Vita BB Plus

The VITA BB PLUS is a very powerful Dante network audio interface, in a traditional desktop style.  It has a mic/line input and headphone monitoring connection for a single user, and contains two 4 wire circuits.  One of these is typically used as an on air channel, and the other as a talkback channel.

The high quality microphone input, with the Glensound Referee compressor,  makes the Vita BB Plus suitable for on air commentary use,  perfect for a small OB or in an off-tube booth.

The flexibility of the talk button configurations, means that the Vita BB Plus can also be used as a talkback unit as part of a Dante / AES67 network.

The Vita BB Plus can connect to any Dante or AES67 network, or to other audio equipment via Glensound’s own Dante interface units.

Vita

InputsThe main input is switchable between mic, mic+48v phantom power, and line. The input has an adjustable gain control to meet a wide range of dynamic, condenser, and ribbon microphones. The input passes through a broadcast quality dsp controlled compressor/limiter circuit prior to the A/D converters to maximise headroom and designed to manage the peaks of excited commentary. The A/D converters are full broadcast spec low noise, 48K 24bit designed for on air use.

Outputs/TalkbackThere are two output circuits. One is used as the main programme audio, the other as a talkback circuit. There are separate button controls for each of these using Config+. They can each can be independently configured for latching or momentary, with the programme button also having a ‘cough’ feature. All talkback I/O connections are via the RJ45/CAT5 Dante network audio connection.

MonitoringThere are two monitoring inputs each with independent level control. Each of these inputs can be switched from the left ear, right ear, or both ears to the stereo headphone amplifier. The headphone amplifier is our high performance intelligent circuit which automatically adjusts its output level for high or low impedance headphones and can also drive mono earpieces and headphones.

There are 2 off 4 LED level meters both indicating -12 to +6 dB. One LED meter is located on the front panel to enable easy visualisation of the audio levels if the VITA is being used as a table top device and the other meter is located on the top panel facing the operator when used by its beltclip.

PowerVia PoE on the network connection, or via an external DC power supply.

The VITA is often used as a remote link to the main commentary unit. It is favoured by pitch side interviewers, and is popular in combinations with wireless systems.

Virgil OB

Virgil was the Roman poet who guided Dante through Hell and Purgatory, the Glensound Virgil OB is a clever little headphone amplifier for providing crystal clear audio into studio & broadcast headphones.

Packaged in a small & robust format and designed for outside broadcast & theatre applications wherever a headphone circuit or analogue output is required, the Virgil OB provides a simple interface between Dante / AES67 network audio systems and users headphones or other analogue audio equipment.

The Virgil OB encompasses our unique headphone amplifier circuit which automatically provides the correct output level to match the impedance of the attached headphones (to produce the same volume high impedance headphones require a much greater output level than low impedance).

Virgil

Virgil was the Roman poet who guided Dante through Hell and Purgatory, the Glensound Virgil is a clever little headphone amplifier for providing crystal clear audio into studio & broadcast headphones.

Packaged in a small & robust format and designed to be permanently mounted in studios wherever a headphone circuit is required, the Virgil provides a simple interface between Dante network audio systems and users headphones.

The Virgil encompasses our unique headphone amplifier circuit which automatically provides the correct output level to match the impedance of the attached headphones (to produce the same volume high impedance headphones require a much greater output level than low impedance).

Virgil receives 2 x audio circuits from a Dante network and routes one to the left and the other to the right channel of the headphone amplifier. A front panel volume control allows the user to adjust the output volume.

Three mounting holes are supplied to enable the Virgil to be mounted underneath a studio desk in a suitable location for the users headphones. Needing just 1 single network cable to carry both power & audio to the Virgil makes installation very simple.

As well as being suitable for low & high impedance headphones our unique headphone amplifier circuit can be connected to both stereo headphones & mono earpieces, making the Virgil suitable for driving television presenters ear pieces.

Symphony

Our Symphony musicians’ audio monitoring and microphone amplifier was originally designed to meet the requirements of the IL NOVECENTO ORCHESTRA

They had been using a similar analogue monitoring system for many years and when they updated their production mixer to a Dante enabled desk they naturally wanted to encompass and embrace the advantages of the network audio system to include their monitoring and musical instrument pre-amplifiers.

The shape and feature set of the Symphony came from the customer’s many years of experience from within the orchestral music industry. The simple controls for the musicians, the microphone amplifier setup hidden away from the musicians, the ability to mount the Symphony on a microphone stand and a clean blank audience facing side of the box were all key required features.

Being a high calibre audio environment naturally the microphone amplifiers and monitoring circuits had to be the best available, which was made possible because of our many years of experience in broadcast audio.

Pro Sound news ran an article in June 2017 highlighting the history & requirements for the Symphony.The Symphony is designed to be mounted on a microphone stand and placed between 2 musicians.

Each musician has a set of monitoring controls on an ergonomically shaped sloping front panel, with a headphone monitoring output jack conveniently placed at the bottom of the controls. The monitoring controls allow each musician to adjust the volume of 3 incoming stereo audio mixes from the Dante network, allowing them to monitor their preferred mix at a level that they are happy with. Each musician is also provided with an instrument headphone volume control, so they can adjust the level of their own instrument in their own ears. A panning control is also provided for the instrument in case they only wish to monitor their own instrument in one ear or of centre. Finally an overall volume control is provided for each musician to allow one single control to adjust the overall volume of the whole mix.

On the front panel mounted centrally between the 2 sets of monitoring controls and at the top of the panel is a talkback microphone, at the bottom of the panel and within easy reach of each musician is a push to talk (PTT) switch that turns the talkback microphone on. This talkback circuit is very useful for communications between the musicians and sound control room.

The bottom panel contains the 2 microphone inputs, 1 on each side of the unit allowing the microphone cable to enter the box in a tidy and organised way. The panel also contains simple engineering setup controls to adjust the microphone input gain, turn phantom power on/ off and also turn the internal compressor limiter circuit on/off. Connections to the Dante/ AES67 network are also located on the bottom panel, so like the microphone cables the network cables can easily be routed safely down the microphone stand.

There are 2 Dante network interfaces allowing a fully redundant netowrk to be set up with primary and secondary Dante networks. Both of these interfaces are on Neutrik Ethercon connectors and both accept Power Over Ethernet (PoE).

 

 

Paradiso Lite

Paradiso Lite is a commentators’ box for 3 commentators. It can be used by itself to provide the commentary facilities alongside an OB truck for small events or multiple Paradiso Lites can be used at large events that require Worldwide broadcast coverage.

Audio links between the Paradiso and other equipment are by Dante (AES67 compliant) complete with redundant copper links. Analogue I/O and AES3 I/O are also provided directly from the unit for local connections and / or another layer of redundancy.

The Paradiso Lite has been designed to be intuitive & easy to use for Commentators who would rather be talking about the game than working out how the equipment works, and is also built to our exacting rugged & robust standard to make it a reliable piece of broadcast equipment for the busy engineer.

Fully Redundant Copper Network ConnectionsIf an IP link fails you have no broadcast! Our system provides fully redundant glitch free audio & data transport across any of the 2 copper network interfaces.

Automatic Adjustment For High or Low Impedance Headphones Our unique headphone amplifiers automatically provide the correct drive level to high or low impedance headphones.

Instinctive Mic Gain Setting InformationWhen adjusting a mic’s input gain, the PPM automatically changes to display just the level of mic input currently being altered.

Multiple Power SourcesFor complete fail-safe redundancy the Paradiso can be powered from any of the following sources: PoE (2 off), Wide Range Mains or external DC.

Local Analogue & AES3 I/OFor 100% reliability local analogue & AES3 I/O is provided as complementary audio connectivity to the network audio.

Referee Compressor/ LimiterGlensound’s World renowned Referee compressor limiter system keeps even the loudest commentators sounding great.

Fully ConfigurableGlenControler remote control/ setup application allows hundreds of different parameters of the Paradiso to configured to meet the users requirements.

Paradiso

Paradiso is a commentators box for 3 commentators. It can be used by itself to provide the commentary facilities alongside an OB truck for small events or multiple Paradiso’s can be used at large events that require Worldwide broadcast coverage.

Audio links between the Paradiso and other equipment are by Dante (AES67 compliant) complete with redundant copper & fibre links. Analogue I/O and AES3 I/O are also provided directly from the unit for local connections and/ or another layer of redundancy.

The Paradiso has been designed to be intuitive & easy to use for Commentators’ who would rather be talking about the game than working out how the equipment works, and is also built to our exacting rugged & robust standard to make it a reliable piece of broadcast equipment for the busy engineer.ePaper DisplaysFor quick easy intuitive visible Indication of individual headphone source names, levels & pan. Viewable in bright sunlight.

Fully Redundant Copper and Fibre Network ConnectionsIf an IP link fails you have no broadcast! Our system provides fully redundant glitch free audio & data transport across any of the 4 network interfaces.

Automatic Adjustment For High or Low Impedance HeadphonesOur unique headphone amplifiers automatically provide the correct drive level to high or low impedance headphones.

Instinctive Mic Gain Setting InformationWhen adjusting a mic’s input gain, the ePaper display changes to display the gain being applied in dB and the PPM automatically changes to display just the level of mic input currently being altered.

Multiple Power SourcesFor complete failsafe redundancy the Paradiso can be powered from any of the following sources: PoE (2 off), Wide Range Mains or external DC.

Local Analogue & AES3 I/OFor 100% reliability local analogue & AES3 I/O is provided as complimentary audio connectivity to the network audio.

Referee Compressor/ LimiterGlensound’s World renowned Referee compressor limiter system keeps even the loudest commentators sounding great.

Fully ConfigurableGlenController remote control/ setup application allows hundreds of different parameters of the Paradiso to configured to meet the users requirements. 

MinFerno

MinFerno is a new, smaller, and even easier to use version of our exceptionally popular Inferno network audio commentary box.

MinFerno is designed for a single commentator/ announcer to use, and like its big brother the Inferno, it provides the very best possible commentary microphone amplifier and compressor limiter circuit for amazing on air sound.

The MinFerno is easy to use for commentators who would rather be talking about the game than figuring out how the equipment works.  It is built to our exacting, rugged & robust standard to make it a reliable piece of broadcast equipment for the busy engineer.

Redundant Powering OptionsThe MinFerno can be powered from any of 3 different sources:1) PoE on the Primary CAT5 Network link2) PoE on the Secondary CAT5 Network link3) External 12V DCFour of rear panel LEDs show the availability of the 3 power sources.

Primary & Secondary SFP SlotsThe SFP (Small Form-Factor Pluggable) fibre slots are standard networking ports that accept standard SFP modules. This means that you decide what type of fibre and connector style you want to use just by the SFP module that you insert. The primary & secondary network circuits allow for glitch free redundancy across both the Fibre & Copper network interfaces.

Primary & Secondary Copper Network Connections with PoETwo CAT6 connections on Neutrik Ethercons (that accept standard networking cables) are provided to allow copper connections to local network switches to carry the Dante/ AES67 audio. Two connections are fitted to allow redundant circuits to be used if required.Both of these connectors can accept a PoE power source for providing the power to the MinFerno.

Input Mode & GainOne pair of push buttons selects the input type of the front panel XLR to be either microphone, line or microphone with 48V phantom power. 3 LEDs indicate which input mode is selected.Two push buttons are used to alter the gain of the input. LEDs indicate if the gain setting is above or below our pre-configured ‘lineup’ levels. The front panel PPM of course provides an accurate indication of the input level.The gain can also be altered remotely by a web browser pointing at the MinFerno’s web page.

Up to 4 of Incoming Audio Volume ControlsOn the top panel are up to 5 rotary headphone volume controls. 4 of these are connected to 4 incoming audio circuits from the Dante/ AES67 network. These are normally used for such sources as mixed programme or cue, talkback to director, talkback to producer, talkback to engineer etc.

Sidetone Volume ControlThe 5th front panel rotary headphone volume control is ‘sidetone’. Sidetone is the commentator’s own voice in their own ears.

Headphone RoutingEach of the 5 headphone volume controls has an associated left ear, right ear, both routing switch located next to the volume knob. This single push button switch routes the associated source to just the left, just the right or both channels of the stereo headphone amplifier. To enable the commentator to know how they are routing a circuit the first time a routing switch is pressed, a pair of LEDs on the front panel indicate its current routing arrangement. The next time the routing switch is pressed then the next routing option is selected.

Robust Mic On and Talkback ButtonsThere are up to 4 of large bright illuminated buttons (1 for programme and up to 3 for talkback). These switches route the outgoing microphone circuit onto up to 4 different Dante/ AES67 network audio circuits. The operation of these switches (momentary, latching etc) and the interaction of these switches (i.e. pressing a talkback switch mutes the main mic) can be fully configured via the web page.

15 segment LED PPM MeterAudio input level is indicated on the 15 segment PPM meter.

Low Noise Microphone Amplifier With Remote GainWe spent a long time optimising the performance of the THAT corporation microphone amplifier used in the original Inferno and used again on the MinFerno. It features very low noise & distortion circuit that we remote control the gain of in 1dB steps, which allows us to provide the remote webpage gain control as well as the rear panel gain push buttons. We also optimised the circuits to allow correct source impedance switching depending on whether the input has been set as a mic or line input.

Referee Compressor LimiterAs with all our commentary units, the MinFerno features our very popular Referee compressor limiter circuit. This circuit starts to compress the commentator’s voice gradually and slowly increases the compression ratio as the input level becomes overly high, resulting in a very natural sounding and distortion free audio output capable of taming even the loudest of commentators.

High Quality Analogue To Digital Converter (ADC)Dante/ AES67 network audio is a digital circuit and as such the best analogue microphone amplifier would be wasted if we hadn’t paired it up with the best analogue to digital converter. The ADCs job is fairly simple, and if you look at our tech spec you’ll see that we’ve made ours work incredibly well.

Unique Headphone AmplifiersThe commentator’s headphones are a vitally important tool so we take as much care with our headphone amplifiers as with our on air microphones. Our unique headphone amplifier provides the correct output level regardless of the impedance of the attached headphones, meaning that broadcasters can now pick and choose between low impedance ‘cheap’ headphones and high impedance traditional broadcast ones.

MinFerno

MinFerno is a new, smaller, and even easier to use version of our exceptionally popular Inferno network audio commentary box.

MinFerno is designed for a single commentator/ announcer to use, and like its big brother the Inferno, it provides the very best possible commentary microphone amplifier and compressor limiter circuit for amazing on air sound.

The MinFerno is easy to use for commentators who would rather be talking about the game than figuring out how the equipment works.  It is built to our exacting, rugged & robust standard to make it a reliable piece of broadcast equipment for the busy engineer.

Redundant Powering OptionsThe MinFerno can be powered from any of 3 different sources:1) PoE on the Primary CAT5 Network link2) PoE on the Secondary CAT5 Network link3) External 12V DCFour of rear panel LEDs show the availability of the 3 power sources.

Primary & Secondary SFP SlotsThe SFP (Small Form-Factor Pluggable) fibre slots are standard networking ports that accept standard SFP modules. This means that you decide what type of fibre and connector style you want to use just by the SFP module that you insert. The primary & secondary network circuits allow for glitch free redundancy across both the Fibre & Copper network interfaces.

Primary & Secondary Copper Network Connections with PoETwo CAT6 connections on Neutrik Ethercons (that accept standard networking cables) are provided to allow copper connections to local network switches to carry the Dante/ AES67 audio. Two connections are fitted to allow redundant circuits to be used if required.Both of these connectors can accept a PoE power source for providing the power to the MinFerno.

Input Mode & GainOne pair of push buttons selects the input type of the front panel XLR to be either microphone, line or microphone with 48V phantom power. 3 LEDs indicate which input mode is selected.Two push buttons are used to alter the gain of the input. LEDs indicate if the gain setting is above or below our pre-configured ‘lineup’ levels. The front panel PPM of course provides an accurate indication of the input level.The gain can also be altered remotely by a web browser pointing at the MinFerno’s web page.

Up to 4 of Incoming Audio Volume ControlsOn the top panel are up to 5 rotary headphone volume controls. 4 of these are connected to 4 incoming audio circuits from the Dante/ AES67 network. These are normally used for such sources as mixed programme or cue, talkback to director, talkback to producer, talkback to engineer etc.

Sidetone Volume ControlThe 5th front panel rotary headphone volume control is ‘sidetone’. Sidetone is the commentator’s own voice in their own ears.

Headphone RoutingEach of the 5 headphone volume controls has an associated left ear, right ear, both routing switch located next to the volume knob. This single push button switch routes the associated source to just the left, just the right or both channels of the stereo headphone amplifier. To enable the commentator to know how they are routing a circuit the first time a routing switch is pressed, a pair of LEDs on the front panel indicate its current routing arrangement. The next time the routing switch is pressed then the next routing option is selected.

Robust Mic On and Talkback ButtonsThere are up to 4 of large bright illuminated buttons (1 for programme and up to 3 for talkback). These switches route the outgoing microphone circuit onto up to 4 different Dante/ AES67 network audio circuits. The operation of these switches (momentary, latching etc) and the interaction of these switches (i.e. pressing a talkback switch mutes the main mic) can be fully configured via the web page.

15 segment LED PPM MeterAudio input level is indicated on the 15 segment PPM meter.

Low Noise Microphone Amplifier With Remote GainWe spent a long time optimising the performance of the THAT corporation microphone amplifier used in the original Inferno and used again on the MinFerno. It features very low noise & distortion circuit that we remote control the gain of in 1dB steps, which allows us to provide the remote webpage gain control as well as the rear panel gain push buttons. We also optimised the circuits to allow correct source impedance switching depending on whether the input has been set as a mic or line input.

Referee Compressor LimiterAs with all our commentary units, the MinFerno features our very popular Referee compressor limiter circuit. This circuit starts to compress the commentator’s voice gradually and slowly increases the compression ratio as the input level becomes overly high, resulting in a very natural sounding and distortion free audio output capable of taming even the loudest of commentators.

High Quality Analogue To Digital Converter (ADC)Dante/ AES67 network audio is a digital circuit and as such the best analogue microphone amplifier would be wasted if we hadn’t paired it up with the best analogue to digital converter. The ADCs job is fairly simple, and if you look at our tech spec you’ll see that we’ve made ours work incredibly well.

Unique Headphone AmplifiersThe commentator’s headphones are a vitally important tool so we take as much care with our headphone amplifiers as with our on air microphones. Our unique headphone amplifier provides the correct output level regardless of the impedance of the attached headphones, meaning that broadcasters can now pick and choose between low impedance ‘cheap’ headphones and high impedance traditional broadcast ones.

Inferno

Links To Dante Compatible Network Or DARK88 Break Out BoxInferno can be used on its own when connected to a Dante audio network. Many audio routers, consoles and intercom systems are Dante compatible, and will accept the Inferno link, enabling Glensound grade commentary into the audio network.

There are primary and secondary Dante network connections

Inferno can also be used outside of a dedicated Dante network when connected to one of our DARK or AoIP44 break out boxes. This connection can be direct or across a structured network. The DARK or AoIP44 units allow all of the audio inputs and outputs to be located in a place separate from the Inferno.

Programmable On A Dante Audio NetworkWhen connected to a Dante network, sources and destinations can be configured from any part of the network using the free Dante controller software. Details are available at www.audinate.com.

Seven Talkback CircuitsThe seven illuminated talkback buttons route the audio input to 7 different destinations and remove the audio from the main programme output.

Eight Input Headphone MixerSeven external sources plus sidetone are presented on eight level controls allowing the user to create their own required monitoring mix of all sources. Each input can be independently selected to be on the user’s left ear, right ear or both ears. The headphone connection is available on a 3.5mm and a 6.35mm jack socket.

Single InputThe single input is switchable on the rear panel to be line/mic/48v and has adjustable input gain. The input also features Glensound’s Referee compressor limiter system. This applies a variable rate compressor to the input peaks so that no clipping occurs, without affecting the rest of the audio signal.

Remote ControlThe Inferno contains a web server, allowing remote functionality to an engineer from any PC connected to the network via any web browser.  Enter the IP address of the Inferno in the browser for remote control of the front end mic gain.  It also allows configuration of each push button on the unit to be on/off latching, momentary (push to talk), always on, and off when pushed (cough), or in an intelligent mode where a short press latches or a longer press is just momentary.

15 segment LED PPM Meter Audio input level is indicated on the 15 segment PPM meter.

Power On Dante Link Or LocallyInferno can be powered via the network audio connection if it conforms to the PoE standard. There is also an internal 100v-240v mains supply.

Scalable Commentary~Start with one Inferno into a Dante network~Add Multiple Inferno at any time for 2, 3, 4 ,5 or more commentator system~Use DARK units for a simple point to point networked audio break out box