s familiarity with the Studer Vista family of consoles is rooted in broadcast. “A lot of television studios in Los Angeles use Vista 8 consoles and I had listened to some of those,” he says. “I was very impressed with how creative you could be without having to rely on plug-ins. Just having the front end of the console sounding right is a huge step.”

In addition, Lane notes that while the Vista 5 SR has reinforced his opinion of Vista consoles, it has also made him a convert in other ways. “Honestly, before using the Vista 5SR, I still preferred analog consoles, because I never felt that the microphone preamp and EQ stages of digital consoles were of as high quality,” Lane says. “The Vista 5 SR has totally changed my view on that.”

With unrivaled technology supporting a massive collection of talent, Carrie Underwood’s tour has been an overwhelming success to date. “The crowds have been fantastic,” Lane adds. “The first few shows were in smaller venues and in the fall, the tour plans to move to the larger arenas.

“Carrie is absolutely one of the best vocalists I’ve worked with,” Lane adds. “She comes in for every sound check completely prepared. Every day at rehearsal, she was 100 percent ready for what she was doing with each song. It’s an absolute pleasure to see that level of professionalism and it certainly doesn’t hurt that she can belt it out.”

Lane also credits his colleagues for the tour’s success, including: Bret Stec, Audio Crew Chief; Ben Rothstein, Audio Technician; and Ariel Gendler, Audio Technician.

For more information on Clair, please visit www.clairglobal.com

Studer is a unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com). Harman International designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, and maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, employing more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”

Artist Photo Credit: Richard Simon

RedTX Uses Studer Vista 8 Digital Console To Drive The UK’s Most High Profile Concert Recording And Broadcast Events

From sold-out Rihanna concerts to the UK’s popular TV show The X-Factor, RedTX has been the driving force behind many of the UK’s live broadcast performances for years. Providing sound for such a wide array of performances and events, the company has needed an arsenal of equipment that’s reflective of its services, which include versatility, functionality, and usability. It is because of this that RedTX recently purchased a Studer Vista 8 digital console for all of its recording and broadcast needs.

According to Tim Summerhayes, Sound Engineer for RedTX, one of the most important features of the Studer Vista 8 is the snapshot recall that comes standard on every console. Because RedTX works at many events that feature multiple acts, it is often forced to change the sound parameters in a very short amount of time during many shows. With the Studer Vista 8, RedTX has the ability to pre-program EQ, gain, and every other component before the actual show and adjust for each song in live time at the touch of a button.

One of the events where the Studer Vista 8 played a pivotal role was during the broadcast of the UK’s hugely popular reality show, The X-Factor. The show pitted 12 contestants or bands against one another, with a panel of high profile judges eliminating one contestant each week. According to Summerhayes, each song required its own arrangement, but the engineers had very limited rehearsal time before the broadcast. With the Vista 8 console, RedTX was able to work out the requirements with the engineers and producers before the show, and adjust for each band at the touch of a button during the broadcast.

“With the Studer Vista 8, it was like each performer had their own console,” said Summerhayes. “With the snapshot recall, we were able to dial in the recall for each band in about 2 seconds and at the touch of a button. With other consoles, the changeover is choppy and harsh, but with the Studer Vista 8, it’s absolutely seamless and fadeless.” 

Another event where the console’s versatility, functionality, and usability were key was at Rihanna’s concert in December at London’s Brixton Academy There, RedTX worked with the performers sound team during two rehearsals to program the console before each show, where it was possible to set the EQs and effects before the show, and isolate certain channels on the console during the show for a flawless performance.

“Operationally, the Vista 8 is very intuitive and straightforward,” continued Summerhayes. “It’s like any computer when you know where all of the parameters are, and you can just go to it and change it. The headroom is good, the metering is excellent, and the fact that we can adjust with layers is amazing. It’s just a high-end board that we couldn’t do without.”

Studer Adds Tibor Tamas To Sales Team

Effective immediately, Studer Professional Audio GmbH has appointed Tibor Tamas as the new Sales Engineer for Germany, Austria, Greece and the Eastern European countries.

Tibor Tamas is a Studer veteran having worked for the company for over 32 years. He started in 1977 as an apprentice to continue his education as an Electronics Engineer with Studer and worked in the R&D department developing Mixing Consoles. Subsequently Tibor joined the service department providing worldwide Product Support/Engineering and more recently spent 4 ½ years in North America, firstly at Studer Canada then JBL – Studer’s Distributor in the USA - as a Sales Engineer and Technical Service Manager for Studer.

Ian Staddon, VP Sales of Studer said, “Having Tibor in the role as a Sales Engineer allows Studer to utilize his vast experience in both console and system architecture to provide our distributors and customers with in-depth knowledge and consultation on Studer System hardware and Software. Additionally due to his past experience in training our customers, he will be able to support on an operational level in Production, TV/Radio Broadcast as well as the many live sound applications that our Studer digital mixing systems are used in. He will be a great asset to Studer as well our partners.”

Pauler Installs Vista 5 In Stockfisch Recording Studio

For more than 30 years Günter Pauler’s Stockfisch Records label has been aimed at audiophile fans of guitar-oriented singer-songwriters and revivalists on its label — harking back to the 1970’s. Many of the artists include European musicians as well as American expats — with well known names rubbing shoulders with new discoveries. And their CD’s are recorded in Günter’s Pauler Acoustics studio.

With acoustic guitarists constantly striving to have their artistry recorded dynamically and transparently, the studio maintains a policy of conscientious selection of its studio equipment.

Recently they opted to purchase a Studer Vista 5 mixing console from the company’s German distributors, Audio Pro Heilbronn, which will be used for all their in-house productions. Special attention was therefore given to the quality of the sound as well as the intuitive control surface.

After the first recording sessions, Günter Pauler could not have been more positive. "The aural characteristics of this desk are outstanding — the Vista 5 delivers soft transparency, with a spatial resolution that I have never experienced before on a digital desk.

“What particularly inspires me is that on every channel there is a parallel compressor, which in its control mode stands comparison with the best-known American analogue compressors.”

The Vista 5 is based on the Vistonics™ control interface, which offers visual reference at the exact place at which a parameter is changed. This makes for a very flexible and fast working mixing surface. The inputs and outputs as well as the entire DSP capacity are completely scalable and can be adapted to suit the individual needs.

Pauler Acoustics use principally AES/EBU and MADI digital interfaces, over which the mic preamp and recording system operate.

Already, within a few weeks of the Vista 5’s installation the first CD has been released — Paul O' Brien’s Walk Back Home.

TV Nova Completes Trio Of Studer Vista Installs

Czech Commercial TV station, TV Nova, has been a prominent customer of AudiTech, Studer’s Prague-based distributor, since its first broadcast in 1994.

Now celebrating 15 years of highly successful operation it has grown to become by far the most important member of the CME Group, achieving market leader status with revenues and profits making it the biggest private TV station in the Czech Republic.

During this time Nova has also continually strived to pioneer new advanced technologies, with the help of AudiTech serving as a competence centre. With fibre optics and Ethernet networks progressively penetrating studio environments, these new technologies are implemented, tested and used by AudiTech on a daily basis.

“Whenever a new Studer model or innovative solution is introduced, TV Nova will be the first customer we approach,” says AudiTech director, Libor Havlicek. “The station’s young team — both technical support and sound engineer personnel — are always willing to invest their efforts.”

It was this open-mindedness that drove the sale of the first Vista 6 (Serial No. 0002) six years ago. This oldest broadcast and production console remains in use on News Center 2 (on the paid-for Nova Sport channel). Configured 80-In/80-Out, 46 channels, 27 busses, its primary use is live on-air application and recording.

The flagship of TV Nova is the Vista 8, delivered as a part of a turnkey solution to News Center 1 by TLS studio house (with commissioning and after-sales support handled locally). This system comprises 160-In/138-Out, 98 channels, 48 busses and ten shared processes. The ‘8’ is used for live news in prime time on the main TV Nova channel, live morning show and many other news-related production tasks.

However, the latest member of the Vista family to join the TV Nova family is the Vista 5. This was recently commissioned for use in the new Production Center, which is mainly used for recording MTV programmes linked to a ProTools workstation via MADI. It boasts an impressive SCore matrix, configured 282-In/192-Out (including 64-channel MADI), 88 channels, 46 busses and 13 shared processes. Its remote location (800 metres away in another complex) with optical fibre connectivity in place, opens up plans for resource sharing via Studer’s RELINK system in the New Year.

Says Libor Havlicek, “All consoles typically use many external sources: all matrix in/outs are already being used (and several layers), and further expansion is now being considered. Projects are always ongoing, with the result that many personally-configured snapshots are used by sound engineers who alternate in the same environment. As a result, the RELINK approach is certainly being considered, making a swap of the older D19m by D21m technology a must.”

Added TV Nova Chief Sound Engineer, Jiri Stekr, "After six years of experience with three Vista models we can confirm that all our colleagues have been able to operate the consoles, and use a substantial part of their features, very quickly. We are very happy with the system philosophy, where intuitive operation is the key word.”

Globo TV Takes Second Vista 8 From Libor

Brazil’s leading television network, Rede Globo Television (TV Globo), has commissioned a new Studer Vista 8 live/broadcast console.

The sale was confirmed by the company’s territory distributor, Sao Paulo-based Libor Comercio E Importacao, who has been working with the network since its inception 20 years ago.

Libor’s president, Henry Spong says that following early sales of Studer recorders and CD players there had been no further sales of Studer equipment to the station until relatively recently — after the Vista 8 had been previewed in late 2004. “The following year the network became the first in Brazil to purchase a Vista 8 from us — in time for the FIFA World Cup of 2006.”

It was the success of this first Vista 8 that prompted the latest purchase of a 50-fader desk. “TV Globo’s excellent experience with the original desk was fundamental in achieving this sale,” believes Henry Spong.

The new console takes up residence in a large production complex (known as Projac), in the Jacarepagua area of Rio de Janeiro. Here eight identical studios are used (principally for soaps) along with two large audience participation studios for shows.

It was the digital upgrade of the first of these large ‘auditorium’ studios to full HDTV capabilities that saw the Vista 8 specified as the main audio desk, after simpler solutions had been adopted for the less critical requirements of the ‘soap’ studios.

“Although there was strong competition, and all major brands were evaluated, no other console was able to match the all round performance of the Vista 8,” continued the Libor president. “We were able to close the deal by offering competitive pricing and good after-sales support.”

It is the comprehensive snapshot system and dedicated mute groups that make Vista 8 the perfect multipurpose solution for live performance and live studio broadcasts, combining and extending the powerful on-air features of the Vista 6 with the dynamic automation of the Vista 7. Furthermore, the new control bay design offers more faders in a smaller footprint making it ideal for both fixed install broadcast and remote vehicle applications.

TV Globo have sent personnel to the Studer factory for training to apprise them of the performance, operation and servicing of the Vista 8, and the network (including project engineers, operation personnel and maintenance) is said to be very pleased with the Vista 8’s performance. “In particular they feel very comfortable with the Vistonics™ operating platform and the redundancy philosophy,” says Mr. Spong.

As a result, a subsequent project will see the first of Globo’s large HDTV OB trucks installed with a further Vista 8.

Radio-Canada Acadie Takes To The Air With Studer Vista 5

In the first use of a Studer Vista 5 console in a CBC/Radio-Canada facility, Radio-Canada Acadie with main studios located in Moncton, New Brunswick recently purchased a Vista 5 for its television studio.  Sold through Solotech Inc., the Vista 5 console features 32 faders in a 42-fader chassis.

When deciding on a console, Radio-Canada Acadie needed one that could operate daily without fail. “The Vista 5 is used seven days a week,” says Maurice Cyr, operations manager for Radio-Canada Acadie. “We have only one studio, one control room and one Vista 5, so the console must be dependable and perform well, day in and day out. If it fails, we can’t go to air since we have no backup or replacement available in our plant. Our operations dictate that we have an audio control board that is trustworthy, and so far the Vista 5 has not let us down.”

Radio-Canada Acadie’s audio technician Roger Thériault along with team members Ghislain Jean; project leader from CBC/Radio-Canada Broadcast Engineering in Montreal and Gilles Bourgeois; maintenance technician and project coordinator in Moncton—researched a variety of audio consoles for the facility. “We chose the Vista 5 because it was the audio console that best met our present and future program needs. This model offers us the features and options we felt were a must for the production of our live daily news programs" Cyr says. " Every audio source and setting we need to do our shows can be programmed and accessed on one surface. We can now do our news programs without having to go live into menus and layers to access the different sources. This allows us to react instantly to sometimes very complex and unpredictable situations” adds Roger Thériault, the main operator of the Vista 5 in Moncton.

The number of available outputs on the Vista 5 was also an important deciding factor for Radio-Canada Acadie, as well as the console’s Vistonics™ operating interface, which provides instant overview as well as instant access to critical controls, thus making operation quick and safe. “The Vista 5 affords us the possibility of doing many ‘live’ remotes during the show with features such as interphone, mix/minuses and a listen function for the live reporters in the field,” says Thériault.  “The Vistonics system makes the board very user-friendly and is much appreciated by everyone and anyone that operates the Vista 5."

“Additionally, the mix/minus feature on the Vista 5 offers us new possibilities with our live remotes.  For example, the host can now communicate off air with the reporter in the field, all this while the item is being aired live” adds Maurice Cyr. 

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

First Studer Vista Off The New UK Production Line

Soundcraft Studer’s production strategy; to converge both brands production in the Potters Bar facility, passed a significant milestone this week. With UK production now in full swing, the first Studer Vista large-format consoles were completed and went through test procedures with flying colours.

Formerly Vista, OnAir 3000 and Router production was done in the Studer Regensdorf facility near Zurich in Switzerland. Speaking from the Potters Bar production floor, Soundcraft Studer President Andy Trott reflected, “Over the past few months our staff here and in Switzerland have worked incredibly hard to transfer the knowledge, logistics and skills to the UK team, and so to see our flagship product come through its rigorous tests so smoothly today is a great testament to the quality of our people on both sites. From planning and procurement, to PCBA, build and test, I have to salute the production team and all the supporting staff for an amazing job well done.”

To accommodate the additional workload the UK plant has doubled its production floor-space and added over 20 staff. Vice President of Operations, Nigel Beaumont added, “The UK factory has gone through a massive transformation over the last few years. Five years ago we invested $7m installing the most advanced PCBA line in Europe. Now we have added hi-tech cell manufacturing based on LEAN methodologies in order to assemble, configure and test our products in Potters Bar. We also handle NPI prototype manufacturing from this facility, the key rule is; prototype and configurable products are handled here and the bulk of our other products are assembled offshore. That means Studer Vista, OnAir and Router products and customer configured Soundcraft Vi Series are finished and shipped from Potters Bar. Most of these products are built to specific customer requirements, so having all this under one roof improves our efficiency and yield considerably and provides our customers with the opportunity to come and inspect progress on their orders.”

The business is also in the process of constructing the largest console demonstration and customer centre in the world. The facility in Potters Bar will also house two large Customer Acceptance Test (CAT) rooms, a large multi-media training suite and three large, interconnected studios in order to showcase live, broadcast and production technologies. Trott explained, “This investment is a commitment to our customers and products. Many of our clients want to check and approve the systems before their installation takes place and we will also be able to offer them a superb environment to train their staff. We also plan to support industry associations, societies and educational establishments by allowing the centre to be used for meetings and conferences.”

The centre will also be host to the largest collection of Soundcraft and Studer mixing and recording exhibits spanning over 40 years. The Soundcraft Studer Heritage Centre will provide visitors a unique journey through both company’s pasts including many of the world’s most famous studio tape recording machines ranging from the famous Abbey Road Studer J37 first used on The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s album, the first ever touring Console - the Soundcraft Series 1, right through to the latest and greatest digital technologies from both brands.

Trott Concludes, “Harman’s strategy is to focus on Centres of Excellence and by Christmas we will have moved our Regensdorf team to the beautifully equipped new Console Technology Centre focusing entirely on new product development; this includes R&D, Product Management, Projects, Customer Service and Production Engineering. Potters Bar will continue to focus on Production, Marketing, Engineering, Sales, and Service and supporting functions. We’ve now reached the right balance between our two sites - harnessing the benefits of UK engineering and production excellence in Potters Bar and Swiss design and innovation in Regensdorf. I’m very proud that when most other companies have cut their investment we have increased ours by another $1.5million, that’s got to be good for our customers and the market as a whole.”

Photos:  Vista 8 Team 2: Andy Trott and some of the UK and Regensdorf production staff with the first Vista 8 to come off the Studer production line

           Vista 5 team: First Vista 5 and UK/Swiss production team

Pro Plus Adds Second Studer Vista 5 In Slovenia

Leading Slovenian television broadcaster, PRO PLUS, has added a second Studer Vista 5 to its facility in Ljubljana.

Supplied by territory distributors AVC Group, the new 32-fader Vista 5 joins a similar 42-fader version supplied and installed by AVC previously.

Part of the powerful CME Group, thanks to its TV programmes POP TV, Kanal A and TV PIKA, PRO PLUS is a leading independent television broadcaster, with the highest viewing audience in the country.

The company had been looking for a flexible, and reliable digital mixing platform and the Studer Vista 5 offered the perfect solution.

One of the requirements was that both consoles would need to share all inputs in the system, and thanks to Studer’s RELINK functionality, the request was easily met.  In fact the RELINK I/O sharing system can link numerous Studer consoles in various locations within a Broadcast facility to allow audio source and control data sharing across a wide network.

“This solution provided PRO PLUS programmes with the perfect price/performance ratio, enabling multiple desks to be connected into the system,” confirmed AVC Group’s Tomi Trsar.

While the first Vista 5 is located in the largest of POP TV’s studios, where prime time shows are recording or transmitted live, the new desk will be used mostly for live news.

Both Vista 5’s are used for 5.1 audio mixing and the entire system is configured for 48 mic channels, 64 line channels, 48 AES/EBU inputs and 30 SDI inputs. The 42-fader desk can handle up to 288 inputs/256 outputs, while the 32-fader desk can handle up to 240 inputs/128 outputs.

CME and its local partners are the leading television group in Central and Eastern Europe, with operations in seven countries reaching an aggregate of approximately 97 million people. One of three television channels operated by the TV management company PRO PLUS, POP TV reaches 95% of the Slovenian population by terrestrial transmitters, with a further facility to be watched via satellite provided by Total TV.

The Force Is With Studer For Star Wars: In Concert

The world’s greatest entertainment franchise in history is currently on the road with the world’s most advanced digital live sound mixing console, the Studer Vista 5 SR. Star Wars: In Concert combines John Williams’ unforgettable film score, performed by a live symphony orchestra and chorus, with specially edited footage from the six Star Wars films. Through each musical piece, audiences experience the key themes, characters and story elements of the epic Star Wars saga from an entirely new perspective. To assure the experience will be as intense and immersive as the films themselves, sound for Star Wars: In Concert is mixed using the Studer Vista 5 SR digital live mixing console featuring the award-winning Vistonics™ user interface. The Vista 5 SR is handling 110 inputs per night for a massive symphony orchestra playing beneath a gigantic 60 x 30-foot high-definition projection screen. In the words of Steve Colby, the FOH mixer for the touring show, “Everything about this production is big, and the Vista 5 SR has not skipped a beat.”

Colby, who has been the primary FOH mixer for the renowned Boston Pops Orchestra for over 30 years and who is often called upon for his expertise with symphonic ensembles in very large venues, was introduced to the Studer Vista 5 SR for this project by Fred Vogler, Sound Designer for Star Wars: In Concert. Colby is very happy with the introduction. “The console sounds terrific, very clean and musical,” he says. “We’re at 100 inputs at 96 kHz and the DSP can handle it with no trouble at all.” Colby has quickly become a fan of the Vista 5 SR’s Vistonics touchscreen technology. “The Vistonics user interface is really powerful,” he says. “It’s really nice having soft encoders embedded within the screen.”

The Vista 5 SR is the hub of a complex live sound-for-picture production and a sound system provided by Montreal-based Solotech and operated by Systems Technician Patou. The console is working in conjunction with a Rosendahl Nanosyncs HD Multi Standard Sync Engine that locks PAL, NTSC or slow PAL, progressive or interlaced HD video and digital audio reference signals together in any required combination, producing a perfectly synchronized and powerful AV performance. “We’re also using a Lexicon 960L digital reverb as outboard, but otherwise, the Vista console is doing the lion’s share of the work, and it’s doing it extremely well,” Colby says. “It’s a great console and I’m planning on looking into using one with the Pops in the future.”

The compact Studer Vista 5 SR digital mixing console is a road-ready version of Studer's famous Vista 5 console and combines award-winning Vistonics-based technology with a highly cost-effective price. The Vista 5 SR comes with preset configurations for front-of-house and monitor use. A stand-alone Config Editor tool allows the channel/bus structure to be customized, all of which can be saved for each particular show setup and instantly recalled from memory or a USB stick at a later date. The expandable I/O system allows the entire range of available Studer D21m Series I/O cards (including CobraNet and Aviom A-Net) to be added to the system. The MADI standard is used as optical snake link from stagebox to FOH rack, with the possibility to add a redundant snake for increased security. The Vista 5 SR also comes with numerous facilities to aid production, including Studer’s proprietary VSP panning system, which can be used to great effect to control panning without level shifts.

Other members of the sound crew on Star Wars: In Concert include: Matt Fox, PA Crew Chief; Patou Lemay, PA Systems Tech; Jeremy Walls, PA Tech; Hilario Gonzalez, PA Tech; Greg (Chico) Lopez, Stage Sound Tech; Richard Morris, Stage Sound Tech.

Sting Debuts New Material With Studer Vista 5 SR

Sting recently performed two intimate concerts at the Durham Cathedral in northeast England, marking the first time the legendary musician played selections from his upcoming album, “If On a Winter’s Night…” Sting recorded the performances live for DVD release and audio supplier Audio-Rent Clair provided the sound system for the event, which included a Studer Vista 5 SR digital console for front-of-house mixing.

Completed in 1133 AD, the historic Durham Cathedral is known as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in the world and is a major tourist attraction within the northeast England region. Each year, more than 600,000 people visit the Cathedral, which is also well known for some of the Harry Potter films.

Sting’s performances featured an unconventional setup of Sting with a 16-piece string section, multiple percussionists, a brass section and backing vocals, as well as a large selection of traditional English instruments such as the Welsh harp, lutes and Northumbrian pipes. Rehearsals took place over a 2-week period in the “Chapter House” adjacent to the main cathedral.

Howard Page, Clair Senior Director of Engineering, mixed the performances, utilizing the Vista 5 SR to overcome the challenges of a 62-input orchestra in a cathedral setting. “The transparency of the Studer Vista 5 SR was certainly a great help to achieve a breathtaking experience for the invited guests,” Page said.

The compact Studer Vista 5 SR digital mixing console is a road-ready version of Studer's famous Vista 5 console and combines award-winning Vistonics™-based technology with a highly cost-effective price. The Vista 5 SR comes with preset configurations for front-of-house and monitor use. A stand-alone Config Editor tool allows the channel/bus structure to be customized, all of which can be saved for each particular show setup and instantly recalled from memory or a USB stick at a later date. The expandable I/O system allows the entire range of available Studer D21m Series I/O cards (including CobraNet and Aviom A-Net) to be added to the system. The MADI standard is used as optical snake link from stagebox to FOH rack, with the possibility to add a redundant snake for increased security. The Vista 5 SR also comes with numerous facilities to aid production, including Studer’s proprietary VSP panning system, which can be used to great effect to control panning without level shifts.

Studer is a unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com). Harman International designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, and maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, employing more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”

Soundcraft Si3 Console To The Rescue At Mapleview Community Church

Looking to provide tremendous versatility in a cost-effective manner, systems integrator AV Communications recently installed a Soundcraft Si3 console as the centerpiece for its audio system design at the new Mapleview Community Church in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

Housed in a former sports arena, Mapleview Community Church currently seats up to 900 people, and is part of a much larger campus that eventually will include sports facilities, a daycare center and other recreational areas. In addition to the requirements for customary SPL, dynamics, and Percentage of Articulation Loss of Consonants, there were two requirements for this installation: It needed to fit within the designated budget and it needed to include a digital console. The console needed to handle 32 channels of mixing and a dozen auxes, and it had to be flexible enough to handle day-to-day presentations by members of the church, in addition to presentations by other members of the community who had already rented out the facility in advance. With the Soundcraft Si3 console, not only did Mapleview get the necessary flexibility and scene recall that’s unmatched in other mixing desks, but AV Communications also completed the entire installation within budget.

“Not only did the Si3 fit all of the requirements for the project, but the learning curve was so short that we knew the sound crew would be up and running in short order,” said Gerry Harbridge, President of AV Communications. “After a short rehearsal, we were ready to go much faster than we would have been if we had just dropped in an analog desk.

“Our client was just elated with the finished design,” continued Harbridge. “Top to bottom, the system is exemplary, and they are thrilled and actually amazed that we pulled it off within their budget, which we wouldn’t have been able to do without the Si3.”

Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown Tour Stays Intact With Studer Vista 5 SR

Green Day’s ongoing world tour in support of its latest album, 21st Century Breakdown, has its monitors mixed on the compact yet powerful Studer Vista 5 SR digital mixing console. It was the first and only choice for monitor mixer Beau Alexander, who has worked with the multi-platinum Green Day since 2004s American Idiot world tour.

Alexander, who has also mixed for artists including Tool, Hootie and The Blowfish and My Chemical Romance, says the Vista 5 is an excellent fit with the Green Day tour. “What makes it a great fit for Green Day is the number of outputs it has,” he explains. “When we started the 21st Century Breakdown record cycle, I didn't know if we were going to be using in-ears or wedges for monitoring, so I had to set the desk up for both, and when I did that I was using somewhere around 40 outputs, which the Vista 5 can easily handle.”  Alexander is currently running 71 inputs along with 30 outputs (Green Day ultimately chose to work with in-ear monitoring).

But while Alexander initially chose the Vista 5 for its large input capacity, he quickly discovered how its advanced feature set and powerful performance characteristics worked in his and the band’s favor. “Now that I have it on tour there are so many more reasons to use the Studer over any other digital desk,” he says. “The Vista 5’s ease of use has made life simple. You can set it up to have all your master faders and VCAs all on a single page. And the Contribute function is amazing--being able to see everything that is going to the mix and being able to adjust on the same page with out having to first find the strip, then the aux, makes it incredibly convenient. The footprint of the console also helps us out tremendously because it frees up so much space for other equipment. And last but definitely not least, the board sounds great. It’s incredible. It’s the only digital board on the market that is giving analog a run for its money.”

The compact Studer Vista 5 digital live broadcast and production console combines award-winning Vistonics™-based technology with a highly cost-effective price. The Vista 5 is the first Vista console to be produced with PCB assemblies from Soundcraft Studer‘s new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in the UK. While using a new SCore Live DSP engine, the tabletop-mounted Vista 5 follows the same operational principles and uses the same Vistonics screens as the Vista 6, 7 and 8.

Artist Photo Credit: Julia Stryj

Shattered Glass Prepares For The 2010 World Cup With The Soundcraft Si2 Console

As South Africa’s leading supplier in technical event staging, Shattered Glass has depended on Soundcraft consoles to deliver flawless performances in some of the most highly attended international events for years. With its past experience validating Soundcraft’s ability to handle even the most complex setups and the 2010 FIFA World Cup coming to South Africa next year, the company recently purchased the Soundcraft Si2 to prepare for the events ahead.

Shattered Glass has been using the Soundcraft Vi6 console for years for various types of live applications, including corporate events, concerts, and theatre environments, without ever having experienced the slightest interruption. After reviewing the features, Shattered Glass realized that the Si2 was also a perfect solution for all of its live sound needs based on the console’s ability to switch between channel and global mode, the FX and dynamics processing on every channel, and the easy VCA routing. In addition, the incredible versatility that allows the Si2 to be used for a multitude of applications meant that Shattered Glass will be prepared for any and every event at the FIFA World Cup.

“We chose the Si2 because it is so user-friendly,” said Adriano Landi, the technical director for Shattered Glass. “Any good sound engineer will be able to use this desk in a matter of minutes without using it before. It’s compact, straightforward, easy to learn and so easy to train on.”

Shattered Glass has already used the Si2 for several events, including the Coca-Cola Moment 4 Summer Recruit, the MNet Long Service Awards, and the Vodashop Spring Break at Sun City. With its totally independent filters, 31 band EQ and dynamic processing, the Si2 has already lived up to the high expectations set by the Vi6.

“The Si2 is an absolute pleasure to work with and outstanding value for our money,” Landi continues. “We are delighted with our investment and look forward to many more performances to come.”

Soundcraft is a unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com).
Harman International designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, and maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, employing more than 11,000 people worldwide.  The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®.  Harman International’s stock is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”

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The Score Television Network Raises Its Game With Studer Vista 5 Console

Looking to outfit its new street-front HD studio in downtown Toronto, The Score Television Network recently purchased a Studer Vista 5 console to handle 5.1 sources and output 5.1 to The Score’s HD channel. The console was sold by Studer Canada via Applied Electronics, Ltd., which also provided consultation, system design and integration of The Score’s entire broadcast system.

The Score is a Canadian English-language cable television sports network, broadcasting live sports coverage, as well as sports news, highlights and analysis. The design of The Score’s new HD studio required a console that could handle SDI inputs and outputs. “Some of our shows would require bringing in live NBA, NCAA basketball and football feeds,” says Michel Blondin, Supervisor, PCR for The Score. “For example, our show, ‘Court Surfing’ would bring the viewer up to 10 different NBA games at any given time. We basically changed the channel for the viewers, bringing them the best action of any game.”

Blondin also notes that intuitive operation and recall-ability were also key factors in The Score’s decision to purchase the Vista 5. “The layout of the desk with the Vistonics™ interface was nicely spread out and extremely user-friendly, which made the transition from analog to a digital console easier for the audio operators,” Blondin explains. “Additionally, the new studio is in use live from 7 AM to midnight with up to eight different shows on a daily basis. Having the ability to save and recall different board setups [snapshots] for each show was a must.”

Since installing the Vista 5, The Score has seen a vast improvement in its efficiency and creative potential. “All the audio gear required for live broadcasting is now at our fingertips,” Blondin says. “Workflow has increased and we always seem to push the envelope, sometimes doing two shows at the same time!”

In addition to the Vista 5’s functionality, Blondin has also been impressed with Studer’s support. “Studer has been there for us every step of the way, from introducing us into the world of digital mixing to keeping us up to date on software updates, while dropping by from time to time to see how things are going,” he said. “All in all, the Vista 5 is a solid console that has been put to the test and has surpassed our expectations.”

For more information on The Score, please visit www.thescore.com

Square Brussels Gets Hip To Studer Consoles

Square Brussels, a new event space in the Belgian capital, recently purchased Studer Vista 5 and Vista 5 SR consoles as part of the sound reinforcement system for its auditorium. Belgium-based company Play, based in Nazareth, installed the consoles, which were purchased through Studer’s Belgian representative HeynenNV.

Square Brussels offers 13,500 square meters of meeting rooms, exhibition space and a state-of-the-art auditorium. The venue is in the heart of Brussels, offering breathtaking views of the city skyline and is located only 300 meters from the Royal Palace and next to the Museum of Arts and the Royal Library. Square Brussels is very sleek in its design and is perfectly integrated in the surrounding park with its plane trees. Old wall paintings from world masters have been restored and adorn the walls, while cutting-edge lighting, interior design, and top-class audio/video equipment all contribute to a warm, serene, inspiring and stimulating environment.

With its comfortable leather seats and modern design, Square Brussels’ large auditorium calls for the best and most versatile mixing consoles on the market today. In the end, ease of use multiple interfaces and scalability were the primary factors in choosing the Studer Vista 5 and Vista 5 SR consoles.

“The Studer Vista 5 and Vista 5 SR with its Vistonics™ interface are highly intuitive and very easy to use, which is perfect because during a live performance, the operator should be totally concerned with making the sound perfect as opposed to worrying about which button he is pressing," says Jos Jorissen, Managing Director for Heynen, which also supplied all HD video encoding and video over IP distribution equipment for the digital signage system.

For information on Square Brussels, please visit www.square-brussels.com <http://www.square-brussels.com>

For more information on Heynen Belgium, please visit www.heynen.be <http://www.heynen.be>

For more information on Play, please visit www.playbiz.be <http://www.playbiz.be>

Studer Vista 5 SR’s Mix French Opera Singer At Chateau De Versailles

When French opera singer Roberto Alagna performed a one-off spectacular at the Chateau de Versailles recently, supported by the 90-piece Orchestre de Paris (conducted by Michel Plasson), Studer Vista 5 SR digital consoles handled both the house and monitor mixes.

The concert, performed in front of 7,000 people, was held in the middle of La Fontaine de Neptune basin — on a concert stage especially set up for two months in the summer, specifically to stage spectacular events of this nature.

The sound reinforcement system was provided by French distributors, DV2 while the two Vista consoles were loaned by Audiopole, the French Studer distributor.

FOH sound engineer; Jean-Marc Aringoli, was already familiar with the Studer topography having used the Vista 8 for several years to mix ambitious live musical spectaculars for television such as Les Victoires de la Musique at the Paris Zenith.

He wanted to test the Vista 5 at a major outdoor event, believing the quality and innovative features and connectivity of the top-of-the-range Studer platform would best serve a traditional event such as this. A presentation by Audiopole’s Jean-Luc Gerard reinforced that belief.

After consideration it was decided to use one Vista 5 at FOH and one on monitors (for Alex Maggi), knowing that this would create an improved workflow.

A total of 80 mic inputs were divided between the two desks, with the FOH and monitor Local Racks respectively linked to the Stagebox via 150-metre MADI optical fibre snake. The show was digitally multitracked using a Tascam X48.

Stated Jean-Marc: "We achieved an excellent audio quality over the 150-metre fibre cable, with transparent mic preamps. This was perfectly set up for a classical music event of this type where you want to retain the dynamic of the signal — despite working in an outdoor environment, and with a very large number of microphones.”

Use of Studer’s Virtual Surround Panning (VSP) — the onboard DSP which is also used to calculate appropriate frequency and time-based changes as a sound is panned — was a further bonus.

“The EQ’s are very efficient,” continued Jean-Marc. “We had delays on all inputs to compensate for the distance and the VSP, with stereo pan simulation, was astonishing — you can now have a real stereo image for the entire audience.

Despite his extensive experience, Alex Maggi, was using the Vista 5 for the first time — but was no less enthusiastic about the Vista 5 SR. "This is an excellent console, offering huge possibilities. The control surface is easy to learn and the strip setup allows an impressive customisation of the surface. I really look forward to using it over a longer period."

Both men were unequivocal in their praise for this console. “It was the perfect choice for this event," they agreed.

Studer is a unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com). Harman International designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, and maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, employing more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”