Radio Rosestad 100.6 FM Takes Advantage Of Calrec's Type R

South African community radio station Radio Rosestad 100.6 FM in Bloemfontein is the latest community radio station in the country to take advantage of Calrec's Type R for Radio console.

This was achieved with the help of pro audio systems integrator Creative Kilowat Productions and Calrec's South African distributor, Wild & Marr. The station now has a six-fader Type R console with one large soft panel (LSP), plus a small soft panel (SSP) for exclusive use by guests.

Bernie Naude, General Manager at Radio Rosestad, said: "South Africa is a very diverse country with 11 languages spoken and many communities in one area. The community radio concept recognises that they all have specific needs to address. When we identified that we needed to switch to an IP infrastructure, our systems integrator introduced us to the Calrec Type R for Radio. We were impressed by the technology and the Type R is such an easy-to-use system.

"We were up and running with multiple operators quickly and easily due to the flexibility of the consoles – operators have their own settings and they have access to exactly what they need. It means that even though the technology is so advanced, it remains easy to use."

Naude also highlighted Calrec's free online training as a good grounding which meant "everyone started at the same level". Within 10 minutes of the first show the station was running smoothly. "We've also been able to give guests the opportunity to use the equipment. We use an SSP as a second screen so a guest can adjust his/ her own headphone levels and use the cough button without interrupting the output; syncing the timer for them onscreen is great for guests too," he added.

Stefan Van Biljon, owner at Creative Kilowat Productions commented: "In the regions, budgets are often lower than they are in the large cities and radio stations don’t buy for what they need now, they buy for the future. Radio Rosestad was looking for scalability, – the station has bold expansion plans and wanted the same operation and ease of use. Because the Type R core supports multiple mix environments, they don’t have to invest as much in hardware for future expansion."

calrec.com