Hardware and Software requirements of a Post Production Facility

Name: Akshay Narang Course Code: MST/AP/F1 Assignment: Audio Theory Module: Audio Theory Date: 26th May 2015 Lecturer’s name: Dr. Phil Duncan Words: 4200 1 Contents Part A: ........................................................................................................................ 2 Introduction: ............................................................................................................ 2 Storage/archiving: ................................................................................................... 2 File Formats: ........................................................................................................... 4 Synchronization: ..................................................................................................... 7 Relevant online platforms: ...................................................................................... 8 Part B ......................................................................................................................... 9 Equipment: ............................................................................................................. 9 Conclusion: .............................................................................................................. 21 References ............................................................................................................... 21 Part A: Introduction: A post production and recording studio, in current times, would entail the use of digital audio without exception. This is due to the fact that most audio content is stored and distributed digitally. The reasons for digitization are cost and time efficiency, the almost limitless flexibility and manipulation capabilities of digital data. Old media formats like magnetic tapes and DAT are deteriorating and have been phased out. It is extremely difficult to access any archived data stored on analog media in current times, it is time consuming and very difficult without metadata. Storage/archiving: Production facilities should invest in a digital asset management system (DAM). Such a system should be compatible with most DAWs, should support multiple file formats with metadata (Perkins & Sarig, 2003). It should be over an Ethernet network, with all digital copies stored in one place, accessible by all simultaneously over the network. Another such service is called Storage Arena Network (SAN) (Herzan, n.d.). With the advent of fibre optic networks, large bandwidth files can be transferred or streamed easily over the network. iARS (internet audio rendering system) plugin enables real time audio access and rendering, it is based on the IAEM server architecture (Frauenberger, et al., 2003). 2 All created media needs to be stored in a safe and reliable location for future reference. The requirements for an archiving medium are (Wheeler, 2002):       Minimum 50 year shelf life of the medium (unlike tape which is susceptible to the environment Transparency and no degradation of stored data Durability and ability to be played back a large number of times Cost to capacity ratio Interchangeability/compatibility: media can be played on different platforms made by different manufacturers. Format should not be obsolete in the near future. Commonly used archiving tools are Gnu-Zip and WinZip. They do not offer much compression on audio files. The best candidate for archiving is Hard Disk Drives (Wheeler, 2002). They offer high storage to cost ratio and do not limit the quality of audio data being stored on it. The only limitation is capacity. Cd’s are not a good option since they are limited to 16 bit 44.1 kHz, so higher quality 24bit 96 kHz masters cannot be stored. The highest quality is essential for archiving. DVD-A would be a relevant alternative to store high resolution files, but the disk itself is prone to degradation and damage over time. Another very relevant method archiving method is cloud storage. Internet is available throughout the world at low rates and high speed + bandwidth. Most cities have some form of access to the internet, and mobile technology enables wireless outdoor internet. The global trend seems to be rising bandwidth with lower costs. Internet connections are almost essential in all studios. Thus the internet provides an accessible means to store audio remotely and independently in a third party server. There is no degradation of audio online. Files remain in their original condition. Digital archiving entails lossless compression. The original folder structure with file names, attributes, additional digitized documents (like comments, mike placements, tracking sheets) and metadata are compressed using an archiving software. This software can reconstruct the original folder structure and maintains the integrity of the data. This options seems to be the most efficient. Harada et al (Harada, et al., 2006) devised a lossless compression format based on MPEG-4 lossless coding, which was more efficient at losslessly compressing audio files (48.5% of original file size vs 84.2& for WinZip). Another alternative is the Professional Archival Application Format which also outperforms MacDMG and WinZip in compression ratio and encoding/decoding speed (Harada, et al., 2010). It preserves the file/folder hierarchy. Another advantage of digital archiving is low long term cost. Only an initial investment needs to be made, saving on labour in the long run. Approximately 80% of analog archiving is labour (Editor, 2004). Digital data features a tight link between audio and metadata, making restoration, archiving and indexing faster and more efficient. According to the AES31 Audio File Interchange (Yonge, 1999), audio files can be labelled like a URL, this preventing 3 local interpretation issues, since it is a universal computing platform. Files can be stored with all the relevant information (metadata) required like track name, album, producer, etc. File Formats: While recording and mastering, a standard sampling rate of 48 kHz (96 kHz is recommended but occupies more file space) and bit depth of 24 bits should be used. Uncompressed: Analog signals in voltage fluctuations is converted to digital data via Pulse Code Modulation (PCM). This entails sampling (frequency domain) and quantizing data (amplitude domain).     Wave: Developed by Microsoft, is a container format that uses a Resource Interchange File Format. Limited to 4 GB file size due to its 32 bit architecture (Emmett, 2004). Supports multiple channels. Bwf (Broadcast Wave Format): Enhanced and updated version of Wave, based on the RF64 format. It is not limited to 4 GB file sizes as it has a 64 bit architecture (Jonsson & Holzinger, 2005). It is backwards compatible and supports metadata. Aiff (Apple Interchange File Format): Developed by Apple. Based on the EA IFF format. Multichannel capability. DSD: Direct Stream Digital Developed by Sony and Philips, uses Pulse density modulation to digitizing data. Formats included are DFF (Digital Interchange File Format) and DSF (Direct Stream File) Compressed, Lossless: No perceived loss in audio quality, with a smaller file size. Can be used for archiving files.      Flac: Free Lossless Audio Codec. An open source format. ALAC: Apple Lossless Audio Codec. MLP: Meridian Lossless packaging WavPack APE: Monkey’s Audio, Fast encoding-decoding time. 4 Internet streaming uses one of the following formats: Compressed, Lossy: Loss in perceived audio quality. Compression is achieved by perceptual coding (psychoacoustic masking) and data deletion (E.g.:16 kHz cut-off)        MP3: Mpeg 1-Layer 3: Most popular format for audio files due to its small file size. In subjective tests by Pras et al (Pras, et al., 2009) listeners could discriminate between CD quality and 96-192 kbps MP3 but not 256-320 kbps. Artefacts introduced by compression were more apparent on electric clips than acoustic clips. AAC: Advanced Audio Codec. ATRAC: Developed by Sony for its portable media devices. WMA: Windows media Audio: Used by some streaming sites. OGG: Open source format similar to MP3. DTS: Audio for video format (DVD, Blu-Ray). AC3: Dolby-Digital audio video format. New format: Mpeg-H (Institute, 2015): multichannel format capable of more than 5.1 channels. Compatible with object based audio like Dolby Amos (22.2 channels). Has with height capability and supports higher order ambisonics. This format is meant for live broadcasting and can be optimized for individual broadcast streams, with different renders for headphones and loudspeakers. 5 Table1 comparing specs: Format Channels Bit depth Wav Sampling Hz 2 16-32 44.1-192 Bwf Multi 16-32 44.1-192 Aiff Multi 16-32 44.1-192 8 16-24 44.1-192 Flac ALAC 6 24 48-192 APE 2 16 MP3 2 AAC 2 ATRAC 2 WMA 2 OGG 2 .bwf 0 .aif 0 .flac 58.7 .m4a 58.5 .mlp .ape 55.5 10-Nov 56.3 16 1-200 kHz upto 320 .ogg 16 48-96 DTS HD DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 24 8 24 5.1 16-24 8 0 8.mp3 320kbps 32-320 16 8-192 kHz .aac kbps 16 .atp 5-320 16 8-48 kHz .wma kbps 6.1 Dolby TrueHD Compres sion % .wav 16 8-48 kHz DTS AC3/Dol by Digital Upto 1411 kbps Upto 1411 kbps Upto 1411 kbps Upto 1411 kbps Upto 1411 kbps 9.6 Mbps 16 44.1-192 MLP Bit rate Extension 1509.75 .dts kbps 96 6 Mbps .dtshd 192 24.5 Mbps .dtshd 0 0 48 448 kbps .ac3 24 96 18 Mbps .thd 0 (Compiled from multiple sources) With a large number of formats available, the consumer should be given a choice as to which format can be downloaded/streamed. The options can be based on quality. 6 There are 2 methods of online delivery of audio: pay per download and subscription. Consumers pay for every download in the pay per download scheme while the consumer pays a subscription fee to access a database of audio for a stipulated duration of time (Gooch, 2005). Synchronization: All media needs to be running at the same speed to prevent elements from going out of sync. Mechanisms have been provided for synchronization. This is essential for editing. SMPTE The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers devised a time code to uniquely identify each frame of video, called an address. The format is HH:MM:SS:FR (hours 0-23:minutes 0-59: seconds 0-59:frames 0-29). It applies to both audio and video, Longitudinal Time Code (Vertical Interval Time Code deals with only video). It can be recorded as an audio signal. There are several frame rates in operation (24, 25 EBU, 29.97, 30). MIDI also supports frame rate information, making it capable for synchronization (MIDI Time Code). AES31-3: (Yonge, 2000) enables the interchange multichannel audio files, while containing metadata. It is based on the video Edit Decision List and is called Audio Decision List (ADL), it can be read by humans (Edit Decision Mark-up Language) as well as computers. TCF (Time Code Format): It is an audio based time code format, which resembles a video time code but works on samples not frames. Nondestructive clip editing is also possible. Open TL (track list) Open Media Framework Interchange (Avid) and Advanced Authoring Format and Media Exchange Format are other examples of audio interchange formats. Such synchronizing formats are essential for file sharing between countries which use different standards like frame rates and sample rates. Such formats should also be multi lingual. ISRC mastering metadata: It is a digital watermark for audio files. It keeps track of the audio file being played so that accurate royalties can be collected. It is not required for CDs and vinyls but it necessary for online distribution networks like iTunes (Perkins, 2015). All produced audio should be ISRC coded. 7 Relevant online platforms: Youtube: Youtube is probably the most viewed video stream service on the internet, giving it the largest reach with over a billion viewers. Subscribers from all over the globe have almost instant access to this video database. Labels and artists use this platform to upload low quality (128 kbps till 480p and 192 kbps for 720p and 1080p video files) versions of their media. Links to buy high quality versions can be provided under the video file. Soundcloud: Most artists and record labels have a Soundcloud page now, along with music consumers. It is like an online community where the producers and consumers can interact. Think of it as a musical social media site. The regular stream on Soundcloud is a low quality 128 kbps stream, which provides a mechanism for full length tracks to be previewed without any concern for piracy. The stream can be ripped off the internet, but a 128 kbps file is of low fidelity. A link to purchase the high quality CD version (or higher) can be provided directly on the track/album post. For the stream, the highest quality file (master) should be uploaded so Soundcloud’s algorithm compresses the highest available resolution so the uploaded stream sounds better than if a compressed version was uploaded. Formats supported (Soundcloud, 2015): Uncompressed: WAVE, AIFF Compressed: FLAC (lossless), ALAC (lossless), OGG, MP2, MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA iTunes: The Apple online music store, iTunes, has become a large source for peoples’ music consumption needs. It is easy to access and part of its success could be related to the widespread use of apple’s iPod. It is the largest selling portable music player. Therefore it is necessary to tweak the final master to suit this market, as it is accessed by millions of people all around the world, every day. Apple provides a document with specifications for custom iTunes mastering (Apple, 2015). Its uses a proprietary “mastering quality” source reduction codec to down sample the audio to 44.1 kHz. It uses AAC (advanced audio coding) to generate an M4A format audio file. This is decoded to uncompressed LPCM audio during playback. Bandcamp: It is an independent music service which provides a platform for artists and labels to sell and preview their music (individual tracks or albums). The previews are low 8 quality MP3 streams. There are several options available to buy such as FLAC, WAVE, 320 MP3. Backup: RAID (redundant array of independent disks) RAID is used as a backup measure for digital data. It requires at least 2 hard drives. There are several configurations which are based on redundancy by either creating multiple copies of the same data on different drives or splitting data and storing them on separate drive, with error checking. This is an efficient means of backing up media production data. Part B Equipment: A production facility would need specific equipment to produce, record, mix and master audio. A list of such equipment, with price and quantity is given in table 2. It is within the specified budget on 80000£. Prices sourced from Thomann, Sweetwater and Funky-Junk. Table2: Equipment list 9 Equipment Mixer: SSL XL Monitors: Genelec 8040B Subwoofer: Genelec 17060B Monitor Controller: Grace Design M906 Word Clock: Antelope Isochrone 10M Patchbay: Neutrik NPPA-TT-S TT-Phone 96tt Display x 3, KB, Mouse MacPro Hard Drive: G-Tech 4tb Pro Tools 11 Ableton Suite 9 UAD2 Octo custom NI Komplete Waves BP Pre-amp: Antelope MP32 Interface: Antelope Orion 32 Headphone amp: Furman hds 16 TC Electronic Fireworx Lexicon PCM reverb Shadow Hills mastering compressor Tube Tech CL-1B UA 1176 2 Avalon ad2055 Manley Masive Passive Novation 49 sl mii Beyerdynamic tesla T1 Sennheiser HD 280 PRO Neumann U87 Telefunken stereo ela m260 Royer R 122V Shure SM 57 (80) Shure SM 58 (80) AKG D112 (150) Schoeps CMC641 Sennheiser E904 (140) Sennheiser E905 (140) Sennheiser E604 (120) AKG C 414 XLS Stands: K&M 210/2 DI: Klark Teknik DN200 AKTIVE DI Snake Sommer Cable Quantum Highflex Multipair 16 Cables Sommer Cable Peacock AES/EBU Blue+DB25 to XLR+BNC XLR Port M+F Neutrik XLR Connectors M+F Neutrik Portable Recorder: Tascam DR-100 MKII Shotgun Neumann KMR 82i 10 Price Quantity Total 22000 1 22000 650 5 3250 1200 1 1200 3600 1 3600 4000 1 4000 350 2 700 500 2 1000 3300 1 3300 250 1 250 500 1 500 500 1 500 1050 1 1050 400 1 400 1200 1 1200 2000 1 2000 1800 1 1800 600 1 600 1000 1 1000 1800 1 1800 5000 1 5000 2500 1 2500 2000 1 2000 2500 1 2500 3000 1 3000 300 1 300 600 1 600 80 4 320 2000 1 2000 2300 1 2300 2750 1 2750 80 3 240 80 3 240 150 2 300 1100 1 1100 140 2 280 140 2 280 120 2 240 600 2 1200 30 15 450 200 1 200 8 20 160 10 50 500 2 50 100 2 50 100 200 1 200 1000 1 1000 TOTAL = 80010 - Desk: SSL XL: Hybrid analog-digital console (SSL, 2015) Industry standard 16 channel desk. Each channel can either receive an input or be a return channel from the DAW. It has 8 mic Valve Harmonic Pre Amplifiers on the first 8 channels. All 16 channels have the SSL 500 series 4 band (parametric for Low mid and high mid, semi parametric for Low and High bands) equalizer. 1 high quality 500 series Stereo Bus compressor is also included (often called the “glue compressor” for its ability to consolidate a mix). There are 2 Aux channels which enable effects units. Input and out is via balanced DB-25 connectors, but it also has a USB connection for DAW integration. 2 foldback channels with individual talkback Every channel has a direct output 4 main mix busses. - Speakers: Nearfield: 5.0 = Genelec 8040B (Genelec, 2015) High quality, flat frequency response industry standard near field monitor. Capable of 105 dB SPL (higher than the ITU recommended 85 dB (ITU, 2015)). Deviation of only 2 dB from 48 Hz – 20 kHz (response down till 45 kHz). XLR connectors. 0.1 = 7060B (Genelec, 2015) High SPL capability of 108 dB. Frequency response from 19 Hz to 85 Hz, with a deviation of 3 dB. XLR connectors. The matching speaker and subwoofer set cover the entire audible spectrum from 20 Hz to 20 kHz to provide accurate monitoring for post-production, mixing and mastering. Controller: Grace Design M906 (Design, 2015) High Fidelity 5.1 speaker controller. Provides individual controls for all 6 channels. Provides balanced inputs and outputs. XLR connectors. It has built in digital to analog converters so it can be used as a backup ADDA converter. 25’ cable for remote allows control from mix position. 11 - Headphones: Beyerdynamic Tesla T1: Circumaural (Beyerdynamic, 2015) Hi efficiency Dynamic Tesla technology drives. Flat frequency response. Ideal for critical listening like mixing and mastering. 600 ohm. Semi open-back so would require to be used when monitors are off / no background noise. Frequency response: 5 - 50000 Hz. Wide range, therefore low end and extreme high end can be monitored accurately. TRS connector. Sennheiser HD 280 Pro: Circumaural (Sennheiser, 2015) Closed back, wide frequency response from 8 hz – 25 kHz. Offers 32 dB attenuation of environment noise. Ideal for artist monitoring during performance and recording. Eg: Headphone bleed for singer during vocals is picked up by microphones. TRS connector. - Word clock Antelope Isochrone 10M (Audio, 2015) Very accurate synchronizing word clock generator. It does not use a quartz crystal as a base for clock speed. Instead it uses a Rubidium core which is accurate till 0.03 parts per billion. This ensure high accuracy and synchronicity between digital devices. Can be connected to 8 slaves via BNC connectors. Output clock rate is at 10 MHz, ensuring high accuracy. - AD/DA Antelope Orion 32 interface (Audio, 2015) 32 channel interface, with a 1-U form factor. Capable of handling 32 channels I/O at 192 kHz simultaneously via USB. All connections via D-SUB for AD/DA, 32 I/O. It also has a 32 channel (96 kHz) MADI capability. ADAT is limited to 16 channels I/O. Low power consumption so it remains relatively cool. Low latency at 192 kHz = 3-5 ms, depending on DAW. Mic Preamp: Antelope MP32: (Audio, 2015) 32 channel high quality microphone pre amplifier. Transparent circuits so colouration is not noticeable. Input via XLR, Outputs via D-SUB. USB connection for software control, fine mic gain adjustment of 1 dB. High impedance control on 4 channels and phantom power on all channels. 12 - Computer: MacPro (Apple, 2015) 6-core processor running at a frequency of 3.5GHz and 16 GB of RAM at 1866MHZ. the multiple core and large capacity of RAM enable the computer to do multiple calculations and run several programs simultaneously. This is essential as DAWs using software plugins (AAX/RTAS for Pro Tools and VSTs for others) have high computational requirements to run efficiently with low latency and no loss in audio quality. 256GB PCIe flash storage drive enables fast hard drive read and write times, upto 10 times faster than disk 7200 hard drives (mainly for software, not storage). Dual AMD FirePro D500 GPU with 3GB VRAM enables 3 simultaneous displays and can be used for some video editing. Display x3: Dell Ultrasharp UP2414Q (Dell, 2015) 3 27 inch monitors at 4K resolution. One monitor can be swapped for a projector. 3 monitors enable separate views of the edit and mix windows and video. - HDD G-tech G drive: (G-Tech, 2015) 4 TB USB 3.0/Thunderbolt Hard drive for storage needs. Audio and video files require high bandwidth which USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)/ Thunderbolt (Gbps) provide. File sizes can be large, depending on format and quality. It has a transfer speed of up to 226 MB/s. - DAW Digital Audio Workstation Pro Tools 11: (Avid, 2015) Industry standard, used in most studios. Multi track (256 voices, expandable with HDX card upgrade) and multi-channel (upto Dolby Atmos 22.2) output. Has a large cache to prevent lag. Compatible with WAV, BWF, AIFF, MP3, ETC. Not compatible with FLAC. Ableton Suite: (Live, 2015) Powerful music production software with bundled synthesizers, samplers, drum kits, samples and loops. It is capable of converting audio to MIDI. 13 - Software: UAD Octo: (Sweetwater, 2015) Custom Universal Audio PCIe card using DSP to emulate analog equipment using 8 SHAARC float-point processors. Sampling rate of upto 192 kHz. Other than Universal Audio classic compressors like 1176 and LA-2A, Manley, Neve, Ampex and Pultec. Plugins/VST: NI Komplete 10: (Sweetwater, 2015) Can be used as a standalone software or inside a DAW. Comes bundles with a Sampler (Reaktor), several Synthesizers (Absynth 5, Massive, etc), Dynamics Processors, Drum Machines, and 130 GB of samples which are essential for production and sound design. Waves Broadcast and production: (Sweetwater, 2015) 20 plugins comprising maximizers, compressors, reverb and EQs for production, noise/click removers and a stereo imager. - Patchbay: Neutrik NPPA TT S 96 TT (Neutrik, 2015) 96 connection points (48 x 2) using Bantam jacks. Default format is half-normalled (bottom row). High quality, gold plated connections. Rear connection via soldering. - Effects processors TC Fireworx: (Electronic, 2015) Multi effects stereo DSP processor, which can be used as a pitch-shifter, expander, compressor, reverb, equalizer, dealy, flanger, chorus, phaser, ring-modulation, noise generator, distortion unit and filter. Mutiple effects can be used simultaneously and can be custom routed through the Modifier Matrix page, in either serial or parallel. XLR/RCA/ Optical I/O. Sample rate is limited to 48 kHz, with 0.2 ms of latency. 14 Lexicon PCM 96 Reverb: (Lexicon, 2015) High quality stereo effects unit which is capable of reverb and several other effects. Lexicon reverb algorithms are most realistic and some classic Lexicon reverb algorithms are included (Concert Hall, Room and Hall). Multi-mode filters can be used to sculpt the sound at different stages. It provides an alternative to convolution reverb, with customizable parameters for Room Algorithm (which enables user defined reflection patterns). This Room emulation can be coupled with the other digital reverbs to get an even larger sound. High sample rate of up to 96 kHz, with 32-bit float point processing. Can be automated via Ethernet or fire-wire. XLR/Optical I/O. - Dynamic Processors Shadow hills Mastering compressor: (Sweetwater, 2015) Mastering grade compressor, with dual compressors running in series, per channel. The first compressor works on optical technology, while the second one is a VCA (voltage controlled amplifier). Either can be bypassed. Can be a limiter also with full ratio. Can be used for bass and drum compression or on the master bus. Full spectrum frequency range. Has side-chain functionality. XLR I/O. Tube Tech CL-1B: (Tube-Tech, 2015) High quality optical tube compressor. High tolerance, preventing signal degradation even with extreme compression settings. Useful for vocal and instrument compression. Full spectrum frequency range. Supports side-chaining. XLR I/O. Universal Audio 1176-2: (UA, 2015) Uses FET (field-effect transistor) to carry out gain reduction. Aggressive sound, with attack down to 20 microseconds. 1 dB deviation in frequency range over audible spectrum. Clean signal with low distortion (<0.5% THD). Useful for drum kit compression. XLR I/O. - Equalizers: Avalon AD2055: (Avalon, 2015) Dual mono parametric equalizer. Low internal noise of -94 dB and large headroom of +30 dB. Uses Class A amplifiers to perform equalization. It is a combination of active and passive filter. The low and high bands are passive and semi-parametric while the lo-mid and hi-mid are active and parametric. This enable two slightly different tones. XLR I/O. 15 Manley massive passive equalizer: (Manley, 20015) Mastering grade 2 channel passive equalizer, with vacuum tube make-up gain. Signal is divided into 4 bands, lo, lo-mid, hi-mid and highs. All bands have parametric capabilities, with choice between types of curve (shelf/bell). There are 2 additional high pass and lo pass filters per channel. Offers 20 dB of attenuation or boost and covers the entire spectrum range. Total harmonic distortion, 0.06%. XLR I/O. - MIDI: Novation 49 SL MKii: (Novation, 2015) 49-key professional MIDI keyboard with on-board MIDI control functionality. Uses semi-weighted Fatar keys which makes it feel like an instrument. The MIDI control section comes with 8 knobs, 8 faders, 8 encoders and 8 drum pads (touch sensitive) making it an ideal interface for music production or film scoring. It integrates with DAWs so it can be used as a controller and can also control software plugins using AUTOMAP software. Bus powered via USB. - Microphones: Table3: Microphone Neumann U87 Telefunken ELA M260 Stereo Pair Royer R 122V Schoeps cmc 641 AKG C 414 Shure SM 57 Specifications Large diaphragm condenser; Omni/Cadioid/Figure-8; 20 Hz- 20 kHz Small diaphragm tube style condenser; Cardioid/Omni/hypercardioid; 20 Hz- 20 kHz Vacuum Tube Ribbon microphone; Figure-8 pattern; 30 Hz-15 kHz Condenser; 40 Hz – 20 kHz; Super cardioid; Modular capsules with different polar patterns Condenser; 20 Hz- 20 kHz; Cardioid/Hyper Cardioid/Wide Cardioid/Figure8/Omnidirectional Dynamic; Cardioid; 40 Hz - 15 kHz; Durable 16 Uses Multi use: Vocals, Dialogue, Instruments Stereo recording applications like drum stereo, or XY technique. Classical Instruments. Vocals, Classical Instruments- wind, stringed, Modern instruments – guitar, drum Alternative to shotgun for indoor vocal recording Multi-purpose: Vocals, Dialogue, Instruments Multi-purpose, Percussion, Drum Kit, Brass Shure SM 58 Dynamic; Cardioid; 40 Hz - 15 kHz; Durable AKG D112 Dynamic; High SPL handling; Cardioid; 20 Hz – 17 kHz Dynamic; Cardioid; 40 Hz – 18 kHz Sennheiser E904 Sennheiser E905 Sennheiser E604 Dynamic; Cardioid; 40 Hz – 18 kHz Dynamic; Cardioid; 40 Hz – 18 kHz Neumann Shotgun KMR 82i Shotgun: Pressure gradient+interference tube; Directional pick up; low self-noise; 20 Hz – 20 kHz (all microphone sources in reference section) Multi-purpose, Percussion, Vocals, Drums Low frequency oriented, Eg: Kick drum recording, bass Drums, Percussion (can be clipped onto instrument) (tolerant to high SPL) Drums, Percussion (tolerant to high SPL) Drums, Percussion (can be clipped onto instrument) (tolerant to high SPL) Location sound recording (outdoor) The recording room has 24 microphone jacks enabling multi microphone recording. - Portable Recorder: TASCAM DR100 MKii: (Tascam, 2015) High quality rugged portable stereo recording device. Records up to 24 bit 96 kHz. Comes with stereo microphones (unidirectional or omnidirectional). Line level output or mic level with phantom power. 20 dB headroom. XLR inputs to be used with Schoeps and Neumann location microphones. Up to 32 GB of storage with SDHC card. - DI Klark Teknik Active DI DN200: (Teknik, 2015) Stereo direct injection box for high impedance instruments like electric guitars. XLR, RCA and TRS compatible. Both channels can be summed or separated. Supports phantom power. - Cables and stands: Sommer multicore snake + XLR cables + Bantam; Neutrik connectors (male+female XLR + TRS); Neutrik wall sockets; K&M Microphone Stands 17 Budget version (40000£): Table4: Quantity Total Price Equipment 5000 1 5000 Controller: Avid C24 3250 5 650 Monitors: Genelec 8040B 1200 1 1200 Subwoofer: Genelec 17060B 1200 1 1200 Word Clock: Apogee big ben 120 2 60 Patchbay dbx PB-48 1200 1 1200 Apogee: bigben 2500 1 2500 MacPro quad core 1000 2 500 Display x 2, KB, Mouse 500 1 500 Pro Tools 11 300 1 300 NI Komplete 1050 1 1050 UAD2 Octo custom 220 1 220 Lexicon MX400XL 1800 1 1800 Antelope Audio Orion 32 2500 1 2500 Tube Tech CL-1B 2000 1 2000 UA 1176 2 1800 1 1800 SPL passeq 300 1 300 Novation 49 SL-MKii 260 1 260 Beyerdynamic t90 160 2 80 Sennheiser HD 280 pro 2000 1 2000 Neumann u87 220 1 220 Rode NT 5 pair 240 3 80 Shure SM 57 (80) 160 2 80 Shure SM 58 (80) 300 2 150 AKG D112 (150) 900 1 900 Brauner Phantom Classic Large Diaphragm FET 280 2 140 Sennheiser E904 (140) 280 2 140 Sennheiser E905 (140) 240 2 120 Sennheiser E604 (120) 1200 2 600 AKG C 414 xls 300 10 30 Stands K&M 210/2 200 1 200 DI Klark Teknik DN200 AKTIVE DI 160 20 8 Snake Sommer Cable Quantum Highflex Multipair 16 100 50 2 Cables Sommer Cable Peacock AES/EBU Blue 100 50 2 XLR Port M+F Neutrik 100 50 2 XLR Connectors M+F Neutrik 200 1 200 Portable Recorder: Tascam DR-100 MKII 350 1 350 shotgun Rode ntg3 1200 1 1200 Waves BP 2500 1 2500 Manley Pultec eqp1a 1000 1 1000 Dangerous monitor controller 600 1 600 Furman hds 16 AMP 1000 1 1000 TC Electronic Fireworx 39990 TOTAL 18 Signal flow: Protocol Comparison: Table5: Protocol Connector Cable S/PDIF AES3 AES3-id AES42 RCA XLR BNC XLR ADAT Toslink MADI MADI-X BNC BNC 75 Ω 110 Ω 75 Ω 110 Ω Fibre optic 75 Ω 75 Ω Number of channel s 48 20-24 2 96 24 2 96 24 2 96 24 2 Samplin Bit g Hz Depth 48 24 8 96 96 24 24 56 64 (SOS, 2008) Only one connection is show each from the dynamics processors and effects processors as it would crowd the diagram. A potential for expansion and additional routing exists, since the SSL mixer has 8 preamps and 8 line level slots. In the current setup, the line level slots are connected to the MP32 pre amp, leaving 16 inputs unused (16 from wall box; 8 to mixer+ 8 to Orion32 interface). Patchbay is half-normalled by default. The XLR cable from the wall mount in the recording room is a multicore snake cable, which is connected to an XLR to DB25 cable (for the mixer). Synchronization: The 10M Master clock is the reference for the Orion 32 which then switches from internal clock to the 10M. The Orion 32 passes the sync signal simultaneously and individually to all relevant devices via BNC. All devices with Word-Clock input have been connected. 19 Figure1: Signal Flow 20 Conclusion: The first section dealt with the digital aspect of a production studio, all the requirements of storage, processing, transferring and archiving produced media. Digital archiving needs to be carefully considered so several examples of current research were provided to widen available choices. All relevant audio formats (uncompressed, lossy/lossless compressed) were explained with relevance to appropriate online platform. Timecode and AES31 were mentioned to highlight the current standard for audio file interchange since media production is an international collaborative process. The next section entailed the hardware aspect of a production facility. All the requirements of audio production were presented, from the beginning to the end of the signal chain. All the equipment listed would ensure broadcast quality audio production if used efficiently. Two lists were provided, one full-spec 80000£ version and a budget 40000£ version. The budget is a compromised version of the full version. The relevant features of each product was provided in context (full version). 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Microphones: https://www.neumann.com/?lang=en&id=current_microphones&cid=u87_description http://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com/products/show_product.php?item=2 http://www.royerlabs.com/R-122V.html http://www.shure.co.uk/products/microphones/sm57 http://www.shure.co.uk/products/microphones/sm58 http://www.akg.com/pro/p/d112 http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/instrument-microphone-drums-percussion-cardioiddynamic-e-904 http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/music-microphone-instrument-microphone-studio-live-e905 http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/instrument-microphone-cardioid-drums-brassinstruments-e-604 http://www.akg.com/pro/p/c414xls https://www.neumann.com/?lang=en&id=current_microphones&cid=kmr82i_descripti on http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/377424REG/Schoeps_CMC641_SET_Colette_Series_Microphone_Set.html 25