Meeting Topic: SSL Demo Truck - joint meeting with SBE
Moderator Name: Jeff Smith, I Heart Radio, SBE NY Chairman
Speaker Name: Steve Zaretsky, SSL
Meeting Location: I Heart Radio, 32 Sixth Avenue @ Church Street
On September 22nd, 2016, the New York section of the Society of Broadcast Engineers invited AES members to attend a joint meeting hosted at iHeartRadio in the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan.
About fifteen broadcast enthusiasts were given a tour of SSL's broadcast demonstration truck in two small groups. On entering the truck, guests are greeted with a cozy "efficiency-on-wheels" vibe as they enter a chamber that could pass as micro-sized hotel room. The far wall is covered in a dark patterned cloth, the entryway boasts a small kitchenette, and the space is warmed by soft lighting.
SSL VP Steve Zaretsky showed off the state-of-the-art C10 console, highlighting the exceptional ease-of-use. Steve remarks about some other modern consoles: "Complexity has exceeded the operator." SSL's answer? Put things that broadcasters need right on the surface: mix-minus, routing, etc, while keeping less-tweaked functions like EQ and compression in the background. The C10 goes beyond the "banks" and "layers" concept, allowing custom, quickly-recallable layouts to be stored. In the event of a module failure, fader channels can be moved with the touch of a button. The user is protected from bigger disasters by fully-redundant DSP cores that are always online, providing inaudible changeover to the secondary system. These are built directly into the passively-cooled desk which can connect with a myriad of remote IO options including Dante and MADI.
Equipment by Genelec, Grass Valley, Savant, and RTS is also on display in the vehicle, which can be powered by generator or external high-amperage system.
While one group was learning about the SSL van, the other explored iHeartRadio's intimate theatre, where top artists perform on-air for millions of listeners at home. The room, a converted corporate auditorium that holds up to 222 people, is equipped with an Outline Array PA system, Digidesign D-Show Front-of-house console, and an Avid Profile for foldback. The broadcast control room features Avid's new S6 console, stereo Genelec monitoring, Riedel communications, and a Tricaster 400 Series video switcher. iHeart engineer and SBE NY chair Jeff Smith explained how the room connects to the facility's distribution systems via fiber optics and a SAS Audio RIO interface.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers serves as a common space and accrediting organization for TV and radio system designers & technicians. Visit SBE www.sbe.org
Written By: Colin Pfund, AES NY Section Chairman
