KitPlus | Articles

Ask the Experts Monitoring sound in the stdio

1. Why do I need monitors? And why can't I just use my Hifi speakers?It may sound like the most obvious thing in the world, and it is, but along with your headphones your monitoring system is the only thing in your mix room that actually makes sound. All the decisions you make in relation to mixing, mic placement, balancing and more are coloured by...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 December 2012

Issues in surround audio and new technologies to address...

Issues in surround audio and new technologies to address them. Surround audio and the encoding technologies, such as Dolbys AC-3 used to transmit it, have introduced new issues in maintaining audio quality. At a time when skilled audio personnel are getting scarce and budgets are shrinking new technologies hold the key to delivering top quality aud...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 December 2012

Who wouldnt consider a career in Live sports?

There are many diverse things in this industry which give me a buzz but I think that live sports coverage is probably pretty near the top of the pile. With a 17yr old son considering his career options I thought it time to introduce him to the world of live sports and SIS LIVE were kind enough to give us a quick tour behind the scenes on the second...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012

Tally systems and Confidence Audio Monitoring for Sports...

Q: Because sports broadcast tends to originate from OB vehicles, having the capability to connect a tally system between trucks is vital. How do you connect your TallyMan controllers together to create an integrated, seamless tally system?A: When two OB trucks are engaged in the live broadcast of a major sports event, one truck will act as the main...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2012

TV-BAY Questions

Name & TitleJohn R Williams, Director Oscus Media in EdinburghWho are you (about yourself and who you work for)?This is a hobby that has got out of control! I was always keen of Tape recorders, and my son who is now 24, has followed the same pattern with an edit suite at aged 10. I have had no formal training and so I’ve have had to learn from the...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 August 2012

Ask the Experts - Loudness

Introduction:Loudness level inconsistencies are one of the most common problems in the broadcast industry. Loudness standards are now being introduced as discontinuities in audio levels between programs, or between programs and advertisements, have been the cause of viewer complaints – in fact they are the number one cause. Of course anything that...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 August 2012

What should I know about lithium-ion batteries

Ask The Experts: Martyn Sly-Jex, Regional Sales Manager, EMEA, Anton/Bauer What should I know about the chemistries behind lithium-ion batteries? When Li-ion cell chemistry was first introduced, it was hailed as a breakthrough, lightweight power solution for broadcast and video professionals. It incorporated high-energy density and low-self-disch...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 July 2012

NETWORKING AND THIRD PARTY CONTROL

Since the advent of digital technologies, the way audio and video is controlled and transported around broadcast facilities has been constantly evolving in the search for greater efficiencies and improved workflows. Today, broadcasters are demanding more and more versatility and integration from their equipment, and in turn, the capabilities now av...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 June 2012

How location audio changed with the birth of reality TV

In the twenty-plus years that I’ve been a sound mixer/recordist I’ve witnessed countless changes in our industry from the introduction of digital multi-track recording to the arrival of 5.1 surround sound. But the biggest, most dramatic paradigm shift I’ve seen is much simpler than that – and it’s a social thing. For many years, when it came to rec...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 June 2012

ARRI LED technology

With a growing range of LED products, ARRI is providing industry professionals with all of the benefits of using a Low Energy Lighting source with familiar characteristics. The L-Series LED Fresnel fixtures are so close to their conventional equivalents that they create a like-for-like replacement of traditional Fresnels with LED-based light engine...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 March 2012

LED - A clean light at the end of the tunnel

We asked DoP & Lighting Specialist Jonathan Harrison to evaluate the current state of the industry. Jonathan has long been critical of LED products and the claims made by manufacturers in regards to their performance for high quality professional image capture, he has also been intimately involved in the development of some of the leading industry...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 March 2012

Innovation, harmonisation, simplification

You could reasonably argue that “innovation, harmonisation and simplification” is a good motto for designers of any product to bear in mind. It is certainly true for mission critical monitoring, and it is what TSL has tried to do with its range of rack-mounted professional digital audio monitors. Checking audio quality, and particularly levels, at...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 December 2011

Operating at the cellular level

The live coverage of outside broadcast events, news or sports has always been an expensive and logistically cumbersome business. The need to invest millions of pounds in specialist satellite trucks can take years to recoup, putting the ability to service live sports contracts beyond the economy of a very few suppliers. Even the live presentation of...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2011

Intercom for Sports Production

The best kind of intercom system is one that works so well that it only takes a button or two to push when communication is required. Because of how quality intercom systems simplify communication, it is one of the broadcast industry’s most undervalued technologies. However, it is absolutely essential to a successful broadcast, especially in the fa...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 September 2011

KVM enterprise and video matrix switchers in broadcast ap...

KVM enterprise and video matrix switchers in broadcast applicationsEngineers within the professional broadcast world are comfortably familiar with video routers for the control of uncompressed video and audio signals within live studio and editing locations. However there is less familiarity with the use of KVM enterprise and video matrix switchers...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 August 2011