Anytime a new Omnia processor is announced, friends across the industry think of Frank Foti. And that's natural, since Frank is not only Telos Alliance CEO, but the founder of Omnia Audio and still very active in the development of Omnia Audio products—most notably the powerhouse Omnia.11. You might also hear the names Cornelius Gould and Leif Claesson. As Senior Algorithm Developer for Omnia, Cornelius gets applause for devising how to tweak Omnia processors to get just the right sound, while Leif receives accolades as the developer of the Omnia.7 and Omnia.9. But there's another key member of the Omnia brain trust who sometimes doesn't get the attention he deserves—Chief Engineer Rob Dye.

We sat down with Rob recently to get his thoughts on Omnia processors and the Telos Alliance, and to learn a little more about this unsung hero.

Cornelius Gould, Geoff Steadman, and Rob Dye sound off on creating the world’s best-sounding 1RU broadcast audio processor, the newly released Omnia VOLT.

Omnia VOLT is a 1RU processor like Omnia ONE. What is the difference between the two?

VOLT shares some technology with the ONE, including some time-tested circuit design including I/O hardened for harsh environments. That's where the similarity ends. VOLT’s new software framework represents a major step forward from the ONE in terms of sound, functionality, and value. VOLT has capabilities we just could not fit in the ONE, like a fifth-band AGC, interactive crossovers, Stereo Enhancer, patch points for watermarking, HTML-5 GUI, and our new QuickTweak system; the list goes on. VOLT will take over as our main 1RU processor offering, and maintains the price point of the ONE. The ONE is a great act to follow. With more than 13,000 units installed, it is the best-selling audio processor ever made, and we’ll continue to sell it for some time. VOLT carries on that rugged, built-like-a-tank tradition. Omnia fans are going to love it, and others will be won over.

Around this time every year, we introduce several new products coinciding with the big NAB show in Las Vegas. This year we were rewarded for all our hard work in product development as the proud recipient of three NewBay Best of Show Awards! From Telos Alliance's Radio Division NewBay recognized the Omnia VOLT™ broadcast audio processor and 25-Seven TVC-15 watermark analyzer and monitor, while on the TV Solutions Group side, Linear Acoustic was recognized for the AMS Authoring and Monitoring System. All three products were awarded Best in Show Awards for their innovation, feature set, cost efficiency, and performance in serving the broadcast industry.

"We are honored to receive these distinguished awards from NewBay," says Frank Foti, CEO of the Telos Alliance. "At Telos Alliance we are always pushing hard to create products that not only give our broadcasting family the solutions they need, but that are better, more innovative, and have incredible performance. It's gratifying to see the industry recognize that work."