The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague has purchased its first digital console - a Brio36 - from Calrec. It’s being used for various projects including automated dialogue replacement/voiceovers in the school’s recording room.

Martin Kebrdle, Head of the Sound Department Studio at FAMU, explained that the school needed a powerful console that could be used with Avid Pro Tools on several applications. “The console is connected to Pro Tools with MADI cards. In the future we plan to add Calrec’s Hydra2 networking. The console is perfect for our needs; it’s compact and it has been incredibly easy for the students to learn — which has been a blessing since this is the first time many of them are using a digital audio console. The Brio is a great introduction into the world of digital audio recording for our students.”

FAMU is the fifth oldest film school in the world and was founded in 1947. As part of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, FAMU is composed of eleven departments, where students can achieve their bachelors, masters and doctoral degree in every discipline of filmmaking including: directing, documentary filmmaking, scriptwriting, dramaturgy, animated film, cinematography, sound design, editing, production, photography, and the interdisciplinary Center of Audiovisual Studies. The Brio is installed in the school’s sound direction room. The sale and installation were handled by Calrec’s distributor Mediatronik S.R.O.

“The fact that the Brio is being used by students to help them prepare for careers in audio clearly shows the Brio’s versatility. It’s not simply a console for broadcasters; it’s useful for many applications and awards relevant experience for those learning an audio discipline,” commented Mike Reddick, International Sales Manager, Calrec.

As the largest privately held, minority-owned Spanish-language broadcaster in the US, Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. (LBI Media, Inc.), produces over 50 hours of original television programming each week. LBI Media’s fast-paced news studios require adaptable, quick to set up and easy to operate audio solutions. In order to shift focus as rapidly as the news itself, LBI Media relies on Calrec Audio’s Brio36 and Summa digital audio consoles.

“We chose Calrec based on the company’s reputation within the industry and also to complement the rental trucks we use, the majority of which come standard with Calrec consoles,” says Chris Buchanan, vice president of engineering, Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. “We purchased the Brio36 earlier this year for LBI’s newly launched news operation in our Dallas (Irving, Texas) office, while the Summa was acquired last year as part of a much-needed upgrade at our Burbank, California facility.”

LBI Media relies on both consoles for live programming of its local and national news shows, including Alarma TV, El Mameluco, iTestigo, Noticiero Cierra de Edicion, Noticiero Estrella TV and En Vivo. As with any studio, real estate is important for LBI’s production spaces. The compact form-factor of the Calrec Brio 36 makes it a general-purpose workhorse and its connectivity with the company’s Hydra2 compatible equipment makes it even more versatile. The Brio 36 provides analogue and digital I/O and GPIO, which are built into the surface, making the console ideally suited for broadcast environments.

Ukraine news TV channel Nash TV has purchased two 32-fader Artemis Light audio consoles for its Kiev-based 24/7 programming. Nash TV is a new customer and is a significant addition to Calrec’s success in the country.

Alexander Filipushko, Chief Sound Engineer at Nash TV, commented, “Our sound engineers are well educated on the current consoles on the market, and Calrec’s Artemis came out to be the ideal console for our needs given its quality of performance, with premium built-in processing and sophisticated networking options. We love having the ability to use both MADI and Dante cards. Currently we’re using MADI to integrate with multifunctional audio devices (including embedding and routing) and we’re using Dante to communicate with the wireless microphones in both of our studios, as well as for a second mixer.”