Articles

RSS

Annapolis Junction, MD - FiberPlex, Inc., a professional audio fiber optic systems supplier to the sound production industry, announced that its LightViper fiber optic digital audio transport system has been deployed for TV production audio in the internationally syndicated UK television reality show The X-Factor.

The portable LightViper 32/8 system has provided The X-Factor sound supervisor Robert Edwards of Video Sound Services with a compact and rapid set-up fiber audio transport solution which overcomes obstacles created by both a complex set at Wembley's Fountain Studios production stage, and an environment rife with RF interference.

On Edwards' recommendation, UK production company talkback THAMES purchased the LightViper system to cover signal transport from mic to mixing console as well as for talkback needs on the latest series of the English reality TV show. With transmission to UK television networks ITV1 and ITV2, Video Sound Services needed a more efficient means of delivering the sound from the studio floor to the control room; they turned to the FiberPlex LightViper VIS-1832 fiber-optic digital snake to create far more effective tie lines over greater distances.

X-Factor's Edwards commented: "There are 63 wireless mics plus a lot of LED lighting creating significant RF. From a cable point-of-view it's a hostile environment. Some of the signals are hard to keep clean. We have some mics at the judges' area and the cable run from the podium in the middle and back to the wall boxes is not the cleanest. But the LightViper cleaned it all up; the short run to the head end stagebox — bypassing the existing infrastructure — resulted in a much cleaner signal."

Short-run D-Sub cables and a custom 32/8 break-out panel to furnish feeds to the main studio were made by Kelsey Acoustics who distribute the LightViper System in the UK.

The full system includes the compact VIS-1832 32/8 stagebox at front-of-house (accepting 32 XLR or TRS balanced or unbalanced mic/line signals), which connects to a rack unit at the house mixing position via a lightweight, multimode fiber-optic cable. All data transfers are at 24-bit/96 kHz, and optional optical outs on the stagebox allow ‘splits' to a monitor mixer and recording/broadcast feeds.

The network was accomplished using multimode fiber terminated on the new Neutrik Optical Con fiber optic connectors. The X-Factor sound production uses the majority of available inputs and all three gain positions, without the need for software.

"Aside from the benefits of using fiber over copper, the LightViper system is a self-contained plug-and-play system with both a remote [stagebox] and tail-end [mixing position]. It operates without the need for a laptop so it's quick to rig," stated Edwards.

"The system is two-way so we are sending zero level returns to the studio floor and using the system as a glorified talkback to the musical director — otherwise the route would be tortuous." VSS's confidence in using fiber optic audio transport and the LightViper system has been boosted by the work they have carried out before. "The Sky TV work we do relies heavily on fiber optic transmission networks — it's not such a big mystery."

Additional information can be obtained at www.fiberplex.com or www.lightviper.com. or more information, contact Ron Neilson, Neilson/Clyne, Inc.: Tel: (615) 500-3261; Email: rneilson@neilsonclyne.com; Web: www.neilsonclyne.com.

SOURCE: FiberPlex, Inc.