Danish national broadcaster TV 2 is midway through upgrading to Solid State Logic System T broadcast audio mixing consoles across the galleries at its headquarters in Odense and and OB trucks, taking advantage of the platform’s networking and remote-control capabilities, agile DSP and immersive broadcast production capabilities.
To date, the state-owned broadcaster with public service obligations, has installed three SSL System T S300 and two S500 consoles of various configurations in Odense and in two OB trucks. Two further identically configured S500 consoles are scheduled for installation at TV 2’s headquarters, plus three at a second location in Copenhagen, which will eventually bring TV 2’s complement of SSL System T consoles to ten.
‘The main thing we wanted when we were looking for some new consoles, was a solution where everything is within a single ecosystem,’ says Jens Christensen, Broadcast Engineer, Media Technology, Production & Facility. ‘We were not interested in buying a lot of outboard gear; we wanted everything inside the console.’
When TV 2 first sought a new console a couple of years ago, SSL was almost the only company offering this.
‘The installed SSL System T consoles have replaced older broadcast audio desks from another manufacturer that no longer services or supports them,’ Christensen says.
TV 2 plans to make the most of the System T’s networking and remote control abilities. ‘We are in the process of separating our studios from our galleries so we can connect any studio to any gallery,’ Christensen says. ‘Because of how the facilities were built, we couldn’t do this before. But the IP infrastructure will make it much more flexible and easier to do that.’
Currently, as standard, System T can remotely control a second system in the same building, in a different city or even in another country, a feature that TV 2 already uses, and has expanded upon, for its productions. ‘We have a development department here at TV 2, who have used the flexible SSL protocols to create additional remote functionality to meet our specific needs’ Christensen says.
Before he moved into TV 2’s engineering department, Christensen worked in production and was familiar with the operation of the consoles now being replaced. One thing that stood out for him when he first used a System T was the performance of the equaliser: ‘When you turn the EQ knob something actually happens. I have a lot of experience with our previous mixers and I think the System T sounds a little bit better.’
The government of Denmark established TV 2 in 1986 and the channel began broadcasting in October 1988.
More: www.solidstatelogic.com
