By Nicklas Strömberg

Mad Men Media AB is a Swedish radio production company that has been operating multiple FM radio stations across Sweden since 2013. In late 2024, MMM was awarded a national radio license in Finland—an achievement won in fierce competition against several domestic and international media companies.
During the spring of 2025, we began planning the hardware for the new station, POPfm. Since our three existing studios in Sweden are all built using Telos equipment and the Livewire protocol, the choice for the Finnish operation was straightforward. We launched a project to determine what needed to be acquired and how we could best integrate it with our existing technology infrastructure in Sweden.

For simplicity and efficiency, all equipment was delivered to our office in Sweden, where it was configured in advance. Choosing Telos's Swedish reseller Soundware was a natural decision, given their expertise and track record.

Main control room of Mad Men Media's POPfm, with Axia Quasar SR mixing console.

For the main studio, we selected a 16-fader Axia Quasar SR, and for the smaller studio, an Axia Altus virtual mixer. Both studios use Axia StudioCore for I/O, and they share a Telos VXs telephone system. Several audio links between Sweden and Finland were also established using Telos Zephyr, and of course, everything is managed via Axia Pathfinder.

Axia Altus virtual mixing console (at left) in POPfm's second studio.

When it came to selecting an audio processor, our preference was the Omnia.9, which has served us flawlessly in Sweden for years. However, with the industry moving toward software-based audio processing, we were considering either the Omnia Enterprise 9s or a more affordable software option from another manufacturer.

Axia Quasar SR master module: full customizable touchscreen control.

One key factor was the price per processor license, as we needed six processors for the main feed server and another six for hot backup processors running on a separate backup server. To make an informed decision, both manufacturers provided demo licenses so we could test the processors and their uMPX feeds, which would be sent over IP links to our broadcast service provider. In terms of sound quality and functionality, both options were comparable; however, when it came to support, we had to choose between Telos' well-known 24/7 expert support and the alternative: a small team with limited availability and an online forum where answers were often speculative. Despite the price difference, we chose Omnia Enterprise 9s — support made the difference.

AoIP makes it easy: mixing engines, compact I/O, codecs and audio processing servers

Beyond Telos’ excellent support, we are also impressed by the many talented people behind the scenes who both assisted us professionally in selecting products, and with software installation for Altus, Zephyr, VXs, and Pathfinder.

Whether you're building a studio from scratch, need a turnkey solution, or something in between, having Telos Alliance as a trusted supplier and partner always feels like the right choice.

About the author: NIcklas Strömberg is a freelance audio engineer based in Trelleborg, Sweden. His career includes more than 35 years of IT and broadcast audio expertise.