Great American Country (GAC), a Nashville-based country music television network, has acquired a Solid State Logic C100 HD Digital Broadcast Console. The C132, to be housed in the network‘s new production studio on Nashville‘s Music Row, will be used to produce prestigious entertainment shows including GAC Top 20 Country Countdown, GAC Nights and On the Streets. The studio will be complete in the fourth quarter of 2007.

A critical factor in selecting the C132 was GAC‘s future direction, notes Vice President of Production Operations Kevin Kritch. “We anticipate more performance-based production in the facility, so it was important for us to have a good quality sound board that provides a lot of flexibility, as well as having multi-tracking capabilities,” he says. “Our quality and production demands are as strenuous as any network‘s. Premiere programs require exceptional production and Solid State Logic‘s C100 HD ensures that we will provide viewers at home with the cleanest and sharpest audio quality possible.”

GAC, a property of Scripps Networks, is America‘s “main street” for the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. In addition to country music videos, GAC features original programming, special musical performances and live concerts, and is the exclusive television home of the Grand Ole Opry. GAC is available in approximately 50 million households.

“We looked at other consoles, but SSL has a proven track record among numerous Scripps owned properties, including Food Network and broadcast stations, that are extremely pleased with the results,” Kritch confides. “After reviewing the alternatives, it was an easy choice.”

Scripps Networks is the leading developer of lifestyle-oriented content for television and the Internet, including Food Network, which has also employed the Solid State Logic C100 Digital Broadcast Console.

Solid State Logic is the world‘s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals. For more information about our award-winning products, please visit: www.solid-state-logic.com.

Solid State Logic is pleased to announce the installation of a C300 HD digital audio console with an XLogic Delta-Link MADI HD system in the newly remodeled Stage C at Wildfire Post-Production Studios. The C300 provides Wildfire with an intelligent and efficient way of dealing with a wide variety of input sources and output formats, while the Delta-Link MADI HD system supplies flawless data transfer between the C300 and Wildfire‘s Pro Tools® HD systems.

Wildfire Post-Production Studios, formerly Wilshire Stages, was recently purchased by veteran feature film and academy award nominated mixers, Chris David and Leslie Schatz. The four-room facility now features the 48 fader 256 channel C300 HD film console in Studio C, which is designed for film and TV post along with film score mixes. The console also features two film center sections and recently introduced Pec/Direct recorder controls for multi-operator film and HDTV post mixing.

David says, “The C300 is a fantastic console. It not only encompasses effortless digital mixing of surround stems, it works with all DAW formats through its unique workstation control interface. This is very powerful as sometimes work comes in from a variety of outside sources and DAWs.”

According to David, another attraction of the SSL C348 is the way it handles multi-channel input sources. “A lot of our business revolves around stereo source material that is multi-channel and clearly the C300 enjoys the most sophisticated and elegant handling of this task. For instance, when you bring in a 6-channel mix on the C300, you can control an entire 6-channel mix with one channel. This really helps to save on console resources and greatly improves our workflow.”

Wildfire is already pumping out productions on the C300. Recent projects include premixes for a movie called “Transylmania,” the film “Southland Tales,” by Richard Kelley and, in the near future, “Rambo 4,” featuring Sylvester Stallone, and “Elegy” with Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz.

Piers Plaskitt, SSL Group Commercial Director, said, “The C300 is fully capable of meeting both the current and future needs of Hollywood’s film community. With the C300 HD, SSL‘s long experience with dubbing consoles has been realized in this, the most powerful, flexible and cost-effective package available–we believe it will set new standards in feature film mixing and HDTV post.”

The console features 80 mix busses working in tandem with a new 56-track Pro Tools HD3 recorder. The C300 HD integrates Pro Tools control using techniques successfully pioneered with SSL‘s AWS 900+ Analogue Workstation System. This brings the workstation into the console allowing control of Pro Tools from the console control surface. The XLogic Delta-Link MADI HD system facilitates direct interconnectivity between Digidesign Pro Tools|HD® systems and MADI-enabled audio equipment.

“The C300 also has a very good monitoring system,” explains David. “It is very easy to switch channels and formats and this is something quite useful to us in the post production business. For example, a single DVD release quite often requires 5.1, 6.1 and Dolby 2-track that demands 4-channel monitoring. The C300 will switch between those very conveniently. I like the Delta-Link system because it enables us to pass 64 direct output Pro Tools channels to the console without needing any additional interface. The fact that we are able to run down a single cable for MADI formatted communication, makes life much easier. The console has the most powerful, best sounding digital signal processing of any digital console, and, coupled with the new SSL Delta-Link MADI HD system and direct control of our Pro Tools system, we have a very powerful creative tool to offer our clients.”

Solid State Logic is the world‘s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals. For more information about our award-winning products, please visit: www.solid-state-logic.com.

For the fourth year in a row, Riedel Communications is soaring as the official global supplier of the Red Bull Air Race World Series. Riedel, the leading manufacturer of intercom systems and one of the world‘s biggest rental services for wireless and wired communications solutions, is at the forefront of the event providing the entire communications solutions, integrating both wireless and wired digital intercom systems. Additionally, Riedel is supplying the wireless video links for the race planes‘ onboard cameras enabling stunning pictures to be delivered from the pilots‘ perspectives.

The Red Bull Air Race World Series is a competition based on speed, precision and skill that pits the world‘s most talented pilots up against one another. The race requires a dynamic discipline of flying, called “air racing” where the objective is to navigate a challenging course in the sky, in the fastest possible time. Flying against the clock, each pilot has to execute tight turns through a slalom course consisting of specially designed pylons, known as “Air Gates.“ They compete in knockout rounds with the two fastest pilots going head to head in the final. The first World Series kicked off in 2005, taking place in seven venues across the world with 10 internationally acclaimed pilots competing. This year, 13 pilots have taken to the skies in 10 races worldwide from April 6th to November 4th. Over 300,000 spectators are expected to flock to Perth’s beautiful Swan River in Australia to witness the Qualifying Round on November 3rd and the 2007 World Series‘ Finals on November 4th.

“To ensure mission-critical communications, we designed a system that leveraged the best of both wired and wireless communications,” explained Thomas Riedel, managing director of Riedel Communications. “We are enabling the communications of over 650 people involved with each Red Bull Air Race. Everyone from the pilot to security and referees are utilizing our state-of-the-art system.”

All audio signal distribution throughout the races have been engineered with an Artist 128 network consisting of three nodes connected via a dual redundant fiber ring. The three frames are located in the Air Race control tower, the TV compound and the organization compound. At a day-time open air event like this, the special 8-digit LED display keys of the Artist 1000 series allows clear labeling of destinations and excellent readability under all lighting conditions including direct sunlight for all 70 RCP-1028E/O panels. In addition, the Artist 1000 panels provide broadcast quality audio and individual listen level control for each talk key. Four PMX-2008s, designed for panel distribution and transport of audio signals, are providing a cost-effective solution to minimize setup time with eight BNCs to connect to the matrix panels using a fiber link. Over four miles of fiber is being utilized to serve as the race‘s audio and video backbone.

The Matrix intercom system is seamlessly integrated with Riedel‘s Digital Trunked Radio installation (TETRA). TETRA combines the advantages of analog trunked radio with those of digital mobile radio, resulting in optimal frequency usage, the highest transmission quality for speech and data, maximum security against eavesdropping, as well as flexible networking and connection management. Additionally, digital trunked radio offers full duplex communication, GPS-positioning and connection to the public telephone network or company telephone systems. Over 450 Motorola MTH800‘s are being utilized to assist in the production of the races. Additional walkie-talkie radio systems are connected to the wired communication systems through 20 of Riedel‘s universal radio interface RiFace.

Spectacular views of the Red Bull Air Races come directly from the cockpits with 28 wireless video links. On-board cameras capture live footage from the pilot‘s perspective, but it‘s Riedel that ensures the secure signal transmission for video and audio. A special engineered six-channel diversity receiver combining technologies of various manufacturers guarantees the secure signal transmission of audio and video event during the most extreme flight maneuvers. Four ground cameras are also being utilized as well as two Cineplex high definition cameras in helicopters.

Riedel is also providing the most appropriate IT infrastructure for the races, including Internet access, VoIP telephone, network infrastructure with servers and firewalls and a media center for journalists. Optical fiber cables are important mediums for signal transport and communication used throughout the race. Riedel has installed the complete fiber network for all locations of the event. Audio, video and data communications are being distributed throughout the fiber network. Each race uses both the location itself and the airport, which is typically miles away; Riedel is providing a digital wireless data connection between both locations with extreme high bandwith. This link transports HD camera signals, audio, video, VoIP, radio, intercom and Internet connections.

Riedel Communications has been developing and delivering radio and intercom solutions for large-scale events for 20 years. “Thanks to our wide range of experiences we are able to provide communications solutions which meet any demands of large-scale event organizers,” said Riedel. “Apart from quality and know-how we are also accomplished in terms of quantity. As one of the largest rental companies for radio and intercom technology world-wide we also have the necessary inventory to equip events of this size.” Riedel delivered six containers with approximately 11 tons of communication equipment to the Red Bull Air Race World Series.

About Riedel

Riedel - one of the major suppliers of communications equipment to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino - designs, manufactures and distributes the most sophisticated intercom and radio technology for customers worldwide in the broadcast, pro-audio, event, sports and theatre industries. The products reflect today‘s leading-edge technologies that expand conventional concepts into tomorrow‘s applications. The Riedel group of companies also includes a European based large rental operation that provides radio, intercom services, event accreditation & ticketing systems as well as fiber-based audio and video transmission systems. The Company was founded in 1987 and today employs over 150 people located within 7 locations in Europe, Asia and North America.

HOLLYWOOD — EASTWEST, the industry leader in soundware development and distribution, is helping its customers give the gift of music this holiday season with its biggest sale of the year — the Holiday Sale. From now until December 31, 2007 when users shop directly from the company‘s websites (www.soundsonline.com and www.soundsonline-europe.com ), they will be eligible for discounts on new PLAY products, popular collection bundles, sample CD‘s and other virtual instrument collections. For more details, click on the homepage banners at the top of both websites.

During the Holiday Sale, users will be able, for the first time, to save on PLAY products such as Fab Four, a collection of sounds inspired by the Beatles ($276.50 (€187), regularly $395(€267)); Quantum Leap Gypsy, a collection that captures an intimate European sound with unprecedented detail ($276.50 (€187), regularly $395 (€267)); Quantum Leap Voices Of Passion, a collection featuring ethereal, passionate, flowing, mysterious, wailing and whispering alto and soprano voices of female vocalists from Wales, Syria, India, Bulgaria and America ($346.50 (€234), regularly $495 (€334)); and Quantum Leap Ministry Of Rock, a huge 20 Gig collection of Rock Drums, Basses and Guitars ($346.50 (€234), regularly $495 (€334)).

Customers will also be able to receive 50 percent off the purchase of an iLok key (discounts only applicable with the purchase of PLAY-powered products) which is required to operate any PLAY collection.

EASTWEST will also be offering increased savings on its composer bundles. In this unprecedented opportunity, users will be able to purchase EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP Composer Bundle, EASTWEST/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Gold/Gold Pro XP bundle, Quantum Leap RA, Symphonic Choirs and EASTWEST/PMI Bösendorfer for $995 (€627.50) (list price $2,380 (€1,608)); EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP Composer Bundle 2, EASTWEST/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Platinum/Platinum Pro XP bundle and Symphonic Choirs for $1,090 (€ 736) (list price $3,950 (€2,668); and EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP Composer Bundle 3, EASTWEST/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Platinum/Platinum Pro XP bundle, Quantum Leap RA, EASTWEST/PMI Bösendorfer and Symphonic Choirs for $1,485 (€1003) (list Price $4,385 (€2,962)).

They will also be able to receive larger discounts on the following EASTWEST/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra and EASTWEST bundles: EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP Platinum Bundle, EASTWEST/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Platinum and Platinum Pro XP ($895 (€605), list price $1995 (€1,348)); EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP Gold Bundle, EASTWEST/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Gold and Gold Pro XP ($445 (€301), list price $995 (€672)); and EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP Bundle, Quantum Leap RA, Quantum Leap Colossus and Symphonic Choirs ($795 (€537), list price $1,785 (€1,206)).

Along with Holiday discounts on PLAY products, composer, orchestra and EASTWEST bundles, the company will also be offering savings on its distributed lines and other EASTWEST collections. In order to receive the discount, customers will need to enter the promotional code “HOLIDAY” on the checkout page and click “submit” (note: the promo code cannot be applied to PLAY products, composer, orchestra and EASTWEST bundles, these are discounted on their respective product pages). Discounts for other products will register after the “submit” button is pressed on the checkout page.

“Whether it‘s for professional or recreational use, EASTWEST‘s products are an asset to any musician‘s toolkit,” says EASTWEST Producer and Founder Doug Rogers. “All collections are user-friendly and provide the best sonic quality and realism. With our Holiday Sale, there‘s a product that fits into everyone‘s musical taste and price range.”