Harman’s Studer Vista 8 digital live production console is now in use for "The Martha Stewart Show" on the Hallmark Network. It provides Jorge Silva, the program's head audio engineer, with the tools that he needs to keep the show's sound at the cutting edge. Envisioning how the Vista 8 managed to anticipate every challenge that a modern television production faces on a daily basis, Silva speculates, "When they designed the Vista 8, someone sat down and said, ‘How do we so this so that it makes sense to the operator that has to use the console under the time pressures of television production?’ Well, once you wrap your mind around it and see what television audio faces these days, you get the Vista 8."
Silva recalls prior work with other mixing and processing platforms. "I remember having to piece things together to make them work, going on-air with limited equipment and having to do hot switches during two-minute commercial breaks, crossing your fingers that it was going to work,” he states. With the arrival of the Vista 8, however, "Now we have unlimited resources and you can tailor the console to be more friendly to what you are trying to do. You can build the console around each task."
Silva says that much of what is standard on the Vista 8 isn't offered even as options on other consoles. "You store your settings on snapshots, and you can build a sequence that will literally follow the script of a show using time code, going from snapshot to snapshot and following the program cues," he says. "No one else can do that. Studer is the first manufacturer to get away from the concept that you have to call attention to a module to effect change to it."
The Vista 8's high degree of flexibility stems largely from the highly acclaimed Vistonics user interface, which provides familiar analog-style console control and a clear display of all operating parameters along with fast, easy operation. The Vista 8 possesses powerful broadcast features to offer a highly sophisticated and flexible multipurpose live broadcast desk. For example, its unique control bay design offers rapid access to all faders in a small footprint, making it ideal for both fixed install broadcast and OB van applications. The Vista 8 offers additional advanced functionality, such as 7.1-channel surround-sound mixing capability, dynamic automation, a sophisticated snapshot system, dedicated mute groups and more.
Summing up, Silva states, “It's fantastic piece of work and a pleasure to work with."
