Calrec Sigma Delivers for IMS Productions

Indianapolis
Motor Speedway (IMS) Productions has deployed a 64-fader Calrec Sigma with
Bluefin console to provide digital audio mixing, including 5.1 surround-sound,
in its new HD production truck. With the Sigma on board, the 53-foot expanding
trailer has been crisscrossing the United States
this summer to cover major auto races, including the Indianapolis 500.

“The amount of signal processing that the Sigma with Bluefin can
accomplish in a small amount of real estate is amazing, but in the mobile
business, it’s also necessary,” said Dave Gass, senior director of field
operations and engineering for IMS Productions. “The Sigma is also the
most popular console with operators because it’s so intuitive. There are lots
of reasons to appreciate a Calrec console, but to me, it’s that particular
combination that has earned Calrec its place as the de facto standard in the
mobile business.”

Mixing sound for an auto race is a complex operation requiring a powerful,
reliable, and feature-packed console. Calrec’s Sigma console is equipped with
320 channel processing paths packaged as 108 stereo and 104 mono channels, the
Sigma can handle as many as 52 5.1 surround channels. For example, IMS
Productions’ delivery of the roar of crowds and engines at the Indianapolis 500 required some 40 microphones
and three submix consoles including pit, effects, and radio not to mention
multiple music playback devices for a grand total of 128 sources. Sigma manages
that load easily and even affords the production company room to grow.

The new truck, IMS Productions’ first HD truck, is equipped with 16 cameras, a Thomson
Grass Valley Kalypso switcher, EVS production servers, and an Evertz monitor
wall, and replaced two analog production trucks when it debuted in April at the
Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg,
Fla. When the racing season
concludes in the fall, the truck will be pressed into service for Indiana
Pacers basketball as well as Purdue and Indiana University
football. In handling a variety of events, IMS Productions will take advantage
of the fast turnarounds enabled by the Sigma’s software, which makes it easy to
configure, load, and recall setups.

“There’s no more demanding production environment than mobile television,
so the fact that production companies consistently select Calrec speaks volumes
about the value of our equipment,” said John Gluck, sales and marketing
director for Calrec Audio. “The Sigma with Bluefin offers all the power
and the resiliency that a company like IMS Productions needs to deliver the
audio quality and excitement that racing fans expect.”