By Mark Ruddy, WVIA Radio, Pittston, PA.

In 2023, WVIA started the process of looking for a replacement for our radio infrastructure, moving away from our 18-year-old audio routing console system and modernizing to audio over IP. While detailed research was done on the different variations of audio over IP and the manufacturers who make the equipment, we ended up deciding to build a Livewire AoIP network due to its ease of functionality, considering the gear we had acquired that was already Livewire-ready. This meant that we were now focused on choosing an Axia mixing console.

WVIA Radio is a public radio station affiliated with NPR that serves Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania through five transmitters and ten translators. In addition to local news hosts, we also air blocks of classical and contemporary programming with operators in the studio.

Although there are some great virtual consoles on the market today, we needed to stick with a traditional broadcast console. There were a few requirements for a new console: it had to be operator-friendly; it needed to be integrated as much as possible with Wide Orbit Automation for Radio, and it needed to look impressive, since our radio studio is on the station tour route. Through input from Telos Alliance (and current customers), Wide Orbit, and other radio engineers in our market, I realized that the Axia Quasar console was going to provide everything that we were going to need, and more.

Axia Quasar XR mixing console.

Quasar goes into a lot of detail with settings and parameters; it is very flexible from an engineering and configuration standpoint. However, for the normal day-to-day operator, what they experience is a result of those settings, and the console is not at all complicated for the user. They can host their show with a sense of familiarity, and the Quasar can be set up so that it’s difficult to change critical settings accidentally.

We will also be installing a Telos VX telephone system, and it is great to know that Quasar can handle call controls and be able to effectively integrate seamlessly. 

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

Quasar Soft is an optional remote mixer available for the Quasar console and it has already proven valuable for handling live broadcasts. Operating the console as if you were sitting in the studio eliminates surprises and ensures you get on the air as planned. The motorized faders of the Quasar XR allow anyone who walks in to be clear about how the console is set up, even while controlled remotely.

Finally, I am very impressed with the Axia Quasar Engine that is needed for the console. In addition to the various console audio outputs, we are utilizing several of the Quasar’s built-in virtual mixers (or V-Mix) to be able to control feeds for different air paths and our HD Radio subchannels. In addition, a V-Mix allows us to utilize Wide Orbit’s failover system as intended to keep our programming on the air in the event of an automation server issue.

Mark Ruddy shows off WVIA's Quasar XR mixing console.

Even though it is new to us, Quasar is already doing a heavy lift, and I believe it will serve our station well for many years to come.

About the author: Mark Ruddy is a broadcast engineer and IT expert with more than 20 years' experience. He is the Broadcast TV and Radio Chief Engineer of WVIA TV / FM in Pittston, Pennsylvania.