BANGKOK, Thailand – The Thai Government Department of
Rural Roads is responsible for maintaining the roads that connect to the
country’s main highways—this enables them to set up bypasses where necessary to
improve traffic flow. To assist them in responding quickly to provide
information across the vast network of roads, the Department has now set up its
own radio station—initially for internal broadcasting before it becomes a full
FM / AM broadcast channel, streaming digital information for the benefit of the
general public. To help facilitate live broadcasts and flag up immediate
alerts, HARMAN’s Studer’s Bangkok-based distributor 101 Technology (part of the
Mahajak Group) has supplied a compact Studer OnAir 1500 production desk. Fitting
a tight budget, the desk will be multi-functional, enabling the station to
handle live broadcasts and record live sessions—while operating as a dedicated
production mixer.
101 Technology reports that this is the first OnAir 1500
to be sold in the country. The company’s Wiboon Lertkultanon explains, “We put all the Studer OnAir 1500
launch information up online. The people involved in the radio station knew of
Studer’s reputation and I was contacted immediately after they saw it on our
website.”
In fact the OnAir 1500, configured
with 12 faders, was designed to provide the versatile hybrid solution for radio
broadcasting and production that the studio required … a compact and cost
effective production room console. The additional integrated USB playback and
record functions make the OnAir 1500 a highly comprehensive desk.
“After initial concerns about the budget they found they
could do everything they needed with the OnAir 1500 and still have funding
remaining for room decoration,” reports Wiboon. “The fact that the desk could
double as a production mixer was a bonus since they don’t have the budget to
build another production studio yet.”
The compact form factor provided another compelling
reason for adopting this platform. Converted from a small meeting room, the
studio measures just 4m x 3m and can accommodate a host and two guests. Notes
Wiboon, “The idea of separating the surface from the DSP held the key to space
saving. Also the ease of the flash drive plug and play is another highlight.”
Assigned to the faders are a host
and two guest mics, solid state player, CD players, automatic play out, and two
off-air feeds, a telephone hybrid and production workstation (plus GPIOs). The
host microphone can also send out to record in the production workstation and
the mixer takes the input from the production workstation back to the studio
monitor.
The outputs feed: Internal
broadcast; Radio broadcast; Internet Radio Streaming and Production workstation
which runs Adobe Audition, enabling it to record and edit files.
Now up and running, the station is performing a valuable
public service —spreading information to road users and enabling them to plot
alternative routes. Conversely, drivers are able to phone in live reports to
the station, flagging up road blocks, accidents and hold-ups.
In summary, Wiboon says, “The Studer name sells itself
for the ease of use, reliability and sound quality. But its legendary quality
has never come in such a compact box as this before. This, coupled with the 101
Technology support team, means that the OnAir 1500 is in safe hands.”
And one of the radio hosts added “The OnAir 1500 has met
all expectations, showing that it can function as a production mixer within a
tight budget.” And the sound remains top quality, even when playing MP3 sound
files.
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