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Big Bear Equips RTE’s Main OBV with Digidesign Venue
Big Bear Sound has supplied Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) — the Dublin-based independent state broadcaster — with two Digidesign Venue live digital mixing systems for use in their outside broadcast vans (OBVs).
The broadcaster’s main OB radio truck is equipped with an integrated Venue D-Show console, Stage Rack, and FOH Rack. RTÉ also has the more portable D-Show Profile console, which will be used both as a backup system for smaller venues where carry-ins are required, and for additional redundancy and channel capacity at larger classical events and festivals for which the broadcasters provide coverage. To enable multitrack recordings of its broadcasts, RTÉ also purchased a Digidesign Pro Tools|HD system, which is connected to the D-Show mainframe and Sidecar combination through HDx cards.
The search for a new digital console began 18 months ago when RTÉ’s previous OBV console started to become too high-maintenance. “It became a cheaper option to look for a replacement rather than keep repairing,” reasons RTÉ’s senior radio producer Anton Timoney.
A number of factors worked in the Venue system’s favour, including its durability and dual redundancy, the D-Show console’s ease of use, and the ability to create a consistent workflow with RTÉ’s existing Pro Tools|HD systems. In fact, RTÉ has four Pro Tools|HD systems installed in its radio studios, a 48-track Pro Tools|HD system in the Concert Hall, and other OBVs equipped with Pro Tools LE systems for stereo recording.
Big Bear Sound also supplied RTÉ with additional Mix Engine DSP cards and VenuePack Pro, which includes five more plug-ins (in addition to the VenuePack plug-in bundle that comes with all VENUE systems), for each desk. With this setup, RTÉ now has all of the same main Pro Tools plug-ins used in their studios in Donnybrook replicated in the truck—essential for maintaining consistent workflow. “We are all Pro Tools literate at RTÉ, and compatibility is a major issue,” emphasizes Timoney.
Another important decision-making factor was that Digidesign’s main service centre for Europe is based in nearby Sandyford, where RTÉ engineers first evaluated the console.
“Having experienced unreliable service in the past, the importance of having local technicians on hand cannot be overstated,” stresses Big Bear Sound’s managing director, Michael Browne, whose company has been servicing the broadcaster’s equipment needs for nearly two decades.
Timoney and RTÉ programme support manager Donie Stritch both agree, adding that they were further persuaded to choose a Venue system due to the rising number of sound engineers now using it, including many of their own sound crews.
And it’s easy to see why. “The front end of the desk sounds so much better than other desks we listened to,” Timoney assesses. He also notes that the console’s topography is such that all faders are within easy reach, and the VCA groups allow easy and flexible control over multiple faders.
There was another criterion the console had to meet, and again the Venue system ticked the box; it was vital that the desk could travel. “Having the dual-redundancy feature meant we didn’t need to worry about power supply failure, but knowing we had the D-Show Profile as a back-up provided us with additional comfort. At music festivals, the last thing you want to be doing is phoning up for spare parts.”
Finally, there is the Venue system’s ease of use. “The desk is highly intuitive, and as soon as we downloaded the software on a USB key, we could use the desk setups.” In fact, Timoney was sufficiently confident to take the new desk straight out on a 55-mic rig at the National Basketball Arena.
The live broadcast of RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra’s presentation of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony (“Symphony of a Thousand”) offered prime territory for Venue D-Show. “With an orchestra of 150, plus a 600–700-piece choir, the confidence factor in being able to mix on this desk was huge,” Timoney says. For similar large-scale events, RTÉ can simply increase the channel capacity by slaving the D-Show Profile console’s 48-channel Stage Rack to the D-Show and Sidecar system for a total of 96 channels.
This combination also offers many advantages during the festival season, when RTÉ takes in around half-a-dozen major events, including Oxygen and Electric Picnic. Taking lines from each of the Stage Racks, the engineers can flip-flop the two consoles between successive bands without the need for repatching.
Similarly, in restricted access scenarios, RTÉ can make use of the D-Show Profile console’s portability, knowing they have complete workflow compatibility with the larger D-Show back in the truck.
In fact, all that has been needed to turn a top-flight PA console into a consummate broadcast facility has been the addition of a monitor switcher with Peak Program Meters (PPM’s), — making it a win-win for the RTÉ sound engineering team.
In picture: Anton Timoney and Donie Stritch with the Digidesign Venue - inside the RTÉ truck.
13th December 2007
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