Calrec Audio has announced that NEP Supershooters, aleading mobile production company, has acquired two of the company’s new Artemis consoles, both to be deployed primarily for name-brand sports production in early 2011.
Like its big brother Apollo, the more compact Artemis console relies on Calrec’s proprietary Bluefin(TM) 2 high density signal processing for power, and integrated Hydra2 networking to unify inputs and outputs regardless of the source’s physical location.
NEP’s first Artemis is currently being installed in SS29, a new truck designated to cover NASCAR races for Speed Channel.
With integral high-capacity 8192×8192 crosspoint routers, the console’s Hydra2 network provides an efficient, effective, and easy means bringing audio back to the truck from mics located on the racetrack.
NEP’s second Artemis is part of an upgrade to its SS9 truck, a mid-sized HD unit that supports both 720p and 1080i broadcast. SS9’s primary assignments will be professional NBA basketball and NFL football.
“Because our goal is to give our clients the best possible service, we consider alternative providers every time we are in the market for an audio console,” said George Hoover, NEP chief technology officer.
“As things stand, though, we are an all-Calrec house. That’s because, as far as we’re concerned, Calrec just keeps beating the competition.”
For NEP, the key Artemis selling points were reasonable weight; integrated Hydra2 networking to enable unified I/O both inside and outside the truck; reliability; sound quality; and client-attracting, state-of-the art technology.
Besides high-end routing and processing capacity in a modest footprint, the Calrec Artemis console features a combination of OLED displays, touch screens, and light-emitting knobs that provide instant visual feedback and flexibility for the operator.
Artemis consoles rely on Bluefin2, the next generation of Calrec’s trademark high-density signal processing platform, to provide substantial resources no matter what the sample rate. For example, at 48kHz, Bluefin2 gives Artemis up to 680 channel processing paths, 128 program busses, 64 IFB/track outputs, and 32 auxiliaries.
Artemis also features a second compressor/limiter in each channel, more than 70 minutes of assignable delay, and three independent APFL systems for multiple operator use. Like all Calrec designs, the facilities do not share resources, making them available to the operator at all times.
“At Calrec, we don’t just build audio consoles, we build customer relationships,” said Henry Goodman, Calrec vice president of sales and marketing.
“Our long-term association with NEP is an excellent case in point. Not only do we sell an outstanding product, we match it with the kind of customer service and support that earns customer loyalty.”
