The first higher education facility in the UK to bring an eSports broadcast course to market, the University of Staffordshire has won itself a place as an industry pioneer. The facilities now being offered to students at the University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus include a 60-seat eSports arena, two broadcast galleries and well-equipped studio.
Part of a recent multi-million pound expansion, the new facility can be run in parallel – with one gallery linked to the arena and the other to the studio – or as a single large production suite.
UK integrator and supplier Digital Garage partnered with Audio-Technica on the audio components of the eSports broadcast facilities. This was delivered via network solutions, including eight channels of Audio-Technica 3000 Series Digital wireless and two Allen & Heath Avantis digital mixers. With IP audio being crucial to ensure operational flexibility, Digital Garage turned to Dante.
‘There are so many use-cases for the arena that we needed to design a very versatile space,’ says Tom Gill, the company’s Design Manager. ‘We couldn’t have one piece of audio kit connected to a single other piece of kit – everything needed to be able to “dial in” to any input or output across the facility. So it was fundamental to the project to have Dante at the core of the audio design.’
‘In addition to the networkable nature of both the Audio-Technica wireless system and the Avantis consoles, there were features that made them ideal candidates for the project. For example, presenters generally use handheld microphones in the arena – because capsules on the 3000 Series transmitters are interchangeable, we could specify the C6100 hypercardioid option to avoid picking up unwanted spill from the PA.
‘A big advantage of the Avantis mixers is they have certain broadcast-friendly features – things like tie-lines that many desks don’t have – which made them the perfect choice for this project. They really have everything built-in, so each console can stand alone, without involving a “surface-and-brain” set-up. The students really enjoy using the mixers and it’s extremely useful for them to be able to get experience on this level of professional gear during their degree courses.’
The Avantis consoles in the galleries are complemented by additional Allen & Heath components, including a trio of DT168 Dante-enabled 16-input/8-output expanders and two SQ-5 48-channel digital mixers. Extra control around the studio and other spaces is provided via six IP1 rotary and an IP8 8-fader controllers.
‘Our students need to be industry-ready, particularly in a fast-moving industry like eSports broadcasting, so we’re not just bringing in technical kit for the sake of it, we’ve invested in equipment that our students will experience in the world of work, ensuring that they’re immediately employable post-university,’ says University of Staffordshire’s Technical Services Manager, Richard Mortimer.