LAS
VEGAS, Nevada — Unscripted multi-microphone live events such as talk
shows, game shows and discussion panels suffer from both microphone spill and
background noise. With each active microphone added to the mix, the overall
sound quality deteriorates. The result is decreased intelligibility and
unpleasant comb filter effects (phase distortion).
At NAB 2013, HARMAN’s Studer is
introducing the antidote to these problems through a software upgrade for its
range of Vista digital mixing consoles. Studer VistaMix automatic
microphone mixing removes the need for an operator to manually adjust all the
faders all the time, leaving the microphones of talking participants open,
while closing the microphones of silent participants in order to reduce spill
and background noise.
Without this facility, the reaction
time of a human operator will often result in audible fade-ins of people who
start talking rather unexpectedly. Also, changes in fader positions can quickly
lead to disturbing changes of the total ambience/noise level in the mix.
VistaMix
offers the solution by
mimicking the action of a human operator: increasing gain for ‘talking’ mics
and reducing gain for all others, but doing it very quickly and keeping the
amount of total gain constant, so a clean live mix can be created.
VistaMix also offers the ideal
solution for news operations when multiple mics are installed in the studio but
the desk operator is not sure which ones will be used. VistaMix switches on
only those mics that are in use. VistaMix source channels may also be mix minus
(N–X) owners.
Each source channel has a weight control,
which provides two possibilities:
Firstly, it allows the desk operator
to add weight, or priority, to the main presenter such that if required he can
‘talk over’ the guests or contestants.
Secondly, it allows the desk operator
to give more gain in the mix to any contributors who have weak voices or are
too far from their microphones. The weight control may also be used during a
show to adjust the relative balance dynamically. This function is set with the
‘Knob Assign’ control.
This significant new feature is
available to all existing Vista systems with SCore Live DSP engines. By simply
upgrading to software version 4.8 and adding the special VistaMix channels to
the DSP configuration, VistaMix is ready to go. No additional hardware is
required to the Vista surface, the new controls are fully implemented within the
standard Vistonics™ screens and controls.
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