Miami PBS Station Upgrades With Second Calrec Audio Console

Miami PBS station WPBT2 has installed its second Calrec Audio console in its new HD control room, Studio B.

The station uses the studio to produce its own local programs and can rent it for client productions through its for-profit facility, Comtel. WPBT2 also supplies the production facilities for “Nightly Business Report,” which is the most watched business news program in the country.

The new Omega console with Calrec’s Bluefin HDSP technology is being used on this live production Monday through Friday, 52 weeks a year.

The Omega console replaces another aging console and complements WPBT2’s existing Calrec Sigma console that has been in place in its Studio A for about eight years. WPBT2 also used a Sigma desk for many years in an outside broadcast truck that it used to own.

“The new Calrec console is an enormous upgrade for us,” said Graham Simmons, senior vice president of engineering and operations at WPBT2. “We now have the ability to mix 5.1 audio, which is a selling point. Calrec is well-known for its products and is an easy sell when trying to attract clients. It’s definitely a competitive advantage when potential clients tour our studios.”

Bexel Inc., Calrec’s distribution partner in the region, provided training and ongoing support for the WPBT2 installation.

“Calrec is very good, particularly in live production, redundancy, and reliability,” said Helen Carr, audio sales manager at Bexel. “Calrec’s reputation in live TV is like no other. That’s why it works especially well for a station that might use a console day in and day out for 10 years or more.”

Omega uses Calrec’s Bluefin technology, and it features 240 channel processing paths packaged as 72 stereo and 96 mono channels, allowing up to 39 x 5.1 surround channels. Omega offers considerable power in a very compact frame. Providing greatly expanded monitoring options with full configurability, Omega also features Calrec’s unique TFT metering capabilities across the upstand. The console was designed to have as much control on the surface as possible and to maintain the immediacy of an assignable system without compromising access.

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