ProAudio Review - April 2008 - (Page 71)

BROADCASTING | Feature GRAMMY Continued From Page 43 an LCR mix with the vocal isolated in the center, so that we would to be able to put his three channels at unity onto our Production desk, and we would have his mix. It worked just as expected, and his balance was superb.” “Our biggest challenge came with the decision to supply only a 5.1 soundtrack,” Neuberger concludes. “How should we best monitor the various mixes and downmix compatibility at our most missioncritical locations? With wonderful support from Dolby Laboratories we were able to provide our online and offline music mixers and our production mixer with the same encode/decode units, carrying the same metadata settings as CBS used at [New York] Master Control. The pragmatic approach was to have our mixers prioritize monitoring in 2.0 - the downmix - which is the way most of the audience listens. Both John [Harris] and Eric [Schilling] were disciplined in this regard, and checked both 2.0 and 5.1 throughout the performances.” Dolby Laboratories supplied a number of monitoring units to the production, including LM100 Broadcast Loudness Meters, DP570 Multichannel Audio Tools and DP563 Dolby Surround and Pro Logic II Encoders. “The DP570 let us check metadata settings and compare our discrete 5.1 mixes with other delivered mixes and decoded surround balances,” Holmes says. “We could to monitor exactly what the consumer would ultimately hear.” For added confidence, a DP563 was configured exactly as a unit being utilized by CBS New York, and used to encode the discrete surround broadcast mix into Pro Logic II Lt-Rt for monitoring of stereo and mono compatibility. Each of the music and production mixers used an LM100 meter to assure that the program loudness matched the Dialnorm metadata setting used by the network, which translates to the best possible performance of AC-3 audio that accompanies HDTV broadcasting. ATK SOUND REINFORCEMENT JBL VERTEC ARRAY WITH QSC AMPLIFICATION ATK AudioTek once again flew a JBL VerTec system powered by QSC amps within the Stapes Center; XTA Electronics DP226 processors provided system equalization and routing. The four main clusters were composed of a dozen VT4889 line-array cabinets, augmented by an array of 12 JBL VT4880a subwoofers flown above the center of the main stage. QSC PowerLight 4.0 amps fired the HF/MF cabinets with PowerLight 9.0 models for LF cabinets and subs. Three clusters of delay loudspeakers comprised a total of 22 VerTec 4889 Line Array Elements, plus a dozen ATK C-6 three-way cabinets. Two Yamaha PM1-D Digital Production Consoles handled frontof-house; two more PM1-Ds provided monitor mixing for the performance stages. Ron Reaves helmed the right-hand PM1-D console and delivered a stereo/L-R music submix, subwoofer/LFE mix and a vocals stem to ATK Vice President Mikael Stewart, who operated the main PM1-D and added stage announcements, prerecorded tracks and other elements for the stereo house mix, plus delays and subwoofer. Tom Pesa and Michael Parker developed stage-monitor mixes. According to Jeff Peterson, ATK AudioTek Design Engineer, “We put up 24 QSC PowerLight amps onto a flown platform [above the mix position and camera platform] to power the nine delay clusters. Since these amps require the Spiderman routine to get to, we prefer to control them remotely. We established a fiber Ethernet network between FOH and the amp platform. Then, using QSC’s CM16a, we are able to control level, muting and power of the PowerLight amps from the ground. This year, we replaced the CobraNet network used to drive the delay amplifiers with a new [Media Numerics] RockNet 300 digital snake system. RockNet performed flawlessly - we had it set up in a completely redundant fashion, where any single device failure would not affect out audio path.” “As always, our biggest challenge was the room,” offers AudioTek’s Sound System Manager Andrew “Fletch” Fletcher. “Staples Center is big and cavernous and certainly sounds that way. The suites between the 200 and 300 level cause some very unpredictable reflections and resonances. We point the main PA down to cover the floor and the 100 level only, hence missing the suites. We can pretty much crank that up as much as we like without causing too many problems. The side-pointing clusters and the delays cover the suites and some of the 300 level. We adjust those so that reflections to the main floor are hardly noticeable while still giving good coverage to the people in the suites and the ‘nose bleeds’. Everything else went very smoothly this year.” “The wonder of the Grammy Awards is due in equal measure to the pageantry and to the technical complexity of producing one of the world’s most famous events in live entertainment television,” concluded John Cossette, Executive Producer of the 50th Annual Awards Ceremony. “We have consistently expanded the impact of the Grammy’s to our viewing audience.” Mel Lambert is principal of Media&Marketing, a Los Angeles-based consulting service for the professional audio industry. Anyone who has heard it knows . . . VT-2 Vacuum Tube Microphone Preamplifier (VT-1 Single channel version also available) D.W. FEARN w w w. d w f e a r n . c o m 610-793-2526 West Chester • PA • U.S.A. www.proaudioreview.com April 2008 | ProAudio Review | 71 http://www.dwfearn.com http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - April 2008

ProAudio Review - April 2008 Contents A Little More Recognition Please Studio News and New Products API 1608 16-Channel Analog Console TASCAM X-48 Digital Audio Workstation SSL Matrix Super Analogue Console Toft Audio Design Series ATB Analog Console KRK Systems Exposé E8B Powered Monitor Broadcast News and New Products ZOOM H2 Portable Digital Recorder Producing Surround Sound at 50th Grammy Awards JBL LSR4312SP Linear Spatial Reference Powered Subwoofer Audio Production For Gaming Euphonix S5 Fusion Digital Post Production Console NAB Hot Gear Soundcraft Vi6 Digital Live Production Console Go To A Show! Contracting News and New Products Studio Consoles Studio Wireless Microphones Alicia Keys “Superwoman”

ProAudio Review - April 2008

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