ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: PBS member station KNME-TV recently began a facility-wide upgrade to all-HD production with the audio component centered on a Solid State Logic C10 HD Compact Broadcast Console, SSL says. The console was chosen to manage the audio needs of a variety of programs from simple talking head-type news presentations to multi-microphone panel discussion productions. The C10 HD provides KNME with improved workflow, depth of features for high-end applications, ease-of-use for a wide range of operators and is 5.1 ready to facilitate future surround productions.
“Choosing the right audio console for our facility upgrade was a challenge on many levels, given the range of items we needed to satisfy,” says Franz Joachim, director of content for KNME, New Mexico PBS. “The C10 is the perfect fit for our needs that include ease-of-use to accommodate operators from students to advanced audio engineers. The depth of available features was also a big consideration, especially the Dialogue Automix option, along with the quality build of the console. As with most PBS stations, money is hard to come by, so our business model dictates having a console that will last 10 to 15 years and not become obsolete. The C10 addresses our requirements while delivering a streamlined workflow as a bonus.”
KNME, the largest PBS station in New Mexico, uses the C10 to produce New Mexico in Focus, a weekly prime-time news magazine show and daily production spots for Fox, CNN, MSNBC and CBS, as KNME is a primary feed point for news coming out of New Mexico. For the multi-microphone panel segments, the Dialogue Automix and access lockout features have been a game changer for the production staff.
“With our older analog workflow, running the audio for a panel discussion was a nightmare involving an engineer and two to three students running groups of microphones with very mixed results,” Joachim said. “The C10 offers different levels of console function accessibility where I can employ the talents of our experienced staff members to create a preset for a show on the top level, lock out everything but the faders and Dialogue Automix and have a student with limited experience run the show with great results.
“This is very powerful for us as it frees up our experienced staff resources for needs that may arise, leaving a specific program in the hands of a student, when necessary. We produce segments for national distribution and each piece has to be perfect every time. If we can’t deliver, the client will not come back. The C10 allows us to enjoy reasonably stress-free productions with perfect results.”
