TSL Products, manufacturer of surround sound microphones and processing, audio monitoring, broadcast control systems and power management solutions, introduces a major software upgrade for its popular Touchmix (AVM-T-Mix) rackmount audio mixer/monitor system at CABSAT 2014 (Hall 8, Stand B8-20).
“The free software upgrade for Touchmix marks a seismic development for this product line allowing broadcasters to significantly upgrade capabilities and address extended production needs without purchasing and integrating a new unit,” says Martin Dyster, Head of Audio for TSL Products.“Touchmix has evolved from a simple audio monitoring unit with mixing capabilities to a sophisticated audio problem solver capable of fulfilling a multitude of roles from broadcast production confidence monitoring through to a complete mixing/routing/monitoring solution at the heart of TV programme making.”
When operated as a mixer, the Touchmix allows the user to mix and monitor any combination of 5.1, stereo and mono signals, in their native form without the need for up- or down-mixing, via two independent, multichannel mix engines. Mixer 1 (formerly stereo-only) now features a parallel 5.1 bus, which becomes active as soon as the user identifies a 5.1 signal source, whilst the secondary mixer maintains its original stereo configuration. Combined, they provide an ideal compact and complete solution for a producer working on a surround sound project with Mixer 2 being an ideal stereo cue mixer for a voice-over contributor or commentator.
A number of key features have been bundled as part of the mix capability including a useful combined panner/divergence control so that the engineer can direct a mono signal (such as a voice) to any spatial position across the LCR front channels yielding more accurate production value. The 5.1 monitoring outputs can be routed to surround sound speakers via analogue or AES connections, and controlled using the onboard master volume encoder, whilst the 5.1 mixer line output can be routed independently to an external device such as a downstream router, editor or embedder via analogue or AES connections.
The Touchmix’s new onboard 48 x 24 XY audio router handles mono, stereo or 5.1 SDI, AES and analogue signal sources, and gives the user complete control of source to destination routing configuration. A physical input or internal bus (mixer, monitor) can be freely assigned to any of the multichannel AES or analogue output connections. The XY router also allows the creation of different configurations for each of the 18 onboard user snapshots, so that connectivity can be tailored to suit different project or production workflows, enabling the user to instantly recall them as required.
Environments that handle new, legacy and archive material in areas such as post production, QC and ingest will benefit hugely from this solution where Touchmix combines routing and monitoring, when the channel count and delivery format might vary from show to show.
Within the XY router configuration, common elements such as the physical connection of external loudspeakers or downstream processors can be defined as defaults for each user snapshot via a single button push.
Mixing and monitoring capabilities aside, the Touchmix upgrade also means that the product doubles as a 16-channel SDI source de-embedder to AES or analogue outputs and a multi-format audio cross converter with A to D/D to A functionality.
“We’re expecting a big reaction from CABSAT visitors, as the development of the Touchmix’s XY routing and 5.1 capabilities have been in direct response to customer feedback and will serve the demands of operators across a multitude of applications throughout the broadcast chain,” adds Dyster. “Up until now there has not been a product like the Touchmix that can combine so many essential elements into one compact, affordable and ergonomic design.”
About TSL Products
TSL Products designs, manufactures and markets a range of hardware and software solutions that serve to simplify operations within the television broadcast, cable, satellite, IPTV and IT industries. Specializing in audio monitoring, surround microphones and processors, broadcast control systems and power management tools, TSL Products’ solutions satisfy and exceed the commercial, technical and operational requirements that exist in IT-based and traditional workflows, helping its customers to lower costs, generate revenue and streamline operations. For more information, please visit www.tslproducts.com.
