Wheatstone creates more than a glow
Published: PRODUCTS
Having acquired the VoxPro digital recorder/editor from Audion Labs in 2015, Wheatstone has unveiled the VoxPro 6 audio recorder, editor and playback system for use in live, on-air operations. The controller interface and software applications record, edit and play back clips in realtime on-the-air. Among the upgrades is a feature that enables talent to simultaneously record audio while editing or playing back other audio. Other benefits include the Gap-Buster function that automatically removes silence from interviews, support for Hotkey and Marker labels in any language, colour-coded Markers and a detachable Hotkey panel. Additionally, an option to hide the Editor and File List to reduce on-screen clutter is available together with enhanced integration with Wheatstone’s WheatNet-IP audio network.
In other news, the broadcast manufacturer has developed a new audio processing algorithm, AirAura x1, that uses the same algorithm for turning up the volume without causing listener fatigue as is used in the AirAura x3. The new AirAura X1 reportedly comes with a user interface that doesn’t require a power user for operation. Designed for mid- to small-market broadcasters, the North Carolina-based manufacturer claims that AirAura X1 provides clean audio at extremely competitive loudness levels courtesy of a distortion-managed final clipper. By analysing the audio and the distortion products during peak control, AirAura X1 removes distortion products and other artefacts that a listener might find objectionable.
A five-band iAGC (intelligent Automatic Gain Control) section manages the behaviour of the multiband AGC with changes in programme content and its density, whilst 31-band limiting selectively processes only those frequencies that need it. Using 31 limiter bands with ISO standard 1/3 octave centre frequencies, the FM and HD AirAura limiters reportedly perform precision spectral energy control without generating additional density or artefacts usually associated with fewer bands. The Vorsis bass tools system comes with tuning features that promise to enhance the LFs without affecting the content in the MF and HF sections. Furthermore, by automatically managing the amount of stereo information as content changes, multipath control provides more consistent audio by mitigating the audible effects of multipath and receiver-induced stereo blend effects. Wheatstone’s Baseband192 is a single AES / EBU cable that replaces the analogue composite interface between the processor and the solid state FM transmitter, ensuring the air chain is totally in the digital domain. Smart stereo enhancement delivers a stable 'on-air' stereo image without triggering multipath effects.