IBC 2016: A wide variety of new products are promised for broadcast audio
Kicking off on Sept. 9 at the RAI in Amsterdam, the IBC will offer a number of significant audio-product introductions, alongside items that debuted at NAB 2016 in their first European appearances. Here are some of the products you’ll see — and hear — at IBC.
Calrec Dante card
Calrec
In addition to its Brio Compact digital audio console, introduced at NAB 2016, Calrec will showcase four new networking interfaces, including an AES67/Ravenna interface, an AVB interface, and a modular I/O Dante card that also has AES67 compatibility. The company will also introduce a SMPTE 2022-6 video interface. Users can now interface with multiple protocols at the same time. For example, a signal can be received via AES67 and sent out via SMPTE 2022, AVB, Ravenna, Dante, or AES67. Signal processing takes place via modular cards or 1RU boxes. www.calrec.com
Clear-Com
The new FreeSpeak II-Base II wireless base station and fiber-capable FreeSpeak II Splitter box (FSII-SPL) complement the FreeSpeak II line’s recently released beltpacks and transceiver antennas. The base station, which provides digital-signal transmission over the 1.9 GHz and 2.4G Hz frequency bands, features a cascade menu and a browser-based Core Configuration Manager (CCM) for system configuration and real-time system changes; two built-in optional SFP fiber connectors enable either a native single- or multiple-mode fiber link between base stations and the new FreeSpeak II Splitter (FSII-SPL). FreeSpeak II-Base II supports up to 25 full-duplex wireless beltpacks and covers a large production area with up to 10 distributed-antenna transceivers and two transceiver splitters spanning up to 20,000 meters from the base station over fiber connection. www.clearcom.com
Focusrite
Making its official debut at IBC 2016 is Focusrite’s RedNet range of audio-over-IP products. Based on Audinate Dante technology, RedNet features analog I/O, AES3 I/O, MADI I/O, Pro Tools|HD I/O, microphone-preamplifier options, and a new Thunderbolt audio interface. The range features dual PSUs for redundancy, as well as dual etherCON ports on the 1RU chassis, and is controlled by RedNet control software. Focusrite’s display will feature the latest products available, including the newly available RedNet A16R and RedNet A8R analog line interfaces, and RedNet AM2, a compact headphone- and line-output, PoE-supplied interface. www.focusrite.com
Nugen Audio
Nugen Audio will showcase its all-new audio-file batch-processing solution, AMB, along with a multichannel upgrade of the company’s Halo plug-in for upmixing stereo audio to surround. AMB offers customization features and several optional extensions that allow customers to carry out a wide range of audio-processing tasks. These features include a new upmix/downmix capability, an extension for the DynApt technology for loudness-range targeting and content repurposing, and loudness-management support for MXF or ProRes files. The latest version of Halo Upmix adds a new set of algorithms for upmixing from multichannel audio to higher channel counts, including LCR to 5.1, 5.1 to 7.1, and 7.1 to 9.1. The 9.1 option allows introduction of vertical positioning into the upmix, generating a 7.1.2 (Dolby Atmos) bed track-compatible upmix. www.nugenaudio.com/
RTC continuous-loudness-control card
RTW
Among RTW’s product updates will be its new audio-processor hardware, APRO-CLC01 for continuous loudness control (CLC). The CLC signal-processing algorithm allows users to constantly control and regulate to a given program-loudness value and definable loudness range with minimal obstacles for unknown, live content. A new software version 4.0 available for the company’s loudness-management tools and mastering tools adds support for Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) and addresses user requests with such features as a selectable 12th-octave RTA, implementation of cinema loudness standards (TASA and SAWA), and a freely scalable display. Also, both loudness-management tools and mastering-tools software can now be operated as standalone versions on both Mac and PC. www.rtw.com/en/home.html
Wheatstone LXE IP audio console
Wheatstone
The new LXE IP audio console for radio is a fully flexible control interface with programmable switches, rotary controls, and fader groupings that can be remotely located and operated from another room or studio. The LXE is Wheatstone’s latest addition to its IP audio-console line for use with its WheatNet-IP audio network, a complete AES67-compatible network system with end-to-end audio transport, logic control, and an audio toolkit at every I/O point in the network to enable exceptionally intelligent deployment and operation. In addition, Wheatstone’s Gibraltar IP mix engine is now available for the company’s Dimension Three, Series Four, Series Two, D-8EX, and IP-64 digital mixing consoles, with the addition of surround sound to its I/O access units and more IP console options for its WheatNet-IP audio network. www.wheatstone.com