A NEW

RADIO
WORLD
EBOOK

Problem-Solvers
for Radio Gadgets, widgets and other lifesavers!

Sponsored by

Angry Audio • AudioScience • Broadcast Tools • Henry Engineering • Inovonics JULY 2022
 July 2022 eBook
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CONTENT
Managing Director, Content & Editor in Chief Paul J. McLane,
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Content Producer & SmartBrief Editor Elle Kehres,
elle.kehres@futurenet.com
Technical Advisors Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin Widgets, boxes and other products
Technical Editor, RW Engineering Extra W.C. “Cris” Alexander
Contributors: Susan Ashworth, David Bialik, John Bisset, Edwin Bukont,
that answer special needs

S
James Careless, Ken Deutsch, Mark Durenberger, Charles Fitch, Donna Halper,
Alan Jurison, Paul Kaminski, John Kean, Gary Kline, Larry Langford, Mark Lapidus,
mall boxes and widgets
Michael LeClair, Frank McCoy, Jim Peck, Mark Persons, Stephen M. Poole,
James O’Neal, John Schneider, Dan Slentz, Dennis Sloatman, Randy Stine,
can be lifesavers for a radio
Tom Vernon, Jennifer Waits, Steve Walker, Chris Wygal studio or RF project. But
Production Manager Nicole Schilling these invaluable problem-
Managing Design Director Nicole Cobban solvers usually don’t get the
Senior Design Directors Lisa McIntosh and Will Shum attention that a sexy new
ADVERTISING SALES transmitter or audio processor does.
Senior Business Director & Publisher, Radio World Paul
This Radio World ebook changes that,
John Casey, john.casey@futurenet.com, 845-678-3839 McLane
Publisher, Radio World International uncovering great gizmos and solutions
Editor in Chief
Raffaella Calabrese, raffaella.calabrese@futurenet.com, +39-320-891-1938 — programmable studio signal lights
SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE and controllers, silence sensors, AES
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Radio World is available for licensing. Contact the To create our sampling of creative and clever solutions,
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Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com
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MANAGEMENT about their faves. The results are in the following pages.
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We also interviewed our sponsors, five leading makers of
Vice President, Sales & Publishing, B2B Aaron Kern
Vice President, B2B Tech Group Carmel King such products: Angry Audio, AudioScience, Broadcast Tools,
Vice President, Sales, B2B Tech Group Adam Goldstein Henry Engineering and Inovonics. We asked them how they
Head of Production US & UK Mark Constance got into this product area, how they come up with their
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ideas and what they see ahead in technology.
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WORLD solve problems”
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of the little
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Broadcast
24
Tools: “Lean
and mean, and
Problem-Solvers going strong”

for Radio 28
AudioScience
Gadgets, widgets and other lifesavers!
specializes
Sponsored by in digital audio
Angry Audio • AudioScience • Broadcast Tools • Henry Engineering • Inovonics
peripherals
JULY 2022

RWE43.cover.indd 1 22/07/2022 15:17

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Epson LabelWorks LW-PX900

Radio World Engineering Extra Tech Editor Cris Alexander, DOE of
Crawford Broadcasting, considers this a “don’t leave home without
it” tool.
The LW-PX900 features high-speed print output so you can print
labels, bar codes, QR codes and wire identification labels.
“It spits out high-quality self-laminating wire labels that are easy
to apply, and it does every kind of other label that might be needed
in a broadcast facility as well,” Cris says. “With this handy device,
there’s no excuse for not having both ends of every wire labeled.”
The unit has a rugged body that meets MILSPEC drop test
specifications. It prints labels up to 1-1/2” wide.
Retail price is $299. It is available in a kit with label editor
software, USB cable, rechargeable battery, AC adapter, removable
magnet attachments and hard plastic case for $379.
Info: https://labelworks.epson.com/

4 CircuitWerkes SiteSentry2 and SiteSentry4

CW has redesigned these products for greater performance and
flexibility.
Each unit has six relay outputs and two status inputs. The SiteSentry
2 has two DC metering inputs, onboard temperature sensor and a
two-channel silence sensor. SiteSentry 4 has four DC metering inputs,
onboard temperature sensor and a two channel silence sensor with
balanced inputs.
Both can automatically detect meter low and meter overload
conditions on each channel. You can combine channels to create
IF/OR/AND alarm conditions. The internal temperature sensor can
respond to high- or low-temperature conditions. The audio inputs
monitor two channels of audio and can respond if either silence or
overload are detected on either, or both channels.
Each SiteSentry supports emailing and texting directly from the unit.
Emails or texts can be sent when alarms are detected or based on
time or external inputs.
Six relay outputs can be operated by the programmable clock/
event scheduler, or in response to alarm conditions or by Web control
from the user.
The SiteSentry will work in parallel with most older remote controls
to provide a rich Web experience complete with independent
alarm handler, logging with emailing and email/text message alarm A streaming audio option includes the ability to decode Shoutcast/
notifications. The company says users can upgrade old remote Icecast MP3 or Ogg-Vorbis audio streams. Decoded streams can serve
controls for a fraction of the cost of replacing them. as a backup STL. These products can also encode audio streams for
SiteSentry2 and 4 include a 50-event scheduler. Events can repeat confidence monitoring.
every day at a specific time for a month, then stop but to repeat again Retail prices range from $415 to $595.
the next year (for AM station pattern/power changes). Info: www.circuitwerkes.com

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface

According to Focusrite, this is its best-selling interface,
“sitting on the desks of a huge global community of
musicians, producers and home recordists.”
Justin Eggleton of Sole Source AV Supply tells us that
Scarlett interfaces “are in the top rank in their categories
anywhere you look.”
The Scarlett 2i2 provides two mic/line/instrument inputs,
allowing simultaneous recording and playback of up to two
channels with independently controllable headphone and
monitor outputs.
It features two third-generation Scarlett mic preamps, to record guitar or bass without any clipping or unwanted distortion,
with optional Air setting to reproduce the Air effect of Focusrite’s while Gain Halo metering makes it easy for you to set the input level.”
original ISA mic preamp, which the company says gives vocal and Connects to your Mac or PC via USB cable, with no external power
acoustic recordings a brighter and more open sound. required. Retail price is $219.99.
“The high-impedance, high-headroom instrument inputs allow you Info: https://focusrite.com/en/scarlett

Henry Engineering BackUPS

This failsafe power switcher automatically bypasses a failed (or failing)
uninterruptable power supply. If the BackUPS unit detects an unstable UPS
output (or no output), it switches to Direct Line power, bypassing the UPS
in milliseconds to prevent critical equipment shutdown.
Henry notes that many UPS units become “flaky” when the internal
battery ages. The output will drop, then come back on, repeating this cycle
until the unit fails completely.
“BackUPS instantly detects this failure and removes the UPS from the 5
circuit,” it says. “The UPS can now be removed for safe battery replacement
without having to shut down power to the load.”
Whenever UPS power is restored, the BackUPS Restart Timer monitors
the UPS output voltage for stability. Only when the output is stable for a
preset time (user adjustable, 10 sec. to 16 min.) will the UPS be switched
back into the circuit. BackUPS can be remotely controlled. Retail price: $325.
Info: https://henryeng.com/

Inovonics INOmini 223

Multimode Audio Processor
The company calls the 223 “an audio processing
powerhouse in a deceptively small package.”
The versatile DSP-based design is programmable
by the user to serve multiple broadcast applications
including NRSC-compliant AM broadcasting,
monaural FM service, TIS "roadside information"
transmissions, analog SCA subcarriers and a
full-bandwidth Studio Mode for microphone and
general production processing.
Problem-solving applications include handling
unbalanced audio for installations such as campus AM where Inovonics notes that with mono FM, the audio is simpler to control
they may be using consumer equipment; serving as a reliable and and there are no phase or balance issues to contend with. “If the goal
economic backup FM processor; and supporting a talk and sports is to send a stronger signal with less interference, the 223 monaural
formats where stereo is not important, and the main goal is to send processor is a great solution.” MSRP: $1,100.
strong audio programing out with the least amount of interference.   Info: https://www.inovonicsbroadcast.com/

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Broadcast Tools NetSwitch III

“Who doesn’t love free software,” Broadcast Tools asks, and darn
right, too!
NetSwitch III is a free PC-based control application for Broadcast
Tools switchers. You can use NetSwitch III to control switchers from a
computer with RS-232 serial commands, or over the network with TCP
or UDP commands, from a convenient graphical user interface.
The software includes an event scheduler that allows switchers to be
controlled automatically based on the day of the week and the time.
“NetSwitch III is a great way to add remote control capability to that
ACS 8.2 Plus, SS 4.1 MLR or other Broadcast Tools switcher you might
already have,” the manufacturer says. “But it’s not limited to Broadcast
Tools products, you can create a custom profile with your own labels
and control strings for other devices as well.”
NetSwitch III can be downloaded free from the BT website and is
compatible with Windows 7/8/10.
Info: http://broadcasttools.com

6
AudioScience IYO Dante Audio Interfaces
“Free your rack today” is the pitch from AudioScience for this cost- you money and rack space.
effective family of microphone/line Dante AoIP interfaces with AES67. IYO devices feature an embedded web server, allowing
They provide connectivity whether you need 8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 16 configuration and monitoring of input and output levels. Routing is
in or out, or even 32 in or out. The interfaces utilize Dante, which is achieved using the Dante Controller. RGB LEDs on the front panel
also compatible with AES67 so that you can easily connect to an Axia show per channel audio levels and streaming status.
network and use Pathfinder to create routes and stack events.  Retail price range: $2,034 to $4,314.
One IYO Dante unit will replace two to four IP audio nodes, saving Info: www.audioscience.com/internet/products/dante/iyo_dante.htm

NotaBotYet M-Mount Pro

This product was created by a studio designer facing a problem: how to
mount cameras in an unobtrusive yet elegant manner in radio studios,
while keeping the feel of the room’s design features.
M-Mount Pro (retail $85) is designed to fit the slot of M!ka System Poles
commonly used in our industry’s studios. This camera mount is an easy
way to mount that Mevo camera or new “Camera One” system from
Broadcast Bionics.
The articulating arm is capable of mounting nearly any camera up
to 4.4 lbs (2 kg) and can also be used to mount other devices with
1/4-20 mounting holes such as small speakers or small camera lights,
small camera monitors, mobile devices and more. “And the best part
of it all is you don’t have to build that new studio to use M-Mount Pro,”
NotaBot adds.
It works in any existing studio that has M!ka System Poles or where the
poles can be added.
Info: https://notabotyet.com/

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Angry Audio Studio Signal Light

There are two parts to this: the Studio Signal Light and the Studio Signal
Light Gadget.
The light is the tally tower, available in one to five segments. Each segment is
user-programmable to illuminate steady-state, flashing or rotating. Light up the tally
segments with 12VDC. 
The Gadget is the interface and driver to light them up. The Gadget provides
opto-isolated inputs for various logic levels. Control from your console or other GPO
is easy. Also, manual switches on the front panel can be used to control the tallies. 
Angry Audio says the Gadget works great with tally lights from other vendors too. 
MSRP for the Studio Signal Lights range from $99 to $139, depending on number
of segments. MSRP for the Studio Signal Light Gadget is $279.
Info: https://angryaudio.com

7
 Problem-Solvers for Radio
Inovonics: “We like to
solve problems”
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the company finds utility products a good investment
I
novonics Inc. turns 50 this year. Its first products
in the early 1970s were drop-in, replacement tape
recorder electronics assemblies for Ampex reel-
to-reel tape recorders.
Today the company’s product line is led by full-
size, specialized broadcast boxes including a new
family of HD Radio mod monitors.
But Inovonics also features a product line called
INOminis. These occupy one-third or one-half of a
rack width and generally cost under $1,000. That line
includes audio processors, off-air monitor/receivers, RDS
encoders and more.
Ben Barber is president/CEO of the company.
How does a firm like Inovonics get into making
utility products?
8 Ben Barber: It goes back to the idea of our founder
Jim Wood and me being engineers and experimenters.
We’ve always been the kids who wanted to make
something but maybe couldn’t afford to buy it, so we
breadboarded one up.
It was fun to put things together and design small
products.
Our first INOmini product was an RDS encoder,
because not everybody wanted to spend thousands of
dollars, they just needed a simple, reliable RDS encoder.
Not all INOmini products are big sellers but we have
them in our line because if we have a problem-solver,
a customer might ask, “OK, what else does Inovonics
have?” Maybe the INOmini will be a gateway to them
being interested in a big HD mod monitor. Or maybe
they need an MPX decoder, which nobody else makes.
Our idea was to make a little box that goes at
the translator site and listens to the off-air
signal. … It emails or texts you if that site goes
off the air.
radioworld.com | July 2022
What’s your process for deciding what to build?
Barber: Usually an engineer comes to us and says,
“Nobody does this, and we think that the industry needs
it.” So we poll a few friends, we talk to people.
We’re not going to spend months of R&D developing
an INOmini; you’d never get your money back. But if it’s
something simple, like the 514 FM Multiplex Decoder,
then we’ll do it. Users of composite STLs often need left
and right AES audio out at the transmitter site; so we
made a decoder for it. That was fun. It was a good project.
Are these products made in your plant?
Barber: Oh, yeah, designed and manufactured
in our factory here. The only part that we do outside is
surface-mount assembly; we don’t have the room, the
technology nor the volume to justify that, so we have our
boards assembled in San Jose, about 30 miles from us in
Silicon Valley. Then we do the final assembly, install them
into the chassis and do final test. But everything is done
in the greater Bay Area.
We’ve quoted you in Radio World news
coverage about the headaches of supply chain
issues and the cost of parts.
Barber: I was just in a meeting with our director of
manufacturing. Normally we pay nine bucks for the SDR
radio in a SOFIA product. Now she’s finding them for
$130 each! For a chip.
What do we do? Our profit margins aren’t huge, and
that 120 bucks comes right out of the profit. It’s a good
chunk. She’s continuing to look, but who knows, we may
have to pay it.
 Problem-Solvers for Radio

And I’ve been annoyed

because my cheese costs
more than $10 a pound at the
grocery store! ... Do you find that
the evolution of technology toward
AoIP, networking and cloud affects
customer interest in utility
solutions?
Barber: I don’t think the widget is
being replaced by something in the
cloud. They’re low-volume, niche
things. It’s not like somebody’s writing
software to do what one of these
widgets do.

Do you have a favorite

product among your
utility products?
Barber: The INOmini FM RDS
SiteStreamer, our Model 635.
We have a local engineer who is
responsible for a 10-watt translator
down in a canyon about 50 miles from
here. He had absolutely no way of
knowing if that thing was on the air
or off the air, unless somebody called
him or the station and said, “You’ve
been off the air for three days, what’s 9
going on with you guys?”
So our idea was to make a little box
that goes at the translator site and
listens to the off-air signal. It’s not a
mod monitor, just a small box at the
remote site. It emails or texts you if
that site goes off the air. And you can
log into it through any web-enabled
device to see what’s going on. You can
even listen to the audio that’s feeding
that site. So if there’s a buzz or hum,
or one channel’s missing, you can
listen to that.
Everybody should have one at
every site.

In addition to INOminis, which occupy a third Above
Ben Barber
of a rack width, you have half-rack
products too.
Barber: We try to keep the price of manufacturing
down by making things compact, not having a big fancy
chassis, a big cool front panel and everything else.
Just in manufacturing, you can get to a couple hundred
bucks by the time you get a top cover and a bottom cover.
So we make things compact to try to keep the cost down.
This is a broader question, but what do you
think is the most important technical trend in our
radio industry today?
Barber: The advent of streaming. Because, you know,
someday, terrestrial radio is probably going to go away,
and everything is going to be IP-based, handshaking.
Anything else we should know?
Barber: Just keep the ideas coming in. We
probably get 10 ideas for every product that makes it to
market. But that’s what makes things interesting. And we
like to help people. We like to solve problems.

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Wheatstone Audioarts TS-1 Talent Station

The Audioarts TS-1 Talent Station is a studio-ready,
low-profile countertop turret for quickly adding guest,
news or producer positions to any studio.
It’s made for broadcast, with standard RJ-45 input to
any broadcast analog console and RJ-45 logic port for
talkback/cough buttons.  
You can daisy-chain two or more TS-1 talent
stations for talkback between multiple guests or news
announcers. The TS-1 takes all headphone types,
whether it’s a 16-ohm headphone with mini stereo jack
or a 600-ohm headphone with 1/4-inch jack. 
Wheatstone promises ruler-flat frequency response
up 15 kHz and 115 dB dynamic range through any
headphone. It lists for $258.
Info: https://wheatstone.com

MagicJack VoIP Service

Our colleague Cris Alexander uses these to get a dial tone at a remote
location without POTS service in a hurry.
Using your high-speed internet, you can make or receive unlimited
calls to connect anytime you want. The magicJack device uses
Voice Over Internet Protocol to allow you to receive unlimited calls
from the U.S. and Canada using an existing internet connection.
You can communicate using your computer or regular telephone.
12 No additional service is required. Features include voicemail, call
forwarding, automated call screening and call blocking.
With magicIN, you receive incoming calls; with magicOUT, you make
outgoing calls. Or you can combine them. The price of $49.99 includes
the device, an initial annual subscription and a companion app, along
with 12 months of both services or 15 months of either of the two one-
way services.
Info: https://www.magicjack.com

RME Fireface UCX II 40-Channel

USB Audio Interface
“This little audio Swiss army knife is a lifesaver when
walking into any ‘unknown’ audio broadcast situation,
especially when multiple ins and outs are required,” says
Andy Gladding, chief engineer at Salem Media of New York
and at WRHU(FM) at Hofstra University.
The half-rack unit can handle up to 40 audio channels,
has a PC or Mac controlled router/mixer built in and
supports analog, AES/SPDIF and ADAT protocols.
“It is a great way to get audio in and out of a PC as well
as translate multiple audio formats on the fly,” says Andy.
“It is also a great unit to use for ingesting large format /
multichannel audio sessions into a DAW out in the field. It
can even run off USB power.”
Retail price is $1,699.
Info: https://www.rme-audio.de/fireface-ucx-ii.html

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Broadcast Tools Silence Sentinel RJ

The Silence Sentinel RJ is an analog stereo silence detector,
quick to configure and easy to install, and with a built-in 2x1
switcher for automatic backup (failover) switching.
It’s designed to monitor any two stereo analog audio
sources for silence or an out-of-phase condition (polarity),
generate alarms and transparently switch to a backup
source using mechanically latching relays. When audio
returns it will automatically switch to the main input after
the restore delay.
Standard pinout RJ-45 audio jacks are used for the inputs
and output for plug-and-play installation. The Silence
Sentinel RJ features two SPDT tally relays, four SPST status/
alarm relays and four remote control inputs on pluggable
screw terminal blocks.
Configuration is done via front panel DIP switches.
Alarm delay times can be configured for up to 8 minutes
30 seconds in two-second increments, or up to 85 minutes
in 20-second increments. The silence detection threshold
can be configured for –20, –25, –30, or –35 dB below zero
reference. Retail price: $359.
Info: https://broadcasttools.com/

13
Henry Engineering PowerClamp TX
The PowerClamp model HP200-1-TX is a new
compact AC surge suppressor that is suitable
for broadcast station transmitter sites.
“This unit can be installed at the main
breaker panel, to eliminate or greatly
attenuate spikes and surges on the power
line,” the company explains.
“The TX unit is rated at 200,000 surge-amps-
per-phase and will clamp most spikes to
within 10 volts of normal voltage.”
This model is for split-phase power (120/240
volt) and is suitable for use with solid-state
transmitters and other equipment that uses
switching power supplies.
The new TX unit is $1,800, which is 25%
below the former model with the same
ratings. Other PowerClamp models are
available for three-phase WYE power at either
120/208 volts or 277/480 volts. Their parallel
installation prevents power loss and the need
for load matching.
PowerClamp units include a five-year, pro-
rated warranty.
Info: https://henryeng.com/powerclamp/

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio
Inovonics INOmini 300 AES Distribution Amp Plus
The INOmini 300 is a “one-in, three-out” distribution amplifier for
digital audio signals conforming to professional AES3 specifications.
The compact 300 uses digital signal processing (DSP) architecture
to offer additional features not commonly found in a simple “DA.” It
accepts any input sampling rate and can convert the output to the
usual rates between 32 and 192 kHz.
Features include a front-panel LCD display and jog wheel for easy
programing and display of alarms for audio loss and AES signal lock,
and display of channel status bit information for both professional
and consumer formats.
It has input/output rate conversion for any input rate to any
14 standard output rate (sample rates between 22.05 kHz and 192 kHz).
Angry Audio Chameleon C4 AI Audio Processor
Consistent quality and loudness can be hard to achieve on a live
stream, and even harder if you’re busy managing a bunch of them.
Angry Audio points out that radio program audio processors work
well but were designed for a different application; they also can be
expensive and are hard to set up.
The Chameleon C4 is Angry’s solution. Controlled by a form of
artificial intelligence, it analyzes the incoming audio and continually
adjusts its parameters to fit the content.
“Rather than the usual bazillion knobs and buttons, C4 automates
all that complexity. No need for that expert. Just hook it up, flip a few
switches and Chameleon gets right to work.”
radioworld.com | July 2022
It also features +/-30 dB independent adjustment of the program
audio levels for each of the three outputs; provision for audio
channel phase inversion, channel swap and monaural from left to
right; and a front-panel headphone jack for monitoring the audio
program signal.
How would you use it? You might connect your broadcast audio
processor AES output to the 300 and distribute AES-digital audio to
the main and back-up transmitters; the third AES audio output could
be used for monitoring or recording the audio. Or use the 300 to
provide a backup audio chain with variable outputs, or to distribute
programed audio to three different points in your studio or building. It
retails for $790.
Info: https://www.inovonicsbroadcast.com/
The processor was designed by Cornelius Gould to deliver
loudness, consistency, punch and clarity, with an open and
natural sound.
Angry Audio included a precision loudness controller with which
you can set a loudness target from –24 to –14 LUFS via a calibration
control (if you choose to use it). So you can comply with loudness
standards from Apple, YouTube, AES (proposed), Amazon and others.
Applications include radio pre-processing, TV audio, remotes, inter-
studio feeds, network head-ends and auxiliary HD channels. Retail
price is $999.
Info: https://angryaudio.com
 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Broadcast Tools Smart Relay 4 G2

In broadcast engineering it’s not uncommon to come across a
problem that can be solved by adding a relay.
For example, Broadcast Tools notes, you might have a
device that provides an open collector status output that’s
not capable of driving the LED indicator you need to control.
Or the device does have dry contact relay output but it
only provides a SPST normally open contact and you need
normally closed.
The Smart Relay 4 G2 is intended to make it easy to add
this functionality. Retail price is $249.
It provides four independent GPIO interfaces in one box.
Each of the four relay interface sections is equipped with two
optically isolated inputs which control a 2PDT relay output.
This makes it suitable for converting different logic levels to
contact closures.
Each relay section can be configured for one of 15 logic
modes using a USB-serial connection. For example, time
delays may be programmed from 50 ms to 99 hours, 59
minutes, 59.99 seconds. Other capabilities include sustained
contact to pulse conversion, rising and/or falling edge
pulse conversion, latching (flip-flop), toggle action, dual
alternate action and boolean logic functions like XOR, AND,
NAND, OR, NOR.
Info: https://broadcasttools.com/

15

Iyo Dante: 32x32 channels of audio-over-IP.

AES67 interoperability. All in a single RU.
What real world users are saying
about Iyo Dante from AudioScience:

“In our station environment we have a

performance space where Iyo Dante is
perfect for having multiple microphones
and monitor outputs. The Iyo Dante 32.32 21 Configurations to Meet Your Needs
Terminal Block, DB-25 or RJ-45/StudioHub + GPIO
is equivalent to having 4 nodes that
take up 2 rack spaces. The inputs can
be routed through a console, or a virtual mixer. I am quite impressed with the versatility of this AOIP interface unit. It will
communicate with Axia Audio in both directions using AES67 and SHOUTcast formats. The IYO shows up on the routing
tables in Axia Pathfinder so creating routes and stack events works very well.”
– Mark H. Voris, CE Spirit Catholic Radio Network

Free your rack today: 302-235-7109 or email salesasi@audioscience.com

T H E A U D I O I / O C O M P A N Y.

22111RW_ebook_5.indd 1 7/18/22 1:09 PM

 Problem-Solvers for Radio
Angry Audio sweats the small stuff
Mike Dosch embraces the world of gadgets and gizmos
A
ngry Audio makes professional audio
problem-solvers for radio, television, live
and recording applications, including the
StudioHub line, which it acquired in 2020.
Owner Mike Dosch worked in console
design and senior management at Pacific
Research & Engineering. He joined Telos Alliance in 1999 as
managing director and led the launch of its Axia division;
he later spent five years at Lawo as special assistant to the
CEO and senior product manager before starting Angry
Audio in 2019.
What prompted you to do this?
Mike Dosch: I wanted to build a smaller company to
focus on smaller products — nothing that cost more than
a thousand bucks. After so many years of building $30,000
products, it seemed like it would be fun.
Our first product was the Balancing Gadget. It’s based
on a circuit idea I had been working on at PR&E. It
16 converts unbalanced to balanced audio in a novel way.
Most of our products are focused on solving one or two
problems simply.
How did you come up with the company name?
Dosch: I wish I had a great story for it. But everyone
asks, so I know it works.
It doesn’t necessarily reflect your state of mind?
Dosch: No! But I get that sometimes.
We’re making some products that I hope will cross over
into the house-of-worship market. Mike Uhl, who works
with us, asked me if we should change the name and logo. I
said no. He said, “Well, the logo looks kind of demon-like …”
Maybe you could change the name to
“Respectfully Upset.” So how are your
products made?
Unique gadgets and
gizmos that solve
particular problems
just appealed to me.
radioworld.com | July 2022
Dosch: I had lived in China for a year; and at the start,
our products were made in China by my network of
contacts. But now we’re making them in the United States,
in Nashville. We import many components from foreign
sources; and StudioHub cables are still made in China. But
anything that has electronics is built and tested here.
The business at first was in my house but we eventually
rented a commercial space. I do the product design, my
wife does assembly. Mike Uhl does sales; and Cornelius
Gould is with us now, doing software. We have contractors
for things like circuit board layouts and metal design.
How do you view the changes happening in radio
technology?
Dosch: I think we were pioneers [at Telos] in starting this
trend of the migration of IT into broadcasting. We were
the first ones to say, “Look, you don’t need a purpose-built
router, you could use a Cisco switch to do all of this.”
I remember at an NAB Show, it must have been about
2003, talking about IP audio. I heard comments like, “I can’t
even get my printer to print reliably, and you want me to
put my broadcast on the Ethernet?”
I remember Jeff Littlejohn of iHeartMedia saying, “This is
really significant. You guys really nailed it.” So I asked him,
“Great, can we put it on your stations?” And he said, without
missing a breath, “Over my dead body!”
I still tease him about that. It was tongue in cheek,
obviously. Tech moves and changes, but with the changes
come new problems to solve. The trend now is toward
virtualizing much of the broadcast technical plant in
servers. That initial move to AoIP started the migration.
Why did you buy StudioHub?
Dosch: It was an opportunity that made sense.
We have since expanded the line to address unfilled
niches while continuing to manufacture the most
popular products. We’ve launched a new world panel, the
StudioHub Universal Interface, that has XLRs on one side,
StudioHub connectors on the other side, and DB-25s for
interfacing to higher-density equipment. We are about to
announce a partnership with AudioScience, in which we’ll
be making the breakout boxes that go with their sound
cards. The goodwill that we got from keeping StudioHub
going is incredible. Many engineers really like the approach.
It looks like your Chameleon line is an important
new direction.
 Problem-Solvers for Radio
Dosch: It started as an idea to solve a specific problem.
Back in the day, as an air talent you could listen to the
station live in your headphones, you’d hear yourself
processed, which enabled you to work the processing with
your voice. But around 2000 or so, we stopped being able
to do that because of all the latency of digital systems.
I remember thinking, “We need to find a way to deal
with this.”
So I thought, “We should make a headphone amp with
a built-in processor,” and I ended up connecting with
Corny Gould on this. We built that product and it sounded
so amazing, we decided to also build a streaming audio
processor that I think blows the doors off of everything
out there.
Processor companies aren’t too thrilled to be selling you
something cheap for your streams, but I don’t see it that
way. I see customers who are sending out naked streams
because they don’t want to spend a bunch of money on
processing. We figured if we could build a livestream
processor for under $1,000, we’d get a bunch of customers.
Chameleon uses a type of AI, so that rather than having
a gazillion knobs, it auto tunes to the content. You don’t
need presets, you don’t need an expert to come in to tune
it. This is the genius of Corny. He’s been dreaming about
this product for years, where pretty much everything is
automated. And now we’re working on a software version.
radioworld.com | July 2022
17
By the way, if you do nothing else with the Chameleon, Above
it is a loudness box. You turn on the precision loudness Mike Dosch
controller, and there’s a trimmer in the front. If you turn it
all the way down, it’ll make any audio you feed into it come
out at –24 LUFS, the TV audio loudness standard. If you turn
it all the way up, it’ll come out at –14 LUFS. You can set any
loudness target in between; and it does this in real time.
Is it just matter of time before you make an
on-air processor?
Dosch: I can promise you we won’t. I have no interest in
that. It’s a crowded space with very competent players.
We are entirely focused on studio level control and
streaming audio.
The Chameleon part of the line is growing quickly.
Bringing audio processing to a new price point and to new
markets is exciting for me. Program audio processing is
very sophisticated and mature in broadcasting, but it’s still
a new idea for content creators. Churches for example are
starting to use Chameleon to process their livestreams
and are absolutely over the moon at how great it makes
them sound.
I love broadcasters, especially mom-and-pop radio
stations, who represent our core business. But I think our
upside might be in loudness control and audio processing
for adjacent markets.
 Problem-Solvers for Radio
Inovoincs INOmini 514 FM Multiplex Decoder
Here is a standalone decoder for FM-stereo multiplex signals. It
accepts a demodulated FM-baseband input and decodes the signal to
discrete left and right audio channels. The recovered stereo program
is available as a professional line-level balanced output and also as an
AES digital audio signal.
Local alarm tallies and selectable de-emphasis curves make the
INOmini 514 a useful tool for professional applications wherever a
stereo-baseband signal needs to be decoded and monitored.
The 514 decodes composite/MPX signal into L/R audio. Features
18
radioworld.com | July 2022
include analog L/R and AES-digital program line outputs; accurate
front-panel metering; and front-panel alarms with rear-panel tallies
for program Audio Loss (silence sense) and stereo Pilot Loss (stereo/
mono status). The 514 also conforms to the worldwide FM “pilot-tone”
system and has selectable 75μs/50μs de-emphasis.
Connect it to the MPX STL at the transmitter site to decode the
baseband FM signal and convert to analog L/R and AES-digital
program line outputs. Retail price: $750.
Info: www.inovonicsbroadcast.com
NotaBotYet Tally Helpers
Sometimes, when building a facility, there just
needs to be an easy way to control the tally light on
microphone booms. This usually means termination
of wiring on a five-pin XLR or equivalent method and
somehow splitting off the power lines for the tally
light from the mic audio lines.
This all takes a lot of time, effort and soldering.
And it never ends up as clean or neat as one
would like.
The Tally Helper 100 and 500 both feature
a phoenix-type screw terminal strip
for connecting tally wires, mic booms, using
RJ-45 input connectors with pinouts
matching the NotaBotYet Axia Breakout
Board or WheatNet-IP logic ports.
Both include a 12V regulated switching
power supply that also powers the tally
lights. Active low inputs mean installers can
use any standard GPIO source (using open
collector type closures to ground or relay
closures to ground) to control the device.
The Tally Helper 100 (retail $121) is daisy-
chainable to control up to six tallies on one port
and features mic audio passthrough. The Tally
Helper 500 (shown, retail $189) can control up to
five tallies.
Info: https://notabotyet.com/
 Problem-Solvers for Radio
StudioHub Universal Audio Interface (World) Panel
More and more broadcasters are using personal audio on the air,
which makes the StudioHub Universal Audio Interface (or “world
panel”) a useful addition to any well-equipped studio.
“This 1RU stereo device provides a convenient interface for multiple
I/O types, making quick work of connecting nearly any kind of audio
gear to your mixing console,” the company says.
The all-steel enclosure is RFI-immune; an external AC power adapter
is included.
Front-panel connections include balanced +4 dBu analog inputs on
two XLR / TRS combo connectors, and unbalanced analog inputs via
two RCA jacks or one 3.5 mm TRS connection. Balanced +4 dBu pro
outputs are provided on two XLRs, with unbalanced outputs on RCA
and 3.5 mm mini jacks. Two analog mono outputs on XLR, summed
L+R, are provided on to accommodate reporters’ “press box” recording
devices; these are mic / line-level switchable with a ground-lift function.
For digital connections, one AES/EBU input on XLR and S/
PDIF input on RCA are provided; these inputs are switchable,
enabling users to connect two devices and select between them as
needed. Simultaneous digital outputs are provided via XLR and RCA
connectors.
The front also features two convenient pass-throughs: a USB (with
reversible Type-A / Type-B connector) and an RJ-45 port.
Around back you’ll find analog connections to and from your mixing
console using the StudioHub+ wiring standard, plus digital
connections via RJ-45. There are also connections for the onboard
D-to-A / A-to-D converters, making it possible to feed digital signals
to your analog console (or vice versa). Two stereo distribution
amplifier outputs with individually adjustable trims replicate the “To
Studio” feed.
List price is $595.
Info: https://studiohub.com
19
 Problem-Solvers for Radio
20
Henry, home of the little blue boxes
Hank Landsberg has built a career out of helping engineers solve problems
H
enry Engineering was founded in 1982 by
Hank Landsberg. The company, based in
Seal Beach, Calif., makes products to solve
problems of audio interface, studio systems
control, digital and analog signal switching
and distribution — “issues that broadcast
and audio engineers often encounter when building or
upgrading their facilities.”
How did you start?
Hank Landsberg: In the early 1980s I had wrapped
up a big studio rebuild at my real job at Drake-Chenault,
where I was director of engineering. Part of that was
designing and building the audio consoles. I got this crazy
idea to design a more conventional broadcast console; I
built three prototypes and they sold them.
Earlier I’d met Greg Ogonowski. I brought my console
design to him, and we produced and marketed it as a
product from his company, Gregg Labs.
radioworld.com | July 2022
Then along comes another friend, Steve Keating. He
was working for Continental, which was selling Autogram
consoles. Those boards used plug-in modules for the
program amplifiers, transformers and so on. He asked if
there was a way to take the newer circuitry of the boards
I had designed and repackage it into plug-in modules to
bring them up to date. So those “retrofit modules” became
my first product.
At Drake-Chenault, we used an awful lot of consumer
audio gear in our studios — good stuff but made for
the consumer audiophile market. I had to build little
interface amplifiers to make those products work with
the rest of the studio gear, which was balanced +4
low-impedance.
After building a dozen or more from scratch, it occurred
to me that there were probably a lot of other folks out in
broadcast studios who had the same problem. You know
how small-market radio is; if they needed a cassette deck
or CD player, the manager would go down to RadioShack

Problem-Solvers for Radio
and trade it out for a handful of ads, bring the thing back
and give it to the engineer and tell him, “Here, figure out
how to make this work in the studio.”
That’s where the idea for the MatchBox came from. I
started with a batch of 50 in around 1982. It was a big hit. I
figured if I could become the “standard of the industry” for
just one product, everything else would ride on its coattails.
That’s kind of what happened. It was the right thing at the
right time.
Were they blue?
Landsberg: They were in a black phenolic box with
a blue front panel with white silk screening. As simple as I
could make it. And blue became my signature color.
How many products have you shipped?
Landsberg: All together, around 120,000. Just
MatchBoxes, we’ve shipped at least 60,000, which is an
awful lot when you consider there are only about 20,000
radio and TV stations in the country.
How would you describe your approach to
manufacturing?
Landsberg: I try to design with the user in mind. Because
I’ve been that end user.
There are certain things people would probably laugh at.
We still use “through-hole” parts instead of surface-mount.
Broadcast guys like to do their own maintenance; and
sometimes you have weird oddball application where you
need to modify something.
With products that are made using surface-mount parts,
you can’t change anything, you can’t even repair it. It’s hard
to find a guy at a radio station now who even knows how
to solder, let alone trying to remove or replace surface-
mount parts.
So it’s kind of an old-school approach. We stay with
commercial-grade linear power supplies because they
work for decades. We can get switching power supplies in
a wall wart for less money, but they only last four or five
years and then fail. I come from the old school that says
professional gear should last decades.
Where do you get ideas for a product?
Landsberg: Customer suggestions. Dealers. My own
brain. Friends in the industry.
Here in L.A. I know a lot of the radio guys. Our BackUPS
product was suggested by my very good friend Tom Koza,
who just retired a few weeks ago, he was West Coast
engineering manager for the Univision radio and TV
stations. They’d run into this problem over and over — up at
a transmitter site, the batteries in a UPS would get weak and
the thing would get flaky, start doing weird things, cycling,
on and off. He suggested the product concept that became
the BackUPS.
Our SuperRelay was his idea too, in the 1980s. He’d had
radioworld.com | July 2022
“
I come from the
old school that says
”
professional gear
should last decades.
to build those things from scratch because they didn’t exist
as an off-the-shelf product.
Who builds your stuff?
Landsberg: Everything is built in California, within 20
miles of where we are. I do the product concept, the circuit
design, sourcing and procurement, I order the components
and the chassis and the PCB boards. I put it into a big kit,
and our assembly crew comes and picks it all up, and they
build and test it. It takes about two weeks.
I’ve been using the same assembly people for about
20 years, they know my stuff inside out and backwards.
Everything is 100% tested, we don’t just spot check. Every
product is burned in, tested and calibrated before it goes
into the box. Our failure rate out of the box is practically
zero. Out of a couple thousand units we might ship in a
year, we get one or two back. 21
What would you say is the most important trend
or change in our business?
Landsberg: Of course, everything shifting to digital, which
has been in the works for a long time.
Back in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, if you wanted to build a
radio station, you made one call, to GE, RCA or Gates. We’re
kind of going back to that, because as stations convert to
digital facilities, it becomes a closed system, where you
have to get everything from one vendor in order for it to all
be compatible and talk to each other.
The need for little hardware interface gadgets from
companies like ours is dwindling, because everything is
done in software.
I’m not complaining, I’ve had a really good 40-year ride
here, but that’s how I see the big picture, looking out five
to 10 years. But we’re still here and we still have stock. Our
products tend to be things that people need at the last
minute. So I try keep plenty of inventory.
It’s too bad that the FCC is eliminating so many rules that
kept radio content and radio programming local. With the
elimination of the local studio rule, so many stations are
going to turn into nothing more than a transmitter site, being
fed by programming that comes from 1,000 miles away. But
the more local programming is eliminated, the less advantage
radio will have. Hopefully, they won’t totally give up on local
programming because that’s their savior right there.
 Problem-Solvers for Radio

AudioScience ASI2816 Streaming Radio Tuner

Radio stations need the ability to monitor AM, FM, HD and WeatherBand and be able to stream over the internet
easily. The AudioScience ASI2816 is a multichannel tuner that’s intended to help you do it all in a single form factor.
The 1 RU box can be configured for four to 16 tuners using four swappable modules. Features include silence
detection and alerting, and SNMP for monitoring.
Up to sixteen ICY encoded audio streams can be sent from the ASI2816. The format of the streams is mono 44.1
kHz AAC-LC.
The ASI2816 contains an OLED display showing configuration and status of all tuners including band, frequency,
signal strength and HD status. Each tuner module includes balanced stereo audio outputs on a StudioHub-
compatible RJ-45 connector with a software-adjustable level of 0 to +24 dBu.
Retail pricing depending on number of modules is from $2,700 to $6,600.
Info: www.audioscience.com/internet/products/tuner_audio/asi2816.htm

Yellowtec PUC2 Mic LEA Audio Interface
Here’s a tool for anyone who wants to record their voice with highest-
quality sound via USB.
“Many users won’t even believe that professional high-end audio
22 quality can be achieved so easily via plug and play,” the company says.
“No confusion. No clutter. Get started right away.”
PUC2 is a compact two-channel high-definition audio interface
with a modular design. It comes with digital connections and in
various versions.
“Thanks to the modular design, each PUC2 version employs
different analog I/O boards internally, and different end panels
externally,” the company website states.
“That’s how PUC2 meets different requirements. The computer
connection panel features AES3 inputs and outputs on XLRs, along
with an USB* (B-type) port and a 3.5 mm socket, which is used to
configure the zero-latency monitoring modes.”
Retail price is $1,050 plus VAT.
Info: www.yellowtec.com/puc2

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Energy Transformation Systems PA830 Series

“The ETS PA830 passive AES/EBU 110-ohm splitter is the solution
for many situations where an AES feed may need to be split to
two different destinations,” says RW Engineering Extra’s Cris
Alexander.
“It comes in both sexes: XLR-F to two XLR-M, and XLR-M to
two XLR-F. Or you can get it in a 1RU quad package.” The latter is
called the PA835.
These digital audio splitters and splitter panels are used for
balanced 110-ohm signals, accommodating signal levels to 10V.
“Since proper impedance is maintained, the splitters do not
have to be symmetrically applied,” the company states. “Due to
careful specification and minimal signal modification, units may
be cascaded, thereby reducing transmitted signal power by 3 dB
at each stage.”
The splitters retail for $115.40. The four-channel panel is $463.
Info: www.etslan.com

Henry Engineering Talent Pod II

Talent Pod II is an updated version of Talent Pod, a handy mic and
headphone controller that’s ideal for talent in a radio or TV studio.
This little unit allows the talent to turn the mic On and Off, and Mute
the mic with a “Cough button.” The new Talent Pod II uses electronic
on/off switching to control the mic audio. This eliminates any chance
of “pops” or other noise when mic audio is switched.
Another improvement is the addition of a line-level balanced output
23
from the unit’s internal mic preamp.
“Talent Pod II retains the flexibility of its headphone audio mic
mixer,” the company states. “Two independent audio sources can be
used, with the talent able to control the mix, volume and pan setting
for each.”
Talent Pod II can be used with either a “dual mono” or stereo
headphone audio source. Retail: $425.
Info: https://henryeng.com/

Wheatstone Audioarts HS-1 Headphone Station 

The HS-1 is a powerful, tiny headphone station with wide dynamic
range and flat frequency response. It accepts all headphone types,
whether it’s a 16-ohm headphone with mini stereo jack or a 600-ohm
headphone with ¼-inch jack. Ample current and voltage are available
for low- as well as high-impedance headphones.
Wheatstone cites response up 15 kHz and 115 dB dynamic range
through any headphone. The HS-1 connects to any analog console
through RJ-45 for convenient switching between program feeds,
audition feeds and on air.
It fits anywhere, on a desk or mounted under it with its optional
bracket. Retail: $201.
Info: https://wheatstone.com

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio
Broadcast Tools: “Lean and
mean, and going strong”
Solving problems has been the business model for the firm since 1989
T
he term “problem-solving” appears in the
first sentence of the “About Us” section of the
Broadcast Tools website. BTI’s line ranges from
analog and AES audio switchers and routers to
dial-up, serial and web-based remote controls,
satellite channel controllers, analog mixers and
DAs, silence monitors and program schedulers.
Benjamin Nason is technical support engineer of the
company, based in Sedro-Woolley, Wash.
How did Broadcast Tools come to be?
Ben Nason: Don Winget, our founder and president,
has spent his entire life involved with radio. Much of that
time he spent in the Seattle market as chief engineer at
what was then KXRX. He also had some experience in
manufacturing and making products for radio for Sentry
24 Systems. They made automation controllers, one of which
was sold IGM back in the ‘80s.
He decided to start Broadcast Tools in 1989, running it
out of his house while he was still a radio chief engineer.
It became a full-time job for him in 1995. Since then,
Broadcast Tools has moved a few times, from Seattle to
Mount Vernon, and now here in Sedro-Woolley.
I was impressed with the number of models on
your website. Does one stand out as particularly
important in the company’s growth?
Nason: One that comes to mind immediately for me is
the ACS 8.2 Plus, an 8x2 switcher for analog audio typically
used for radio automation. The original version was called
the 8x2 in the 1990s, and then the SS 8.2.
Then there’s our remote controls. You see our WVRC and
More and more radio
stations want to be able
to tie these devices into
larger monitoring systems for
remote control.
radioworld.com | July 2022
Site Sentinel remote controls all over the place. And I’m sort
of partial to our silence detectors. But as far as the number
of products, yes, we have a whole bunch. We’re trying to
cover as many areas in broadcast engineering that we can
and solve as many problems as possible.
Do you have any idea of the total number of
products that you’ve shipped over the years?
Nason: The number of product models is in the hundreds,
and more than 50 just in my 12 years here. But as to total
sales? I’m not sure; certainly many many thousands.
It’s not uncommon to talk with an engineer or a station
owner who has dozens of our products installed in various
locations.
How has the process of designing and
manufacturing changed in that time?
Nason: The timing was right for Broadcast Tools. In the
late ’80s and early ’90s, technology was advancing fairly
rapidly —with personal computers, and from an electronics
design and manufacturing standpoint. The big thing was
computer-aided design and manufacturing, CAD/CAM.
Back in the day, if you were going to design a printed
circuit board, that was laid out by hand. The advent of
software packages where you can do schematic capture
and board layout on a computer made it a lot easier to
design and revise a product.
Then there’s the transition from through-hole to surface-
mount design. Some of our newer products are surface-
mount. It does change the way you design things to an
extent; and from a supply chain standpoint, you have to
stock more parts. The good thing is that there’s a lot of
surface-mount capability out there and we’re able to take
advantage of that.
What is the design and manufacturing process,
and who else is involved in the business?
Nason: Don is still our principal designer. We’ll brainstorm
product ideas and try to work on feature sets. Then he’ll
draw up a schematic and we’ll go from there.
We try to focus on what we think the broadcast engineer
wants. And we try very hard to make that product
affordable; it’s a key element in our design work.
We do final assembly and testing here in Sedro-Wooley.
 Problem-Solvers for Radio
The assembly of boards is contracted out but done
in Washington state. We also contract out the metal
fabrication. All of our custom metal panels are done
here in Washington state as well. Those components
come up here to be tested, assembled and shipped off to
customers.
I was a Broadcast Tools user before I joined 12 years
ago. I was brought on primarily to do technical support and
testing, but I also help out with repairs and help Don with
product development.
We have Christina Molina, who manages the office
and assembling the products and dealing with orders.
Selda Molina, her sister, handles shipping, receiving and
dealing with customer repairs. Don’s wife Connie Miller is
also an office manager and takes care of accounting and
bookkeeping.
We hear a lot about parts availability and pricing
of components.
Nason: We’ve seen some issues with supply chain and
pricing going up. We’ve handled it fairly well, we haven’t had
too many problems. When we started to see the effects
that the pandemic was having, we were able to purchase
fairly large quantities of key components. That has allowed
us to stay ahead of things. You have to be extra vigilant
about all of the supply chain that relates to your products.
What’s an example of a recent product
introduction? And what does it say about how
the marketplace is changing?
Nason: A lot of our recent products have web browser
interfaces, that’s something a lot of customers are looking
radioworld.com | July 2022
Left
The Broadcast
Tools team: Don
Winget, Connie
Miller, Selda
Molina, Christina
Molina and Ben
Nason.
for. So for example, our AES Switcher Sentinel 4 XLR, which
has silence, out-of-phase and AES error detection, also has
a web browser interface, HTML-based, so you can access
it, remotely control it and configure it from your computer
or tablet. Also it has SNMP capability. More and more radio 25
stations want to be able to tie these devices into larger
monitoring systems for remote control.
Are trends like AoIP, virtualization and cloud
changing your business?
Nason: We are definitely seeing those trends. But we’ve
found that there’s still a need for physical interfaces for
analog audio, for digital audio and for GPIO. We tailor
our products to focus on those areas and provide the
network capability that I mentioned — SNMP, web browser
interfaces, email capability for alarms.
What else do you hear from customers these
days? What concerns are on their mind?
Nason: There’s an increasing lack of available talent. So
many engineers are aging out and there’s not very many
people to replace them. A lot of the people I talk to on the
phone in my tech support role are in their 70s. They’re
getting ready to retire, or have already retired but are still
trying to help out. That’s an area of concern, finding new
young people to take on the task of broadcast engineering.
Anything else we should know?
Nason: We’re just trying to stay lean and mean,
and we’re going strong. We definitely see changes in
the industry with regards to more and more networked
products, and that continues to be a focus for us.
 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Glensound GS-HA014 Headphone Amp

A useful headphone amp for studio environments. This stereo
headphone amp mounts underneath desks and allows easy
headphone connections for presenters or guest users.
A 1/4-inch and a 1/8-inch jack socket are available for the
headphones and a full-sized covered pot allows level adjust. Audio
inputs are on 2 x balanced 1/4-inch jack sockets.
Multiple units can link audio and power via normal Cat-5 cable.
Up to eight units can be linked in this way from one external 9V DC
supply. An internal jumper can be selected for the unit to take the
audio source from the rear connections or the Cat-5 cable link. 
The GS-HA014 is suitable for use with a range of input levels. A pair
of preset gain controls accessed via small holes in the top of the unit
allow both broadcast (0 dB) and domestic (–10 dB) input levels to be
accommodated. Retail price is $315.
Info: https://www.glensound.co.uk/

Sonifex AVN-DIO12 Converter

This is a dual microphone input to Dante converter with
adjustable mic gain, part of Sonifex’s DIO range of Dante
input/output devices.
This unit, which occupies 1/3 of a rack width, is effectively 2
x AVN-DIO09 units in a single chassis, still offering A/D circuitry
with EIN of 129 dB.
It features two balanced analog XLR inputs and one Neutrik
26
etherCON connector for direct connection to a Dante AoIP
network. Each mic has coarse and fine gain controls, high-pass
filter, phantom power and tri-color level LED and can be routed via
Dante Controller to any Dante receiver.
It’s powered using Power over Ethernet using a Neutrik etherCON
connector for power and data redundancy. The AVN-DIO12 is compliant
with AES67 and Dante Domain Manager. Retail: $758.
Info: http://sonifex.co.uk

Yellowtec iXm Recording Mic

Noting that the amount of voice recordings being done all
over the world is huge, Yellowtec says its iXm Recording Mic
is being used by RTL, Spotify, Universal and many others in
their daily workflows. Public German broadcasting and the
BBC own hundreds of devices.
“Capture the best interview ever with perfect audio levels
at the push of a button,” the company says, explaining that
the iXm’s onboard LEA Level Energy Arbitration provides
suitable audio levels for each recording.
Interchangeable microphone heads provide for flexibility
in pickup pattern. The mic is intuitive, with just two buttons
and three light-up icons.
Prices for iXm Podcaster start at $694 and for the iXm
Recording Mic at $859.
Info: www.yellowtec.com/ixm

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

Omnirax Backlit Logo Legs

The trend in today’s radio studios is
towards less equipment, fewer racks,
more monitors — and increasingly,
cameras.
Omnirax says great-looking legs
can now be much more than support
for the countertops; they become
an ideal branding opportunity. It has
partnered with NotaBotYet to create
custom laser-cut backlit Logo Legs.
Legs can feature station’s logos or
other thematic images.
“Our legs create pride of ownership
for station owners, engineers and
talent alike,” the company says.
Info and examples: https://galleries.
omnirax.com/broadcast/get-a-leg-up/

Ubiquiti airMAX PowerBeam

AC, 5 GHz, Bridge 27
“This inexpensive device provides
a secure, high-speed point-to-point
link that can span a few hundred feet
or quite a few miles,” says our Cris
Alexander.
“It can serve as an over-the-air
STL in a pinch (or not in a pinch!).
We use them to get data across the
base insulator of AM towers and to
get around the 100-meter (328 foot)
Cat-5/6 length limit at many of our
facilities.”
The high-performance 5 GHz Point-
to-Point bridge with integrated dish
reflector provides up to 450+ Mbps
data throughput.
Ubiquity says the system’s excellent
beam directivity provides the best
performance for point-to-point or
point-to-multipoint links in high-noise
environments. Retail price $119.
Info: https://store.ui.com

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio
AudioScience specializes in
digital audio peripherals
DSP-based products that solve problems are a focus
udioScience designs and manufactures
advanced DSP-based digital audio
peripherals for the broadcast, installed
sound, entertainment and OEM
industries. Richard Gross is president
and co-founder.
Tell us about the company.
Richard Gross: In 1996, Stephen Turner and I
started AudioScience to provide high-level design and
manufacturing solutions to strategically targeted areas of
the digital audio reseller market.
Dr. Andrew Elder joined us in 1997 to provide software
expertise to the growing company. He has since moved
on to pursue other endeavors.
Our combined three decades of experience in digital
28 audio include groundbreaking innovations in soundcard
design at Antex Electronics. We helped to launch the
first DSP-based digital audio adapter ever offered to the
digital broadcast market.
With this strong foundation we quickly grew from a
successful startup into a mature, engineering-driven
company now in business for 25+ years. Steve and I
continue to lead it.
Our products are easy to integrate. They provide
outstanding digital audio functionality and compatibility.
Instead of using proprietary designs that limit system
hardware and software flexibility, we develop standards-
based technology. That means our innovations are fully
compatible with other products and systems.
And in an industry that constantly evolves, we try to
leverage our design and market expertise to deliver the
most relevant, up-to-date products.
How many have you shipped over the years?
Gross: Over 100,000.
Instead of using proprietary designs that limit
system hardware and software flexibility, we
develop standards-based technology.
radioworld.com | July 2022
How would you describe your product
philosophy?
Gross: AudioScience’s main goal is to supply our
customers with high-quality DSP-based products that
meet or exceed their needs at a reasonable cost for
the AV marketplace. Our design philosophy is driven
by the market and specific customer requirements
and requests.
You’re well known as a soundcard
manufacturer. But I’d think the role of
soundcards in the broadcast plant has diminished.
Gross: You would think it has diminished. I’ve felt this
way for the last 15 or so years, which is when we started
manufacturing our first networked audio product, a
CobraNet card, the ASI6416.
Since then, it’s been a joke with Steve and my
employees — every five years I say, “This is the end of
broadcast audio cards in a PC.” Every five years or so we
would introduce another networked audio product, AVB,
Dante and AES67.
But here we are today 25+ years later, still making
a living selling sound cards to the broadcast market.
We are prepared for the end of broadcast PC cards
whenever that may come. We hope we are also helping
our current broadcasters be prepared by providing them
with networked audio IO products that will just work in
their environments when they’re ready to move away
from standard PC-based audio. Until this time comes
AudioScience will continue to provide our customers
with the PC-based products they’re comfortable with.
But the nature of the business is changing,
given the evolution to AoIP and network-based
workflows?
Gross: Very much. No longer based on PCs and a specific
 Problem-Solvers for Radio

operating system, but on the network and the

various AoIP protocols. The current, much-
talked-about trend is to move beyond the
networked studio to the radio station “studio in
the cloud,” especially for the larger groups.
We’re seeing stations specifically offer
traditional radio delivery as well as establishing
and providing a web-based alternative for
their customers. There are a number of
methods to receive radio on cellphones as
well, via iHeartMedia and other apps; someday
manufacturers may even turn on the secret FM
chip in most phones.

Who is responsible for developing your

product ideas?
Gross: We definitely are more on what we
term the technical solution side, rather than
marketing fluff. Most of our new products are
derived by Steve and the engineering team,
many times based on customer requests, to
which we then add our industry expertise.

Do you have a favorite product?

Gross: I tend to be success-driven so my
favorite is the product of any given time being
purchased by that addressed market. However
I would say our ASI6700 soundcards are a 29
favorite. Up to eight stereo analog and AES in/
out with MPEG, time compression/expansion,
multiple sample rates and GPIO, all in a half-
height card. That’s some serious functionality.
In the past any given customer would need to
purchase one or two audio cards, then a mixer
router product and an additional card or box
for GPIO. The ASI6788 has all of that.

How have supply chain issues

affected you?
Gross: These COVID-19 times have been very
challenging. Never in over 40 years have we had
to respond to a new purchase order with “Our
best estimated delivery is,” but that’s currently
the norm.
We’ve been able to keep both price increases and
lead times to a reasonable level, but daily we’re being
hit with surprises concerning a number of the critical
components needed to manufacture our products.
How is your stuff manufactured?
Gross: We do our manufacturing in the USA,
with support from contract manufacturing companies
in the southern California area. The design of both
hardware and software continues to be done by
AudioScience. When market demands or proprietary
technologies exist, we do license from the appropriate Above
companies to allow us to provide these features or Richard Gross and
Stephen Turner
protocols on our platform.
What else should we know?
Gross: We work for our customers so we
welcome anyone to dream up what we may be missing
and email it to us at salesasi@audioscience.com.
We remain a strong, technologically viable company
and we look forward to continuing to serve the radio
market for many more years.

radioworld.com | July 2022

 Problem-Solvers for Radio

NotaBotYet On-Air 85
Many manufacturers make LED-driven on-air lights
requiring a 12-volt power source to illuminate. These
are much safer than their 110V predecessors.
But NotaBotYet notes that the manufacturers leave
the powering and controlling up to the user in much
the same way the old 110V versions were controlled.
The On-Air 85 is a universal on-air light controller
to power and control most 12V on-air lights. The unit
is plug-and-play with Axia GPIO using the NotaBotYet
Axia Breakout Board or can connect directly to the
Wheatnet Logic RJ-45 ports.
Its included power supply powers the control logic
and provides power to nearly any 12V on-air light
from a variety of manufacturers. Inputs are available
on an RJ-45 connector, allowing the use of standard
Cat-5/6 wiring to transport GPIO control within
your plant.
“And since some users like their on-air lights
flashing, it can do that too, with not just one, but 14
different flashing and pulsing patterns to choose
from,” the company tells us. All controllable from
Axia GPIO, Wheatnet logic or any generic GPIO. Retail
price $140.
Info: https://notabotyet.com/

30

CircuitWerkes WAM-6
Silence Sensor
The WAM-6 is a six-channel audio
silence sensor with network/internet
capability.
Stations often have multiple
audio sources to watch. The WAM-6
notifies you if anything goes wrong
on any of the six it monitors. An
internal Web server lets you visually
see six channels of independent
audio from any browser, anywhere
in the world. It automatically detects
silence or overload on all channels.
The WAM-6 provides Web control of six relays (two are DPDT) actions and can also respond to user control via the network or via
that can be latching or momentary. Two status inputs give a visual external contact closure inputs. Alternate actions (or cancellation of
indication, via the Web server, whenever grounded and can also previous actions) can be set to run when the audio returns to normal.
trigger automated relay actions. Alarm triggering channels can be configured in pairs for stereo audio.
This took is suitable anywhere that you need an inexpensive, The WAM-6 supports SMTP and can send e-mails and SMS phone
network addressable, controller with status capabilities. Three levels texts that alert you of alarm conditions. E-mailing is accomplished
of user control are available, ranging from reader to administrator. directly from the WAM-6 hardware.
Features include a clock with programmable event scheduler that WAM-6 retails for $460. The streaming version is $585.
can close/open relays, log readings and email logs. If you only need to monitor one source, the WAM-2 is a stereo audio
When silence, overload or external status change is detected, the monitor with similar features. It costs $370 to $485.
WAM-6 can perform your programmed, automated sequences of Info: www.circuitwerkes.comd
9000