The broadcast audio industry is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, IP-based audio transport, and cloud-based production tools. These technologies are offering broadcasters unprecedented flexibility, efficiency, and creative possibilities.
In a recent roundtable discussion, industry experts explored the impact of these advancements and offered insights into the future of broadcast audio. AI is poised to play a significant role in audio processing, streamlining workflows and enhancing audio quality. "In future, AI will help to polish the audio, and today’s requirement of having to capture audio as perfectly as possible will be “softened”. AI will not only optimize the audio but also offer additional functions such as transcription," said Tobias von Allwörden, manager, broadcast and film, Sennheiser.
The adoption of IP-based audio transport is also revolutionizing broadcast workflows. "Lawo prefers to stick to open-standards IP. Our audio products are firmly rooted in the Ravenna protocol, which allows our customers to achieve what they have in mind, regardless of the size and distribution of their production setups," said Chris Scheck, head of marketing content, Lawo.
Cloud-based production tools are offering broadcasters greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness. "Virtualized headless mixers have been around for a while in the cloud, but newer developments like Calrec’s ImPulseV Cloud mixing engine are giving broadcasters the opportunity to flex their DSP resources to match the requirements of a production," said Henry Goodman, director of product management, Calrec. "This is very different to traditional processing models which require broadcasters to buy enough DSP hardware resources to cater for their biggest event of the year, leaving DSP capacity unused for much of the year."
"Cloud-based production tools are far more flexible and require a significantly lower up-front investment," said Chris Scheck. "This is why Lawo offers the possibility to build so-called private clouds of wholly-owned standard servers."
The move towards cloud-based production is opening up new possibilities for content creation. "The cloud has the potential to change how and where we produce content; it opens up access in similar ways that AoIP did years ago in that we can move content around easier and faster than before," said Dee McVicker, marketing director, Wheatstone. "With this comes a whole host of possibilities, such as servers located at the home studio that might be useful to spin up instances of mixing or streaming or processing by event or show. We think of cloud and server software like our Layers Software Suite as another extension of the studio and AoIP network."
Advancements in wireless technology are also enhancing broadcast workflows. "From a wireless microphone and IFB standpoint, the equipment and infrastructure required to cover large events or a multi-studio facility where users need to seamlessly move between studios without audio interruption will become simpler and more streamlined with WMAS developments," said Chris Phillips, technical applications engineering, Sennheiser. "These systems can accommodate multiple IFB and microphone audio links on the same WMAS RF carrier for more channels in less spectrum. For example, both the microphone and IFB can share the same bodypack. This newfound capability holds the promise of delivering a more seamless and efficient wireless experience, setting the stage for a new chapter in the evolution of wireless technology."
The future of broadcast audio is one of flexibility and scalability. "Flexibility is everything, and our customers are already pushing the boundaries of what is possible," said Henry Goodman. "The adoption of IP has been a real enabler; the combination of asynchronous processing of the audio and video with reliable and dedicated connectivity has provided broadcasters with the ability to really push the limits of remote, distributed and hybrid working."
AI is expected to further enhance broadcast workflows and open up new possibilities. "AI will become better at real-time workflows and generative use cases; some AI-based tools can already mix a live sporting event or deconstruct mixes in the file-based domain back to stems," said Larry Schindel, senior product manager, Telos Alliance. "Virtual announcers, language translation, and captioning will be some of the first use cases for generative AI in audio. And finally, AI-based QC will be able to offer a much more in-depth analysis than what is typically delivered today."
"The true value of innovation lies in the flexibility it brings," said Chris Scheck. "Users of Lawo mc² consoles, for instance, can now host their DSP processing either inside the trusted and ever-evolving A UHD Core, or using the Home mc² DSP app—whichever makes more sense for the production at hand. Removing boundaries and enabling even more effective workflows for operators, whether automated or not, will remain the name of the game."