Globally active news broadcaster expands its London production facility with custom consoles module-R and MediaWall

Custom Consoles announces the completion of control-room desks from its Module-R series, plus MediaWall monitor supports, for the London studios of a globally active news broadcaster. The newly completed facility includes a production control-room desk, master control-room desk and two studio control-room desks.

“This project demonstrates more than most the very high level of configurability made possible by our modular approach to control-room desk and monitor display system design,” says Gary Fuller, Sales Manager at Custom Consoles. “The customer is among the largest organisations in the international media industry and one with for whom we have worked successfully for many years.”

Designed for use by a team of up to eight operators, the production control-room desk is a 14-bay in-line structure facing a 7 metre wide MediaWall multiscreen display. A Grass Valley video production control panel is integrated into the three central bays of the worktop. Each of the adjacent bays incorporates a 3U high sloping-front equipment pod plus rear-attached supports for a 22 inch computer display panels. The MediaWall is equipped with eight 55 inch video monitor displays in four panels wide by two high configuration plus near-field active monitor loudspeakers and related equipment.

The MCR desk comprises 12-bays in-line, eight of which incorporate 4U high sloping-front equipment pods with rear-attached computer monitors. This is configured for use by up to nine operators.

Largest of the two studio control-room desks is an L-shaped four-bay forward-facing sound control desk with a 12-fader Calrec audio production mixer integrated across the mid-left bay. A side desk located at the right extends 2.3 metres towards a freestanding 40-fader Calrec audio production console positioned to create a U-shaped workspace for the two operators. The four-bay and side desks are fitted with 24 inch computer monitor panels on individually adjustable support arms. Both operators face a MediaWall supporting two 55 inch video monitors positioned side by side plus 24 inch master vision displays and near-field active monitor loudspeakers.

Second of the studio control-room desks is an L-shaped single-operator structure comprising a three-bay-wide Module-R and 2.6 metre right-hand unit including a 13U high floor-to-desktop equipment bay and 6U high worktop equipment pod. This desk faces a 1.6 metre wide MediaWall supporting a 55 in video display screen, two 24 inch master vision displays and near-field active monitor loudspeakers. A 24 inch computer monitor screen is attach to the rear of the desk directly above each of three sloping-front equipment pods, augmented by two additional monitors positioned one above the other along the right-hand desk.

All four desks are in a coordinated style with grey Marmoleum front and rear worktops with matching grey side panels and black PVC edging.

Custom Consoles’ Module-R series is mix-and-matchable control-room furniture system designed to allow aesthetically attractive and long-life broadcast control-room furniture to be created on a project-specific basis from a range of high-quality pods, base sections, 19 inch rack housings, worktops, end-panel modules and legs. Coordinated desktop-level pods are available as single-bay sections with up 10U chassis capacity. The series includes high-quality single-bay, dual-bay and triple-bay desk sections with front or rear access, work surfaces in matching widths, corner desk sections with integral worktops, slide-out keyboard drawers, equipment pods with 3, 6, 8 or 13U capacity, storage pedestals and equipment bays. Custom Consoles also offers a Module-R Lite variant for use in latest-generation IT-based studios or where space is at a premium. The front to back depth of Module-R Lite is 95 cm compared with the 120 cm depth of Module-R.

Introduced in 2006 and widely adopted by broadcasters, media production companies and security service providers around the world, Custom Consoles’ MediaWall allows flat-screen monitor displays of practically any width to be constructed from standard horizontal and vertical support elements. MediaWall can be used as a fully self-supporting structure or coupled directly to the studio wall. Individual screens can be positioned so that the edges meet exactly to form a continuous horizontal display limited only by the boundary of the monitor panel itself. All wiring is fully concealed and can enter or leave the structure at any desired point. MediaWall is available in any specified element widths. BCS Bureau