AoIP Technology Helps Stations Expand Their Reach “On Location” March 16^th 2018 - 11:00 AM

Amidst swirling competition and a need for new revenue, radio personalities have expanded their audiences and their reach by installing video cameras in their studios and broadcasting from remote sites related to their genre’s scope. This has been particularly true of sports talk radio shows, which use major sporting a…

Why the Noise on Microphone Preamplifiers? March 15^th 2018 - 10:00 AM

When you turn up the gain on virtually any microphone preamplifier, it sounds noisy. Why is this? Before you blame the amplifier, let’s look more closely at this common phenomenon.

Loudspeakers and Stereophony March 14^th 2018 - 01:50 PM

The Human Auditory System evolved as a survival tool and one of the vital functions of hearing is to establish where a source of sound is located. The oldest aspects of human hearing, from an evolutionary standpoint, are those concerned with direction. As we determine direction in everyday sounds, it…

Getting Rid of Plosives in Your Audio March 8^th 2018 - 10:00 AM

Since the beginning of broadcasting, announcers and narrators have spoken closely to microphones to boost the gravitas in their voices. They use proximity effect to sound richer, fuller and more intimate than they might naturally sound. But when they get too close, the result can be plosives. Here’s how t…

Live Recording with a Laptop Computer March 6^th 2018 - 10:00 AM

It is very tempting to take a laptop computer on location for live recording. It can work fine — until it doesn’t. Laptops, by their very nature, are more fragile and prone to failure than other recording devices. Be careful that you’re not the victim.

Making Sense of Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C February 22^nd 2018 - 01:50 PM

If you’re like me, making sense of evolving computer standards like Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C is confusing. These standards seem to change often and sometimes when plugging things in that ought to work, they don’t work at all. It’s all in the details. Here’s an overview of where w…

Audio Over IP - Why It Is Essential February 8^th 2018 - 11:00 AM

The impact of IP on the design of broadcast equipment and infrastructures is profound. Many broadcasters are replacing existing analog, AES3, MADI and SDI ports with a new class of interface for connecting to standard IT switch infrastructure, together with new control mechanisms for connection management and device discovery. In…

Digital Recording for Analog Minds January 31^st 2018 - 11:00 AM

If you’re like me, looking through layers of buried menus on digital devices for the one thing you need to do is enough to drive you batty. Yet, virtually every digital device in our lives today — from smartphones to cameras to simple audio recorders — comes with layer upon layer of me…

Loudspeaker Technology Part 14: Cables - Behind the Myths and Magic January 30^th 2018 - 11:00 AM

John Watkinson puts on his snake-oil-proof clothing and looks at speaker cables. Finally, some clarity behind the myths and magic that surround technical aspects of speaker interconnections.

Inside TV Centre Where Wireless Intercom, AoIP And MADI Coexist January 19^th 2018 - 11:00 AM

The opening of the rebuilt and refurbished Television Centre in west London was one of the most anticipated broadcast installation events of 2017. Five years on from being closed after the site was sold by the BBC, a smaller studios complex is now in operation. The facility is equipped with a …