NAB 2022: Audio Offerings Reflect Growth in IP and Remote Production

NAB 2022: Audio Offerings Reflect Growth in IP and Remote Production By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - 7:00 am

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NAB 2022, the broadcast industry's first signature technology event since COVID-19 scuttled the 2020 version, currently has more than 900 exhibitors signed up. A lot has happened in the past two years, chiefly in IP and remote production, and the audio exhibits at the show will reflect that. Here is a sampling of what audio folks can expect to encounter on the exhibit floor.

Audio-Technica 8.0 Microphone Concept

Audio-Technica (Booth C5826) will be showing its new 8.0 Microphone Concept, which is designed to be lightweight and small enough for discreet placement in a field of play. In addition, each of the eight 12-mm elements can be removed from the core mount and packed away quickly in a compact case, making for fast deployment by a single operator. For producers and engineers looking to capture immersive audio content in a real-time and fast-paced environment, such as live sports, it offers a practical and uncomplicated solution without the additional algorithms and decoding required in alternative immersive-audio-capture applications.

A-T is also displaying its BP28 14-in. (355.6-mm) and BP28L 22.4-in. (569-mm) Line + Gradient large diaphragm condenser microphones. These phantom-powered microphones combine a large-diaphragm condenser element with a 28-mm-diameter shotgun design for exceptional low-noise performance.

Calrec (Booth 8008) will run three independent consoles from a fully redundant pair of ImPulse cores: a 48-dual-fader Apollo console, a 40-fader Artemis console, and a headless console running Calrec Assist on a PC. Introductions include the company's new GPIO unit for Type R, a 1RU box that delivers an additional 32 GPOs and 32 GPIs for interfacing with external systems, such as playout, phone systems, and codecs. Functionality can be added to physical buttons on Type R fader panels, soft panels, or web UIs and configured via Calrec's user-friendly Connect application.

Clear-Com (Booth C6908) will demonstrate some new IP-based and on-premises intercom solutions. Featured at the booth will be the Arcadia Central Station, a scalable IP intercom platform that integrates wired and digital-wireless partyline systems along with third-party Dante devices in a single rack unit. The system scales to meet various production needs, offering a base level of 32 IP ports, which can be expanded to 96 IP ports (and beyond in future releases) as needed. Arcadia integration with HelixNet Digital Partyline will be available for demonstration, with the update expected for release in the second quarter. The recently updated Trilogy Mentor system, now with dual Gigabit-network ports for improved network connectivity, will also be featured.

Digigram's (Booth C6708) high-density 1RU IQOYA SERV/LINK multichannel IP audio codec handles four-64 stereo (eight-128 mono) audio input and output channels in 1RU and can also simultaneously encode and stream the audio inputs in multiple formats and protocols, decode IP audio streams to the outputs, and transcode IP audio streams. Used in conjunction with a web platform and connection service IQOYA CONNECT to remotely manage a codec fleet and custom user profiles, monitor in real time all communications and remote-control codecs, IQOYA SERV/LINK was designed for live remote broadcasting and delivery of audio programs in such applications as multiple STL and SSL links, delivery of multiple WEB radios to CDNs, multiple program delivery to DVB/cable operators, multiple live remote broadcasts, multiple intercom and commentary channels, and IP audio transcoding.

Electro-Voice's (Booth C6108) venerable RE20 microphone makes a reappearance as the RE20-BLACK, which sports an elegant, low-reflection dark-charcoal finish in a new color option for the classic broadcast mic.

Fraunhofer IIS (Booth C3926) will spotlight MPEG-H Audio Is the Next Generation Audio Standard, which was recently selected as the only mandatory audio codec for Brazil's TV 3.0, along with the xHE-AAC codec that Netflix chose for adaptive AV streaming to provide MPEG-D DRC volume and dynamic range adjustment as well as maximum coding efficiency.

Lawo (Booth C6932) will present a range of new and revamped software features for the software-defined V__matrix routing, processing, and multiviewing platform and a 48-fader version of the mc 36 mixing console, as well as new VSM and SMART features. In addition to Lawo's HOME management platform for IP-based media infrastructures, which is now open to third-party vendors, exhibits will include significant software upgrades to the vm_dmv distributed IP multiviewer, vm_udx up/down/crossconverter, and vm_avp gateway and processing apps, the brand-agnostic VSM IP Broadcast Control System, and the SMART series for system monitoring and real-time telemetry for broadcast networks. A new software version for the mc family of audio-production consoles and the A__UHD ultra-high density IP audio engine will be unveiled, and Lawo's brand-new diamond console will be on display for the radio community.

Pliant Technologies (Booth C7118) will present High Density mode - a selectable mode of operation that greatly increases user densities - for both its CrewCom and CrewCom CB2 wireless intercom systems. For CrewCom, the new software-selectable mode supports up to 32 Radio Packs (RPs) on a single Radio Transceiver (RT) while dynamically allowing any four of the RPs to communicate in full duplex across four available talk paths. For CB2, the High Density mode supports up to 16 Radio Packs (RPs) on a single BaseStation. In addition, users of both systems will have the flexibility to simultaneously deploy Normal mode-enabled RPs and RTs (synced BaseStations for CB2) along with H

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2022/04/20/nab-2022-audio-offerings-reflec...
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