As much as audio loves analog, the reality is that the future is digital. Chris Fichera, VP of audio at Group One, which distributes DiGiCo consoles in North America, says he has been told that it's less love of analog's sound than concern over digital's costs and often steep learning curves that keep some regional remote-production vendors from moving to digital.
There are just some companies out there that are not ready to make the jump [to digital], he sighs. There are definitely the haves' and the have-nots' when it comes to being able to afford a digital console. He notes that DiGiCo's broadcast models SD9B, SD10B, and SD11B range in price from $25,000 to $100,000, price points the company has tried to tailor to the small-truck market. But, he says, even when a digital console fits a budget, it may still seem technically daunting to some users.
At Solid State Logic, according to VP of Broadcast Sales Steve Zaretsky, digital consoles can be costly compared with analog desks: the company's C10 broadcast console costs several hundred thousand dollars, depending on channel numbers and configuration.
However, he points out, digital is an umbrella technology that encompasses far more aspects than simply mixing audio. He points to the C10's integration of MADI audio-signal transmission and control as an example of how a digital console takes on functionality beyond mixing. He also notes software additions (the company calls them Production Assistants) that integrate such functions as automated 5.1 upmixing and C-Play, an embedded dual-player playout system.
SSL includes the developing college broadcast markets in its strategy, Zaretsky says, adding that he views the use of analog consoles as an iteration in the course of a longer developmental timeframe that will inevitably lead to digital work surfaces. All the trucks are going to have to eventually move to a digital platform, to remain interoperable with the rest of the industry.
For the Regional Market
Denver-based Mobile TV Group is the largest single entity servicing burgeoning regional sports production, fielding 27 trucks covering more than 4,000 regional MLB, NBA, NHL, and other sports nationally. According to founder/GM Phil Garvin, the company began its shift to digital consoles in 2003 to accommodate 5.1 audio and greater versatility.
The change took place first with the main console, with Euphonix digital consoles installed (the brand was acquired by Avid in 2010) and used for the home portion of dual-feed games. The other feed, sent to the visiting team's broadcaster, would often be mixed through an analog console, such as a Yamaha. Most recently, he says, the home consoles in the MTV Group's new mobile units are Calrec boards, whereas he has acquired six Studer Vista 1 digital consoles for the visitor-feed desks.
Garvin has noticed a significant difference between the original migration to digital and this second acquisition cycle: When we first made the transition, between 2003 and 2005, A1s needed to learn digital. Now, he adds, they have to learn a wider range of user interfaces.
Another issue, he points out, is that digital consoles are developing at different rates: some can use embedded audio natively; others must have the embed/de-embed process handled externally. Until this year, the MTV Group used the digital-audio mixer's internal router as the truck's audio router. However, with the transition to embedded audio, the newest mobile unit in the fleet, 33HDX, will use an Evertz audio/video router. Garvin hopes that, eventually, audio consoles will natively handle embedded audio, with internal embedders and de-embedders, and MADI.
Embedded audio has dramatically increased our ability to easily handle six to eight channels of audio, which is now required for our regional-network clients, says Garvin, and MADI has made connecting multiple audio consoles to the router much easier.
No Analog Here
Of course, at the top of the remote-broadcast food chain, analog is almost quaint. Not a single one is how Paul Bonar, VP of engineering at Game Creek Video, describes his inventory of analog audio consoles. However, he is finding that, while the migration to digital desks set off an arms race to add features and capacity, which is running into the spatial realities of the confines of a remote-broadcast truck.
Sometimes, he says, a console with all of the features and all of the faders that a customer wants just isn't going to fit inside the space that we have.
He notes that the Calrec Apollo is an in-demand console because of its dual-fader configuration. Freelance A1s like its because of its tactile aspect and ability to handle up to 144 faders, but the space available often results in the choice of a smaller console.
Clients understandably are looking for the biggest, most powerful consoles that they can get, but that runs into issues of space and cost, Bonar contends. And the equation in choosing a console isn't just size and cost; it's number of inputs versus number of channels versus processing power versus space versus price. It's complicated.
It's a peculiarly digital problem: analog consoles generally topped out at 48-56 inputs and, that created an implicit limit for years of truck audio-rooms design. Digital brought more-muscular processing, which increased the size of mainly rack-mounted engines, as well as such advances as touchscreen interfaces. At the same time, the size and complexity of the shows produced were growing, demanding more and more audio inputs and processing. That pushed digital broadcast consoles into the multilayered work surfaces, something that has not sat especially well with A1s accustomed to having all faders and channels available all the time on one surface.
The Calrec Apollo's du
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
As much as audio loves analog, the reality is that the future is digital. Chris Fichera, VP of audio at Group One, which distributes DiGiCo consoles in North America, says he has been told that it's less love of analog's sound than concern over digital's costs and often steep learning curves that keep some regional remote-production vendors from moving to digital.
