Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on products that support sports coverage and other radio remotes.
Mark Simpson is the chief engineer at Cumulus Radio Tucson and Jose Pollorena is assistant chief. Between the two they handle everything from the microphone to the antenna.
The Tieline ViA audio codec has replaced their older iMix G3 for more intricate remote broadcasts, such as pre-game and post-game remotes for University of Arizona home games.
“We also use one of our ViA units for larger broadcasts within our cluster of five stations,” Simpson said. “We love using the Report-IT app too, but there are times when you need a full-featured unit on the table.”
They use the ViA for radio broadcasts and to feed the YouTube channel of Wildcats Radio 1290 AM, KCUB.
“We typically have three commentators, one host and two former players, and sometimes a crowd microphone. We attach the ViA to a laptop for the YouTube feed, and this also allows us to play a locally recorded audio clip through the codec if required.”
At the studio they are transitioning from using a Merlin Plus with analog I/O, to dialing into a Gateway 8 codec with native Livewire AoIP support. This integrates with their Axia equipment, and the additional channels allow them to broadcast remotes in stereo.
“This lets us split the return feed and send a mix-minus IFB feed of everything relevant to the show to the commentators’ headsets. We send the other channel to onsite speakers minus any IFB communications audio. With the advent of much smarter consoles, the mix-minus is very simple to set up.”
The team typically use a CradlePoint router for connections between the ViA and ISP, whether that be a wired connection, LTE modems or a combination. Whenever possible they use both, so they have an automatic backup or load-sharing configuration.
“We have also used Wi-Fi, but usually as a backup. We use the highest quality Opus algorithm since we typically don’t send music from the remote site, which reduces latency and buffering.”
On the ViA, they have three setups per station — one for connecting to the Merlin Plus, one for the Gateway and one for internal testing — so everything is preconfigured.
“The ViA’s reliability, audio quality, audio latency and overall performance are excellent,” Simpson said.
“It is a noticeable change from the iMix G3, with new features and functional improvements, as well as multiple cellular technology options.”
They use the input compressor to keep audio levels consistent between commentators and guests. This helps alleviate the need to ask a person to put the microphone closer to their mouth and allows the conversation to flow without interruption.
“We use the Cloud Codec Controller (CCC) to monitor units remotely, and it is a great remote diagnostic tool. With cellular you can perform a site check, but then tens of thousands of fans arrive on game day and the connection struggles with enough bandwidth. The CCC lets us monitor and adjust connection settings, another reason we always try to use a LAN connection with cellular as a backup or bonded.”
Simpson said their engineers, commentators and promotions team find the codecs easy to use. He loves the touchscreen but discourages commentators from touching the unit if possible.
“Their job is to produce the best content possible and it’s ours to set up the equipment properly. Having said that, it’s nice to have equipment that is simple to use and navigate around, in case there is an issue or last-minute change.”
The battery is handy if they are doing a short coach’s interview without access to power. It also ensures they stay connected if the generator runs out of fuel.
“We also use a double-conversion UPS in between shore power or generator power. Utilizing the UPS and internal battery ensures we rarely ever experience a connection issue.”
Simpson said that with the ViA codec they can pick up a case and do an on-the-fly remote.
“The ViA has been wonderful to operate because there is normally never a problem, and if there is, it is easy to resolve with the CCC.
“Even the Tieline Gateway is so simple to set up and connect with the ViA, that you often over think things and forget you can easily connect via the CCC, or the Axia router, to change your configuration. No more moving wires, making weird setups with extra equipment, etc. Just put the unit on the table power up, connect and do the remote.”
