When ABC Radio Perth had the opportunity to build a new radio production facility from the ground up, it chose the iCLOCK as its digital audio reference.
The synchronizable, high-precision clock generator, designed by Mutec Germany and distributed by East Coast Audio in Australia, has been running faultlessly for over a year at the new ABC East Perth broadcast centre.
The audio facility went from bare rooms to one of Australia’s most advanced recording and production facilities as part of the $20 million project. Studios 620, 621 and 622, are a 620 square metre chamber music studio, a drama studio and a post-production facility with control room.
The ABC chose iCLOCK for its flexibility in synchronizing different devices and different production facilities.
While the whole of the ABC facility would be locked to a master reference clock, each studio is still an island and each island had to have its own master clock. The broadcaster bought three iCLOCKs from East Coast Audio last May (2005). It sought the best of the available technology that could accommodate both radio and television production, such as Triple J live at Wimbledon, national television programs and Hollywood soundtrack scoring sessions. It had to be multi-format capable.
East Coast Audio’s Robert Bontschek has told radioinfo the flexibility of the iCLOCK means it is able to lock or generate to NTSC international video reference as well as generate and resolve any type of SMPTE. Four independent scaleable master clock outputs with separate sample rates are all synchronized, independently switchable and controllable.
The ABC looked at four different clock generators, but it is understood the flexibility of the product was critical. It broke with tradition to eradicate inflexible forms of chaining input and output signals and allows completely free combination and scalability. Functionality includes auto-detection of up to three 3 independent external references, which can be locked in a user-defined sequence without any phase-jumps or interruptions to outgoing signals.
This includes external clock frequency changes (e.g. from 44.1kHz to 48.0kHz) or reference clock changes (e.g. from video to GPS or AES/EBU), and iCLOCK even allows a manual change of the reference signal by replugging the clock lines at the input connectors, and it can be done during operation.
Mutec’s design allows for simple and logical operation of iCLOCK via a bright, back-lit LCD where all settings are accessible via four cursor keys with blue LEDs showing the lock status of the currently active clock source and five red LEDs show system parameter status.
The rear panel offers maximum connectibility: two BNCs and an XLR for the three external inputs, two pairs of BNCs for video out, four pairs of BNCs for Word clock out, two pairs of XLRs for AES-EBU out and two phonos for SPDIF out. Word clock, AES-EBU and SPDSIF outputs can each be independently set. For PC connection (RS485), iCLOCK has an RJ45 socket.
Precision in audio production is an absolute requirement for most broadcasters and iCLOCK offers unique, high-precision signal management. The phase relationships of all input and output signals is observed and adjusted in real-time automatically, aligned to AES11-1997/2003 und EBU R83-1996. This process achieves control accuracy to the nanosecond.
Futureoproofing of digital audio technologies is built into iCLOCK, which already offers a variety of synchronizable and generatable Word Clock rates, beyond the current “highest” clock rate of 192.0kHz, it supports a total of 36 different clock rates up to 24.576MHz. Included are so-called Super Clocks for Digidesign’s ProTools system as well as DSD and DXD clock rates for SACD mastering applications. In addition iCLOCK is both software and hardware upgradeable.
Over more than two decades East Coast Audio has built an enviable reputation in the professional audio industry. Established by industry identity, Robert Bontschek, in 1979 East Coast Audio specialises in the importation and distribution of a broad range of communications technologies and business solutions targeted to the specific needs of the professional audio industry (radio, TV, cable, satellite), including the recording studio and sound reinforcement installation markets.
For further information contact Robert Bontschek, East Coast Audio
03 9532 7700.