Geneva, June 2017: STAGETEC, the Berlin-based manufacturer of digital audio technology, is equipping Radio Télévision Suisse's (RTS) HD1 OB truck with seven RMDQ (Platinum DSP) boards. Thanks to the upgrade, RTS can now easily implement resource-intensive production formats with 128 summing buses at 96 kHz. And the eight-year-old AURUS mixing console has more than 800 audio channels at its disposal.
These resources will be needed at the 51st Jazz Festival in Montreux starting at the end of June. There, the concerts in the Jazz Lab will be mixed in 24-bit resolution at 96 kHz simultaneously in stereo and 5.1 surround sound. Last year's test run with STAGETEC's audio DSP unit worked so well that seven RMDQ audio processing units are now permanently installed in the HD1.
"We mix our productions in 5.1 and the configurations then often require more than 200 input channels. With the RMDQ module from STAGETEC, this is no problem," emphasizes Yves-Alain Schneider, responsible for the audio engineering of the OB fleet at RTS. "In order to be able to perform in the future and meet all audio mixing requirements, we are updating our equipment. We know from many years of experience that we can rely on the technology from STAGETEC."
The high standard of audio mixing at RTS in Montreux is necessary because concerts at the jazz festival are recorded and released on vinyl, DVD and Blue-Ray disc. Various TV and radio stations broadcast the concerts and they can also be streamed on the website.
But Montreux is not the only place where RTS benefits from the audio processing upgrade. The HD1 is a multi-purpose vehicle for entertainment, sports and music broadcasts, so the other features that the audio DSP unit brings can also be put to good use. Especially as production times are getting shorter and shorter and automation in production workflows is therefore very welcome.