URN’s two studios are now equipped with Studer OnAir 1500 audio mixers.
As part of a major refurbishment, University Radio Nottingham has opted for two Studer OnAir 1500 audio mixers for both of its studios. The station, which is based in in Nottingham University’s Portland building, provides 16 hours of programming, seven days a week over AM radio and the Internet.
During the upgrade in the summer of 2012, the station replaced the core of its technical infrastructure with new equipment, cabling and studio furniture. HHB Communications specified and supplied the digital audio equipment package, while radio staff carried out the installation work.
According to the release, the new facilities are based around digital audio technology comprised of the OnAir 1500 mixers, a DirectOut Andiamo MADI audio router and Lynx digital sound cards. The routing functions of the Studer OnAir 1500 mixers have been configured to create a facility-wide audio matrix. Both mixers are fitted with MADI expansion cards and the Relink I/O sharing software option.
A DirectOut Andiamo (analog to MADI converter) is installed in the central technical rack and fiber MADI cables have been used to create a multichannel audio loop, said HHB. Lynx Studio AES16e (AES PCIe audio) cards are fitted to the station’s audio computers and connect to the OnAir 1500’s AES/EBU ports. Audio signals from each area can be routed and shared across the facility.
“This is first major upgrade of the studio facilities in over 10 years,” said Robin Murphy, the outgoing station editor. “We run a diverse range of radio programs from news, sports, outside broadcasts to music shows, and with a large number of presenters with different levels of experience.”
“The Studer mixers offer an impressive level of flexibility and we’ve been able to integrate them with our playout systems and red light switching,” he said. “The MADI distribution system has allowed us to rationalize the audio cabling and replace analog multicore with fiber cables.”
