DHD audio announced that Radio Duchessa has chosen a DHD SX2 studio production console as the control hub of its newly established free-access online radio channel. The project was supervised by broadcast systems integration specialist BVmedia.

Radio Duchessa takes its name from Duchess Maria Luigia of Parma whose population gave her the nickname ‘good duchess’. Seat of the duchy of Parma and Piacenza, the city has long been characterised by its role in architecture, gastronomy, music, painting and sculpture.

“Radio Duchessa has ambitious plans for its new channel which it is promoting as the voice of Parma city,” comments Roberto Bellotti, BVmedia CEO. “It is already gearing to transmit via DAB+ across the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy. DHD products are inherently modular and highly configurable which gives customers the freedom to expand the system as their business model develops. They are also very operator friendly which is a great asset for broadcasters transmitting live, especially when working with in-studio or IP-connected guests.”

“Marco Bussolati, founder of Radio Duchessa, chose us as a systems integration partner following a demonstration of the SX2 at our Milan headquarters,” adds Roberto Zeccara, BVmedia Senior Project Manager. “We recommended a 10-channel solution configured to ensure signal continuity when switched to other locations such as live events outside the main studio. 

“DHD production equipment also has the advantage of interfacing closely with third-party hardware and software, including the radio automation system at Radio Duchessa’s Parma headquarters. The combination allows the channel to go on air without a physical console, through virtual channels that presenters can open on the central DHD matrix.

“The Radio Duchessa team also like the ability to swap out the programme feed from the studio to a backup unit or to a supporting recovery system. The DHD system allows sources and destinations to be changed easily based on automatic triggers such as silence detectors. Integral with the DHD system, Dante AoIP provides the basis for Gigabit Ethernet input/output connectivity.”

The DHD SX2 console is based on a four-fader central module. Integral display screens allow operators to see exactly how their console is performing both from connectivity and signal level perspectives. The central module gives access to the most important audio inputs and outputs. A microphone input and headphone output are included and loudspeakers can be connected directly to this unit. 

SX2 consoles expand beyond four channels by adding one or more module with six motorised faders each. This allows the integration of up to 20 channels. Central and fader modules each incorporate a 10.1 inch multi-touch display showing relevant configuration and operating parameters. SX2 features can be extended simply by adding optional license codes to the DSP core, allowing extra faders, busses and clean-feeds. Functions such as loudness metering and talkback to other DHD mixers are also supported.