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CANOGA PARK, CA, October 11, 2001
-Madhouse Productions used the critically acclaimed Otari ND-20 digital audio routing system to create seamless, noiseless and precise multiple audio splits for the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, held in New York City on September 6. The performance of the Otari ND-20 rivaled that from the stage-it never missed a beat.
A 56-channel Otari ND-20 routing system was used to provide six-way routing to all of the audio terminus locations, from FOH to broadcast trucks, so every participant in the production of the event could readily pull any audio element needed at any moment.
"The problem you run into most with such complex broadcast productions is not so much the number of channels as the number of splits," explains Mark Dittmar, Owner of Madhouse Productions, the one-year-old New York City-based company that specializes in routing audio for broadcast events. "In addition, you also end up getting a lot of hum and buzz between six consoles being used simultaneously. The ND-20 solved all of these problems for us. The ND-20 functions as a super mic-pre, allowing us to add additional level before the split. It also provided us with total optical isolation, with no copper connection to any of the microphones. By converting it to optical we eliminate the possibility of ground hums."
Dittmar, who also recently used the ND-20 on the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards broadcast, likes the way the ND-20 sounds and performs. "The ability to add gain before the split is great, yet it maintains the integrity of the sound, too. Just the other day, as an experiment, we cranked a signal through the ND-20 up to +62dB and listened to the output of a microphone through headphones. There was absolutely no audible hiss at all. I'd never heard that before from any mic-pre; it was actually eerie, it was so quiet. So knowing that we can get that kind of performance out of the ND-20 on a consistent basis means we can provide our clients with both great sound and confidence?two things you really want on a live broadcast."
The Otari ND-20 provides high-quality A/D and D/A conversion as a stand-alone device, or combines with multiple ND-20's into a 96kHz digital audio network. Superior analog circuitry, built-in sample rate conversion, and the ability to use multiple sample rates make the ND-20 a complete solution for connecting and networking digital and analog audio. Each ND-20 unit provides up to 32-channel capacity (16-channel with 96kHz sample rate for analog or digital inputs or outputs.) The ND-20 has four slots for I/O cards. Options include Mic Inputs (remotely controlled), Line Inputs, Line Outputs, and AES Input/Output. All I/O's are capable of 96kHz, 48kHz, 44.1kHz, and 32kHz sample rates, plus pull-up/pull-down rates. TDIF I/O will also be available. Sample rate conversion is built into all AES input channels with individual control over each channel. The ND-20 can be used for A/D or D/A conversion (96kHz) or for D/D sample rate conversion. Up to 63 ND-20 units can be connected via cable or fiber optics to provide an audio network capable of 96 channels (48 channels at 96kHz).
Otari, Inc., established in 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, first specialized in the manufacturing of high-speed audio tape duplicators. The company's research on magnetic recording resulted in a series of renowned master recorders, most notably?the MTR-90 and MTR-10. For 35 years, Otari has been a leading manufacturer of professional audio products for the broadcast, post-production, music recording and live sound markets, including: analog and digital recorders, mixing consoles, as well as high-speed industrial audio and video cassette loading and duplication systems. |
