IBC 2018 roundup: Calrec, Schoeps, SSL, DirectOut
Posted on: Wednesday 26th of September 2018
Calrec
The Type R modular, expandable, IP-based radio system was on show for the first time in Europe at IBC. Marketing manager Kevin Emmott described how the company had been through a consultation process with potential customers to design the new radio console. Type R makes use of standard networking technology and combines it with configurable soft panels that can be tailored to operator needs. Its control system consists of three slimline panels: a fader panel, a large soft panel and a small soft panel. Each is compatible with COTS hardware and powered over Ethernet.
Calrec also demonstrated the new Impulse core, a ‘next generation’ audio processing platform. Impulse core is an audio processing and routing engine with AES67 and SMPTE 2110 connectivity, compatible with existing Apollo and Artemis control surfaces. Future scalable expansion will allow up to three DSP mix engines and control systems to run independently on a single core at the same time. Height and 3D pan controls are provided, and paths of all widths can co-exist within a mix and be routed to/from each other with flexible panning and downmixing built in.
www.calrec.com
Schoeps
The respected microphone maker demonstrated a range of products for immersive audio recording. The new, AAX-compatible, Double M/S plug-in allows tailor-made, intuitive matrixing of the three signals of the Double M/S system. After recording the Double M/S signals (front cardioid, figure-8, rear cardioid) to three tracks in a DAW, they can be decoded by the plug-in to an immersive audio mix.
New Double MS windshields from Rycote mean an immersive setup takes up not much more space than a regular mono blimp. A Rycote Cyclone Stereo windshield accommodates a Schoeps Double MS set with 3 CCM microphones, and a Pianissimo PIA-3 MiniCMIT windshield accommodates a Double MS set with MiniCMIT plus 2 CCM microphones. A new ORTF-3D indoor setup will meet customer requirements for a version without a windshield. In addition, a renewed ORTF-3D basket for stand mounting will shortly be available.
www.schoeps.de
Solid State Logic
SSL showed off an easy-to-operate immersive audio implementation for System T, with support for ATSC 3.0, Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H. SSL offers new 3-axis coordinate panning for System T which uses 2 and 4-channel overhead speakers for available channel and bus formats: the touch-interface features an intuitive ‘pinch or stretch’ user interface to restrict or expand the bounds of the 3D panner.
To complement the new 3D immersive setup, SSL has a 12-channel monitoring system – with 49 inputs formed as one primary input and a 12-channel AFL monitor bus, together with a pair of 12-channel insert points for internal processing and rendering engine returns. The ability to freely designate inputs and signal paths across the console from mono to 7.1.4 is impressive, and validates SSL’s design decision to effectively build the System T architecture in software.
www.solidstatelogic.com
DirectOut
The German audio network and interconnectivity specialist unveiled PRODIDGY.MC, a modular audio converter and audio router supporting multiple formats, with flexible I/O and networked audio and control capability. The 2RU hardware is the first in the forthcoming PRODIGY series.
PRODIGY.MC provides I/O based on eight channel modules. Line-level, microphone and AES3 (including SRC) interfaces can be combined up to a total of 64 inputs and outputs in 2RU of space. In addition, PRODIDGY.MC hardware supports MADI and a network audio option. Its two MADI slots can be equipped with BNC, SC optical and SFP modules, and an optional board adds Dante, Ravenna (AES67) or SoundGrid connectivity. The product is sure to appeal to pro-audio dealers: at the front it’s a slick touch-screen interface, at the back it’s a card frame – plug in whatever you need for customer requirements.
www.directout.eu
