Liberty University Taps Calrec for Trio of Audio Consoles

Liberty University has expanded its roster of Calrec technology with a trio of new consoles. The Virginia-based university has expanded its network with further Artemis and Brio consoles, and has gone remote with the addition of Calrec’s VP2 virtualized mixing system. Liberty already uses Type R for Radio, Summa, Artemis and Brio consoles, and has expanded its network with two further installations carried out by systems integrator DVG.

The Calrec Brio

The Calrec equipment is used across a variety of live and pre-recorded sports and entertainment shows as well as giving students one-on-one broadcast audio training on industry standard technology. Students receive hands-on experience on Calrec consoles and the opportunity to operate as an A1 on certain productions. Additionally, academic classes can utilize the school’s Production Control Rooms during classes.

Louis James, Manager of Broadcast Operations at Liberty University, says the consoles are being used to live stream various NCAA Division 1 sport competitions on ESPN+ as well as three linear FBS Football Broadcasts on other ESPN networks.

“We also use the studios for our weekly Emmy Award-winning syndicated live sports talk show Flames Central, as well as for more corporate and entertainment shows,” he says. “This includes Liberty University Convocation, which is hosting guests this semester such as Dr. Tony Evans, journalist Shannon Bream, and New York Times Best Selling author Jon Acuff. There is also a music component to these shows, with a full band that can include up to eight vocalists.”

Type R for Radio was purchased as part of a new radio studio build and is being used for live radio shows and podcast recordings. The second Brio was purchased to upgrade a smaller control room, and the second Artemis replaced a Summa console, which was moved into Liberty’s mobile production unit. The school also wanted both of its main production control rooms to have the same console, making it even easier to move shows between rooms.

James says Liberty purchased VP2 for the Artemis consoles so that it can handle remote shows more flexibly.

Josh Roberts, director of Broadcast Communications at Liberty University, says Calrec’s shared Hydra2 router core gives the team the flexibility to adapt to whatever task.

“We’re able to accomplish a lot of different projects with little lead time,” he explains. “Perhaps the biggest advantage of using Calrec is the ability to quickly build a show from scratch. Also, the integration with Evertz via Hydra2 to TDM allows us to have 1,024 channels going from our six Calrec consoles to our router. This provides an incredible amount of versatility.”

Adds Helen Carr, regional sales manager at Calrec: “It’s incredibly rewarding to see how Calrec gear is preparing university students for a future in a professional broadcast environment.”