Game Creek Video's Freedom, a four-unit HD truck for Fox Sports, includes a 96-fader Alpha and a 64-fader Sigma. Both feature Calrec's space-saving Bluefin high-density signal processing system.
The multiunit truck was used by Fox Sports to cover NFL and more recently to cover NASCAR events, with the Alpha providing main audio support and the Sigma being used on a support unit for the submix effects for car racing events. The Calrec consoles handle a large number of feeds from a variety of sources — amounting to more than 300 channels for a given event, including 160 stereo channels and approximately 150 other channels.
The systems leverage Calrec's Bluefin technology, which doubles the processing power without increasing the system size. With the Alpha, Bluefin provides up to 480 mono-equivalent channels on just one DSP card, with full EQ and dynamics. It also allows for up to 78 full 5.1 surround-sound channels.
The company said that with its Bluefin technology, less heat was generated and less power consumed. System resilience is provided by 100 percent redundancy of all processing elements on a second card — the equivalent of having another console as a hot spare. Both the cards can be located on an existing digital I/O rack, which saves space by removing the need for a DSP rack.
Game Creek Video now owns nine Calrec consoles, installed across its fleet since 1996, which includes three analog desks and six digital desks.
For more information, visit www.calrec.com.