Broadcasting Idol

MBC, Middle East Broadcasting Corporation is one of the region’s leading free-to-air satellite TV broadcasters. Since launching itself as the first-ever, independent Arabic satellite TV station back in the ‘90s, over the last 20 years the broadcaster has grown to claim a position as the biggest TV station in the Arab world.

From its headquarters in Dubai’s Media City, MBC broadcasts nine free-to-air TV channels around the world. As well as this facility, it also has studio locations across the region. One of these sites is the MBC Beirut studios in Lebanon, and as a result of bringing in many new shows and the extra functionality they require, this particular studio recently opted to change its main console.

‘At MBC, there are many big live programmes coming out in the next quarter, such as Arab Idol (like American Idol but for the whole Arab world) and Arabs Got Talent (also known in many countries). For these shows MBC needed multitrack recording and snapshot savings,’ explains Jean Gibran, Venue product manager at local Avid distributor Electra AV.

The new console would be the only new addition to a pre-existing studio setup in Lebanon. The Beirut studios had been using a Midas Heritage 3000 desk, and while the team has a lot of respect for the quality of this console and particularly its preamps; it was felt it needed to change. The other mixing solution in the studio is a Yamaha M7CL which MBC uses for monitors. At the time of the review it was decided that this console should remain in place so MBC set about the search for one new main mixing console.

The broadcaster set about a comprehensive evaluation process to select its new desk. This started with internet research, but it also included hands-on demonstrations from a number of manufacturers. ‘MBC’s live sound engineer Jean BouFayad first heard about the Venue on the internet and then through some friends in the sound studio business, so he was interested. Therefore MBC management backed up the project,’ says Mr Gibran. ‘But he did not make up his mind on the Venue 100 per cent until he saw it live and tested it during a workshop that was organised in Beirut by Electra AV.’

According to Mr BouFayad it was the local support for the equipment highlighted at this workshop that was the deciding factor for the broadcaster. ‘I did not hide the fact that I had another option from another brand. They gave me a really good offer on their console that made it even cheaper,’ he reveals. ‘What made me decide on the Venue was when I learnt that this product has full support in Lebanon, with serious people behind it, both in the human factor and in the after-sales support, whether that’s for training, future maintenance or both,’ says Mr BouFayad. ‘I was very pleased to know that there are already spare parts kits for all the Venue family in Lebanon and 24 hour support, something that the other brands didn’t offer,’ he adds.

Following the interest generated by the workshop, Electra AV gave the broadcaster a demonstration of the desk to help prove it was a solution that could meet MBC’s needs. ‘We showed the MBC people something they didn’t know about, which was the virtual sound-check, and did a demonstration for them on similar shows like the ones they were preparing,’ recalls Mr Gibran.

‘The way our virtual sound-check has been designed allows you to mix live while tracking and the TDM plug-ins allow you to personalise your mix with lots of different FXs and processors,’ adds Avid’s live sound manager for emerging markets, EMEA, Mathieu Rouxel. ‘We are already equipping shows like American Idol in the US, SoapStar Superstar in the UK, SaReGaMa in India and I’ve myself worked on the first AfricaStar in West Africa using a Venue D-Show connected to ProTools,’ he continues. ‘Venue is such an analogue-based workflow and the transition from their analogue desk to Venue will be very simple.’

Installing the D-Show

This was the first time that a console with this configuration had been installed in a studio in Lebanon. So in order to equip the studio, the Electra AV team first had to learn the process. ‘First, we had to prepare the people who would install the Venue,’ explains Mr Gibran. ‘It was our first installation so we had to discover the little details that one cannot read about.’

The actual installation process itself lasted for two days in mid-September. A third day for the cabling, then a final two days providing MBC with training on the desk.

Mr Gibran describes the installation process as running to the initial plans. However, this doesn’t mean Electra didn’t face any challenges when installing the console. ‘The installation was not easy, more than 60 screws had to be removed to install the side-car alone,’ says the product manager. ‘This part is something that is not very user-friendly. But then again, this is not a product for the installer as a ‘user’.’

Added to this, the MBC team needed to make some minor changes to their cabling during the installation process. ‘We had to change dozens of plugs from TRS to XLR,’ noted Mr BouFayad.

Despite these challenges and adjustments, the team at Electra are happy with the installation and the way the desk is now performing. ‘It just sounds great and made our lives easier,’ enthuses MBC’s head of the sound department. ‘The studio achieved its goals but will surely exceed them when the “virtual soundcheck” flexibility will be fully exploited,’ explains Mr Gibran

The final result is something the studios are also reportedly impressed with. ‘We tried it in a talk show called Kalam Nawa3em (like “The View” in The US) and were really happy with the whole package and the new way of operation, it simply makes our lives easier and lets us focus on the quality of our work,’ adds MBC sound Engineer Mahmoud Ghadban.

‘Avid is already an established brand in the video domain, and in the sound studios in the Middle East,’ note Jean BouFayad and Mahmoud Ghadban. ‘We are the live sound engineers, so we did not know the product, but we would definitely recommend a Venue. Put aside the qualities of the desk itself, the support team this product comes with, is great. We never felt alone. The Venue team were all over the place in the first few days when we needed them, and then started gradually to let us be more hands on, ’add the pair.

‘We have more and more Venue consoles being used in the broadcast sector and I have to say it does match perfectly with the field specifications,’ says Avid’s Mr Rouxel. ‘The direct connection and the features with ProTools is definitely an added value,’ he continues. ‘Having such an easy access to a multitrack machine like ProTools to record and playback is a new way of working and offers much more flexibility, it is for example the case with MBC.’

The importance of the installed system as a new reference project is not lost on Mr Gibran. ‘This is a good project for us because all the TV stations in the region look up to MBC as a reference,’ he notes. ‘We were so proud installing the D-show with two side cars and doing the training without any single problem,’ continues the product manager. ‘We also would like to highlight the exceptional cooperation of the MBC technical department and their superior professionalism.’

The significance of this project is not lost on the manufacturer either. ‘It does really matter to us that a major TV station such as MBC trusts our brand and sees the potential offered by the entire Avid range of solutions,’ concludes Mr Rouxel.

As reference projects go, this is a major one for Avid. While there is not a huge volume of equipment installed into the Beirut studios, the importance of the client makes this a job other studios will take note of. And this is not only other broadcasters in Lebanon, the pan-Arab nature of MBC means that Avid will have a prominent client it can highlight to stations across the region. Sometimes, it would seem, the overall value of a project is much higher than the initial sale. 

www.avid.com
www.electra-av.com