YES Gives the Nod to Calrec for HD Makeover
New Orleans-based YES Productions has deployed a 56-fader Omega with Bluefin console in HD-2, its newly refurbished broadcast truck. The truck debuted its HD makeover covering the NBA at the New Orleans Hornets’ victorious home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers in November. Since then, HD-2 has been on the road supporting two or three shows a week.
“Calrec has earned its outstanding reputation by listening to audio engineers around the country and responding to their needs,” said Jim Moriarty, vice president and general manager of YES Productions. “The Omega console is easy to operate and to get around. Setup times are fast, and the freelance operators are already familiar with it. At the same time, the Omega is sophisticated both in terms of features and power.”
Calrec’s Bluefin High Density Signal Processing (HDSP) is the advanced technology that enables the Omega console to manage 160 channel-processing paths on a single processing card. Packing a lot of power in a small footprint makes the Omega eminently suitable for life in an OB truck. The Omega also provides 8 x 5.1 surround, stereo, or mono audio groups, 20 auxiliary outputs (which can be 20 mono or 10 stereo), and 48 outputs for multitrack outputs. The console has two main stereo or 5.1 surround program outputs with full EQ and compressor/limiter facilities.
As of 2005, YES was operating two SD trucks. Hurricane Katrina flooded one, which the company replaced with a new HD truck. The demand for HD was so high that YES decided to upgrade its remaining truck — a 53-foot expando — as well, incorporating the Calrec console. Beck Associates in Austin, Texas, did the outfitting, completing the job in about four months.
Besides the NBA coverage, YES’s HD-2 is positioned primarily for southeastern U.S. regional sports broadcasts including Louisiana State University football for Cox Sports and Professional Bull Riders for Versus.
YES Productions is a New Orleans-based mobile television production company founded in 1982. YES has covered thousands of sporting events from early ESPN to the Olympics in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Seoul, and has covered the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the 2007 Indy 500 in HD. YES has provided mobile units for entertainment productions ranging from Frank Sinatra to Aerosmith to Voodoo Fest. YES operates mainly in the southern United States, but the trucks have traveled as far as Korea and Panama. This fall, YES trucks traveled to Mexico and Canada for Professional Bull Riders/Versus.
