2013 eNews Header
January, 2013

Quote of Note

 

- Bill Vaughn 

The Telos Alliance grows again!
25-Seven Systems is now part of the Telos family

25-Seven logo The best sorts of partnerships are the ones that grow organically, Doesn't matter if it's a marriage, a business arrangement or a bunch of poker buddies, the relationships that work best are the ones that are allowed to mature on their own. Which is why The Telos Alliance is so happy to welcome 25-Seven Systems to our happy little family.

That's right - the geniuses that invented the Audio Time Manager are now a part of the Telos clan. It gives us great pleasure to welcome the gang - Geoff Steadman, Barry Blesser, Rick Sawyer, Derek Pilkington and the rest of the brain trust. We've known known each other, worked together and shared technologies for years (25-Seven is
The legendary ATM.
a longstanding Axia Livewire Partner - didn't you know?). We respect each other so much that the guys at the top decided "Hey! Let's make this official!"

Geoff Steadman told ye olde-editor that "One of the first emails I got from Frank (Foti) after we became part of the Telos Alliance simply said 'welcome home'. And now we are. 25-Seven Systems marrying into the Telos family is a dream come true for me, and my entire team. Great things lie ahead for our collective group, and we are off and running!"

If you're not familiar with what 25-Seven does, it's about time you did (forgive the pun). Check out the Audio Time Manager, Program Delay Manager, Program Length Manager, and the new Precision Delay at  www.25-seven.com. (If you like reading press releases, you can check out the official announcement here.)
KVMR has IP remotes Z/IP-ped up tight
Concert remotes over IP? Yes you can
KVMR's Dave Barnett
 
Even though IP connections for remotes are becoming more and more common, some broadcasters have preferred to stay with ISDN for critical live shows. And that's fine... but what if you can't get ISDN any more? Or the telco demurs when you ask for a line drop in an out-of-the-way location?

 That was the dilemma Dave Barnett at KVMR in Nevada City, California faced. Not to mention that IP connections are far less expensive than ISDN. So he took the plunge for his station and ordered up two Telos Z/IP ONE IP codecs.

At first he was cautions, especially about how the Z/IP ONE would sound during broadcasts of live music - so he kept his Zephyr Xstream ISDN codec in the kit as a backup, running both simultaneously. But one listen to the sound quality of the Z/IP ONE convinced Dave and his GM that IP was the station's remote standard from then on. They A/B'd the two streams and "Instantly, we both knew we had stumbled across something superb...The Z/IP ONE has allowed us to improve the audio quality, reduce the cost, and expand the available locations for our live remotes."

 

Read the rest of Dave's entertaining Z/IP ONE report at The Broadcasters Desktop Resource (you can download the story in PDF format by clicking here). 

Coming up Roses at KTLA
Linear Acoustic 5.1 for Rose Parade TV viewers

There are only a handful of live television broadcasts that pack as much visual punch as the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. This year's viewers were treated to 41 flower-filled floats, 24 vivid marching bands, and 21 colorful equestrian units. All of that retina-pleasing video set a pretty high bar for the accompanying audio, which must be just as compelling. That's why KTLA's Chief Engineer, Dave Cox, specified the Linear Acoustic AERO.air as the loudness manager and upmixer of choice, marking the fifth consecutive year for the ongoing partnership between the station and Linear Acoustic.

 

AERO.air KTLA produces the telecast for air on their own station, but the production is distributed to other US stations and internationally. "We produce the program in stereo and rely upon the AERO.air to handle the upmixing to 5.1," says Cox. "It does a great job of that."

 

Cox says that most of the audience will be listens through their TV's internal speakers, which means a good 2-channel downmix is critical. "The challenge is to create a mix that sounds good to those viewers while still providing a great 5.1 listening experience for the audience listening in that mode. AERO.air makes that possible."

 

Linear Acoustic Founder and President Tim Carroll is equally pleased. "The Tournament of Roses Parade is an iconic broadcast that viewers really look forward to each year," he says. "We are honored to help Dave and KTLA deliver the highest quality audio to their many viewers."

 

AERO.air also makes program distribution simple. 2-channel audio is sent from Pasadena back to the KTLA studios in Los Angeles where the signal is split into two paths. One feeds KTLA's own main and backup AERO.air units for local transmission, and one feeds main and backup AERO.air units on loan from Linear Acoustic for the network and international feed, which is sent to over 200 countries. The insertion of SAP audio is also handled by AERO.air.

 

Cox also cites customer care and support as an important consideration for such a high-profile live broadcast. "Linear Acoustic provides excellent support if needed. They maintain a high-quality staff who know their products."

 

For the people watching at home, though, it's all about quality. "Our viewers expect a quality audio experience to match the spectacular HD video experience, and the Linear Acoustic AERO.air delivers." Check out LinearAcoustic.com for more info.
Linear Acoustic at KTLA
Senior Engineers Murray Clawson and Micky Chan in front of KTLA's main and backup AERO.air Transmission Audio Loudness Managers. A Linear Acoustic LAMBDA™ Digital Audio and Metadata Monitor is used to measure and monitor the station's audio
In This Issue
25-Seven Joins the Alliance
Just Z/IP it, OK?
5.1 at the Rose Parade
News from the Field
Radio VIdeo: ABC Radio News, 1969
NAB Passes
Axia Socks It To 'Em
Omnia.11 Rockin' in Orlando
Tech Tip: ProStream Metadata Tools
Tech Updates
Discrepancy Sheet
News from the Field
Who's getting new gear?

Axia mixing consoles are powering new studios at:
  • Michigan State University's Spartan Sports Network, Holt, Michigan
  • Vista Radio's CJCS-AM & CHGK-FM, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
  • Clear Channel's Colorado Springs, Colorado stations 
 Telos Hx1 and Hx2 Digital POTS hybrids are making callers sound great at:
  • U.S. House of Representatives Recording Studio, Washington, D.C.
  • Morgan County Radio's WLKS AM & FM, West Liberty, Kentucky
  • Lenfest Broadcasting's WMCN-TV, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
 Omnia ONE sounds loud and clean at:
  • Salem Communications' WFIL and WNTP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
  • Glasgow Broadcasting/'s KLTZ AM & FM, Glasgow, Montana
  • Townsquare Media, Casper, Wyoming 
Get the NOW! catalog

 


100 pages of broadcast-y goodness.
Click here to get a copy mailed to you!
Radio Video
Classic Radio on the Net
ABC Radio Network News, 1969
ABC Radio Network News, 1969
It's 1969. Richard Nixon is serving his first term. The Beatles cut their last album; Led Zeppelin their first. And ABC Radio is at full throttle, delivering news to stations across North America. This 3-part promotional video, produced to promote the launch of ABC's "4 Network" concept, show how the sausage is made, from the assembly and delivery of 'casts from the Broadway studios in NYC to the logistics of gathering audio from reporters in the field. Plenty of RTR decks, AP Type 20 Teletypes, and equalized phone lines. It's a stunning reminder of how radio news was made in the pre-computer era.
NAB Passes?
We've got 'em for you

NAB logo
Believe it or not, NAB 2013 is just weeks away. April 6 - 11, 2013, are this year's dates, and as always we have complimentary exhibit-only passes for you.

Just visit www.NABShow.com and register for a FREE Exhibits Only Pass. Use these VIP Codes: 
  • If you're in radio, use the Telos-Omnia-Axia-25-Seven code LV4154.
  • If you're in TV, use the Linear Acoustic code LV4168.

Be sure you have your registration in by March 22 to get your passes in time.  

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facebook.com/Axia.Audio  

facebook.com/OmniaAudio 

facebook.com/LinearAcoustic 

KAXE PowerStation
Not what we'd call "best practices."
Axia socks it to 'em
Don't try this at home, folks

As part of our relentless monitoring of the Interwebs, the Telos Alliance Marketing gnomes came across this post on Pubtech, the Public Radio Technical listserve, from Doug Hoag of KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minnesota:

"I used vented rack panels to block access to the PowerStation to make sure no one laid a paper or something on top of the PowerStation's perforated chassis. Left a slot open at the top for extra air circulation...and never thought it was going to be an issue. Found our News Director using the warmth from our PowerStation to dry his socks."

Underneath, Doug posted the photo shown to the right (click here to view it large, in all its glory). Now, while we're proud of the fact that Axia equipment can be used in many different and varied ways, this particular application is not one we'd foreseen when speccing out the primary use of our premiere Integrated Mixing Engine.

What we do recommend PowerStation for is powering any studio where maximum uptime is at the top of your operational list, or where fast, efficient installation is a priority. What makes PowerStation so special is the fact that it's got so much packed inside it: Analog I/O. Mic inputs with selectable Phantom power. AES/EBU. GPIO ports. Livewire ports. Fanless telecom-grade power supply.

And don't forget the network switch! That's right -- Axia is the only IP-Audio console maker that puts the a zero-configuration, built-for-broadcast Ethernet switch, with Gigabit and SFP port for copper or fiber connectivity, right into the console engine. And for really big studios, one cable connects a PowerStation Aux to the Main, just like in the photo above, to double your I/O and add automatic-switching redundant power to your console.

For more details, check out www.AxiaAudio.com/powerstation/ .But please, leave your socks on your feet. We don't want you catching cold.
KQ103 Rocks Orlando with Omnia.11
They had plenty of choices, but only one standout
 
Omnia.11 - the big daddy of audio processing

Sometimes, it takes a little trying, a little sampling of various options, before the right choice presents itself. In this case, the subject is audio processing. It took some time, but after extensive, on-air comparisons of all processing options, Orlando's WHKQ (KQ103) has decided on the Omnia.11 as their final choice. "We tried others, but we're keeping the Omnia.11" says Bill Sullivan, KQ103's chief engineer. "We are most impressed with the clarity of this unit.  "

 

And it isn't just the engineering staff that's impressed. "When the Omnia.11 at KQ103 was first deployed on the air not long ago" says Sullivan, "the GM and PD were literally thrilled with it. We didn't want to give it back."

 

And so they didn't. KQ103 is now winning listeners and dominating the dial in Orlando thanks in part to the louder-than-loud, cleaner-than-clean major market sound of the Omnia.11. As, Bill Sullivan told us, "The boss has got really good ears".

 

Ready for a game-changer for your audio processing? Check out Omnia.11. There's literally nothing else like it. 

Tech Tip of the Month
Telos ProStream: Constructing Metadata Filters
Telos ProSTREAM

 

John Ariosa writes from Maryland, asking:

"I want to purchase a Telos ProStream. We are running a [computer playout] system and just want to be sure that its metadata is compatible with the ProStream. What can you tell me about this?"

Our Mark Manolio has the answer:

"ProStream comes with metadata filters for many popular systems. But even if there is currently no metadata filter for your system, we can make a custom filter for it once we have examples of its data format. We have created metadata utilities that are available for download for this purpose.

"The ProStream's metadata input is listening for data on port 9000 (both TCP and UDP).ProStream's metadata selection page displays a brief description for each filter and an example of the expected format.Download the metadata utilities from ftp://beta.zephyr.com/~tlscorp/pub/ProStream/Util/ , and use them to .construct your filters:
  • "MetadataCapture.exe allows you to grab the data coming from your automation system, while MetadataSend.exe allows you to send data to ProStream to test that ProStream is actually responding as expected.
  • "WatchFile2Tcp.exe will help if your automation system generates a file on new metadata. Each time the file is changed, the WatchFile2Tcp will read the file and send the contents to ProStream by TCP/IP." 
Got a tech tip to share or a question you'd like answered? Email us - if we use it in eNews, we'll send you a free copy of Omnia A/XE desktop audio processing software for Windows. Don't forget to include a mailing address when you write.

Tech Updates

Latest software for your Telos Alliance gear:

Discrepancy Sheet
Zap! Boom! Pow! The rise and fall of the amusement arcade

Pinball Museum
Tommy would be in heaven.
Many of us grew up spending our Friday nights pumping dimes and quarters into pinball machines or Space Invaders games down at the local arcade. These arcades served as sanctums, meeting places, king's courts and on-the-job-training for a lot of budding teen electrical engineers (and a lot of others, too). Now, these places are pretty much gone, sanitized out of existence or supplanted by the rise of the console game and the embrace of the living room couch. Ah, but there was a time...

Over on The Verge, columnist Laura June takes a nostalgic look at how arcades helped shape a half-century of culture, from the mechanical pinball machine to Pong and into the golden age of video games -- and their slow decline. Check it out, but don't forget to bring a roll of quarters - you'll be there for a while.

   


Clark Novak, Tom Vernon, Denny Sanders, Angi Roberson, Jim Kuzman and Wendy Tang
for Telos, Omnia
, Axia, Linear Acoustic and 25-Seven
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