Discovery Launches New Audio Edit Suites

The new Audio 5 room at Discovery Creative and Technology Center (DCTC) in Silver Spring, Md.

SILVER SPRING, MD. As Discovery Communications launches more feeds around the globe, the volume of audio work at the Discovery Creative and Technology Center (DCTC) in Silver Spring, Md. is increasing. This was more work than their existing audio edit rooms could handle, so it was time for two more, but not two more of the same.

Over the past dozen years that DCTC has been in operations, audio and video workflow and technology has changed considerably. When the first four audio edit rooms were built, content was delivered and distributed on videotape, so these rooms were designed for baseband audio and video, with a discrete AES router as part of the system and an 8- or 16-channel Avid control surface for Pro Tools.

LESS HARDWARE

But now since Discovery no longer delivers physical media, but rather audio and video files, the new audio rooms needed to move away from a baseband infrastructure to a more file-based approach.

There is not a lot of AES routing and the amount of equipment in the room has gone down significantly, said Brinton Miller, vice president of engineering, Discovery Communications. The new rooms have Pro Tools systems with more I/O, but less hardware.

Audio 5 and 6 are outfitted with a 32-fader Avid System 5MC control surface, which interfaces with the Avid Pro Tools HDX digital audio workstation engine. Each room has a total of 128 channels (16 analog inputs, 16 analog outputs, 48 AES inputs and 48 AES outputs).

The system also includes an Avid Symphony Nitris DX DNxHD System with video satellite software.

The new voiceover room at Discovery Creative and Technology Center.

Compared with the first four audio rooms, outboard gear for Audio 5 and 6 is pretty minimal. No longer is a local AES router needed, and the I/O for Pro Tools was expanded. Processing is mainly software-based through plug-ins for Pro Tools, rather than outboard gear.This structure is very DSP intensive. We've thrown more horsepower in the Pro Tools system than we used to, Miller said.

An example is the Minnetonka SurCode Suite of plug-ins for Dolby E, when required. It allows for offline encoding and decoding directly in Pro Tools for our Dolby E workflow, Miller said. This cuts down the time it takes to decode and encode Dolby E, allowing the mixers to start and finish their projects much faster.

Plug-ins for loudness metering include Waves WLM and TC Electronics LM6 Native. In addition, there's loudness metering on the RTW peak and line meters, according to Miller.

Outboard gear that is used, such as the API mic preamps, along with plant router control, audio patchbays, and a few other pieces of gear, are mounted in custom cabinet/consoles on either side of the audio mixer.

Design Team:

The design team was led by Discovery's Global Technology & Operations group and included Discovery's Technical Facilities Planning and Engineering unit, other internal Discovery groups, Discovery's outside architect Archcentric, systems integrator CEI, and general contractor Harvey-Cleary Builders.

The Discovery Communications project team included Andrew Peterson, Wayne Caffrey, Marcus Marshall, Ferddy Calderon Moscoso and Rob Goldheim, Marc Parsons, and also Bradley Giardiello for software installation, configuration and testing.

Key Technology:

Avid:

System 5MC Control Surface

Pro Tools HDX Digital Audio Workstation Engine

Symphony Nitris DX DNxHD System w/Video Satellite Software

Thinklogical - DVI KVM Transport via Fiber Optic

Focal - SM6 Powered 5.1 Surround Sound Audio Monitoring

RTW - TM9 Touch Screen Audio Metering and Monitoring

Tascam - HS-2000 2 Track Recorder

Minnetonka - SurCode Software (Dolby E Master Suite)

Sony 55-inch Pro Displays

Marshall - Lip Sync Monitor

Telos - Hybrid and Codec

Imagine (Harris) - Router and Control Panel

API - Microphone Pre Amps

Neumann - U87 mic in VO room

Because of the technology, the size of Audio 5 and 6 is about 60 percent that of the previous four rooms: 13-feet 5-inches (L) x 12-feet, 3-inches (W) compared with the dimensions of Audio 4 that are 20 feet, 4-inches (L) x 14-feet, 4-inches (W).

Audio 5 and 6 have a very compact configuration yet it features a large mixing surface and provides a dedicated producer space, said Jay Brown, vice president of Communications Engineering Inc. (CEI), the Newington, Va.-based systems integrator that provided professional services that included consultation, project management, system design, documentation, implementation, testing, commissioning and select equipment for this project.

DEPARTURES FROM THE PAST

Over the years, Discovery has developed standardized ways of creating stem mixes and doing things in specific ways for each type of content to be edited. The Avid System 5MC control surface has been programmed with a lot of custom presets, so that with a one button push, an entire editing session can be set up. This obviates the need for any routing switcher salvos.

Audio 5 and 6 are 5.1 rooms that can create a variety of mixes.

For monitoring, Discovery chose Focal SM6 powered loudspeakers. This is another departure from the past when separate amps and loudspeakers were used. In reality, 10 years ago, there was a better experience with high-end amps and high-end passive loudspeakers, Miller said. Now there are more players in the field [of powered loudspeakers]. In addition to quality, powered loudspeaker systems take up less space in the racks of amplifiers, which, with their inherent noise and heat loads, are no longer needed.

In Audio 5 and 6, all the loudspeakers are on stands, rather than wall-mounted to allow flexibility of re-arranging the room should future needs require. The custom stand for the center speaker is designed to nest

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