In Broadcast - October 2020 - 36

36

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 10 - Issue 10 | October 2020

InStudio

KBS Upgrades Seoul HQ with
Lawo IP Mixing Consoles

K

orean Broadcast System (KBS),
South Korea's public broadcaster,
has upgraded TV production facilities
at its headquarters in Seoul with IP
technology from Lawo as part of an
extensive renovation project. The
installation, which includes two new
Lawo consoles - an mc²96 Grand
Production Console and an mc²36
"all-in-one" console - is part of KBS'
move to a completely new IP-based
production workflow.
Futureproof Mixing
KBS' new Lawo mixing consoles
replace older mixing systems unable
to meet requirements for current
and future productions. Like all Lawo
broadcast products, the mc²96 and
mc²36 mixers are native IP consoles,
with RAVENNA / AES67 built in
for industry-standard networking,
flexibility, scalability and efficiency.
The new setup also includes Lawo
DALLIS stagebox interfaces, and
a Nova routing system. System
integration was provided by Lawo's
Korean partner, Dong Yang Digital,
who successfully conducted a remote
Factory Acceptance Test in June,
working closely with KBS engineers
and Lawo technical staff in Rastatt,
Germany, and the project was

finalised in early August. "We are
positive that we have made the right
choice in embracing IP as the basis
for our technical upgrade," says Mr
Choi, HyoSub, Head of KBS' TS-15
audio production team, "and we are
very pleased with the quality of the
first TV productions mastered using
our new Lawo systems. The new IP
infrastructure gives us full access to all
audio resources on demand, without
having to perform changes physically
like we used to. The new infrastructure
is very flexible and efficient - it
definitely makes our lives easier."
"We are very honoured that KBS
chose us to provide services, expertise
and the best equipment on the market
for this important project," says
Myoungho Seo, Director of Dong Yang
Digital. "Knowing that KBS can now
unleash all their creative powers freely
to produce major televised music and
entertainment programmes makes me
very happy!"
Flagship Console
The impressive 88-fader mc²96,
Lawo's flagship production console,
is now installed as KBS' main mixing
console in the completely renovated
production complex. Optimised for IPbased video production, it boasts more

than 300 DSP channels plus SoundGrid
integration, and is the first large-scale
digital mixing console deployed to
mix concerts at a KBS site. The music
programmes and concerts, as well as
KBS TV drama, entertainment and film
award ceremonies, are produced in the
"TS-15" SRC with live audiences in an
open-studio concept.
Its companion, the 40-fader Lawo
mc²36, takes over the tasks of mixing
live studio performances and also
serves as sub-mixer and backup mixer
for the mc²96.
Stage Renovation
In addition to the new Lawo consoles,
the facility's renovation encompassed
a full replacement of stage and audio
infrastructure of the KBS TV concert
hall. Even the main speaker system
was replaced, with a Lawo Nova73
router providing mic/gain control for
each console, a MADI connection for
FOH and the monitor mix consoles, and
comprehensive RAVENNA integration
with full operational redundancy.
Two modular Lawo DALLIS I/O units
are configured as stageboxes, the first
providing 112 mic/line inputs while the
second DALLIS handles 44 AES3 digital
inputs.
The global health crisis prevented

in-person commissioning of the
new equipment, so installation,
configuration and FAT (Factory
Acceptance Testing) was conducted
using the remote procedures recently
developed by Lawo. According
to Myoungho Seo, the remote
configuration and testing went
smoothly, with all phases of the project
running according to schedule.
Remote Tools
According
to
the
technical
requirements of the TS-15 audio
production
team,
the
system
configuration was done by Lawo
engineers. KBS' audio production
team reviewed the captured video
clips created by Lawo's team, and
then oversaw the hardware status
and configuration test online during
a live, remote joint technical session.
The remote tools Lawo offers, like
mxGUI remote control, in combination
with computers and webcams, proved
the solution for the installation and
configuration as well as training
sessions during the course of the
project.
"KBS' TV production facility & tech
management teams were impressed,"
says Seo. "DYD and Lawo joined forces
with KBS to achieve the desired result:
a successful project, finalised on time,
providing a customised installation
ready for immediate use in major
audio productions."
The Lawo mc²96 'Grand Production Console'
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.lawo.com
In Broadcast - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - October 2020
