Linear Acoustic Doubles Down at Golden Globes

Linear Acoustic supplied two AERO.qc Audio Quality Controllers for use on “The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards” ceremony, which was broadcast live on NBC on Jan. 16, 2011 from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The two AERO.qc units were employed in NEP Broadcasting’s Denali Summit DTV truck. The units were used to ensure a high-quality 5.1 channel version of the production’s mix, which was delivered to NBC’s HD viewers while providing a 2.0 downmix for the stereo HD and the stereo SD audiences.

David Crivelli, the technical supervisor/engineer-in-charge of the telecast for the past eight years, has used Linear Acoustic upmixing technology on previous shows. Last year, Crivelli and production mixer Mark King opted to use the newer Linear Acoustic AERO.qc on the show broadcast.

“By using the AERO.qc units, installed by Denali engineer Hugh Healy, mixer Mark King could make a 5.1 mix for the viewing audience that would downmix properly for the HD stereo viewer,” explains Crivelli. “Mark was able to focus on the most important component for us, which was the creative balance of the event in his stereo 2-mix.

“The rehearsals for the pre-show red carpet segment and the main show were routed through the Linear Acoustic units initially,” says Crivelli. “That allowed the mixers to set their stereo mixes in a way that the 5.1 that was being upmixed was pleasing, and the downmix was what they expected. By the time they got to air, the mixers could comfortably monitor one component — stereo, 5.1, or downmixed stereo — and listen to what they were doing, knowing that the other two components were as they expected them to be.”

Depending on the application, AERO.qc provides reference quality UPMAX and UPMAX II 5.1 channel upmixing, loudness metering, and optional 5.1-channel multistage AEROMAX loudness control. Operator intervention can range from full manual control of measurement and audio adjustment to highly automated processing that requires little oversight. Full-color front-panel metering provides comprehensive real-time loudness indication. Options include Dolby E/AC-3 decoding, AERO-style multiband loudness and dynamic range control, and multichannel analog output with speaker EQ. HD/SD-SDI and AES I/O plus dual power supplies are standard.