RTV Noord chooses remote-savvy, IP-ready Lawo solution
RTV Noord, a 24/7 regional public broadcaster based in Groningen which serves the northern part of the Netherlands, has just commissioned its brand-new Lawo mc²36 audio console and A__stage64 audio-over-IP node for the production of radio, TV and online content.
In the wake of its online project, kicked off two years ago, the broadcaster’s editing department voiced their desire to create their own streams using one-button camera and content control based on sources available on an internal network, while also being able to retrieve press conferences from the Dutch government in The Hague for radio and TV. To this end, RTV Noord purchased a Lawo Power Core IP audio I/O and DSP node equipped with a Dante I/O card to include its Dante-based radio infrastructure.
RTV Noord’s TV control room, radio studios and ad-hoc remote locations are connected to its Ravenna AoIP network for easy signal exchange.
Operated via touchscreens, Lawo’s VisTool virtual radio software is used to control the Power Core for self-op programmes like From the Newsroom as well as by editors when they prepare streams for RTV Noord’s website or Facebook channel. Daily tasks performed with VisTool involve opening and adjusting microphone channels, accessing audio feeds, and more.
As RTV Noord was outgrowing its baseband audio core and mixing console, the station’s producers and presenters were asked about their future plans and expectations. Remote production scenarios via a dark-fibre link that connects the studios on the outskirts to the city centre of Groningen were high on the agenda, so a 32-fader Lawo mc²36 console was purchased. This allows audio engineers to produce complete shows from RTV Noord’s control room even though the cameras and stagebox/microphones are at the remote location. Alongside the console, RTV Noord installed a Waves SuperRack SoundGrid plug-in server for effects processing during live performances.
The decision to choose a Lawo solution was based on RTV Noord’s desire to future-proof its infrastructure by migrating to an audio-over-IP configuration: the console natively supports SMPTE 2110, which will come in handy when the baseband video infrastructure is replaced by IP-native devices.
The Lawo A__stage64 audio node is used both in the TV studio and for on-location productions.
“The Lawo mc²36’s superb audio quality and high channel count give us the flexibility we need,” said Tim de Vrij, RTV Noord’s media engineer in charge of the entire radio and TV infrastructure. “IP is clearly the future, and we are ready for it.”