Among Universities, Macquarie has long had some of the best radio facilities in Australia.
The newly refitted studios include an On Air studio with a Lawo 12 fader crystal broadcast console, an on air production control room, production booth and digital outside broadcast facility to allow for location broadcasts.
Live broadcasts are made possible via a broadcast link to community radio station 2-SER FM, who also have studios in the Y3A building at the University. This allows for close collaboration between the University and 2-SER. Radio is becoming increasingly multi-platform and so the facilities tie closely to the Media Futures Lab and creative media platforms for integration across broadcast and online contexts.
In close cooperation with Macquarie’s Radio Facilities Manager Peter Ring (pictured above), Professional Audio Television (PAT), Lawo’s partner in Australia, recently supplied the Lawo crystal MKII console with a crystal frame to replace the ageing infrastructure.
After a lengthy evaluation process, the University settled on the Lawo crystal system paired with VisTool control and visualisation software. Due to the flexible and intuitive customisation possibilities Lawo offers with the VisTools software, Mr Ring took it upon himself to do most of the custom configuration.
PAT’s Engineering Manager Adam Langham commented: “Macquarie Uni certainly made the right decision in providing students with a technology platform they will encounter in the real broadcast industry. It was a pleasure to work so closely with Mr Ring to deliver a state of the art cutting edge studio for one of the leading educational facilities in Australia.”
Peter Ring told radioinfo: “We have basically done a tech refit that largely consisted of a panel transplant, replacing the afflicted Klotz system with the shiny Lawo Crystal, and updated some ancillary equipment.
“We are looking to have the students take on, for the first time, some talkback in their end of year broadcasts… Radio is offered as an elective to 2nd and 3rd year media students.
“Each class of the 2nd yr Radio Broadcasting unit, produces their own 3 hour live broadcast, the members of the class take on different rolls, Producer, Presenters, Panel op, Reporters, Social Media etc. They also produce all the content,such as, features and editorials Promos, stings etc. There is also a live music component, with the a band performing in the recording studio ( comes up on a radio panel fader), as a requirement for each broadcast, coordinated by a student in the roll of music producer.”
Equipment rack, control room, panels and classroom pictured below.
