The setup for this second season includes two Lawo mc²56 digital audio mixing consoles with fibre-connected stage boxes which allowed for completion of the technical installation in one day. The consoles, fibre cabling and analogue breakouts were provided by Broadcast Systems & Equipment Inc. (BSI) and Lawo North America as a rental package, with configuration, training and setup support provided by Lawo North America's Engineering Manager Doug Smith.
Crucial reasons driving Insight's decision to go with Lawo were based on the obvious ease of use and the great routing flexibility of the consoles-enabling not only the installation but also operations training for a group of nine audio engineers to run smoothly and be completed on a short timeline. Installation was straightforward and easy. The production was able to eliminate the previous year's entire bulky, copper infrastructure with a couple of fiber connections. The inevitable last minute changes could then be applied with a bit of software-based reconfiguration and routing instead of rewiring the facility.
The decision to go with Lawo was made easier by the positive experiences of Shawn Hughes, manager of engineering and operations, and lead audio engineer Kent Ford who both have worked with Lawo equipment for MTV productions. According to Kent, "Shawn and I previously installed the mc²56 at MTV Canada. Given our past experiences with their systems, we felt that Lawo was the best solution for ease of installation and operation and the ability to quickly and easily route and re-route audio signals. We're excited to see how this platform will allow us to expand even further for season three."
(Jim Evans)
