AMSTERDAM—Calrec Audio has unveiled its compact Argo M audio console, ImPulseV cloud audio mixing solution and True Control 2.0 at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary during the convention, Calrec is addressing the needs of broadcasters and other media professionals requiring a highly capable console in a small footprint with Argo M. Available with 24 or 36 faders, Argo M offers the exact same feature set and operational familiarity as the company’s larger Argo Q and Argo S consoles, Calrec said.
A plug-and-play SMPTE ST 2110-native console, Argo M features integrated DSP processing and no networking or PTP sync required for independent operation. It also has built-in analog and digital audio I/O and GPIO, 3 x modular I/O slots for further expansion and a MADI I/O port via an SFP, it said.
“All our broadcast customers are looking for more flexible workflows while still having the right monitoring and metering tools in front of them without the need for ancillary equipment. Argo M helps them to redefine their production models and retain all that in a cost-effective way,” said Calrec general manager Sid Stanley.
“It caters for a variety of workflows; cores and surfaces can be geographically diverse to enable remote and distributed production, as well as supporting interoperable networking and stage-box interfacing via AES67/ST 2110-30 with ST 2022-7 dual-network/packet merging redundancy with either 1G or 10G connectivity.”
The console supports 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2 and 7.1.4. immersive paths for input channels, busses, metering and monitoring as standard and the same Calrec Assist UI for remote control on a standard web browser. The Calrec Connect AoIP system manager makes managing IP streams easy and adds essential broadcast functionality, the company said.
It is available with 304 or 356 internal DSP processing paths, while external ImPulse and ImPulse1 processing cores can expand processing capacity to 432 DSP paths as well as provide additional redundancy.
Previewed at the 2024 NAB Show, the ImPulse V cloud-based DSP processing core provides a virtualized Calrec audio mixing engine in a cloud-native AWS environment.
Leveraging a patented x86 CPU optimal core processing (OCP) technology to operate in a virtualized Linux environment, ImPulseV is optimized for low latency throughput, providing real-time responsive, efficient and deterministic audio processing, control, routing and mixing, Calrec said.
With no requirement to buy into new control architecture, ImPulseV uses the same interfaces that Calrec customers are already familiar with. Impulse V supports direct surface connections from Calrec Argo platform products as well as the Calrec Assist web UI, it said.
The standard 128 DSP pack at launch provides up to 128 channels, 16 groups, 8 mains, 32 tracks, 32 auxes, 64 direct outputs, 128 inserts and path delay on all channels, groups, mains, tracks and auxes.
ImPulseV supports stereo, 5.1 and full immersive formats up to 7.1.4 with 9.1.6 monitoring, and any channel or bus can be mono, stereo, 5.1, 5.1.4 or 7.1.4, providing a full toolkit for immersive productions and Dolby Atmos workflows, the company said.
ImPulseV enables broadcasters to deploy audio mixing instances as needed to meet the demands of a range of events, while its economical OpEx cost model can enable broadcasters to cover second- and third-tier sports that previously may not have been economically viable, it said.
Calrec’s True Control 2.0 builds on its RP1 True Control implementation to provide expanded levels of control in two areas.
First, it gives users a far greater level of remote control without the limitations of mirroring or parallel controlling by offering control of an expanded feature set, including EQ, dynamics, routing, direct outputs and delay, the company said.
Second, it gives broadcasters the flexibility to scale their remote productions as needed by expanding the number of products it works with. True Control 2.0 is available on Type R, ImPulseV, Argo M, Argo Q and Argo S. This allows any of these products to remotely control any other True Control 2.0-enabled product. It also enables any one of these controller consoles to access up to five other consoles simultaneously, it said.
See Calrec Audio at IBC 2024 Stand 8.C47.
More information is available on the company’s website.
