A Solid State Logic C100 HDS digital broadcast console has been made the centrepiece of a new audio control room for religious broadcaster, CTS.

Serving Ottawa, Toronto, London, Calgary and Edmonton, CTS chose a to handle the audio its new Control Room B, using its versatile I/O system with stageboxes in different production spaces to integrate with its SDI video infrastructure. The expansion into a new control room represents the beginning of a facility-wide upgrade for audio to increase production capacity and turnaround.

‘We have been planning this expansion for several years and each time we took another look at consoles, the SSL C100 came out on top as the best suited to handle our range of productions,’ says David Storey, CTS Director of Engineering. ‘We go from talk shows to having full orchestras in our studios and we felt that the C100 would give us the most flexibility for our expansion into a second audio control room.’

The C100 is used to produce 100 Huntley Street, an hour-long talk show with multiple segments that range from remote interviews to panel discussions. The production engineers benefit from SSL’s Dialogue Automix feature that provides automated mixing for the panel segments. This show is aired coast-to-coast through the Global Television System in Canada as well as on CTS-TV. The console is also used for programmes that involve full orchestras, bands and singing groups, as well as game shows and talking head shows. Along with the Dialogue Automix, CTS purchased the new C-Play spot and music playout system fully integrated into the console, giving the station maximum flexibility.

‘When looking for a console, we didn’t want to be a slave to a manufacturer’s concept of how we should work,’ Storey says. ‘One of the key items in purchasing the SSL was that we did not need to re-invent our production wheel, just make our wheel spin faster and better, and the C100 does just that. Our engineering staff is re-energised by this console. We produced a segment with an eight-piece band. The beauty here is that now we have settings stored for a drum kit, for example, so the next time a band comes in with a drum kit, we push a button and there it is – very fast. From there the engineers can spend time crafting sound for the particular band, making it more refined, not trying to just get something on air in time.’

The C100 also serves 5.1 surround needs, postproduction of programmes and to attract third-party clientele.

More: www.solidstatelogic.com