
Welcome to the fourth instalment of Meet Your Maker Q&A! Meet Your Maker is a series of behind-the-scenes videos and blogs that illustrate the wide range of in-house skillsets used to design and manufacture our market-leading broadcast technology whilst exploring the amazing people behind Calrec.
This week we had the pleasure of speaking with Calrec's Software Manager, Andrew Munt about his brand-new role. Andrew discusses Calrec's agility and ability to control the entire engineering process from beginning to end, Calrec's 60 strong R&D team focused on core design principles of reliability and ease of use, and how Calrec is staying ahead of the changing landscape.
1. What is your primary role with Calrec and what does it entail?
I am Calrec's new Software Manager, which is a brand-new role that continues to drive and expand Calrec's R&D output. I manage the architecting, design, development, and delivery of all software for new and existing products. Working with teams of engineers, I am responsible for specification through to release for shipment and support. I also develop code for the products where appropriate!
2. How big is Calrec's R&D team (as a percentage of the workforce and sheer numbers) and how does that compare to equivalent companies?
Calrec is very focussed on R&D and we invest a significant amount in our product R&D. Approximately half of the staff at Calrec is directly involved in developing new products and features; this is around 60 people.
Also, as Calrec is part of Audiotonix which includes DiGiCo, Allen & Heath, and SSL, we have over 200 R&D staff within the Group. This is a great position to be in and we are lucky enough to be able to share ideas and best practice.
3. What does R&D consist of and what are their relationships?
Product management is where it all starts for us in engineering, but they also work closely with the sales and marketing teams. These staff members also keep a close eye on broadcasting technologies to define a roadmap for the engineering teams.
It's great to be involved with a company where all the engineering is done in-house and having everyone in one place helps us to resolve engineering issues very quickly and efficiently. There is a huge amount of collective experience within the teams, which helps with the quality and reliability of our products.
The mechanical team is responsible for the physical surfaces and our electronic design team creates all our circuit boards, working closely to optimise space and thermals. On the software side, we have FPGA/DSP firmware, core embedded, networking, and web technologies teams and our dedicated product test team ensures everything functions as expected.
It's a really interesting place to work from an engineering perspective. We have the ability to be very flexible because we control the entire process from beginning to end, which helps us to provide the best product for the customer.
4. How does the wider broadcast environment influence software development?
Broadcasters demand reliability and quality above all else; this is the main driver for our internal development processes. We maintain great relationships with broadcasters across the world and ensure we can flex with the exacting demands of the industry.
But interoperability and standards are increasingly important to our customers too, and they often drive the direction of our development. AoIP is a good example of the industry having a significant input on our development program.
5. What are some of the design principals employed in Calrec equipment? How do you ensure these are adhered to?
Our core principles are reliability and ease of use. Live TV mixing is hard, and so we try and make it as easy as possible for our customers to create the best product they can.
Our engineering ideas are thoroughly reviewed by experts from inside and outside the company, and we always try to extend existing libraries so they can be re-used on different product lines.
Day-to-day we run agile development workflows with daily stand-up meetings and an open collaboration between software and product teams, which means we remain flexible and quick to adapt to change. Our code is continuously built and we run comprehensive unit tests to maintain a level of quality before it hits our product test team. We keep on top of the schedule with regular meetings with all key stakeholders and this is where any changes with the feature map or priority are fed back to the teams.
6. How does software manage the development of feature lists? How much is feedback from customers and how much is planned in advance?
Calrec is strongly led by customer feedback.
Our Sales and Marketing team has an ear to the ground and our Product Development team ensures there is an ongoing dialogue with customers, industry bodies, and other manufacturers before deciding what features will be in the development roadmap.
Calrec also has in-house IP specialists who work with industry bodies like AIMS and NMOS to keep one step ahead of the changing landscape.
In reality, we have to make a few choices for our strategic roadmap but right now we're on a course that looks forward a number of years, and it's good to see that level of investment.
7. What are the challenges of working with multiple software revisions?
Having multiple versions of code is quite normal for a software department and we have tools to help us manage them; however, we have a lot of products in the field and that often means many different versions of the same product line.
Calrec is well known for its excellent customer support but this, at times, can have an impact on the software department. For this reason, we need to be able to process field issues quickly. We use robust version control for all our software with strict rules on branching and versioning as y
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...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
Avid will unveil how it is transforming production to help media organizations unite content, agentic workflows, and business insights at IBC2026 (RAI Amsterda...
21/08/2026
New routing, modular processing, orchestration and monitoring capabilities bridge dedicated hardware and software-based processing as part of the Dynamic Media ...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/08/2026
When hundreds of thousands of people gather to hear a single voice, there is no room for compromise. Every word must be delivered clearly, every wireless transm...
21/08/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced a strategic partnership with ScorePlay, the AI-powered media infrastructure that spo...
21/08/2026
NUGEN Audio announces the launch of its new Post Plan and Producer Plan, two flexible subscription offerings designed to give audio professionals short term acc...
21/08/2026
Join the Screen Currency 2026 Ask Me Anything (AMA) Online 20 August 2026
(L-R): Adrian Coates, Grainne Brunsdon, Deirdre Brennan, Rachael Perkins
Got questio...
21/08/2026
The countdown to the most wonderful night of the year has officially begun!
Host Patrick Kielty is gearing up for another unforgettable Late Late Toy Show nig...
21/08/2026
Meet puppet duo Bellie and Whizz, who are about to explore all the big feelings ...
20/08/2026
From host-broadcaster and rightsholder support in June and July to MLS, NWSL, US...
20/08/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
20/08/2026
At IBC this year, Veritone (14.A56) is bringing two connected themes to the booth: architectural independence in enterprise AI, and the automation of the media ...
20/08/2026
Telestream and ScorePlay have announced a partnership combining Telestream's...
20/08/2026
The Grand Slam of Curling and Rock League have announced a three-year agreement with ESPN, bringing more than 300 hours of live curling coverage to U.S. audienc...
20/08/2026
Nielsen has announced a series of enhancements to its Big Data + Panel currency measurement methodology, taking effect August 31. The updates were developed in ...
20/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected by service provider Big Blue Marble (formerly ORS Group) to provide its Nimbra platform as the core media transport solution for a...
20/08/2026
The 2026 US Open will bring a series of free fan activations across New York City ahead of and during the tournament, which runs August 23-September 13.
We...
20/08/2026
Bridge Technologies will announce a transport stream (TS) playout feature for its VB330 and VB220 compressed monitoring probes at IBC2026 (Booth 1.A71).
The fe...
20/08/2026
ENCO will demonstrate solutions across captioning, translation, AI production tools, automation, and virtual production at IBC2026 (Stand 7.A34, Amsterdam RAI, ...
20/08/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will demonstrate camera robotics and mot...
20/08/2026
Chyron will demonstrate news workflow solutions at IBC2026 (Stand 7.A23), marking the company's 60th anniversary. Highlights include updates to PRIME HTML, ...
20/08/2026
Spectrum SportsNet LA, the exclusive television home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is now available to Spectrum customers in former Cox markets following the clos...
20/08/2026
swXtch.io will unveil expanded Global SRT Distribution and native multicast tran...
20/08/2026
Riedel Communications has announced that Transformation Church in the United States has deployed a communications system built around the Artist intercom ecosys...
20/08/2026
The bestselling author and longtime Apple observer explores how product launches...
20/08/2026
The Orlando Magic entered last season with a dramatically upgraded in-venue prod...
20/08/2026
Pacers Sports and Entertainment has announced a partnership with DAZN, making it the exclusive streaming home of Indiana Pacers basketball. A team-branded strea...
20/08/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
20/08/2026
The NHL has announced two major developments tied to its Germany growth strategy...
20/08/2026
Set up your own private remote collaboration infrastructure
SoundBridge have recently put together a tutorial video that provides users with a step-by-step ...
20/08/2026
New V-Control Pro features restore basic functionality
Neyrinck's V-Control software has long been keeping older Avid control surfaces compatible with n...
20/08/2026
TV, BritBox and Mammoth Screen have announced that filming is now underway on th...
20/08/2026
New York August 19, 2026 Nielsen today shared a number of key enhancements t...
20/08/2026
New Gracenote Data Hub analysis finds sports program titles up 31.2% and individ...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
At IBC, Profuz Digital will showcase at stand 8.A88 the SubtitleNEXT platform delivering innovative AI transcription integrations and stunning new features boos...
20/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Transformation Church, one of the fastest-growing and most influential digital ministries in the United States, has d...
20/08/2026
QuickLink Showcases New 4K Capabilities Across StudioEdge and StudioCall at IBC ...
20/08/2026
The Boys Season Five Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton August 20, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist Siggy Ferstl uses Depth Map to bring a three ...
20/08/2026
Adobe Firefly expands its creative AI studio: generate music, speech, and sound ...