Radio Monte Carlo has installed a pair of Studer OnAir 3000 digital broadcast consoles in its studio production facilities in Paris.
Established in Monaco in 1943, RMC was subsequently acquired by the private Nextradio TV Group in 2001. Today, the broadcaster ranks third among the privately-owned radios in France, and is respected for the neutrality of its news. Its on-air programming also focuses on sports, interacting heavily with listeners.
Supplied and configured by the Broadcast Division of Audiopole, the new consoles are the latest chapter in a relationship with the French distributor that extends over more than a decade. When Nextradio opened new Paris studios in 2001, it equipped three of them with Studer OnAir 2000s.
Currently running with two identical studios (one dedicated to the on-air programme and the other to production), RMC decided it was time to upgrade its consoles, along with some other equipment. Audiopole Broadcast Division Director, Jean-Philippe Blanchard, was again on hand to meet the latest requirement this time around.
‘Two teams were set up to survey the market – the user team and maintenance team,’ says Technical Director Ruben Vicente, who is deputy in charge of the project. ‘Several consoles were evaluated and finally both teams decided upon the OnAir 3000.’
The desks are equipped with 18 faders to control the microphones, with the external lines coming from Codecs, the telephone lines and the audio servers.
The OnAir 3000 design is based around the same patented ‘Touch-n-Action’ philosophy as the Studer OnAir 2000, with colour GUI screens, which the station had used previously – but this time with a completely modular desk and a new DSP engine.
‘We had been very happy with the reliability and ease of use of the OnAir 2000 and the studio technicians experienced the same way of working with the OnAir 3000 – with a lot of additional functionalities,’ Vicente says. ‘For example, the talkback system to the codec lines are now handled by a Talkback Box with displays, as part of the OnAir 3000 system. This box directly remotes the routing of the console.’
Future plans include the installation of a Studer ReLink system between the consoles, so that the sources can easily be shared.
More: www.audiopole.fr
More: www.studer.ch
