Debuting at the Las Vegas show, Power Core, Lawo’s versatile AoIP mixing engine and I/O node, has become even more powerful — thanks to new features and capabilities. Initially introduced as a DSP mixing engine and modular I/O system for Ruby radio consoles, many broadcasters are using Power Core as a gateway between legacy audio formats and standards-based IP media networks.
The ST2110-30 standard ensures seamless interoperability of audio and video equipment in combined radio / TV broadcast plants. Power Core new features to be introduced at NAB 2019 include a Dante card with dual-redundant ports and sample rate conversion, allowing easy integration of pro-audio equipment into broadcast environments, and a dual-redundant front-panel SFP ports for AoIP. Now, broadcasters have a choice of optical or copper network connections, without the cost of external media converters.
Lawo will also implement ST2022-7 Seamless Protection Switching, which provides dual-redundant AoIP network connections. Twin active links guard against audio loss should one link be interrupted.
“Power Core packs a staggering amount of DSP and modular I/O into only 1RU,” says Lawo Radio Marketing Specialist Clark Novak. “On the front panel alone, there are 128 dual-redundant AES67 streams and 128 dual-redundant MADI channels. Then there are 8 rear-panel expansion slots. Combine this with 96 DSP channels and nearly 2,000 routing crosspoints, and it’s no wonder radio and TV stations are finding that Power Core increases capabilities, simplifies infrastructure and reduces costs. It’s a win-win!”
“The broadcasting industry’s migration to IP has triggered a convergence of radio and TV technologies,” notes Novak. “That’s why Power Core is quickly becoming the preferred media-aggregation tool for TV broadcasters, especially those fielding OB units. The ability to connect and convert between AES3, AES67, MADI, Dante and ST2110-30 makes Power Core a bona-fide ‘Über-Node.’”
Power Core capacity can expand with eight rear-panel card slots, which allow a la carte addition of analog, AES3, MADI and Dante interfaces, and a unique Studio I/O card that provides mic inputs and headphone and monitor outputs. Visitors to NAB 2019 (April 6-11) can see Power Core, along with the entire line of advanced Lawo radio, TV and live-sound products, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth #N2503.
Prolight+Sound 2019
Lawo’s presence at this year’s Prolight+Sound (PLS), booth C28 in Hall 8, will focus on IP-based products and solutions for theater and live applications. In a hands-on environment, visitors can experience Lawo mc²audio consoles and Lawo IP routing systems as well as Lawo’s video processing units and audio-over-IP interfaces, including A_stage, the new members of the A_line family of WAN-capable stageboxes.
On show in Frankfurt will be an IP-based, 48-fader mc²56 audio production console of the 3rd Generation. Recently, Lawo introduced a new option for their third-generation mc²56 audio production console, with a dual-fader operating surface that increases fader count while keeping console size small. With this new option, mc²56 becomes the only audio mixing console in its category that can host up to 144 faders within the footprint of a much smaller console. The dual fader option also incorporates Lawo’s revolutionary LiveView thumbnail previews of associated video streams directly in the fader strips, enhancing user accuracy in fast-paced production situations.
Known for its compact size, flexibility, and versatile design with capabilities drawn from Lawo’s flagship mc296, the 3rd generation mc²56 is optimized for today’s complex IP-video production environment. It features native support for SMPTE 2110, AES67 / Ravenna, Dante and MADI audio streams. And because downtime isn’t an option, mc²56 has adopted the SMPTE 2022-7 standard for Seamless Protecting Switching (SPS), delivering dual-redundant IP-network links to its Nova73 routing engine.
The third-generation mc²56 is full of unique features, such as Lawo’s IP-Share Network Gain Compensation, which prevents unexpected gain changes during simultaneous use of up to eight networked consoles. Each of the console’s fader bays can either be equipped with the new dual-fader module or the standard fader module with an extended free control section giving direct access to as many as four global or individual parameter assignments on each channel strip. The mc²56’s color-coded Button-Glow controls, touch-sensitive encoders and color TFT displays provide clear color-coding of channel strips for enhanced visibility and fast access in low light.
The mc256 is perfect for broadcast applications, with multi-user operation, advanced mix assist systems (AutoMix, upmix, downmix and optional Lawo KICK), Audio-Follow-Video functionality, integrated 3D / immersive mixing tools and parallel compression.
For recording applications, the mc256 provides dynamic time-code automation, Lawo-grade mic preamps and processing, DAW remote control and a customizable signal chain with four independent dynamic modules. Built-in loudness metering is standard, with full loudness control adhering to ITU 1770 (EBU/R128 or ATSC/A85) specifications. Peaks and loudness can be monitored together, or separately.
Features tailored to the performing arts include Selective Recall, Oversnaps (relative trim-sets), theater automation cue list including multiple triggers (MIDI, GPIO, LTC), Waves SoundGrid and Neumann DMI-8 digital microphone integration, and mirror-console operation.
Available in frames from 16 to 144 faders, the mc²56 system supports a massive 8,192 x 8,192 crosspoints, with 888 DSP channels, 144 summing buses and 128 Aux buses at 44.1 - 96kHz operation. With a 64-fader surface suited to most OB vehicle dimensions, a 16-fader stand-alone extender may be added to an mc²56 for subsequent expansion. Comprehensive local I/O includes 16 Lawo-grade Mic/Line inputs, 16 Line outputs, eight AES3 inputs and outputs, eight GPIO, and a local MADI port (SFP).
mc²36 All-in-One Console
Also on display in Frankfurt will be Lawo’s mc²36 all-in-one live mixing desk in a 24-fader frame, with a comprehensive feature set covering broadcast, theater, houses of worship, live and installed-sound applications. Featuring Lawo-grade mic preamps, a powerful DSP micro-core with an internal 512x512 port audio matrix and integrated I/O, makes the console ideally suited for permanent installations where space is at a premium. The mc²36 integrates seamlessly into IP infrastructures, thanks to native AES67 / Ravenna networking technology.
Beside the A_mic8, A_digital8 and A_madi4 AoIP units, Lawo will showcase its recently launched WAN-capable A_stage live-performance AoIP interfaces at Prolight+Sound. The A_stage units feature discrete Class A Mic preamps, advanced digital A/D FIR filtering, and SMPTE 2022-7 Seamless Protection Switching (SPS), providing two discrete, redundant network links for rock-solid network connectivity. The A_stage80, A_stage48 and A_stage64 feature switchable Mic/Line inputs capable of handling balanced or unbalanced sources, AES3 I/O with broadcast-grade sample-rate conversion, PTP/Wordclock sync and conversion capability, plus dual-redundant power inlets. The A_stage64 presented in Frankfurt has been designed for applications where discrete XLR sockets are preferred. It has a capacity of 32 switchable Mic/Line inputs, 16 analog line outputs, 8 stereo AES3 inputs and 8 stereo AES3 outputs. The A_stage80 and A_stage48 are equipped with SUB-D37 connectors for breakout cables. Like all A_stage products, the A_stage64 offers dual-redundant MADI ports on SFP, 8 opto-isolated GPI/O ports, two SFP/RJ45 streaming and control ports and one RJ45 management port, in a 4RU enclosure.
Lawo Video Showcase
Visitors to Prolight+Sound can also learn more about Lawo’s V_pro8 8-channel video processing toolkit, which accepts different video formats as well as MADI audio signals, featuring high-quality format conversion, color correction as well as audio embedding and de-embedding.
Introduced in September 2018, the A_UHD Core is a network-based, software-defined audio DSP engine with unparalleled processing density that takes Lawo’s mc²56 and mc²96 consoles into an altogether new dimension. Utilizing the IP network as an extension of the console core’s backplane, Lawo’s UHD Core can be located anywhere on the network. Its ultra-high processing density with over 1,000 fully featured, mc²-grade DSP channels can either be utilized by a single mc² console for coping with even the most challenging productions or be shared amongst up to four consoles.
Another highlight in Frankfurt will be Lawo’s VSM Control and Monitoring system, which is in operation in countless broadcast, live and install environments, from cruise ships (Quantum class of shipping company Royal Caribbean) to auditoriums and lecture halls (e.g. German and European Parliament). VSM is a brand-agnostic control system that brings all of the devices in a facility into a single, unified control environment.
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