One of the challenges to getting on air is sourcing and setting up the vast array of technical equipment needed.
A modern radio station requires high specification audio gear as well as the latest computer technology. We thought it would be interesting to all technically minded readers to pass on how the technology all fits together and what's what.
Studio
At the centre of the studio is the mixing desk. We have been very fortunate to have been donated a Soundcraft console, previously used in a post-production facility in London. This has needed some modifications so that there are more stereo channels and remote starts for our playout system, about which more later.
John Cull in the Studio
The studio desk has the following equipment connected to it:
3 Microphones
IRN satellite feed for the news
3 stereo outputs from the playout system
1 stereo output from our jingle and commercial player PC
2 CD players
1 minidisc player
1 record player
Mono feed from an outside broadcast
1 Telephone balancing unit
3 headphones for presenters and guests
The mixer is controlled by the presenter, who fades up the correct source at the right time so that the output of the mixer is what the listeners hear on FM and on-line. We also have to record the output onto a PC for legal purposes so there is another feed to this.
Microphones
There are 3 mics - one for the presenter and two for studio guests. The presenter uses a large diaphagm condenser mic and the two guests are on Shure SM58s.
Headphones
We use 3 cheap, but robust, TDK headphones and there are some professional Beyer DT100s on hand if a presenter prefers.
IRN News
This is from a satellite receiver with a dish pointing at the Hotbird satellite. The audio output of the receiver are connected to a channel on the desk. The news happens precisely on the hour so we have to have radio clocks to make sure we're on time. This can be very tricky!
Playout System
To play most of the music on Brooklands FM we use a computer system. This is a piece of software which runs on a standard PC fitted with a professional multi-output soundcard. The system has 3 channels, which means the presenter can be playing one track, while setting up another. Our music is stored in MP3 format to save disc space. The system allows a presenter to setup a playlist with all the music they are going to play - unlike other stations we trust our presenter to select the best music for their audience so we don't use any computerised scheduling system.
Jingles and Advert Player
This is another PC with a single audio output and a touch screen. The software we use is called Jazler Show, which is free. Although it only has one output, it's possible to play 2 things at once and set up a simple playlist for an ad break.
CD Players
These are domestic Sony models. The key is having a feature called "auto cue" so that the music starts as soon as the presenter presses the play button.
Record Player
Believe it or not some of the music we play is not available on CD so we have a cheap but cheerful record player so presenters can bring in their old 45s!
Telephones
So we can speak to listeners on-air, we use some specialist kit called a Telephone Balance Unit (TBU). This converts a phone line to two connections for the sound desk.
Processing & Transmitter
Once the sound has left the mixing desk, it goes though a special processor called a compressor so that the loud sounds are made quieter and the soft sounds louder. Unlike many stations we don't overdo this - some stations are obsessed by volume, we think our listeners are more discerning and don't need to be blasted by a wall of sound. After the processor are the FM transmitter and internet feeds. The terms of our licence limit our power to 15 watts on FM. The internet is fed from a PC which encodes the audio into a Windows Media stream and a server running Windows Server.
