Ross Production Services (RPS) has recently added a new piece of Calrec technology. It is its fifth 96-channel Brio audio console. The console is installed in one of RPS’s six-camera OB sprinter vans. With this purchase three of their trucks content Calrec technology including its 12-camera 40-foot units.

RPS is Ross Video’s in-house production services division, and the team produce between 150-200 events a year, including live sports and esports. Last fall, RPS finished building a studio facility in Connecticut that features a 72-fader Calrec Apollo and two more Brios. There, the production company will set the production of EA’s Madden NFL 21 Championship Series putting the Brios and Apollo to use.

“Our preference is of course to use Ross equipment first, and about 95 percent of the gear in our trucks is Ross, but audio is the exception. We will be fully standardizing on Calrec desks moving forward. There’s no question that Calrec is the industry standard for quality audio, and that’s something our team has been lacking for a long time,” has affirmed Matthew Webster, Technology Manager at RPS.

The company Technology Manager has assured that the Calrec Apollo and Brio shone when used on EA’s Madden work because of their hyper-connectivity and flexible resource-sharing. When it comes to the Sprinter OB units, the small form of the Brio was the biggest reason for its election.

“We’re using Calrec’s Hydra2 network and the MADI interface for all of our connections. With Hydra2, our consoles can be connected to any studio at any time and any feed can be controlled by any desk. Each of our control rooms has its own dedicated router and each router sends its MADI to a single I/O box. The only reason we’re not doing AoIP right now is because we’re in a growth phase with Ross Production Services, and our MADI/Hydra2 setup is a great ecosystem for us to be in at the moment. Our operators love it and it cuts down on busy work for them,” he said.