HARMAN’s Studer is announcing that the EMBER protocol found in its range of digital audio consoles is now compatible with the Mosart MediaLab system. This is the first open newscast automation system to be compatible with EMBER and will be on display at Studer’s IBC stand at Hall 8, Stand D60 and Mosart’s stand at Hall 5, Stand C26.

As live television productions have evolved and inevitably become more complex, the number of staff available to run these shows is decreasing because of the constant drive to cut costs. Today, almost all the equipment is remotely controlled and sometimes a single operator in the control room is expected to run the entire show alone. To accomplish this, the operator relies on a sophisticated computer-based system that can, from a running order, control all the studio devices, including the vision mixer, playout servers, cameras and, of course, the sound mixer.

Studer has chosen EMBER as a standard TCP/IP interface protocol to allow automation systems to seamlessly control specific aspects of the mixing desk. For normal newsroom and presentation needs this includes faders, mutes and aux or mix-minus. This feature, which has already been available for the OnAir range of Studer consoles, is now available to all Vista owners running the latest version of software V4.8 (soon to be released). EMBER also offers advanced features such as desk reset (recall) to allow instant reconfiguration of the complete audio console at the head of a show.

“The compatibility of Mosart MediaLab with EMBER marks a significant step forward in Studer’s ability to provide the most user-friendly and efficient audio mixing consoles in the broadcast industry,’ said Andrew Hills, Director of Product Strategy for Studer. “Our integration of the EMBER protocol has been well-received since its preview at NAB in April and we are looking forward to showcasing this deeper level of integration at IBC!’