Focusing on future expansion, Cardiff’s Cymru Broadcast Centre (CBC) has deployed a 36-fader Argo S console in its PCR 1 control room and a Calrec Brio in its PCR 2 gallery. The solutions aim to provide CBC with the flexibility and scalability to meet the growing demand for its remote production facilities across a range of live sports.
Originally built for Channel 4’s 2024 Paralympics coverage, CBC was designed as one of the most accessible remote production hubs in Europe. Owned by Whisper and managed by Timeline Television, it is the first remote production facility in Wales, and he expanded its roster to include the Women’s World Super League for BBCs One, Two and Red Button coverage, as well as the Women’s Rugby World Cup and more.
Stuart Frayne, head of technical operations at the CBC, said, “This is a relatively new facility and the technology we have chosen means we can scale accordingly. Although we do currently use AES67, we’re essentially a baseband facility, but there is a point where a hybrid or total IP infrastructure could deliver the scalability we need within a compact footprint. We are currently operating two PCRs, but have potential for expansion and Calrec’s access to all the transport protocols future-proofs us for any future ST2110 implementations. All our sound supervisors have been very impressed by the functionality of the Argo, but on the integration side of things, it’s also very flexible; it plays nicely with other vendors, and it seamlessly integrates with our EVS Cerebrum as an orchestrator. Having a native IP core makes things easier when adopting IP workflows.”
Integration and specification of both consoles was implemented by Timeline Television. Commenting, Timeline’s sound guarantee, Michael Gerrard, said, “We have had lots of experience using Calrec consoles, so when it came to building a new state-of-the-art facility from the ground up, the IP-native Argo S console seemed the obvious choice to future-proof the facility for future expansion. We have redundant Impulse1 cores located in separate racks in Cymru’s Central Apparatus Room, and having IO units on the Argo S surface in the sound control room simplifies wiring significantly. Meanwhile, the Calrec Assist remote application provides full remote access to the console to carry out setup and on-the-fly changes, and it also provides the ability to do submixes while the main show is going on.”
Full DSP facilities can be accessed on every bus, simplifying jobs that require a lot of ISO recording. “The ability to customise buttons to route to buses also makes punching in channels to ISO very quick and easy in a fast-paced show,” added Gerrard. “Meanwhile, the ability for the surface touchscreens to control and view an external PC output has proved very useful to display digital scripts directly on the surface of the desk rather than relying on hard-to-see laptops off to the side.”
Anthony Harrison, regional sales manager at Calrec, said, “This installation demonstrates how Calrec’s scalable and flexible solutions help broadcasters deliver the highest-quality content, whilst empowering them to adapt workflows so they can expand their operations as requirements evolve. A combination of Whisper’s creative ambition, Timeline’s technical innovation and Calrec’s future-focused audio infrastructure has enabled CBC to become an industry-leading remote production facility that has one foot firmly in the future.”
