Part of the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame Studios has upgraded its SMPTE-2110 production facility using IP audio solutions from Calrec. The Rex and Alice A Martin Media Center now houses a Calrec Artemis Type R surface and an ImPulse core to meet the demands of production needs from across the facility campus.
The Notre Dame Studios facility has been fully IP since opening in 2017, but as productions have grown in size, scope and technical requirements, the need for faster, more flexible and more powerful audio consoles became apparent.
‘Our previous console, though IP, was quite basic and we often needed to tie it to a second analogue console for more outputs,’ Video Engineer Michael Sill explains. ‘Seeking advice from experts in the field, like our main A1, industry veteran Garry Elghammer, as well as A1s with NBC, with whom we share feeds, led us to the Calrec Artemis and Type R. Garry was already quite familiar with both systems and explained the benefit of the Type R’s sophisticated features such as sidechain capabilities and a powerful EQ and compressor.’
Notre Dame Studios is a centralised production facility that provides the backbone for production of hockey broadcasts to NBC’s Peacock streaming service, as well as around 125 athletic contests to the ACC Network. It also produces and streams other events ranging from performing arts and educational events to multi-day programming such as Notre Dame Day and commencement ceremonies.
At the heart of the audio system is the 48-fader Artemis plus ImPulse core equipped with Hydra2 I/O units with 24x8 inputs and outputs with EDAC connectors. The console has an empty bay so that it can be expanded up to 56 faders to meet future needs. Additionally, a 12x4 fixed format I/O unit and three 24x8 fixed format I/O units address different production needs, including basketball and hockey broadcasts.
‘Our Calrec system benefits the whole University, not just athletics,’ says Notre Dame Studios Video Engineer, Carl Cathcart. ‘With I/O boxes strategically placed across campus, we have flexibility in covering events like graduation and we’re even training students on how to use the consoles. They produce some of our streamed games; it’s a part time paid job for them and they’re gaining valuable, real-world experience in professional audio.’
‘The school’s production facility is one of only a few in the world that’s all IP, and Calrec is an instrumental part of this,’ says Calrec Regional Sales Manager, Helen Carr. ‘It really demonstrates our commitment to IP now and well into the future. I am also delighted to learn about Notre Dame’s commitment to training the next generation in the skills needed to enter the broadcast industry and I am impressed to learn that many of these students are seriously considering a career in broadcast.’
More: http://calrec.com
