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Calrec is a leading designer and supplier of audio broadcast mixing equipment, relied on by the world’s most successful broadcasters. Formed as a microphone manufacturer in 1964, Calrec’s reputation for build quality, reliability and audio performance has made it an industry benchmark across the world.
Now, broadcasters demand even more versatility and integration from their audio equipment. In this highly progressive era, TV companies want to ensure that their systems can produce programmes increasingly efficiently and to exacting specifications.
For their audio systems to achieve this, greater consideration has to be given to networks as a whole, and how efficiently they can be controlled.
Calrec understands modern broadcast facilities, and works alongside broadcasters to keep ahead of the changing needs of the broadcast environment.
Calrec’s range of broadcast mixing consoles, remote production and audio networking solutions, its understanding of AoIP and IP infrastructures, and its work with third-party integration, means Calrec is at the epicentre of changing broadcast requirements.
All Calrec products are designed, manufactured and tested at Calrec’s Nutclough Mill headquarters in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England.
From customer research through R&D, production and test departments, every element of product development is in-house. This ensures the integrity of the entire process and guarantees a quality standard unsurpassed in the broadcast console marketplace.
Consoles
Apollo
With single and dual fader options, Apollo can squeeze in more faders into a single footprint than any other console, and its integrated 8192² router provides total network flexibility. Apollo provides unsurpassed processing power, with unrivalled resources of up to 1020 channel processing paths, 128 program busses, 96 IFB/Track outputs and 48 auxes.
Argo (new)
Argo is the result of over 50 years of expertise and research & development in the science of broadcast audio. Argo boasts native IP connectivity based on industry-wide standards, supercharged DSP with 1000s of DSP paths, and an ultra-modern and user-definable control surface. Argo is the next-generation audio console for all broadcasters, suiting a range of needs, from the largest global sporting events to automated / semi-automated news environments and flagship entertainment shows. With all this and more, Calrec’s Argo will surpass your needs well into the future.
Artemis
Artemis is resilient, intuitive and powerful. It has a flexible and intuitive control surface that incorporates colour, touch and tactile controls and allows the operator to reconfigure it to reflect a variety of operating setups so it is always familiar. Available in four packages, Artemis is as big as you need it to be, and no DSP sharing means all facilities are available on all channels at all times – that’s fully dedicated resources always available at all times on every single channel.
Summa
Summa’s considered control simplifies even complex workflow tasks, such as creating mix-minus feeds, but still packs a lot of punch. With 300 DSP processing paths, Summa has eight groups, four mains, 16 auxes, and 32 tracks. Its router is the same technology as the larger Apollo and Artemis consoles.
Brio
Brio is a plug-and-play fully-featured broadcast console with no DSP sharing so everything is available all the time, making it very flexible. It slots into any broadcast workflow and is easy to drive and learn. In fact, with comprehensive free training, market-leading technical customer support and Calrec’s renowned reliability, Brio meets your needs for years to come.
Type R (TV)
Type R’s flexible, fully 5.1 capable IP core enables broadcasters to benefit from virtual working practices and automated broadcast workflows on a cost-effective SMPTE 2110-compliant IP backbone. Type R provides fully automated programming with real-time adjustment of unpredictable external factors, either via the web or via highly portable dedicated hardware elements.
Type R (Radio)
Type R’s flexible IP core enables broadcasters to benefit from virtual working practices and automated broadcast workflows on a cost-effective SMPTE 2110-compliant IP backbone. Type R provides fully automated programming with real-time adjustment of unpredictable external factors, either via the web or via highly portable dedicated hardware elements.
Assist (Remote Working)
Calrec Assist is both a browser-based interface and an iPad® App that creates virtual console environments, ideally suited to remote working.
RP1 (Remote Production)
Remote production offers huge cost savings and efficiencies; a remotely controlled processing engine like RP1 means dedicated control rooms can be used to mix across multiple remote venues. Remote production models are producing more live coverage with minimal resources, reducing the movement of people and equipment, maximizing the efficiency and utilization of people and equipment, and reducing on-site set-up times.
VP2 (Virtual Production)
VP2 is Calrec’s virtualised mixing system. VP2 has no physical control surface and utilises Calrec’s Assist software for setup and control. VP2’s 4U core comes in three DSP sizes; 128, 180 and 240 input channels and incorporates Calrec’s powerful Hydra2 networking solution. Calrec Serial Control Protocol (CSCP) can allow the audio console to be completely controlled by an automation system.
Networking Options
Hydra2
At the heart of Hydra2 is the 8192² Calrec router (4096² on Summa and Artemis Light). Networks become more advanced when multiple routers are connected together to add additional mixing consoles, or to increase the amount of I/O connections available. Routers, mixing consoles and I/O can all be easily connected to the network as and when needed.
AoIP
Calrec has a range of products that can link a Hydra2 network to an IP network so Calrec equipment can sit on an IP network, or on a proprietary Hydra2 network, or any combination of the two. Calrec customers can even upgrade to IP using their existing equipment; Calrec’s powerful and flexible ImPulse core can be added to existing Apollo and Artemis control surfaces, and Calrec’s super-flexible Type R core can be used in a variety of ways.
IP Engines
Connect (Stream Manager)
Calrec Connect is a free stream manager which manages every audio stream and device on a network. It looks at your entire broadcast workflow and covers IP devices regardless of the manufacturer. These devices can be connections to and from Calrec IP cores, any of Calrec’s I/O units, and other 3rd party AoIP equipment.
Gateway
Calrec offers several products to assist in the migration from Hydra2 to IP. The H2-IP Gateway is a 1RU enclosure that supports AES67/SMPTE 2110-30 to Hydra2 interfacing. With most broadcast manufacturers already offering IP Gateways to allow their equipment to be connected to an IP Network; these effectively act as an IP input/output interface giving the equipment access to receive streams on the IP Network and to generate streams and send them out onto the IP network. Gateways can connect directly to equipment or via existing IO interfaces like MADI. Customers can begin to leverage these gateway technologies now, allowing them to augment their current workflow quickly and simply.
ImPulse
ImPulse is a powerful audio processing and routing engine with AES67 and SMPTE 2110 connectivity and support for NMOS discovery and connection management. It is compatible with existing Apollo and Artemis control surfaces to provide a simple upgrade path for existing Calrec customers as they transfer to IP infrastructures.
