Switzerland’s Radio 24 and Virgin Radio Switzerland have become the first stations to install Lawo’s newly introduced diamond radio consoles. Consulting, installation and integration of the IP-based radio consoles was handled by Swiss systems integrator SLG Broadcast.

So far, a total of seven diamond consoles have been installed in the control and production rooms the stations, which are owned by CH Media.

Each of the three identically equipped broadcast control rooms provides workstations for an anchor and a co-host, plus a news position and two guest positions. The anchor works at a 12-fader split console, while the co-host uses a four-fader unit. A two-fader module for the news reader coompletes the installation. diamond’s modular design allows the intuitive, flexible controls to be tailored to the exact needs of the show hosts and technicians, optimising station workflows.

‘You can work quickly and comfortably with the diamond,’ reports Dominik Widmer, host of the Radio 24 morning show. ‘If the word intuitive fits anywhere, it’s here. After a very short time, you can operate it without even looking. You also feel the quality immediately, just by pressing a button or touching a fader. And the control surface is so compact that we really have a lot of space on the table.’

CH Media, a Lawo customer since 2011, was excited to be the first customers to install the diamond console system and test it live on-the-air – before its official launch. ‘The radio people here are very happy with their new diamond consoles,’ says SLG Broadcast CEO, Marc Straehl.

‘The build quality, clear uncluttered user interface, and compact design were immediate winners. Details like the well-placed function keys, and thumbnail displays on the faders for additional visual support, make the workflow amazingly convenient. And the Lawo Power Core mixing engines bring strong performance and guarantee stable, trouble-free operation.

‘The radio people were also impressed by how smoothly the installation went.’

The IP-native diamond is based on the open AES67/Ravenna audio-over-IP network standards and also complies with ST2110-30/-31 and ST2022-7 standards. The Power Core mixing engine provides expandable I/O connectivity for AES67, Madi, analogue, AES3 and Dante.

More: www.lawo.com/diamond