Minnetonka AudioTools® Server

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AUDIOTOOLS SERVER

Quality-First Audio Automation

AudioTools Server automates the most sophisticated audio tasks and offers a wide variety of processing, specifically created for use in cable, satellite, OTT, terrestrial and IPTV, radio, and post-production facilities. As a pure software platform running on commodity hardware, including VM or cloud deployment, AudioTools Server is flexible and customizable, allowing for new workflows as requirements inevitably change.

• State-of-the-art audio processing


• Customized, efficient file-based workflows


• Unrivaled loudness tools


• Compliance to broadcast standards


• Interoperability with major environments


• Modular, scalable platform

 

Leader in Loudness

Loudness Control is a significant use case for AudioTools Server, using Linear Acoustic® APTO® loudness processing. Our loudness-normalization processes fully preserve the existing audio and only apply a gain change combined with optional peak limiting. Other use cases require changing the dynamic range and more complex parameters of the audio content, such as dialog intelligibility. Advanced Loudness Adaptation is a collection of intelligent loudness profiles designed to adapt a theatrical audio mix for broadcast to create the best possible audio experience for all modern platforms such as OTT/web, mobile/ handheld, and VOD/SVOD.

 

Modular Design

Modular architecture allows AudioTools Server to always be state-of-the-art, but the real power of this approach is using workflows to combine module functions in a sequential or highly conditional profile. AudioTools Server provides a modern REST API to connect the system to any industry-standard Workflow Automation or Media Asset Management system. AudioTools Server is also a VST plug-in host, enabling third-party plug-ins as part of an overall AudioTools Server workflow.

 

File-Based Workflow and Next Generation Audio Support

With the requirements for broadcasters’ talent and editorial staff getting more and more difficult, automating as many file-based audio processes as possible makes good business sense. Broadcasters will need to support Dolby Atmos® and MPEG-H content—as well as your existing deliverables requirements—but tools that can do it all are scarce. AudioTools Server meets broadcasters’ existing needs to automate workflows for file-based loudness management, encoding/decoding, QC, and more, as well as easily adding Next Generation Audio support to those workflows.

Produce » Real-Time Production » Audio Production » Audio mixers and consoles – music »

Quasar SR is the direct replacement for Axia’s best-selling Fusion console. If you like Fusion, you’ll love Quasar SR—which is comparable to the Fusion console in both price and feature set but also delivers all the power, ergonomics, industrial design, and star appeal of our flagship Quasar XR console.

Quasar SR is not reserved for the most knowledgeable broadcaster but is approachable to any board operator thanks to its streamlined surface design. Quasar SR uses the same frame, power supply, and master module as Quasar XR, but the fader modules are non-motorized, and there are fewer, larger, and easier-to-reach buttons on each channel strip. If the LED meters next to each fader on the Quasar XR console are a bit too much functionality for your surface, then Quasar SR might be the solution for you, featuring Confidence Class Metering only.

Produce » Real-Time Production » Audio Production » Audio mixers and consoles – music »

Quasar SR is the direct replacement for Axia’s best-selling Fusion console. If you like Fusion, you’ll love Quasar SR—which is comparable to the Fusion console in both price and feature set but also delivers all the power, ergonomics, industrial design, and star appeal of our flagship Quasar XR console.

Quasar SR is not reserved for the most knowledgeable broadcaster but is approachable to any board operator thanks to its streamlined surface design. Quasar SR uses the same frame, power supply, and master module as Quasar XR, but the fader modules are non-motorized, and there are fewer, larger, and easier-to-reach buttons on each channel strip. If the LED meters next to each fader on the Quasar XR console are a bit too much functionality for your surface, then Quasar SR might be the solution for you, featuring Confidence Class Metering only.

Produce » Real-Time Production » Audio Production » Audio mixers and consoles – music »

With the introduction of the Quasar v2.0 Major System Update, the original flagship Quasar console becomes ‘Quasar XR’. Existing Quasar users can upgrade their console to XR by installing this free system-wide update, which adds scalability and modularity to the original console. V2.0 also introduces Quasar Soft and Quasar Cast remote control and monitoring solutions, delivers full integration with Telos Infinity® IP Intercom products, and adds support for new Quasar Accessory Modules, along with numerous other powerful features. This advanced scalability addresses new workflows, like Work from Home, and gives broadcasters more flexibility when it comes to the number of channels they need in their Quasar Engine, starting at 16 channels and scaling up in blocks of 16 channels up to 64 channels.

Support » Monitoring, Control & Communications » Audio Monitoring » Audio measurement and loudness control »

Poor quality sound is fatiguing and creates the risk of listeners tuning out. Like a dirty windshield, compromised audio quality obscures the sonic landscape. Details get lost, speech can be more difficult to comprehend, and content can suffer as a result. Omnia processing makes audio more listenable, less fatiguing, and more consistent. If you care about your Podcast content getting through to the listener, you need to care about sound quality.

As more audio is produced remotely and consumed on-demand, the challenge of consistent audio levels is becoming even greater. In fact, it is the number one complaint of podcast listeners!

OmniaTools™ allows you to automatically manage loudness levels on all content and create your signature sound on podcasts, helping you stand out and keep your audience engaged.

This easy-to-use, enterprise-class Windows Service makes it simple to create consistent loudness for all your audio files while improving the quality of the audio.

Produce » Real-Time Production » Audio Production » Audio mixers and consoles – music »

Telos Alliance® Axia iQS AES67 Mixing Console Software

Applications

• Console capability without the physical surface


• Distributed / remote workforce


• Temporary studio anywhere (nontraditional studio space)


• Studios lacking physical space


• Multiple users who need concurrent collaboration on a single mix

Telos Alliance® was there for you when you made the leap to IP, and now we’re here to help you on the journey to virtualization, wherever you are on that path. Our goal is to give you broadcasting options that are familiar while creating new ways of working that deliver on virtualization's promise of added scalability, adaptability, cost efficiency, simple deployment, and reliability. And that’s just what we’ve done with our new Axia iQs AES67 Mixing Console Software.

More than a decade ago, Telos Alliance created the Axia iQ AoIP console, now known for its ability to deliver a powerful and flexible mixing experience. Rather than pay for unwanted extras and faders, iQ allowed broadcasters to work smarter, offering the ‘just right’ functionality to mix content how they wanted, without sacrificing features.

Then we took the iQ philosophy and upgraded its underlying technology to create the Axia iQx AES67 console, the first AES67 AoIP console to combine the mix engine and console into one chassis. iQx lets you plug right into your AoIP network —with complete AES67 / SMPTE ST-2110-30 compliance— and enjoy the same capable, easy-to-use experience of the iQ.

Now, the Axia iQ family takes a bold step into the virtual AoIP future with iQs, the software version of iQx that does not require a physical surface. iQs is the first soft console controlled by a full HTML-5 interface, allowing you to not only control a mix from anywhere, but on any device—Mac, Windows, tablet, laptop, even your phone! It’s available in two ways to suit your needs and comfort level.

The Benefits of Virtualization

Non-Proprietary Hardware

You have more options when it comes to designing your system, including commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) options from the IT world.

Customizable

The virtual broadcast studio is customizable, because functionality is not hard-coded to a specific physical attribute on a piece of hardware, like a physical surface.

Scalable

You can run multiple instances of software concurrently, allowing you to scale up for demanding production requirements and scale back down accordingly, only paying for what you need.

Reliable

Virtual software and cloud computing are tested, tried, and true. Broadcasters need not worry about reliability compared with hardware options.

Cost-Efficient

Requires less maintenance, hardware, real estate, conditioned power, HVAC, and associated costs with flexible subscription models to meet OPEX business requirements.

Easier Upgrades

Easier to update software remotely over the Internet or en masse in a centralized data center, eliminating site visits.

2 Ways to Deploy iQs AES67 Virtual Console Mixing Software

iQs + AE-1000 for Easy Virtualization

Telos Alliance understands that virtualizing studio operations can be an overwhelming prospect. That’s why we are eliminating some of the legwork by pre-installing the iQs AES67 Mixing Console Software on a 1RU Telos Alliance AE-1000 Application Engine—our new line of universal servers—to help you ease into the virtual studio and prepare for the future. You can centralize the AE-1000 at the studio, yet give board operators the flexibility to control the iQs mix from a bedroom, a coffee shop, a makeshift studio...anywhere with an Internet connection.

iQs Container for the Data Center

iQs is available as a Docker container. Docker is a set of platform-as-a-service products that uses OS-level virtualization to deliver software in packages called containers. Containers are isolated from one another and bundle their own software, libraries and configuration files; they can communicate through well-defined channels. Docker is an integral part of the IT future.

Because iQs is available as a Docker container, it allows broadcasters to deploy it in a server farm or the cloud, delivering the added benefits of true virtualization, such as easier facility-wide upgrades, concurrent instances, and more, without site visits. Perfect for large installations of iQs console software instances.

iQs in a Docker container lets you realize your all-virtual future now because it’s available as a subscription-based model in addition to singular instances. A subscription allows you to be even more nimble—growing or shrinking the size of your system dynamically as your needs change. You only pay for the functionality you need, and you aren’t locked into any particular console configuration, large or small, for the ultimate in facility flexibility.

Produce » Real-Time Production » Audio Production » Audio mixers and consoles – television production »

First, we broke the matrix.Now, we’re putting intercom in the Cloud.

Telos Infinity® Virtual Intercom Platform (VIP) is the first fully featured Cloud-based intercom system. It delivers sophisticated comms virtually, making Cloud-based media production workflows available on any device—smartphone, laptop, desktop, or tablet. Users can even use third-party control devices, like Elgato’s Stream Deck®, to control Telos Infinity VIP. Now you can harness Telos Infinity IP Intercom’s award-winning performance, scalability, ease of integration, and operational/cost efficiencies anywhere—At Home, On-Prem, Site-to-Site or in the Cloud.

 

Telos Infinity VIP

• Cost-Efficient - Less Maintenance, Infrastructure, Space Required


• Scaleable - Pay for Only What you Need


• Ease of Use – Virtual Panels on Familiar Devices (Smartphone, Computer, Tablet)


• Workflow Flexibility - At Home, On-Prem, Site-to-Site, In the Cloud


• Reliable, Proven Cloud Workflows Flexible Deployment Options


• TelosCare™ PLUS Service Option for Premium Service & Support

 

Deployment Options

Meeting users where they are on the path toward virtualization, Telos Alliance offers several deployment options for VIP, which scales to suit users’ varying requirements, from a few remote smartphone VIP instances to an enterprise solution requiring hundreds of instances.

• On-Prem – Use Telos Infinity VIP hardware appliance or your own server for on-prem installations.


• Integrated – For both On-Prem or Cloud versions, Telos Infinity VIP can be integrated with Telos Infinity hardware comms, or any third-party intercom or audio subsystem using AES67 or SMPTE 2110-30 connectivity.


• Cloud Server – Software for supported Cloud platform installations. A complete communications infrastructure in the Cloud with connectivity options for integration with third-party Cloud-based and On-Prem audio subsystems.


• Software as a Service (SaaS) – Various third-party Telos Alliance partners will offer a Telos Infinity VIP SaaS option, allowing users to lease it in a virtual environment.

Manage » Manage & Orchestrate » Content & Workflow Management » Media asset management (MAM) »

Powerful and adaptable Virtual Voice over IP system for broadcast with legendary Telos high-performance audio.

Telos Alliance® introduced broadcasters to the benefits of VoIP a decade ago with VX, the world’s first VoIP talkshow system, in a hardware appliance. Now, Telos VXs is here to help broadcasters reap the benefits of true virtualization as they adapt to changing broadcast workflows and operations, all while making it easier for teams to produce great-sounding and compelling content.

Legendary Telos Audio Quality

Using VoIP, VXs combines modern networking with the power of digital signal processing developed by Telos over the past three decades. Every call gets fifth-generation audio processing packed full of technology engineered to extract the cleanest, clearest caller audio from any phone line—even noisy cellular calls.

VXs includes Smart AGC coupled with our famous three-band adaptive Digital Dynamic EQ, a three-band adaptive spectral processor, and noise gating. Call-ducking and host override are part of the VX toolkit as well. Users can conference multiple lines with superior clarity and fidelity. Send audio gets its own sweetening with an AGC, limiter, and Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) technology that eliminates open-mic feedback.

And if you choose to use compatible telco services, calls from mobile handsets with SIP clients, HD capable telephone sets, and PC apps will benefit from VXs’s native support of the G.722 codec, instantly improving caller speech quality.

Standards-Based for Easy Connectivity

Telos VXs systems are “facility-wide” broadcast phone products. That means multiple studios, multiple stations, multiple shows—with minimal hardware requirements. Telco is delivered via IP from your SIP PBX, hosted VoIP service, or UCaaS provider. For carrier-grade reliability and redundancy, a dedicated SIP trunk circuit can be integrated via a Telos-configured Asterisk-based PBX; legacy circuits such as POTS, ISDN, or T1 can be integrated in the same way. Once connected, all telecom and audio connectivity flows via Ethernet.

New-to-AoIP Installation

Don’t have IP-Audio networking yet? VXs will work with all console brands, networked or not, using Telos Alliance xNodes and the VXs Call Controller drop-in controller for your console. xNodes, like the Telos Alliance Mixed Signal Node, break out audio into analog and digital formats, along with GPIO logic commands. The diagram below shows a typical studio with an analog mixer, using a Telos Alliance Mixed Signal xNode to connect to the console and other broadcast equipment.

AoIP Installation

Installing a VXs VoIP system in facilities already powered by Livewire+™ AES67 networks requires even less time and hardware. Your new VXs phone system will plug right in for seamless integration.

Additionally, support for AES67 gives broadcasters the capability of integrating VXs into any AES67 environment or compatible SMPTE 2110-30 environments. With plug-and-play connectivity, you can network multiple channels of audio with any manufacturer’s AES67- compliant hardware. Support for SAP advertisement means VXs smoothly integrates alongside AES67- enabled Dante® devices.

Call Management

When combined with call management software, producers and talent can screen and air calls from anywhere with a computer and a solid internet connection. Producers can identify repeat or unwanted callers and enter information about the call, such as topic and mood. This information is available to other production staff and talent in real-time. Various software options are available from Telos Alliance partners.

Use with Axia® Pathfinder™ Core PRO

For more custom needs, Axia® Pathfinder™ Core PRO can monitor, control, and display all aspects of your VXs system. This enables customized solutions such as drag-and-drop construction of custom control panels (pictured), timed Show changes based on studio schedules, or even API translation between third-party systems to display caller information or control lines. The possibilities are endless.

TelosCare™ PLUS Customer Care

We know that your VXs is just one piece of the telephony puzzle, which may include your VoIP provider, PBX vendor, IT team, network security team, and more. We love to leverage our combined centuries of telephony experience to serve as your trusted VoIP ninjas and help you complete and maintain your telephony puzzle for years to come. TelosCare PLUS gives you the one-stop service and support you need long after the sale, going far beyond basic support and troubleshooting with proactive, holistic service and membership perks.

Manage » Manage & Orchestrate » Content & Workflow Management » Media asset management (MAM) »

TELOS VXs VIRTUAL VOIP SYSTEM FOR TELEVISION

Powerful and adaptable Voice over IP virtualized system for broadcast and live TV production

Telos Alliance first introduced broadcasters to the benefits of VoIP a decade ago, with our first VoIP phone system, Telos VX®. VX replaced racks of phone couplers, contribution hybrids, and engineering coordination lines with a single hardware VoIP Engine. Now, Telos VXs is here to help broadcasters reap the benefits of true virtualization as they adapt to changing broadcast workflows, all while making it easier for remote teams to tap into production and engineering partylines.

From remote IFBs to audience call-ins, VXs can run anywhere from one or two lines in a small studio to the on-air phones for your entire plant, giving you incredible operational power, adaptable workflows, and superior audio quality.

Production facility design is evolving, moving away from dedicated hardware connected to centralized router frames to flexible SMPTE 2110 media networks with software-based workflows. VXs software can be deployed on shared servers in the centralized data center or in cloud instances. These deployment options enable the benefits of true virtualization, such as easier facility-wide upgrades, automated deployment, and more, without site visits. Broadcasters can scale VXs in size from a single contribution audio line to a facility-wide IFB system to a multi-facility system, meeting the exact needs and budget of the facility now, with the ability to upgrade at any time with no penalty.

For decades, phone-based IFB and comms have been neglected in video production facilities. Instead of treating these critical communication paths as invisible background connections, VXs allows these assets to be brought to the forefront for detailed monitoring and control via customizable Pathfinder HTML-5 user panels for applications such as OB Truck to HQ Comms.

Standards-Based for Easy Connectivity

Support for SMPTE-2110 and AES67 environments brings a new level of compatibility and flexibility to VXs, allowing for direct integration with intercom systems, audio consoles, and other production systems over existing multicast media networks. Support for SAP advertisement means VX smoothly integrates alongside AES67-enabled Dante® devices, as well.

When combined with the Telos Infinity™ IP Intercom system, the drag-and-drop Infinity Dashboard interface allows remote IFBs and engineering coordination lines to be centrally configured, added to partylines and groups, and assigned to Infinity IP Intercom panels quickly.

For those without an IP media infrastructure, Telos Alliance AoIP Audio Nodes provide high-density AES3, SDI, and analog I/O to integrate with any console or intercom system now while providing an upgrade path to direct AoIP connectivity as your facility evolves in the future.

New-to-AoIP Installation

Don’t have IP-Audio networking yet? VX will work with all console and intercom brands, networked or not, using Telos Alliance Nodes with AES3, SDI, and analog I/O, as well as GPIO.

The diagram above shows an example system with a non-AoIP mixer and intercom system using a Telos Alliance AES xNode and SDI Node.

AoIP Installation

Support for Livewire+™ AES67, AES67, and SMPTE 2110-30 environments brings a new level of compatibility and flexibility to VX VoIP systems. Support for AES67 gives broadcasters the capability of integrating VX into any AES67 environment or compatible SMPTE 2110-30 environments. Support for SAP advertisement means VX smoothly integrates alongside AES67-enabled Dante® devices.

The diagram above shows an example system consisting of a Livewire+ audio console and Telos Infinity® IP Intercom.

HTML-5 Control

When combined with Axia® Pathfinder™ Core PRO Broadcast Controller, you can create touchscreen-friendly custom HTML-5 panels to monitor and control every aspect of the VX system from any web browser. Comms managers and producers can use panels to manage all the IFB, contribution, and tech coordination lines in the facility. Gone are the days of reporters calling in to the wrong IFB and missing their live shot. With an HTML-5 control panel, producers can see the status and caller ID of each IFB line and even have the ability to call the reporter directly.

High-Performance Audio

Every call gets 5th-generation audio processing, packed full of technology engineered to extract the cleanest, clearest caller audio from any phone line—even noisy cellular calls. VXs makes TV talents’ in-ear and comms feeds more intelligible as well. It includes Smart AGC coupled with Telos’ three-band adaptive Digital Dynamic EQ, a three-band adaptive spectral processor, noise gating, and Acoustic Echo Cancellation.

HD voice calls will benefit from VX’s native support of the G.722 codec, instantly improving speech quality.

TelosCare™ PLUS Customer Care

We know that your VX is just one piece of the telephony puzzle, which may include your VoIP provider, PBX vendor, IT team, network security team, and more. We love to leverage our combined centuries of telephony experience to serve as your trusted VoIP ninjas and help you complete and maintain your telephony puzzle for years to come. TelosCare PLUS gives you the one-stop service and support you need long after the sale, going far beyond basic support and troubleshooting with proactive, holistic service and membership perks.