RTL’s Thierry Peters at the new Vista 8 desk
Moving one step closer in its conversion to digital audio, Belgian broadcaster RTL has purchased a Studer Vista 8 console for its TVI channel.
Based in Brussels and broadcasting in French, RTL is known for its news coverage, magazines and talk shows. The production facility’s two main studios contained Studer 963 analog mixing consoles for the past 12 years; however, the transition to digital audio required an upgrade.
RTL is due to move its entire operation to new premises at the end of 2006. So, according to Chief Sound Engineer Thierry Peters, the broadcaster chose to replace one of the consoles with a Studer Vista 8 digital desk, giving RTL an immediate digital upgrade while offering the versatility to respond to the requirements of the new building in two years’ time.
Peters specified a 40-fader Vista 8 offering 32 mic inputs and an extensive number of analog inputs and outputs. “By building a lot of analog cards into it, the desk will fit in this building where the cabling will remain analog,” he notes. “When we move, we can put the digital cards into this console and the logical solution is, of course, to buy a second Studer Vista.”
With twice-daily news reports and magazine programs, it was imperative for RTL that the new console offered complete reliability. “No mistakes are allowed,” Peters points out. “We needed to have the Vista 8’s redundancy on DSP and power. Also, we work with both permanent and freelance engineers at RTL, so it was important to have a sympathetic interface like the Vistonics™ system, which would allow the freelancers to work more easily and with less supervision.”
For more information on the Vista 8, visit www.studer.ch.
