Grass Valley Live Production Solutions Give Expert’ease the Edge
Grass Valley’s versatile cameras have been selected by Expert’ease to enhance its live production offering. Grass Valley’s solutions were chosen for their proven reliability and agility and will enable the Montreal-based audiovisual and multimedia company to take its production capability to the next level. Installation and commissioning of the new systems were carried out in collaboration with Grass Valley’s regional partner, CEV, a leader in multimedia technologies.
Expert’ease has built a solid reputation for its vast experience and technical know-how in video, sound and lighting, catering to major IMAG events such as conventions, product launches, press conferences, national sales meetings, galas and more. Grass Valley’s LDX 86 WorldCam cameras will allow the Expert’ease team to deal with even the most difficult scenes, giving greater flexibility to meet diverse client needs. This is in addition to the existing Grass Valley solutions that Expert’ease uses currently, including a two M/E GV Korona K-Frame V-series production switcher specifically designed for low and mid-range broadcast and media applications, and Grass Valley’s Fiber Optic Conversion & Transport solution to carry signals over longer distances over lightweight fiber without degradation. Thanks to this combination of existing and newly deployed solutions, Expert’ease will benefit from a future-ready live production offering that can meet the needs of even the largest project.
Martin Blanchard, president, Expert’ease commented: “Our clients want to captivate their audiences, telling stirring stories with stunning images. This poses a great opportunity for a company like ours, which has the knowledge – and now the technical capability – needed to meet these demands. We recognize that Grass Valley is a leader in the live production environment with easily deployable solutions and products that are reliable, scalable and have a clear roadmap for the future. With its impressive track record and proven expertise, we are extremely excited to be working with Grass Valley.”
Justin Meunier, vice president, sales, CEV, added: « CEV’s team of specialists prides itself on selecting equipment and solutions that are best suited for clients’ specific needs while ensuring cost efficiency. Our personalized approach allows great flexibility both in the choice of equipment and the integration. We are pleased to work with both Grass Valley and Expert’ease on this exciting portfolio update. »
“Live production is a core value proposition for Grass Valley with enormous growth potential outside the traditional broadcast space,” said Mark Hilton, vice president of live production, Grass Valley. “Engagement with high quality content is no longer restricted to audiences consuming sports or entertainment on their personal screens – corporate events, conventions and product launches now demand high value productions as they seek to engage with stakeholders in innovative ways. We are very proud that Expert’ease has chosen our solutions to support the many high-profile events they regularly produce.
Read Grass Valley Press Release here
CEV oversaw each step of the console installation. The previous one had been running for more than ten years and no longer satisfied difuze’s needs when it came to mixing multiple tracks. The Avid Pro Tools S6 supports over 1000 audio tracks, and can mix up to Dolby Atmos. As the difuze team was already working with Pro Tools, this choice was the natural one. « Everyone in Montreal is working with Pro Tools, whether for editing, post-synchronization or sound effects, » explains Stéphane Bergeron, who is the main user of the new console.
This Avid console lets sound engineers create the most intuitive and immersive streams. The S6 modular control surface combines the best features of the ICON and the System 5 family of products, providing superior ergonomics as well as intelligent studio control. The S6 is a standard, based on proven technology and recognized by leading audio professionals, to create the best possible tracks faster.
difuze’s S6 also features 56 faders allowing two users to manage all tracks simultaneously. « This technology is well established. Having been released 5 years ago, it quickly became a standard in the industry, » said Richard Fecteau, Director of Infrastructure at difuze. difuze will also allow freelancers, who are already familiar with it, to come and to use it in the studio.
« We always prefer CEV for the choice of our technologies, » added Richard Fecteau. They consistently offer us a personalized service. We always want the best price. Additionally, they are located a few blocks away from our facilities. The difuze team received training at CEV, which allowed them to see the product and try it. Stéphane Bergeron received two onsite training sessions.
Pierre Perrier, senior technician at difuze (infrastructure and production solution) was tasked to install the console. Suzie Blanchette, an ACSR pro audio & video specialist at CEV, assisted him from the start. « There were 100 boxes to unpack, » he explained. Each module was packaged separately. The S6 is, basically, a large remote control. We did not have to rewire the studio. On the contrary, we used to have nine network cables and now there are only three. The monitors were a big challenge on which we had to work. »
Once the console was installed, CEV and difuze started it up for the first time. Alain Roy, Account Manager at CEV, followed the entire operation. Everything was done with the CEV team. « The installation was a two-week operation. It was necessary to remove the old console before installing the S6, says Stéphane Bergeron. It took 2 or 3 days to make sure we were able to work with it. The sound engineer sat with the CEV team throughout the process, with Pierre Perrier playing a key role in engineering. « We had to make sure the delivery was on time and then Stéphane took over, » he added.
Doing actual work on the console was easy, and CEV was always there for us throughout the process, said the sound engineer from difuze. « One major advantage of this console is that we can customize it to the extreme, said Stéphane Bergeron. I quickly became productive because my reflexes established themselves very quickly. In fact, I did not need to learn about the console’s capabilities. Instead, it adapted itself to our needs. I chose the functionalities needed for myself. When I talk to other sound engineers who use the S6, I am always surprised to notice we all work in different ways, customizing it to our tastes and needs. We exchange ideas and tips on the best way to manage the surface, to better use it. »
CEV is always there to answer any questions the sound engineer may have. This is important when finding oneself working on urgent projects and needing reliable support quickly.
Avid products are an important choice for CEV because they are the standard used in Hollywood. Moreover, CEV is the only Avid service center in Canada.
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THE STRONG SHOWERS THAT RAINED ON MONTREAL ON MAY 29 WERE LIKE A BAPTISM, AND A WATERPROOFING TEST, FOR THE HD MOBILE PRODUCTION VEHICLE DESIGNED AND ASSEMBLED BY THE MONTREAL-BASED SUPPLIER CEV FOR THE COMMUNITY TELEVISION CHANNEL OF THE NOVA SCOTIA EASTLINK CABLE DISTRIBUTOR.
AN INTERVIEW BY ALEXIS GAGNON/QFQ
As the modified Freightliner truck’s roof protected us from the bad weather, Alain Leblanc, CEV technical director, gave the guests a tour of the interior, describing the different components of this surprisingly spacious studio, which offers all the equipment required to report on sports events and cultural activities, live or prerecorded.
« An entire team of producer, director, journalist, switcher and character generator can work here” said Alain Leblanc. “With everything at their fingertips, they can produce large size broadcasts. The truck is equipped with six Sony HD cameras. Everything is triaxial, instead of fiber optic, because not all Maritimes arenas are equipped with fiber optics. »
The technical director said the Eastlink TV mobile studio will be in service all year long, covering hockey games of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (Halifax, Sydney, and Charlottetown), as well as soccer and football games.
The coverage of cultural events, including music shows, will also be on the calendar. Eastlink will be able to count on a fully digital DiGiCo sound console capable of processing 96 audio channels. In the video department, the production team will benefit from a slow-motion system from Grass Valley technologies, as well as Dino software running on Summit servers.
« Tonight, as we hand over the finished product to Eastlink, let’s celebrate with them the conclusion of a major project and let’s take this opportunity to show our industry partners what can be done locally », summarized Alain Leblanc.
Six months were needed to design and develop this mobile HD production vehicle.
EASTLINK TO USE MOBILE PRODUCTION VEHICLE ASAP
This brand-new, state-of-the-art HD mobile production vehicle from Eastlink TV is owned by Canada’s largest private cable television company. It left Montreal for Halifax on May 30 at eight o’clock sharp. The truck, said Kaushal Hathi, director of operations, will not stop along the way because the whole Eastlink TV team « cannot wait to see it arrive at the station ».
« We cover a lot of events in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, » said Kaushal Hathi. Nowadays, high definition is a must. That’s why we went to CEV, with whom we have an excellent relationship. Alain Leblanc, as chief engineer, oversaw this project from start to finish. Along with his design skills, he was also a fountain of knowledge, helping us optimize the way we can use all the new equipment at our disposal »
The mobile HD production vehicle will be a welcome addition to the small fleet operated by the community channel, which had until now counted on two 26-feet SD trucks that offered no possibility of expansion. The new vehicle will be used to cover a soccer tournament that will take place in a few weeks. As part of a « second phase », the channel’s headquarters facilities will also be upgraded in the near future, Kaushal Hathi said.
Eastlink TV takes its community broadcaster mandate seriously, said Kaushal Hathi, adding that, along with hockey games at the QMJHL, there will also be coverage of the Atlantic University Sports league games.
In operation for over 20 years, Eastlink is the property of multimillionaire John L. Bragg, also head of Oxford Frozen Foods.