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.

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.

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 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

Canadian Television Station TFO Employs Studer Vista 5 For Live Production

For the past two years, French-language Canadian educational public television network TFO has relied on a Studer Vista 5 console for its live production needs. TFO is a one-studio shop, with all of its productions coming from the same control room, producing children’s programming, teen programming and news-style shows. In 2007, TFO embarked on an initiative to run autonomously from TVOntario. Conveniently, this decision coincided with TFO’s preparation for digital and HD broadcast, with the goal of functioning completely tapeless. With a new location, new studio, new control rooms and edit suites, the need for new (digital) equipment was apparent.

As a member of the committee called upon to select a console for the new studio, Andy Gargul of TFO had a laundry list of criteria. “We really wanted to stay away from any console that was heavily ‘menu-driven’ or had master soft knobs in one area for dedicated functions [EQ, compression, sends, etc.],” Gargul says. “After seeing demos of all the consoles, we all felt that not only did the Vista give the most features for the price; there were a variety of features that were quite unique, like the Vistonics screens and the off-air conference feature.”

Because of TFO’s diverse programming, each production has its own specific needs. “There is very little ‘set it and forget it’ at TFO,” Gargul says. “With the Vista’s file structure, the operators are ‘projects,’ and each production is a ‘title.’ This way, each operator can have his/her own console layout, EQ’s and dynamics without disturbing the others, and each show within that project can still have its own layout, EQ’s and dynamics.”

In the end, customizability has been the factor around which TFO has built its success. “For us, the biggest improvement was being able to tailor the console to each production’s needs, without having to find a compromise solely because of a piece of gear’s limitations,” Gargul says. “The fact that Studer decided to add the DAW layer and HUI implementation was an excellent idea, because I hate mixing with a mouse! The Vista is intuitive and very easy to use, which is great because during a live show, you really should be more concerned with making the sound better as opposed to worrying about which button you’re pressing.”

TFO purchased the Studer Vista 5 console through Studer Canada (www.studer-canada.com) and Applied Electronics (www.appliedelectronics.com)

France 24 Upgrades With Trio Of Vista 5s

International news and current affairs TV station, France 24, has purchased three Studer Vista 5 consoles — all of which have been installed over the past two past months.

The Paris-based channel was launched in December 2006 to broadcast French news throughout the world in French, English and Arabic. It immediately became so successful that today it broadcasts 24 hours a days in French and English, and ten hours a day in Arabic (with Spanish due to be added shortly).

Since the complexity of multiple translations was making operation more and more difficult, France 24 decided to replace its three on-air consoles with Vista 5s, placing the order through Studer’s French distributors, Audiopole.

Jean-Philippe Blanchard, Director of the Broadcast Division at Audiopole, confirmed, “France 24 was being expected to handle more and more mix minus signals and simultaneous translations — and it was a nightmare to do that with their existing consoles.”

And so they took the decision to purchase the Vista 5s, which are installed in the three identical on-air studios, after evaluating other market-leading brands, but knew the Vistonics™ touch screen interface made the Vista 5 unbeatable for on-air operations, while the new SCore Live DSP platform would give them vastly extended capacity. The compact size of the Vista 5 presented a further compelling argument, since studio space is restricted.

Each console is identically-equipped with 12 mic inputs, 32 analog line inputs, 40 analog line outputs and 32 AES in/out. The analog line inputs are used for telephone lines coming from a Studer Call Management System (CMS) and translation booths. The AES I/O’s are used for links to the video servers.

Audiopole has enjoyed an association with France 24 extending back to the very beginning, when the company sold a talkback system. It was the subsequent sale of that CMS — the first in France — that marked the station’s first experience with the Studer brand. “They were very happy with the product and the support we gave,” Blanchard reflects.

Commenting on the latest installations, Olivier Tournedouet, France 24’s chief engineer for this project, said: “The Studer Vista 5 mixing console is easy to operate, more flexible [than the previous desks] and the ergonomics are perfectly suited to our work. It also demonstrates very good audio quality and has clearly been designed for broadcast applications.”

He added, “The Vista 5 will allow us to work with 32 simultaneous sources instead of the 24 we had before. During live operations and translations everything is under finger control, which allows us to be more reactive and responsive."

RTV SLOVENIA EQUIPS NEW OB TRUCKS WITH STUDER VISTA 5 DIGITAL CONSOLES

RTV Slovenia (Radio-Television Slovenia), the country’s public, non-profit radio and television broadcaster, has commissioned two radio OB trucks for musical recordings, equipped with Studer Vista 5 digital consoles. Supplied by Studer’s local distributors, AVC Group, the turnkey installation was overseen by the company’s subsidiary system integration operation, TSE.

Both AVC and TSE have enjoyed a close relationship with RTV Slovenia stretching back 15 years, although procurement still had to be implemented through public tender. RTV Slovenia has a long history of using Studer platforms — particularly Radio Slovenia in Ljubljana with both regional centres in Koper and Maribor mainly equipped with Studer radio consoles (OnAir 1000, OnAir 2000, OnAir 2500 and OnAir 3000), and Studer Route 5000 routers.

The new OB trucks will principally be used for transmission and recording of live concerts up to 64 channels (via MADI). However, before preparing the tender for the vehicles the broadcaster evaluated several different consoles.

“As these were to be multipurpose OB vehicles RTV were looking for flexibility for both live sound and broadcast production in a compact frame,” confirms AVC Group’s Managing Director, Miran Kajin. “The Vista 5 fits the requirements perfectly.”

Studer’s Configuration Editor Software has been installed on RTV’s Vista 5s enabling almost any console structure required by the operator to be adopted. This optional tool allows the user to specify the number of channels, buses and processing within the channels, as well as signal flow possibilities within the console.

Typical broadcast facilities are included, such as N-1 outputs, off-air conferencing, GPIO and extensive monitoring, including 5.1-to-stereo downmix functions. The console’s internal matrix may be controlled from a variety of third-party controllers and video routers, eliminating the requirement for external audio routers in many installations.

TSE were also responsible for the design of the OB vehicles themselves — which are based on the Mercedes-Benz Atego chassis. All coach building, HVAC, acoustic fit-out and installation of all AV technology was undertaken locally in Slovenia. The OB truck is also the first within RTV’s fleet to be equipped with a 5.1 speaker monitoring system.

Marko Filli, RTV Slovenia technical director, stated, “We are delighted to have commissioned our new OB vans with Studer Vista 5 consoles. For RTV Slovenia the Studer brand has for many years been synonymous with Swiss precision, quality and reliability. Our operators are confident that now they have a perfect Swiss tool which adds a further dimension in quality and years of reliable operation.”

In fact the portability and simple connectivity of this flexible compact digital mixer, make the Vista 5 particularly suitable for OB vans.

The 32-fader desk consists of 20 channel strips, optimised for input channel operation, and 12 additional versatile strips for operating output and input channels. By using the standard Vistonics™ screen, up to 52 outputs are under immediate control.

A total of up to 240 channels can be accessed from the desk and laid out in any order, with the Vistonics system giving instant control over all related channel functions.

Additionally, extensive diagnostics are available to indicate system health. Besides standard redundancy such as RAID hard-drives, there are several hardware redundancy options available, including Power Supplies, DSP cards with instant switch over as well as redundant link to DSP core and MADI links to D21m remote I/O boxes.

The Vista 5 offers extensive surround capabilities a user can normally only dream of. Formats include 2CH stereo, LCR, LCRS and 5.1. The internal 5.1-to-stereo downmix function allows for simultaneous live productions in both formats. The Vista 5 also includes Studer’s ‘Virtual Surround Panning’ (VSPTM), using not only amplitude, but also time delay and frequency response panning as well as artificially-generated early reflections for realistic placement of sound sources.

The static automation (snapshot filtering and editing) as well as the cue list functionality, (plus mute groups and matrix busses), makes Vista 5 equally well-suited to any live sound application. In common with all the latest products from the Harman Pro Group, the Vista 5 is HiQnetTM-compatible, and is able to take its place in a networked sound system with wireless microphones, signal processing, amplifiers and loudspeakers.

CZECH STATION PRIMA TV CHOOSES STUDER VISTA 5 DIGITAL CONSOLE

Czech sound engineers who regularly migrate between the public TV network and commercial stations become accustomed to the uniformity of Studer workstations, such as the Vista 7 and Vista 8 wherever they go. In fact, the Studer pedigree is so popular in the Czech Republic that when the private station TV Prima (the country’s third largest) was ready to decommission its analogue desk, which was regularly breaking down, the choice was self-evident. Studer would not only provide a reliable digital upgrade with long term expansion possibilities, but the station knew its engineers would require no training.

Although it reviewed other options, the station owner Prima TV Holding Company (a 50/50 partnership between Czech investment group GES Holding and Scandinavian Modern Times Group) readily backed the Studer Vista 5 proposal.

“It helped that the engineers could make a seamless transfer because the upgrade decision had to be made quickly,” reports Libor Havlicek of Auditech, Studer’s Prague-based distributor. “It had reached the point where on some occasions prime time news was being broadcast — without sound!”

The new Vista 5 is located in the main control room, which connects to two studios, with the main news, all sport events and even popular game shows mixed to air using the Vista 5. TV Prima also owns the exclusive rights for to the British Premier League, which requires the most complex system configuration, with all sends and returns compressed in two layers on the desk, and four live studio mics for inter-match studio debates.

The new console draws on mainly analogue sources, feeds and returns. “Since the Vista 5 is used for home production as well, there are some 12 portable microphones connected to the matrix,” Mr. Havlicek explains. “The two studios have all their microphones wired to Ghielmetti patch bays which are also connected to the Vista system 5.”

Two telephone hybrids, with remote control, allow live entries into the programme — for example, the hybrid is also used during the Premier League football, when experts are contacted to add their remarks over the phone.

Studer’s 32-fader Vista 5 consists of 20 channel strips, optimised for input channel operation, and 12 additional versatile strips for operating output and input channels. By using the standard Vistonics™ screen, up to 52 outputs are under immediate control.

A total of up to 240 channels can be accessed from the desk and laid out in any order, with the Vistonics system giving instant control over all related channel functions.

In addition, the Vista 5 offers full surround capabilities, with formats including 2CH stereo, LCR, LCRS and 5.1. The internal 5.1-to-stereo downmix function allows for simultaneous live productions in both formats. The Vista 5 also includes Studer’s famous 'Virtual Surround Panning' (VSPTM).

Prima TV had originally chosen the Vista 5 on the basis of its reliability (which would safeguard long-term investment), easy access to frequently used functions and excellent sound quality. With the planned move to HD, it will be a natural process to implement multi-channel sound (with expansion such as SDI embedder / de-embedder already in the planning).

Prima TV’s technicians have applauded this long-term view, as Senior Sound Engineer Petr Donev confirms: "Vista 5 is used permanently for all news and sport events. Our team is finding more and more value in the system for local production too. We like its easy operation — in fact, we don't need to concentrate on operational issues but instead can focus on the quality of the final mix.”

Czech Television Broadcasts FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in HD with Studer Vista 8

Czech Television’s HD OB Van was in operation during the entire FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, between February 18th and March 1st, to the great satisfaction of the sound engineers. The only threat to the event was the possibility of no snow, which would have been a nightmare for the organizing committee, but finally 120 cm of snowfall over the period of the event meant that all the connecting cables from the truck to the remote stageboxes almost became a fixed installation until the early summer!

Higher temperatures and a thaw over the last 2 days finally allowed the crew of the HD Van to leave Liberec. "Over 50 hours of live broadcast was made on the Vista 8, an integral part of Czech Television’s first HD OB Van. All the standard features of this digital system, in particular the user-friendly intuitive operation, very good sound quality and overall system robustness passed the demanding test of this sports event under severe weather conditions.” The events were watched by nearly 200,000 spectators over the 2 week period.

“This comprehensive live application confirmed that the Studer Vista is able to meet our demanding expectations," reported Mr. Milan Gazdik, Senior Engineer of Audioengineering, Czech TV Prague and a member of the EBU Production Management Committee.

Studer Vista 5 Console Gains AutoTouchPlus Dynamic Automation

AutoTouchPlus, the renowned dynamic automation system that is part of the Studer Vista 7 and Vista 8 consoles, is now also available on the Studer Vista 5.

The recent upgrade means that the Vista 5, which is primarily a live production console, can now also be used for post production work, for example between live sessions.

All parameters of the console can be automated against timecode, in the most simple and intuitive way, using touch sensitive faders and Vistonics™ encoders.

The Vistonics screens elegantly display the current mix pass values along with the previously written mix data from the last mix pass, providing an informative overview provided by no other console on the market.

The existing MIDI port is used to read MTC (MIDI Timecode) to which the automation is then slaved. For systems based on linear SMPTE timecode (LTC), an optional LTC to MTC converter is available.

The main control panel for AutoTouchPlus, the virtual ACU (automation control unit) is displayed as a window on the Graphical Controller, and in addition, the most important buttons from this panel are provided on the desk surface as well.

Existing Vista 5 installations can be upgraded to this functionality from software version 4.2 onwards.

For more information, visit www.studer.ch

‘West Side Story’ and Studer Vista 5 Hit Broadway To Great Acclaim

The highly anticipated production of ‘West Side Story’ recently opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway with a Studer Vista 5 digital console providing outstanding audio quality and versatility to the production. The iconic production makes its return to Broadway after a 29-year absence and sound designer Dan Moses Schreier and his associates selected the Vista 5 for its extensive capabilities and outstanding audio quality.

Dan Moses Schreier has been using Studer products for many years and he has also been the sound designer for Broadway productions such as ‘Julius Caesar’ starring Denzel Washington as well as ‘The Tempest’ starring Patrick Stewart. Schreier initially intended mixing ‘West Side Story’ on an analog desk, however he immediately chose the Vista 5 after interacting with the board’s capabilities.

Schreier comments on the decision to deploy the Studer console. “The Vistonics™ interface was a huge factor in selecting the console. Many digital consoles feel like you are mixing off a computer monitor and what is terrific about the Vistonics interface is that it feels more like an analog console in the sense that you always see what you need to see at the channel strip.” Moses continues, “In the theater when things are happening fast and in the moment, this makes it easy to make corrections or find problems with great ease. But ultimately, it is the sound of the console that determined my decision.”

Schreier continues to discuss the benefits of the Vista 5 as well as the Vistonics and user interface. “The Vistonics interface has a very logical feel and enables engineers to build and construct a show, whether setting up input/output layouts, or dealing with auxes, and matrices. The ease of selecting EQ , compression, gates or panning makes the interface very easy for the operator to use. Once selected, controlling the parameters of the various functions is remarkably straightforward and ‘analog’ like. The contribute function is also extremely useful when troubleshooting issues on a very complex show.”

‘West Side Story’ is an elaborate project for a production crew due to the size of the performance. There are 48 wireless microphones for the actors/dancers, 30 musicians in the orchestra with 62 microphones and 81 speakers. There is enormous pressure to recreate the popular songs of ‘West Side Story’ and the need to get all the balances right makes it very difficult. Moses comments, “It's like mixing The Beatles' Abbey Road live every night, with everyone expecting it to sound just like the album.”

“The Vista 5 handles the demands of the show with great transparency and ease. The compact size of the console and the clarity of its layout made the size of the show extremely manageable. But ultimately, it comes down to how the show sounds and this production of ‘West Side Story’ sounds fantastic,” concludes Schreier.

The enthusiasm for the Vista shown by Schreier and others has prompted Studer to develop further theater-specific features to help with the production workflow. A new software version for Vista, V4.2, was launched at the Pro Light & Sound show in Frankfurt and includes facilities for enhanced cue lists, character/actor libraries and events, VCA/Mute assignments and dynamic automation. Furthermore, Virtual Vista, a PC-based offline/online editor is now available which allows designers to check and setup the sound at any point within a venue, and even control the desk in parallel with the surface. Visit www.studer.ch for more information.

Studer Introduces New Vista Software Version Specific For Theatre Applications

Soundcraft Studer is now established as one of the world’s leading providers of digital consoles offering a full range of consoles to the Theatre market, from local and provincial theatres right up to Broadway/West End venues.

The Studer Vista range of consoles is rapidly growing in the theatrical community, with the Vista 5 recently used on large-scale productions in New York on the new productions of West Side Story and Road Show, The Musical.

In addition to the already extensive theatre specific functionality, Studer has now introduced new Vista software version 4.2, which greatly enhances the sound design and production workflow for cue-based theatre productions.

The new software provides extended cue list functions including time-based cue recall, MIDI MMC commands for sound FX playback triggers, as well as the introduction of some brand new cue events.

Library Events:
Characters in a musical or play can now be given any desired library entry (e.g. a special EQ setting) on a cue by cue basis. This allows easy adjustment, either temporary or permanent, of these library settings, as well as a very straightforward way to replace the settings of an actor with replacement-actor or understudy settings.

VCA/Mute Events:
VCA assigns and muting of channels can now also be entered on a cue by cue basis, without the use of snapshots, for a much easier and comprehensive way of building a show.

Virtual Vista:
Also announced with version 4.2 is the Virtual Vista PC-based online and offline editor, so the sound engineer can move around the theatre and make adjustments to level and EQ from all the key audience seating positions, live. This can also function as a console control back-up, working in parallel with the desk.

This is also a useful training and demonstration tool, and can be obtained by contacting Studer or a local sales representative.

Together with the Vista’s already extensive facilities, which suit Theatre sound, such as high input/output capacity, the acclaimed Vistonics™ user interface, distributable stagebox systems, control surface configurability, very compact footprint and outstanding sonic performance, the Studer Vista series of consoles are now the perfect choice for world class theatres.

Billy Joel’s Historic ‘Last Play At Shea’ Concert Relies On Studer Vista 5SR Console For Front Of House And Monitor Mix

Clair Showco Delivers Great Sound For Billy Joel Featuring Surprise Guests Sir Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler and Roger Daltrey

Billy Joel is truly an entertainer as his ‘Last Play At Shea’ marked the end of an era of historic concerts at Shea Stadium on Friday, July 18th. With a star-studded lineup of musicians making guest appearances throughout the evening including Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler and Roger Daltrey, Billy Joel performed the last concert at the stadium. With the help of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney (who played with The Beatles the first concert at the stadium on August 15, 1965), Billy Joel closed the show by accompanying McCartney on piano with a surprise version of ‘Let It Be.’

Joel’s world tour began in January 2006 and has been touring ever since. The 2008 segment kicked off in Philadelphia, PA on January 26th, making stops in California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, Quebec, Louisiana, Connecticut, Virginia and finishing up with two shows in Flushing, NY at Shea Stadium. Joel resumes the second leg of his world tour with dates in Japan, Australia and New Zealand beginning in November. Sound reinforcement for the tour was supplied by Pennsylvania based company Clair Showco, which has had a long relationship with Billy Joel; in fact, many of the tour’s key personnel have worked with Joel for multiple tours, including FOH Engineer Brian Ruggles and Production Manager Bobby Thrasher, who have worked with Joel for over 33 and 27 years respectively, as well as Monitor Engineer Mike Pirich, who has been with Joel for the past 10 years.

When looking for a sound console for both FOH and the monitor positions, Clair Showco turned to the Studer Vista 5 SR for its portability, ease of use and sound quality.

“The Vista 5 SR is capable of handling a lot of inputs,” said Ruggles. “We’ve tried different digital desks before but I wasn’t really thrilled at the way they sounded – until this one came along. The Vista 5 SR is by far the best sounding digital desk I’ve heard because it’s closest to the sound of an analog desk.”

Pirich noted, “Using the Vistonics interface makes it really easy to see where you are. As far as digital desks go, this is by far the easiest to get comfortable with before a show and to prove it, I only spent a few hours with the Vista 5 SR before we did a show.”

Pirich added, “As far as quality, it sounds spectacular! It’s got lots of gain and no distortion. We have 30 faders in total consisting of three banks of 10 but are in no way limited by the number of inputs and outputs we can handle. We’ve just pushed 100 inputs feeding 18 stereo mixes and 22 mono mixes but really have more available inputs and outputs than we ever hope to use.

Joel’s Keyboardist, David Rosenthal truly relies on the sound quality that he receives in his in-ear mix and with each song, a different monitor mix may be needed. As one of the band members, Rosenthal heavily relies on Pirich and the Vista 5 SR.

“What we hear is critical to how we perform,” said Rosenthal. “If what we hear sounds good, it is inspiring to us and the crowd gets a better performance. The great thing about working with this console is it’s easy to recall settings for each song – that way, we get our own mix dialed in exactly as we need it for each particular song.”

Rosenthal noted, “I’m a big fan of Studer products, from this console to the 2-inch recording products I’ve used so many times in the past.”

Production Manager Bobby Thrasher was extremely pleased with how much easier the Studer consoles make his job. “It’s small, it’s lightweight, it’s portable and not like the 6,000 pounds I used to have to carry around or fly around,” said Thrasher. “We’ve spent more money on shipping than those rentals were worth. With gas prices the way they are, it’s actually cheaper to own a Studer.”

Billy Joel’s first show at Shea Stadium on Wednesday, July 16th was originally tagged as the ‘Last Play At Shea.’ However, after the first show sold out so quickly, Joel added a second show and due to the schedule of the Mets, Friday was the date provided. During Wednesday’s concert, celebrity guests included Tony Bennett, John Mayer, John Mellencamp and Don Henley. With this appearance at Shea Stadium, Billy Joel became the only artist to perform at the three major stadiums in the New York area: Giants Stadium, Yankee Stadium and now Shea Stadium.

Crown Macro-Tech 3600VZ amplifiers and Clair Showco’s custom JBL-loaded S4 loudspeakers were used for sound reinforcement during the Billy Joel tour. The Studer Vista 5SR is enabled with the Harman Pro Onboard HiQnet™ control protocol.

Clair Showco can be reached at www.clairshowco.com.

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 the Harman Pro Group and is coordinated by the System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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.”

Studer Is At The Heart Of The Kingdom's HD Program

Three orders totaling seven digital audio broadcast consoles have put Studer at the heart of the ongoing program to upgrade TV facilities for the state-run SAUDI TV in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Studer has supplied seven Vista 5 consoles to the Ministry of Culture and Information, which takes responsibility for the Kingdom’s television broadcasting, and operates the four networks of Saudi TV.

These are hugely prestigious orders for Studer. Although the company has supplied numerous on-air consoles and radio automation systems to radio stations in the country, these are the first digital desks to be deployed by Saudi Arabian government-owned TV stations. The Vista consoles are being delivered by Riyadh-based systems integrators First Gulf Company (FGC), nominated by the Ministry of Culture and Information, which is collaborating with Studer for the first time.

The first three Vista 5 consoles have already been installed in the Riyadh TV Centre, which houses the facilities for the Saudi Sport and Saudi News channels, the latter known as al-Ikhbariya, with the third console going into Production Studio D. Another two Vista 5 desks are due to be installed in the new TV centre in Dammam, where they will be used in the Saudi TV Production studio and in the Saudi TV News studio. Two consoles are destined for on-site HD TV studios at the Holy Mosques of Mecca and Medina. All audio installations are taking place as part of an ongoing programme to upgrade the state-run TV facilities to high-definition capability.

Having seven digital consoles operational in the TV networks of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completes the regional picture for Studer, which has been consolidating its reputation and user base in the Middle East for the last ten years. This summer, in Abu Dhabi, the government-owned Emirates Media Inc. is taking delivery of four Outside Broadcast vehicles, equipped with Vista 8 and Vista 5 audio consoles, which have been built by Thomson in France.

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.”

Immanuel Bible Church Capitalizes On The Power, Flexibility Of Studer Vista 5 Super Intuitive Interface

Vistonics User Interface Eases Transition For Volunteer Technicians During Services

Demonstrating the ease of use and reliable performance of the Studer Vista 5 digital live console, the Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia recently purchased a 42 fader Vista 5. The console, which has been installed at front-of-house in the 1,100-seat auditorium, was selected for its input and output capacity, its simplicity of use by novice operators, and its flexibility, allowing simultaneous control of the main house system and monitors as a truly 2-man console.

Services at Immanuel Bible Church range from the very simple, involving a dozen inputs, to large events such as Easter pageants, where 120 inputs are not unusual. Since many of the services rely on volunteers to mix the audio, operation had to be intuitive.

Tim Heacock, the church’s Director of Audio, Visual and Lighting, comments, “We’ve been able to effortlessly train volunteers to use the console due to its ease of use and Vistonics interface. During our Easter program, one operator was able to easily mix 79-channels of audio to the mains, 8 stage monitors and 2 “pit” feeds to the choir, as well as numerous additional outputs for other important tasks.“

The Vistonics user interface provides access to a complete set of functions displayed next to each rotary dial across all channels. All necessary parameters, including EQ, gain, Aux sends or routing, can be displayed with easy to read icons in a logical manner. Levels are displayed on the interface as a bar graph, time settings as circles, frequencies as frequency graphs, etc., allowing easy recognition of the function in its current state. Additionally, functions are represented by different colors to easily identify them at a quick glance.

While the functionality of the Vista 5 is very easy to learn, it cannot train volunteers on how to listen and mix properly. As these larger programs continue to grow, the church would like to purchase a secondary Vista 5 console for live recording mixes and studio mixes.
The positive training experience for the volunteers became evident because of the expanded 42-fader version of the console that was purchased over the standard 32-fader version. “With the addition of 10 extra input faders, one of the experienced staffers can act as a safety net for our volunteers,” said Heacock. “We can stand at one end of the console and have full access to all of the channels, so if the volunteer is slow on executing a cue, we’re right there to jump in as necessary but don’t have to knock them out of the way to do it.”

Heacock noted, “As we’ve become more and more familiar with some of the advanced functions of the Vista 5, our jobs have become easier and easier. We’ve learned how to set cues making it essentially a 1-button operation for our volunteers. The isolation feature has saved us quite a bit of time when our mixes have changed. Rather than go through each cue and change a level 5 db on one or two channels, we change it once and propagate it through the rest of the cues.”

Now, says Heacock, during one of our recent programs where there were ten showings, it has become simple to replace a singer’s levels when necessary. “We’ve set all of our levels for the entire show but obviously, each volunteer soloist can’t perform at every show. Due to the Vista 5’s flexibility, we’ve been able to set independent levels for each soloist; save that ‘profile’ as a file and simply recall it as necessary, adding it to a preexisting mix.”