In preparation for this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) and subsequent National Football League (NFL) season coverage, FOX Networks Engineering and Operations in Los Angeles is currently in the process of upgrading the audio facilities of its two primary production stages.
The first phase of this project has been to install a 96-input Studer Vista 8 digital live production console into FOX Network Center Stage A, which now hosts all of the network’s pre- and post-game coverage, including the Emmy Award-winning “MLB on FOX” pre-game show. Starting in September, Stage A will also be used for “NFL on FOX” pre-game, half-time and post-game wrap-up show, “FOX NFL Sunday,” hosted by Terry Bradshaw with analysts Jimmy Johnson and Howie Long.
The project’s second phase, planned for the third quarter of this year, will upgrade Stage B with another Vista 8 for FOX Sports’ popular talk show “Best Damn Sports Show Period.”
The two Studer desks are being installed as part of an initiative to fully overhaul Stage A and B’s audio control suites, which previously used older analog mixing consoles. Upon completion, both suites and stages will carry a fully digital audio and video spec.
The FOX team knew it wanted a 5.1-capable desk that could easily accommodate the switch to surround sound when the time came, and the Vista 8 fit the bill. Other attractive key features cited included the desk’s robust redundancy capabilities and high-quality onboard DSP, which eliminated the need for extensive outboard processing gear. Operational ease and versatility were cited as additional factors, as attested to FOX by the freelance audio mixing community that will be using the facility.
The Studer Vista 8 digital live production console combines and extends the powerful on-air features of the Vista 6 with the dynamic automation of the Vista 7 to create a highly sophisticated and flexible multipurpose live broadcast desk. In addition to common Vista series features like the intuitive Vistonics interface, Virtual Surround Panning (VSP) and AutoTouch Plus dynamic automation, the Vista 8 offers a central control bay, extensive output metering and matrixing, and a host of other significant features.
For more information, visit www.studer.ch.
