Continuing its award-winning sports production operation, NFL Films has upgraded its shooting stage for HD production with a Solid State Logic C100 HDS Digital Broadcast Console.
Part of the facility’s move from analogue to digital audio workflow, the desk will see use on promrammes including Inside the NFL on Showtime; NFL Matchup on ESPN; and Playbook and First on the Field on NFL Network.
‘We did an extensive evaluation of the major players in the digital console market and, while it’s easy to write features on a cut sheet, it’s something else altogether to make them usable on a console surface,’ says NFL Films Director of Audio Engineering, Rich Markowitz. ‘SSL takes all of those features and makes them very functional, and that’s really important. For example, channel information concerning EQ, dynamics and routing are always up front, so the engineer can see what is going on without paging through layers of information. SSL consoles are designed from the end-user point of view, making our transition from analogue to digital easy.’
NFL Films is looking to the console layout to help engineering staff migrate to an all-digital workflow. The mix minus system allows multiple remote interviews to be hanled and, as each channel has its own settable delay, different video format source material is always in sync. With weekly changes in promos and sponsors for each show, the studio engineers use the C-Play audio playout option to drag-and-drop an audio file directly into the console. This allows them to have a file ready for playback at a moment’s notice, saving a considerable amount of time.
‘As a mixer, one of the things I’ve noticed with digital consoles is how they feel under your fingers,’ says Senior Mix engineer, Ron Schreier. ‘Mixing is a creative art and the tactile feedback of a console helps that process, especially in a live television environment. The console’s EQs and dynamics have a great sound and its algorithms give the mixes a noticeable depth and clarity on air. The amount of flexibility, bussing and output options that are available address our most complicated shows from a technical standpoint. It’s really a powerful production tool and it’s obvious that a lot of thought went into building this console.’
More: www.solidstatelogic.com
