Over the last few years , we ’ ve had success integrating Unity Intercom – an app-based intercom system that uses regular internet for transport – to our larger RTS intercom , allowing individuals in remote locations to communicate with the production crew . Unity is an attractive option because it can run on smartphones and laptops that are already in use by staff . The installation and setup is easily done in the field with only a few instructions . Best of all , it sounds great !
Our typical setups with Unity had been relatively small-scale , with a maximum of six intercom channels and rarely more than a dozen users . The question was : could Unity be scaled up to handle a radical shift by moving hundreds of news staff to their home offices ? CBC Studios and our partners in Engineering were able to upgrade a license for Unity to provide us with unlimited user accounts and an accessible work-from-home solution .
Currently , our Unity system includes a 64-channel Dante interface device , which is able to integrate through a secure network , with any of our RTS Omneo / Dante cards . We can build up to 64 discrete communication paths with our existing intercom , plus users can privately call anyone logged in on the Unity server . An early challenge was to create a way for Unity users to effectively talk to hosts on IFB .
Normally this is a key pressed on an intercom panel that temporarily interrupts the host ’ s program sound foldback so that they may hear instructions from the control room . The solution was to dedicate specific channel paths for IFBs and , within the RTS system , program a logic statement that tells the intercom : “ When you hear sound on channel X , turn on IFB Y .” Our housebound producers can now have two-way conversations with on-air hosts in real time .
With over six months of use and over 150 active users , we have crafted a flexible and cost-effective solution for this very sudden shift in operations . We are expanding our use of this type of remote intercom system on an ongoing basis , and now that so many users have grown to depend on it , it will remain a key part of our communications far beyond the current pandemic .
CONTENT PRODUCTION The COVID-19 lockdown had an enormous impact on content production everywhere . In response , CBC launched a new show very early in the lockdown called What ’ re You At ?, hosted by Tom Power from CBC Radio ’ s q . The show , which aired on the main network and online on CBC Gem with interviews edited later for CBC Radio , talked to a variety of celebrities , musicians , and first responders about their lives and how they were dealing with the pandemic . With the use of our Unity technology , our host had the ability to interview guests using various social platforms such as Zoom , Skype , and FaceTime , right from his living room .
The control room utilized one CPU per guest , to a max capacity of five systems . A resources producer would call each guest and walk them through basic and advanced settings for their video and audio . This required knowledge of all the possible devices , OSs , and versions so we could guide everyone through the settings we required . Every effort was made to shut off most of the compression technology and disable anything “ auto ” in the applications . For musicians , we disabled everything in the advanced settings , since normal app settings are generally quite poor for broadcast .
Back in the control room , we used a Cedar DNS8Live for noise reduction that we had control over to help clean up unwanted sounds . Getting the guests to use an external microphone , if available , was always a better-sounding solution . When possible , we sent some guests a microphone to use in advance . Of course , the audio team always strives for the best possible sound quality while directors often want a wider shot with guests distanced from their screens – this is not ideal for sound quality when using a laptop ’ s built-in microphone .
RTS RVON was installed in Tom ’ s home and connected via a port into the CBC network with a Fortinet Gateway and a VPN tunnel
DIRECTOR HARBINDER SINGH & ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR CANDICE SMITH WORKING ON ROAD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN CONTROL 43 , TORONTO
to the Toronto Broadcasting Centre network . A small mixer , two microphones , and a return video monitor for Tom were installed along with robotic cameras that we could frame and shade remotely . Our video specialist was provided an RVON KP intercom panel to communicate with the control room from their home , where they also controlled the cameras . Through this VPN gateway , they could see full-resolution video and hear the audio . Tom monitored audio mainly through RVON , with LiveU as a backup and his cell phone as a third backup through a telephone hybrid .
LiveU transmission introduces approximately two seconds of latency , which creates issues when communicating with the guests . This is why an IP-based solution such as RVON was used for Tom to monitor and also to return his mic with almost zero latency to our control room , which we could then bus to the guests . This meant Tom and his guests communicated to each other with the smallest possible delay .
Our Calrec Apollo allows for four different direct outputs on every channel , each with their own delay , making it very flexible – especially as we were also isolating for CBC Radio , which did not reference any picture . The mics were each delayed to sync with the picture , but at a point further down the I / O path so that Tom and his guests did not hear those delays ; furthermore , sync would drift on many of these apps . The audio engineer would settle and find the ideal sync early , but not change it during the interview so our colleagues in post would not have to blindly chase which sync alterations had been done .
Musical performances were recorded in advance , but the technical quality varied even during a performance , so we decided early on to ask the artist to record themselves and send us the file , which the audio post team would sync up later . The goal was always to achieve the best possible live performance and the guest artists did a great job recording themselves . For those reasons , the show was sent to post-production for a final edit , as it could not be aired live .
A note : The Juno Awards were delayed due to COVID last March and later produced virtually , in a similar fashion with the same challenges present .
CBC ’ s post audio engineers have been continuing their work through the pandemic , working in suites that are continuously cleaned and sanitized between shifts . Audio engineers Don Dickson and Chris Welsh have been tag-teaming in-studio mixing of CBC ’ s communications work ( on-air program highlights and promos ) while their colleagues Rick Starks , Jody Ellis , and Ron Searles have been working remotely from their home studios , mixing for The National , What ’ re You At ?, CBC Arts , and CBC Kids . Much of the in-the-field work they receive is shot and recorded on iPhones or other simple setups . iZotope RX 7 has been important for some audio cleanup , but it ’ s been a surprisingly smooth workflow .
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