Fairlight has announced a breakthrough – a new stream of audio and video products incorporating its CC-1 (Crystal Core Technology patent pending). This fresh paradigm processes data in a massive Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), architected into what amounts to a purpose-built media processing chip.
Recently there has been a resurgence in the marketing of audio processing designed around the principle of a single gain element controlling all frequencies of audio signals simultaneously. Known as wideband processing, these types of systems have been in use since the earliest days of telephony and broadcasting when frequency response and level variations were both restricted.
Times have certainly changed. Is wideband processing effective at controlling the loudness of modern, full bandwidth audio channels with the sometimes significant variations in level and quality?
Broadcasting over IP is rapidly becoming the paradigm by which broadcasters are planning future broadcast network infrastructures. Within the diverse range of broadcast IP devices coming onto the market, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is currently the signaling protocol that is used by most of the world’s Telcos and broadcast codec manufacturers. It is also the most likely to provide connectivity between IP devices for the foreseeable future.
Audio networking introduces new exciting possibilities for the professional audio industry. But it also drastically changes the way audio systems are designed, built and used, introducing new technologies and strategic issues to consider when investing in a networked audio system.
In this white paper the basics of audio networking will be covered in a straightforward comprehensive format. We assume the reader has an advanced knowledge of analog audio systems, a basic knowledge of digital audio systems and no knowledge of computer networking. This white paper is only a basic introduction to the subject; for detailed information we refer to the many documents on the internet made available by the IT equipment manufacturers around the world.
This white paper’s subject is Networked audio system design with CobraNet. The design concept in this paper supports systems varying from small touring event setups to very large scale networked audio installations. That does not mean that the design concept is the best solution to all system specifications, other network topologies and audio protocols should always be considered in the initial phase of the design project. The advantage of this Yamaha System Solutions design concept is that it is based on Ethernet / CobraNet, both open protocols that use computer networking components widely available on the market. Other compatible brands of both network and audio equipment can be included in the design concept, assuring maximum flexibility and project efficiency for system integrators.
It is also good to know that the design concept is not just a theoretical exercise; we have built, tested and installed systems based on this design concept so you can be confident that the concept will work in real life.
We assume the reader is a system integrator with detailed knowledge of analogue and digital audio, and basic knowledge of networking technologies as covered in the ‘Yamaha System Solutions - an introduction to networked audio’ white paper. The Yamaha Commercial Audio team.
Nothing sells a story like a great sound track. Over the past decade, Avid and Digidesign have worked together to provide the industry's most complete and flexible audio workflows. Whether you work in an Avid Unity environment with Pro Tools and Media Composer directly connected or whether a Wide Area Network (WAN) separates picture editorial and the audio house, Avid has you covered.
In quality test it has been found that viewers can perceive a loss of visual quality if the
sound quality is inferior, even when no change has been made to the picture quality....
Master control with traditional broadcast signals has presented relatively few difficulties for programme playout.
Video and Audio in SDI and AES formats are linear signals. Once a small amount of timing adjustment has been applied, each signal is processed sample by sample. This introduces little delay in the system, perhaps a line or so for the video and a few samples for the audio. Any relative timing changes between video and audio are minimal.
With the advent of surround sound, Dolby E has become the de-facto standard for encoding, storing and routing audio. This paper discusses some of the implications of Dolby E, and some possible solutions.
If radio is to maintain and improve its market share in a highly competitive and cluttered
media sector, then 5.1 Multi Channel Audio needs to be embraced. Fundamental to this process will be contribution from live events (concert halls and sports stadiums) and the preservation of this content. This document outlays various solutions for broadcasters that
are currently researching the use of 5.1 Multi Channel Audio.
Transporting broadcast quality audio over IP is the new “must have” technology for radio and TV networks. However, IP as a transport mechanism has a number of inherent characteristics that could potentially pose problems for codec manufacturers and broadcasters alike.
Over the past 20 years, the audio services which Telco’s supply to Broadcasters have migrated from Balanced Analogue copper circuits to digital solutions based on synchronous E1 and T1 networks.
When Service Providers had a viable alternative to move away from the onerous operational overheads of Analogue circuits in the late 1980`s they embraced E1 (2048kBit/s) and T1 (1536kBit/s) circuits. Installing these circuits and terminating the data interfaces (G.703 / G.704, X.21, V.35) with audio codecs on either end provided a service, which was substantially easier to support, thus increasing the profit margin. The single performance legacy they had to ensure was that the encode / decode latency cycle was similar to the Analogue circuit which it replaced.
Clear-Com’s Eclipse matrices offer new and powerful linking capabilities. Regardless of whether you wish to link matrices across studios, across cities, or across continents, you can do so with ease and flexibility.
Intercom is needed where many people work together in some common project, such as making a television programme or directing a live event. For this to happen smoothly, so that responses to questions, commands, and instructions pass speedily between teams, the use of telephones soon becomes impractical.
Consider a situation in which the Director is already in a call and blocks another incoming call from the studio Floor Manager to alert the production control room that a guest is not in place, and the Presenter should go to another item. This case of blocking highlights the difference between a telephone system and an intercom system.
Unlike a telephone system, the intercom system allows multiple callers to get to a destination, indicates who they are, and provides selective answering.
In the past, it was not unusual for audio signals to receive less attention than video from broadcasters and content creators alike due to time and budget restrictions.
