Until recently the winner of the Arqiva Commercial Radio Station of the Year title in 2012 - Absolute Radio in London was a Pyramix based facility. However Absolute Radio’s producers were attracted to several new features introduced by Pro Tools 11 and chose to upgrade all four studios with the latest Pro Tools systems with the help of our friends at HHB Scrub.
Studio C now features a Pro Tools HD Native Thunderbolt system with an HD MADI interface, while three other studios are now utilising version 11 software with new iMacs, MBox Pro interfaces and Artist Series controllers.
Absolute Radio’s Head of Broadcast Technology and IT Dean Woodcock explains that the new offline bounce feature was a major factor in switching to Pro Tools:
Our producers are often expected to turn around content in minutes, so the faster-than-real-time offline bounce is essential when they are working on the station’s branded content. For live sessions we are able to record 24 tracks of audio in Studio C with the HD MADI interface feeding into Pro Tools. We also have a Thunderbolt connection for ultra-fast processing. Pro Tools’ built-in plug-ins provide most of what we need to produce great sounding recordings. We have seven stations under our umbrella and they are all benefitting from the enhanced workflow and sound quality of Pro Tools 11.
Scrub provided training for the engineers and went out of their way to help us with the transition to Pro Tools, and they have continued to help us with technical support after the sale. It is great having them just around the corner because it means we don’t have to fix things over the phone or online; they can just pop in and help us with any queries in person. Scrub has been brilliant throughout the process and we are very happy with their service.
If you ever wonder what a good dealer brings to the table when buying new equipment and systems then this is a great example of why it is worth having a good relationship with a great dealer that cares about you.