First Implementation of DirectOut ANDIAMO.MC via Lawo Console in HDR6 OBVan

HDR has recently built a brand new state-of-the-art OB vehicle featuring a number of DirectOut products that is presented as version 2.0 of their current HDR 6 24 Camera Expandable HD OB truck offering 24 seats with a true 5.1 audio mixing area. The new vehicle was built under the technical supervision of Sony’s Martyn Smith and HDR technical director, Per de Navarro.

“Here at HDR, the workflow has always been the key thing for us, along with a “keep it simple” philosophy,” described Per de Navarro. “When the time came for us to build a new vehicle, these factors combined with a tighter budget obliged us to do some serious research into how we could build a better and more powerful system at a reduced cost.”

At this point, DirectOut was already working on an implementation of Lawo’s DALLIS protocol in order to remotely control their new, high quality microphone preamplifier, ANDIAMO.MC. “The idea of the new ANDIAMO.MC was to create a preamp that doesn’t just deliver high end audio but also offers the flexibility of remote control from several different consoles and DAWs,” explained DirectOut CTO, Stephan Flock. “When Per came to us with his request for getting ANDIAMO.MC to communicate with Lawo’s DALLIS I/O interface, we had only been in discussion with Lawo for a few weeks. However, as it is our stated aim to develop solutions for our clients, and HDR’s schedule was very tight, we started to implement the protocol immediately. Fortunately Per was very patient with us!”

However, it meant that HD Resources only had a few weeks over the summer period in which to redesign HDR 6, and thus the claim of seamless integration and high-end performance of all components required extremely sophisticated and meticulous project management. “This was the biggest challenge of the entire project because we are picky and won’t accept any compromise that results in a lower quality of function or performance,” stated de Navarro. As it turned out, HDR were delighted by the number of solutions that were available to them using DirectOut equipment: Four ANDIAMO.MCs serve as audio stageboxes, controlled via a Lawo mc256 console. Two ANDIAMO AD/DAs handle MADI signal conversion for the monitoring units inside the OB truck. Finally, two highly flexible ANDIAMO.XT SRC (Sample Rate Converter) devices were integrated to convert MADI to AES for Dolby equipment and various other connections, whilst some of the converter’s analog I/Os were used for external Line In/Out as well as for the Riedel intercom.

Meanwhile the performance of the new HDR 6 v2.0 has already been put to the test on a couple of productions. The HDR team is reported to be delighted with the results, as indeed is DirectOut as it represents the very first implementation of ANDIAMO.MC with Lawo DALLIS control, and has been a complete success.

About DirectOut GmbH
DirectOut GmbH was founded in 2008 by a team of professional sound engineers headed up by Stephan Flock, an award-winning classical music sound engineer with over 20 years’ experience in digital audio signal processing design. The company specializes in developing essential pro audio connectivity, networking and bridging solutions for broadcast, studio, live and installed sound applications. Unique in that all members of the DirectOut development team are still active professional sound engineers, the company is thus fully focused on real-world demands and problem solving. The product range, marketed under the brand of DirectOut Technologies®, offers solutions that build bridges between different audio worlds and make systems and formats more flexible. Audio formats supported include MADI, AES67 and RAVENNA. Headquartered in Mittweida, Germany, DirectOut products are distributed worldwide.