Vivid Broadcast Expands Remote Production With Calrec Argo M And Type R

Vivid Broadcast has consolidated its remote production workflows around Calrec technology, integrating True Control 2.0-enabled Argo M and Type R consoles across its operation. The Surrey-based company, an early adopter of remote production well before it became mainstream, says the move equips it to handle a wide variety of live broadcast demands.

At the heart of the rollout is a 36-fader Argo M and multiple compact Type R control surfaces installed at Vivid's Remote Production Centre (RPC). A newly launched 48-fader Argo M also fronts the company's next-generation Barra outside broadcast (OB) unit. The combination is designed to accommodate different production processes and budgets without compromising performance.

"Flexibility has to be at the heart of any remote production set up and our investment in Calrec really supports this," explains Francis Cousins, Vivid Broadcast's Head of Technical Innovation. "It was vital for us to have a range of solutions that gave each gallery or production the tools they need to do the job while working within budget. Our partnership with Calrec has been central to this."

Barra is already in service on Sky Sports Women's Super League coverage, feeding directly into Sky's Osterley galleries. Vivid Broadcast's Sound Guarantee, Simon Cox, says the 48-fader Argo M is a strong fit for the remote unit and detailed how signals are routed into the console on match days. "To bring the audio into the desk, we use a combination of AES67 audio interfaces deployed within the stadium, combined with traditional backups to fulfil contractual requirements. This incorporates some of the surface's local I/O alongside the AoIP links to the main network stack, allowing for Dante, MADI and analogue cards to be installed into the Calrec modular I/O. This combination allows for easy integration with third-party baseband equipment, whilst allowing for the deployment of Calrec Fixed Format I/O to keep everything in the digital domain where possible."

The RPC ties together Vivid's four-camera remote vans, the 20-camera Barra unit, cloud production platforms and third-party client broadcast centres, enabling teams to work more efficiently and sustainably. Engineers can manage systems remotely via Calrec Assist, while Calrec Connect simplifies IP stream configuration and management across the company's AoIP infrastructure.

Built for flexibility, the RPC allows sound control rooms to span multiple galleries. A 36-fader Argo M anchors Sound Control Room 1, supported by four virtual mixers distributed across two Type R control surfaces placed in different galleries. "During a production, the Type Rs can be driven by our Bitfocus Buttons automation/control system, enabling a single supervising engineer to sit across all galleries and make fine adjustments to the mixes," explains Cox. "For more ambitious projects, the Type Rs can be driven from the main Argo surface via True Control 2.0, equipping engineers with a powerful amount of control and easy access to the wider facility."

Vivid's modular approach lets it serve sport, entertainment, corporate, fashion and hybrid productions with the same core toolset. "We have always looked for equipment that supports powerful external control and monitoring to give engineers a granular level of visibility from any remote location, explains Cousins. Calrec's well-featured hardware and web interfaces are critical in achieving this alongside their strong integrations and support."

"Just like with traditional OBs, each remote project has its own requirements and can utilise a number of workflows," Cousins adds. "We aimed to create a scalable environment that can embrace many different production processes to offer production teams the same gallery experience whether they are working in a traditional workflow with all signals returning to the RPC, a cloud operation, or a hybrid.

"The remote sound area can operate efficiently with a single guarantee or accommodate a dedicated sound supervisor when required, while the Argo M supports both on-site mixing and comprehensive embedding and distribution across all channels. Calrec's True Control 2.0 and integrated I/O means our Barra unit also enables seamless synchronisation whether it is feeding into a client's gallery, such as Sky, or back to our own RPC, allowing off-site sound supervisors full control of gain structure in real time."

Vivid Broadcast's Director and Co-Founder, Rory Springthorpe, said the company is seeing clear benefits from True Control 2.0 across both Barra and the RPC. "Calrec's infrastructure sits at the core of all our WSL productions, whether that's the larger productions for Sky, the remote workflow with Aurora Media Worldwide, or the BBC's Women's Football Show.

"We know Calrec is committed to developing the right remote workflows and delivering a range of solutions depending on the requirements, recognising each remote production workflow can be unique whilst still ensuring the same level of redundancy and operation."

Calrec Regional Sales Manager, Anthony Harrison, said the partnership reflects a broader industry shift. "Vivid Broadcast is a prime example of how the industry is evolving," says Calrec Regional Sales Manager, Anthony Harrison. "Productions are no longer defined by physical location, and the demand for flexible, distributed workflows is only accelerating. Like Vivid, we've been developing remote broadcast workflows since 2016, and our goal has always been to give engineers the tools and control they need wherever they're working; whether that's in a truck, a remote production centre, or a hybrid of both."

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