TSL Professional Products launches audio and loudness meter; announces acquisition of Soundfield

TSL Professional Products (PPL), manufacturer of hardware and software audio monitoring, tally, and power management solutions for the broadcast industry, will launch its new PAM PiCo Audio and Loudness Meter. As the latest member of TSL PPL’s Precision Audio Monitor (PAM) product family, PAM PiCo is a compact, yet comprehensively-equipped, standalone audio and loudness meter featuring the StarFish surround sound display.

PAM PiCo puts high-quality metering within reach of anyone involved in sound production, from operators working throughout broadcast production to music studio technicians and record producers.

“The PAM PiCo has been designed to meet increasing market demands for simple, commodity audio metering, specifically with loudness measurement,” says Chris Exelby, managing director of TSL Professional Products. “Like the award-winning TSL PPL PAM1 and PAM2 audio monitoring units, PAM PiCo includes loudness measurement as standard, and recognizes the many international recommendations and mandates while being compact enough to use in smaller project studios or in mobile trucks where space is limited.”

No bigger than a smartphone, PAM PiCo handles stereo or 5.1 metering with a vast array of user-selectable bargraphs, moving coil emulation and DK Technologies’ StarFish surround sound displays for use in diverse audio monitoring applications. Built around proprietary hardware, the PAM PiCo does not rely on a third party consumer electronics platform and is self-contained, requiring only power and media to function.

Designed for use in any operational positions where ‘at a glance’ audio metering is required, PAM PiCo is available in three formats:

• PiCo One – Master Stereo Meter, with two AES Inputs (four x audio channels), plus one analogue pair and USB power
• PiCo Two – Master 5.1 Surround Meter,  three AES Inputs (six audio channels) plus one Analogue Pair and USB power
• PiCo Three – Master 5.1 Surround Meter, 3G HD-SDI (auto-sensing with loop-through) 16 channel audio de-embedder (simultaneous display of any eight channels) and USB power

The PAM PiCo is packaged with its own desk-mount, interface cable and power supply, for easy installation. The PiCo 3 version can accept SDI video inputs with up to 16 channels of audio de-embedding, plus digital and analogue inputs. All models are supplied with ITU, EBU, ATSC and ARIB loudness measurement as standard. Online software updates ensure that PAM PiCo can be kept up-to-date with the latest international standards and recommendations.

TSL acquires Soundfield
TSL announced at its IBC press conference, that it has acquired leading surround sound microphone and audio processing technology manufacturer SoundField Ltd. The newly acquired range of surround microphones and upmix/downmix solutions are being demonstrated on TSL’s IBC Stand 10.B41.

With the addition of the SoundField range, TSL PPL’s product portfolio will further expand its support of 5.1 audio in the broadcast workflow. As HD broadcasting becomes the standard for televised content, viewers are demanding 5.1 audio to match their high-quality images. By adding the SoundField surround microphones and processors to its market-leading audio monitoring solutions, such as the renowned PAM series, TSL PPL can now offer customers solutions for use throughout the production process, from acquisition to delivery.

“The addition of SoundField to the TSL PPL fold couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Chris Exelby, managing director of TSL Professional Products Ltd. “With TSL PPL audio monitors becoming a standard fixture in many broadcast production facilities, particularly our Touchmix and PAM family of products, which are synonymous with surround sound, we can now bring a more complete offering to market and further our mission to help our customers deliver the highest quality sound to the viewer at home.”

“I am very excited about this acquisition and don’t think we could have put the future of SoundField’s legacy in better hands,” says Pieter Schillebeeckx, head of research and development for SoundField, Ltd. “The established global sales and marketing of TSL PPL will greatly improve the visibility of our unique microphone and upmix products worldwide. And the extensive manufacturing and design expertise of TSL PPL, combined with SoundField’s know-how, will ensure SoundField’s tradition of creating high-quality 5.1 audio equipment will continue to thrive and develop.”

SoundField enjoys a longstanding reputation of providing superior microphones for recording both stereo and surround sound. For broadcasters of world-class major sporting events or concerts, a single SoundField mic is all that’s needed to generate an accurate ambient surround bed simultaneously in stereo and 5.1 audio for SD and HD transmission. It is this precise sound capture that has made SoundField microphones and upmix/downmix processors the sonic tools of choice for broadcasters such as BSkyB (UK), Disney (USA), BBC (UK), Sogecable (Spain), NRK (Norway), RTS (Serbia) and SABC (South Africa), as well as event companies like Video Sound Services (FIFA World Cup) for quality 5.1 surround recording, transmission and production.