KVIE, the PBS member station serving Sacramento, Modesto and Stockton, CA, has upgraded its audio control room with a Solid State Logic C10 HD compact broadcast console.
Replacing an aging analog console, the C10 HD was chosen to meet a range of requirements typical of a mid-sized broadcaster that is upgrading to HD production, such as compact size, price, reliability and the ability to be operated by a range of non-specialist staff.
“We have only one production control room, and when we made the change to HD production, we needed a contemporary audio console that could handle our different production situations,” says KVIE director of engineering Greg Johnson.
“We were used to working in analog, so the ergonomic layout of the C10 was immediately familiar and desirable from an engineering and operational standpoint,” he adds. “We like the fact that all the processing is right there in the console.”
The station is laid out in such a way that one HD production control room with complementary audio room services the needs of two production studios. The larger studio, a 50ft-by-75ft full sound stage, is used for larger, more complex productions. The smaller 45ft-by-40ft studio is used for smaller productions and fundraising. The C10 handles all productions in both studios.
“We produce local shows like ‘Studio Sacramento,’ which is a weekly public affairs program and the successful weekly program ‘ViewFinder,’ which covers topics as diverse as regional history, the arts, health and medical research and regional civic issues,” says Johnson. “We also produce ‘America’s Heartland,’ an award-winning national series on agriculture seen on more than 230 public television stations.
“When considering an audio console, we wanted one that would serve us well into the future.”
KVIE also selected Solid State Logic’s Dialogue Automix and C-Play options to help with production workflow. The former is used for panel-type productions. It allows the general staff to manage the console when needed. The latter offers a fully functional spot and music playout system integrated into the console.
