Studer Vista 8‘The Perfect Console for the Perfect OB Van’

With HDTV production becoming more the norm than the exception, there is mounting pressure on the mobile truck market, in particular in the USA, to rapidly invest in new OB facilities or upgrade ex-isting trucks to cope with the new demands of HD; in particular the need for 5.1 capability. The only sensible choice is to install a digital audio console

that will not only provide the means for surround production but also offer a reliable, marketable and future-proof investment. With this in mind, this article addresses the key issues that mobile truck companies are faced with when choosing the ideal audio console and explains why the Studer Vista 8 is ‘the perfect console for the perfect OB Van!’

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The Key IssuesThere are many more considerations to be made when choosing an audio console for installation in an OB van rather than a Studio: Reliability and robustness are at the top of the list . The console not only has to withstand extreme transportation conditions on a continuous basis, but must also be guaranteed to work wherever the truck may be. The console’s track record in existing trucks is obviously the fi rst question to ask but in addition, the redundancy capability is critical to ensure that whatever conditions prevail, the desk is guaranteed to be on-air.

Secondly, physical space requirement is one of the biggest issues. Digital consoles offer sophisticated functionality with a smaller con-trol surface. The challenge for all manufacturers is to offer a more ergonomic and faster-to-operate user interface than an analogue console but in a much smaller space. Is this really possible though? It is not only the size of the control surface but also the associated rack electronics that impacts space. This is particularly critical when it comes to replacing an existing analogue console as the existing rack electronics space is are usually minimal and therefore the available space for the new console is very limited. What typically takes the rack space in this case is the analogue outboard gear and analogue patch bay, which with a digital console can be completely removed if a radical approach to the system design is embraced.

Typically an OB van will need to be able to handle different kinds of production, whether it be a sports event, a music festival, an awards event or an offsite entertainment broadcast. The ideal desk should provide perfect functionality for all of the differing applica-tions without compromise. The requirement of the console for a sports event for instance is completely different to a music festival. For the sports event, many inputs, mix minus functionality and special audio-follows-video functionality are the key requirements of the desk. For a music festival; multi-track capability combined with in-channel processing and even dynamic automation for fi x-ing live to tape broadcasts become a priority. A desk that both functionally and ergonomically can handle the different applications without compromise would obviously be the perfect solution. For commercial OB vans, the desk needs to be incredibly ergonomic and user friendly is imperative for acceptance from the freelance engineer community. An engineer may be sitting at the desk for the fi rst time mixing the Grammy’s or the Super Bowl! They will only be comfortable with the desk if the user interface design gives them fast, clear, confi dent and easy operation. Is it asking the impossible to fi nd a desk that offers the fl exibility described above but keeps the control surface simple and intuitive to operate?

In the instance of a combined video/audio truck, system integra-tion is important. By design, a digital audio console also has an integrated audio router. If this router could be utilised as the audio layer of the OB van video router then this will not only be space saving but could also offer large cost savings. For this to work,

part of the audio console router must be able to be controlled by the Video switcher.

Other system integration issues include the decision whether or not to use stageboxes with optical MADI connections or continue to use long analogue multicore cable runs. The advantage in using the optical solution is that all earth loop issues are removed. The PA console operators will be extremely happy when they see optical fi bres being run from the stage to the truck!

In summary, the key issues to consider when choosing the perfect console are:

• Reliability and robustness • Physical space• Flexibility to handle different applications• User friendly and ergonomic user interface for freelance operators• System integration possibilities

Studer Vista 8 – ‘The Perfect Choice’For more than 57 years, Studer has carried the original philosophies that Willi Studer fi rst installed in the company. His trademark was to provide state of the art, robust audio products that would with-stand the toughest of handling and environments. Studer has made

the leap in the last 10 years from being the leading tape machine manufacturer to now leading the fi eld in digital console design. The Studer Vista 8 Live Production console is Studer’s fl agship product. With over 150 Vista consoles and 200 D950 consoles in daily use in live broadcast and production, Studer is the leading manufacturer of large-scale digital consoles in its fi eld.

Robust and ReliableAs mentioned earlier, one of the main issues when choosing a console for an OB van is the reliability track record of a product. It is easy for the manufacturer to say that a product is reliable but the truth lies in the product reference list. Studer large-scale digital consoles are currently installed in more than 40 OB vans worldwide. These trucks are located in North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia travelling in extremes of climate and road conditions. The fol-lowing list contains the trucks that have Vista consoles installed:

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All Mobile Video, has installed a Vista 8 console into it’s primary ‘Celebrity’ TV

Production truck. Comprising of a total of 72 faders and over 400 inputs, the

Vista 8 purchased by All Mobile Video was not only the largest Vista ever built

but also marked the sale of the 100th Vista console. So what were the reasons

that brought AMV to changing the US tradition of installing English or home

grown American consoles in their truck? The combination of the extremely intui-

tive Vistonics® user interface and the complete redundancy package were the

key factors. Lee Blanco, AMV Director of Mobile Operations comments, ‘Our desk

has a fully redundant control system with all current console settings mirrored

from the primary system, which means we can switch to the backup system and

transparently restore to the most recent desk settings. Seeing that Celebrity is

frequently used for live broadcasts, this capability was vital in ensuring uninter-

rupted operation and gives us guaranteed peace of mind! ’

Canadian Broadcasting (‘Mobile 4’), Vancouver, Canada (Vista 7)

Mobile 4 is the latest vehicle

to join CBC British Columbia’s

fl eet of Vancouver-based remote

production facilities. Designed

to meet the mobile audio recording needs of CBC Television and Radio-Canada

alike, the vehicle’s 96 kHz-capable, all-digital studio is built around a Studer Vista 7

heart. The past relationship and reliability of CBC’s previous Studer purchases

were key in the choice of the Vista 7. CBC British Columbia Regional Operations

Engineer Jim Nelson commented ‘“There are currently three Studer D950 desks

here at CBC in Vancouver, as well as a number of OnAir 1000s and 2000s, all of

which we’ve had great success with. During our initial design phase for Mobile 4,

Primevision (HD30.com), Copenhagen, Denmark (Vista 8)

Primevision, one of Europe’s leading providers of Outside Broadcast trucks and

services, has installed Studer’s Vista 8 digital live production console for its

high-spec HD30.com vehicle, probably the largest of its kind in Europe. The

multipurpose Studer Vista 8 system was specifi ed for HD30.com on the grounds of

fl exibility, functionality and quality. Primevision’s Commercial Director Flemming

Rosencrantz explains that “because the truck will be used by many different

sound engineers all over Europe, it was imperative that the desk was fl exible

enough to be used by someone who hadn’t seen it before. The Vistonics®

operating interface is so user-friendly and familiar that our chief engineer can

bring a new operator up to speed in a very short time. We did not have to be

convinced of the quality of the desk: Studer has always had a name for quality.

There are several good systems around but the Vista 8 is the best match for the

fl exibility of the HD30.com truck. HD30.com has a B and a C unit, so with the

functionality of the Vista 8’s Stagebox and its Remote Bay, we are well equipped

for remote productions. The stagebox concept also enables us to run just one

fi bre from the truck into the stadium, where previously we might have had to

run up to 50 cables.”

All Mobile Video (‘Celebrity’), New York, USA (Vista 8)

Studer Canada demoed the Vista 7 for us and our operations people immediately

fell in love with its fl exibility and highly intuitive Vistonics® interface.

Stageboxes

Remote Bay

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RedundancyIn any equipment designed for live production, redundancy is es-sential to ensure guaranteed operation. The Vista 8 offers compre-hensive redundancy options covering all parts of the system. These include:

• Redundant power supplies• Complete redundant control system• DSP core redundancy• Control surface redundancy• Redundant MADI

Power SuppliesWithout exception, throughout all parts of the system, redundant power supplies that automatically switch in case of failure of the primary supply are available. This includes:

Control surfaceDSP coreMonitoringAll I/O framesControl system (installed as standard)

Control SystemThe control system is central to the communication and control of the different parts of the system. For this reason, redundant Power Supplies and Raid 0 removable hard drives are fitted as standard.

Unique to the Vista 8 and for 100 % peace of mind, a second fully equipped control system is optionally available which is fitted underneath the console, attached to the existing hardware. The engineer can quickly switch to the redundant control system in an emergency. The data is backed up and automatically accessed by the redundant system when the emergency switch is activated so that the operator returns immediately to the current desk settings when the switch is made.

In summary, a switch to a complete second system can be made with no interruption of audio and with return of control within 25 seconds to the current settings of the desk maintained. This is the full 100 % redundancy that is unique to the Vista 8 console.

DSP CoreThe DSP Core is the audio heart of any digital mixing console and therefore if a problem is to occur in this part of the system, it will usually result in some audible problems. It is therefore essential that some redundancy is available to ensure continuous and seamless audio even in the event of failure of part of the DSP core.

The Studer Vista 8 DSP core is based on mature technology with over 300 broadcast consoles worldwide utilising the DSP core in round-the-clock use. The design of the DSP core provides seamless

audio flow with no disruption to the operator in the case of a DSP card failure. Both the physical design and DSP architecture mean that assuming a redundant card is available in the DSP core, the redundant card will instantly take the role of a failed card, with a worse case scenario of a small mute in audio. A failed card may then be physically replaced with a new card in a hot pluggable manner, again once installed assuming the role of a redundant card. The replaced DSP card is auto detected in the system with no need for reboot of any part of the system.

It should also be noted that the DSP core configuration is stored within the DSP core itself. This means that in the rare event of a problem with the control system, audio will pass through the DSP core. In fact, the control system need not be running at all for audio to pass through the DSP core. The other advantage of this is that audio passes through the DSP core in a matter of seconds from DSP core power up.

Control SurfaceThe control surface is made up of a number of modular fader bays. Should one of these bays fail, all other bays will continue as normal. The concept of navigation allows totally free allocation of DSP chan-nels to physical channel strips. In this instance, the user can quickly and easily re-arrange the strip layout in the graphical controller of the control system to re-assign the channels that were represented on the failed bay. In addition, the navigation philosophy allows scrolling of the virtual desk in front of the user. This also provides very fast navigation in such events.

MADI LinksEvery I/O frame with a MADI Link has a second redundant MADI link available which would switch automatically if an invalid MADI signal is received.In summary, the Studer Vista 8 offers comprehensive redundancy options covering all parts of the system thus ensuring the highest resilience and robustness. This makes the Vista 8 the ‘Perfect Choice’ for the variable OB van environments.

Vista 8 DSP core

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An offl ine tool is included with the console that allows an expe-rienced user to defi ne and build their own console in terms of channels, busses and processing functions. This is not to say that every time a user comes to the console they must make a new DSP confi guration. Like all other consoles, users tend to work with templates which have been predefi ned and tailored to particular applications i.e. a sport template with many input channels and a suitable number of Aux and N-X busses or a music concert template with Multi-track busses and suitable number of foldback auxes. This is highly fl exible and means that the console can be tailored to fi t the exact requirements of a particular production. This fl exibility means that the console will handle any application no matter how complex. The problem with a fi xed confi guration is that it may serve the purposes of 90 % of the productions today but what will the requirements of the console be in 5 years? The confi gurable DSP feature of the Vista 8 DSP core means that we are also providing a future proof philosophy for your investment.

The most intuitive console on the market – The Return of the Human Interface.It goes without saying that any console to be used for live produc-tion must be easy and fast to use to ensure fault free broadcasts or productions. For an OB van, this is even more important as typically freelance engineers are hired for particular productions and therefore the console must be extremely fast to learn and easy to understand and operate. Historically this has been the problem with digital consoles - that operators would need to know an operational philosophy before being able to do the simplest things on the console.

The ease of operation is the major strength of the Studer Vista 8 and it has won industry acclaim and awards worldwide for it’s Vistonics® user interface. (show pictures of awards) This most recently includes a ‘Top Innovation Award’ at this years NAB show in Las Vegas.

D21m stagebox

Offl ine confi guration editor

Minimal system 19U

Physical Space IssuesWith space at a premium, the Vista 8 offers one of the most compact I/O and DSP systems on the market. A single 3U I/O frame can handle a maximum 396 inputs and outputs. In addition, 44 mic/line inputs with 8 line output returns (including converters, redundant power sup-plies and XLR connectors) can be housed in a 5U stagebox!.

The minimum system (consisting of DSP frame, one I/O frame, and monitoring frame) only takes 19U of rack space. (ACAD Drawing).There are also special 10 mm (0.39 inches) side panels available for the control surface that can be ordered instead of the normal legs. This means there is some fl exibility for squeezing the largest number of faders into the available space.

Flexibility to handle different applicationsWe have already seen that the requirements of a mobile truck may differ on a week-by-week basis. The need for a fl exible audio console that can deal with productions as diverse as music or sport is essential. The channel and bus structure requirements for different applications mean that the ideal desk will allow a user to custom design the structure of the desk dependent on the type of production that the truck is currently being used for. This in essence means the console must allow a fl exible DSP core that with the same hardware allows the DSP confi guration to be changed. The Studer Vista 8 allows just this fl exibility.

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The Vistonics® operating concept is built around the unique fact that the rotary encoders and switches of the channel strip are mounted on a TFT screen. This gives the advantage of utilising a graphical user interface (colours, icons and text) whilst also offering the user a ‘where you look is where you control’ philosophy. The operating concept is based on channel strip operation with a one action to access rule – any function if not already shown is only one button push to access it! The use of colours and icons help with naviga-tion, instant identification and fantastic console overview. It is an

operating concept that is incredibly intuitive, fast to operate, gives unmatched visual feedback and can be learnt in a matter of minutes.

The unique philosophy of the Control Bay of the Vista 8 not only gives constant and direct access to 52 channels faders but also includes real-time metering with each of these channels all in 19.5 inches width! In addition, the unique contribution feature offers the fastest way to access contributing channels to a particular master without having to go to ‘input’ faders. Typically the way of working with the desk during setup of a show and whilst running a live show slightly differ. Whilst setting up, the operator tends to be thinking about all things to do with the input channels i.e. make a bus as-sign, set the input gain, EQ and compress the signal, etc. When it comes to be being live on-air, the operator is thinking differently. He is mainly working with masters, i.e. VCA, groups, AUX, and main outputs. Of course it is important to have direct control and meter-ing of these masters. In addition, the contributing channels to a particular master are of high importance. This is the same as think-ing about the bus assign in reverse. Which channels are currently assigned to a particular master and contributing level? If there is a problem with a mix of a master, the operators mind then turns to the inputs. The issue is that these contributing channels need to be found on the desk and the user has to navigate around the desk to access them. It would be extremely elegant if the user could still think in terms of masters but ‘pull’ the fader controls of all contrib-uting channels directly to the Control Bay Vistonics® to make any mix adjustments. In this way they would not have to care where the contributing channels are on the desk layout and therefore would not have to navigate around the desk to find them; a ‘clean’ view of only the channel faders that are assigned to a chosen master! This is exactly the concept behind the unique and powerful ‘Contribution’ feature of the Vista 8.

Each of the 10 main faders of the Control Bay has a corresponding ‘Contribution’ button above the fader. If the ‘Contribution’ button is selected from a fader showing a master, then the Vistonics® rotaries above temporarily show the currently contributing channels to that selected master. The user then has direct level control and metering of the contributions. In the case of a group, master or VCA, the Vistonics rota-ries are the faders of the corresponding chan-nels. There is no need to physically go to the channel strip of the contributing channel, just adjust the fader levels on the rotaries!

Imagine you are making a complex music and entertainment show. You probably will have some VCAs on the control bay faders. One for the drums, strings, horns, back-ing vocals etc. Once you have set up the drums in the rehearsal, you tend to only need to tweak fader balances

Vistonics® – Touch’n’Action

Where you look is where you control

Direct Vistonics level control of

40 channels with real true meters

on Control Bay

Vista 8 Control Bay

Direct level control of 40 channels with real time meters on Control Bay Vistonics®

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during the live show. With a single push of the contribution button above the drums VCA master, the drum faders are directly displayed on the Control Bay Vistonics® and you have instant level control with real-time meters of those inputs! No thought, bank switching or moving required! Think about this for a second. Do I really need a large number of physical faders even for the most complex of shows when I can access channels as fast as this? A smaller desk not only reduces cost but also takes up physical space!

Since the installation of a Vista 8 in the ‘Celebrity’ truck from All Mobile Video, New York, the freelance community has given high praise to the Studer Vista 8 console. For an operator, it quite simply is a pleasure to use. You know the situation very well: on-air in five minutes and everything is happening at once. The outside sources need verifying, the presenter is not happy with his headphone feed, the producer has changed the schedule and on top of that the guest band’s producer wants a sound check! It is at times like these that you need the console to work for you as much as possible and this is where the Vista 8 console comes into it’s own. Don’t just take our word for it, ask around your freelance clients.

Control Bay faders

System IntegrationWhen a truck is a combined audio/video production vehicle, it is often important to think about system integration possibilities to offer great flexibility and potentially offer cost saving opportunities. Firstly, the fact that a digital console has an integrated router can mean that expensive external patch bays can be reduced to a mini-mum. It is also possible that the Vista 8 integrated router can be controlled externally from the video control side using the Probel (SW-P-02) or ARMI protocols. In this instance, the console router can also be used as the audio layer of the video router in the truck offering true audio-follows-video capability. An important feature is that any sources and targets in the console router that are to be controlled by the video router can be isolated from console snap-shots. Also available for mounting in or externally from the console are button panels that can make any number of console routings from a single button push. This can be extremely useful for allowing other people other than the console operator to have control of particular routings i.e VT routing, monitoring outputs, etc.

For sports productions such as motor racing or down hill skiing where a camera selection has a corresponding microphone that should be faded up when the camera is put on air, the Vista 8 offers automated fader ramping. This means that the user can select for an incoming mic channel, that based on a camera tally, a console GPI can automatically make a fader ramp of a user defined ramp time and between two user defined levels. Upon deactivation of the GPI the channel can make a different fade out, again of a user-defined duration and in and out levels. This means in the case of motor racing, as one camera is selected to go on air, the corresponding audio signal will automatically fade in and the previous camera’s audio signal will fade out automatically. The engineer sees the fader automatically moving. This leaves the opera-tor to concentrate on the commentary, sound effects and incoming satellite feeds. The Studer Vista 8 offers true audio-follows-video functionality.

The fader ramping settings in channel patch

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Studer Professional Audio GmbH Althardstrasse 30, CH-8105 Regensdorf-Zurich Switzerland, Phone +41 44 870 75 11, Fax +41 44 870 71 34

www.studer.ch

Subject to change. Studer is a registered trademark of Studer Professional Audio GmbH. Printed in Switzerland. Copyright by Studer Professional Audio GmbH 10.26

.5680

(Ed

. 062

005)

‘The Studer Vista 8 – the perfect console for the perfect OB Van’Choosing the perfect console for the perfect OB van is never an easy task but there are some key issues that form the starting point.

A cost effective, reliable, fl exible, easy to use and future proof console would be the ideal choice.

The Studer Vista 8 offers just this with an award winning user interface, a mature and proven system design with over 150 Vista consoles in live use every day and system fl exibility that makes an extremely cost effective package.

Quite simply the Vista 8 is ‘the perfect console for the perfect OB van.’

If you have a need for an audio console for a new or existing OB van project, then please contact Studer to organise a personal on-site demo of the Studer Vista 8 at your premises.

Studer – the evolution goes on

Examples of OB Van installations with Studer Vista consoles

AMV, New York, USA, Vista 8BBC Outside Broadcasting, London UK, Vista 8CBC Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada, Vista 7France 3, Lyon, France, Vista 6France 3, Lilles, France, Vista 6Guinea TV, Conakry, Guinea, Vista 7Kuwait TV, Kuwait, Vista 6MMG, Leipzig, Germany, Vista 6NRK Radio, TR 23, Stavanger, Norway, Vista 8NRK TV, OB 19, Oslo, Norway, Vista 8Observe, Dublin, Ireland, Vista 8ORF, UE 4, Vienna, Austria, Vista 8Primevision HD 30.com, Copenhagen, Denmark, Vista 8Radio Suisse Romande (RSR), Lausanne, Switzerland, Vista 8Radio Televisione Svizzera Italiana (RTSI), Lugano, Switzerland, Vista 8 RTL BCE, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Vista 8SFP, Paris, France, Vista 6Sound Design, London, UK, Vista 8Television Suisse Romande (TSR), Geneva, Switzerland, Vista 8Telecinema Productions, Rome, Italy, Vista 6Tingjing TV, Tinjing, China, Vista 6TRT, OB 1, Ankara, Turkey, Vista 8TRT, OB 2, Ankara, Turkey, Vista 8TV Midt-Vest, Holstebro, Denmark, Vista 6VCF, Paris, France, Vista 7Visual TV, Paris, France, Vista 8Videoland, Taipei, Taiwan, Vista 6

Studer Vista 6 Studer Vista 7

Studer Vista 8 Studer D950 M2