Featured products at NAB New York 2024
Celebrating its diamond jubilee this year, Calrec has been putting sound in the picture for six decades and counting and is still pushing the boundaries of audio broadcasting with a full range of connected technologies enabling broadcasters to scale their processing directly in the cloud.
On booth 1213, Calrec will be demonstrating two new products and a software update, which will be shown in the US for the first time. This includes the company’s award-winning Argo M console, which delivers Calrec’s renowned heritage and feature set at incredible value and enables more broadcasters to take advantage of Argo’s flexible IP technology; True Control 2.0, its expanded 2nd generation remote production capability; and Type R, Calrec’s modular, expandable IP mixing system with the latest software.
Argo M – All of Argo in a compact package
Built on the same multi award-winning technology that powers Calrec’s established Argo platform, Argo M brings the same operational familiarity as the larger Argo Q and Argo S consoles in a compact 24- or 36-fader footprint. Designed for small to medium applications, Argo M is a plug-and-play audio console with native SMPTE 2110 for optional networking and I/O expansion.
Argo M features integrated DSP processing with 304 or 356 internal DSP processing paths. No networking or PTP sync is required for independent operation due to its built-in analogue and digital audio I/O GPIO, 3 x modular I/O slots for further expansion, and a MADI I/O port via an SFP.
Alternatively, Argo M is available with external ImPulse and ImPulse1 processing cores which allows an increase in processing capacity to 432 DSP paths as well as providing additional redundancy. This enables customers to expand Argo M as their production demands grow. With up to four Argo surfaces able to share access to a pair of redundant ImPulse cores, Argo M can also connect to an existing ImPulse core alongside other Argo surfaces to create multi-console environments.
Like the Calrec Argo Q and Argo S, the Argo M may also be used to directly control the new Calrec ImpulseV cloud-based audio mixing solution. ImPulse V, which had its development preview at NAB 2024, provides a Calrec audio mixing engine in a cloud native AWS environment.
The console caters for a variety of workflows; cores and surfaces can be geographically diverse to enable remote and distributed production, as well as supporting interoperable networking and stage-box interfacing via AES67/ST2110-30 with ST2022-7 dual-network/packet merging redundancy with either 1G or 10G connectivity. Meanwhile, the Calrec Connect AoIP system manager makes IP streams easy to manage and adds essential broadcast functionality.
“Calrec’s 60th anniversary year has been incredibly special, and as we head into fall, we’re looking forward to demonstrating our new products for visitors to NAB New York,” says Sid Stanley, General Manager at Calrec.
“We’re committed to providing our customers with flexible workflows while still having the right monitoring and metering tools without the need for ancillary equipment. Argo M helps our customers to redefine their production models and retain all that in a cost-effective way.”
Argo M supports 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2 and 7.1.4. immersive paths for input channels, busses, metering and monitoring as standard, and the same familiar Calrec Assist UI for remote control on a standard web browser.
True Control 2.0 – Expanded 2nd generation remote production capability
Calrec’s True Control 2.0 builds on Calrec’s RP1 True Control implementation to provide expanded levels of control in two key areas.
Firstly, it provides users with far greater levels of remote control without the limitations of mirroring or parallel controlling, with control of an expanded feature-set including EQ, dynamics, routing, direct outputs and delay.
More fundamentally, it gives broadcasters unparalleled flexibility to scale their remote productions as needed by expanding the number of products it works with. True Control 2.0 is available on Type R, ImPulseV, Argo M, Argo Q and Argo S, allowing any of these products to remotely control any other True Control 2.0 enabled product. Moreover, any one of these controller consoles can access up to five other consoles simultaneously.
Stanley adds, “True Control brings a new flexible approach to audio mixing, enabling users to control multiple consoles across different venues. The ability to control anything from anywhere is an incredibly agile way to work because it provides access to more cores, more faders/surfaces, and more control from more locations. It simply gives our broadcast customers more options.”
Type R
The latest version of Calrec’s Type R modular, expandable IP mixing system is also on the booth. It too is designed to encourage customers to take advantage of distributed production and flexible workflows. Its soft panels allow users to customise the control most important to their workflow. It integrates with station automation systems like Ross Overdrive, Sony ELC and Grass Valley Ignite.
