[Funky Drummer]

About bloody time. Jo Whiley said on her show today that "Radio 1 are finally embracing technology and updating the studios."

Thank god, maybe no more broken mini-disc players, jumpy playout machines, leaking channels on the desk, etc, etc, etc.

She was in a different studio today and, from the webcam, so is Moyles.

Cogratulations Radio One!

Rich~

[David]

Yeah, the engineers have spent the last 3 weeks upgrading studio 2. It looks from the webcam they now have a computer playback system rather than cds and minidisc. And all the DJ's who are in studio 1 seem to be using different studios now so it looks as though they are now starting to upgrade studio 1.

[AndyB]

Didn't Chris mention that they were going to store all the music on hard-disk, or something like that? Is that a playback system? Oh well, its good to hear that the beeb is keeping with the times.

[Funky Drummer]

Damn that. I HATE computer-based radio studios. I think it takes away the whole "skill" of being a good Radio DJ. And I'm not the only one that thinks that - most DJs prefer using CDs and Mini-Discs.

Rich

[Guest]

Radio 1 are now using a German system called VCS...

Should be good, but the change over may be rusty as most DJs prefer the control of MD/ CD etc..

[Funky Drummer]

AND QUITE RIGHT TOO!

[Jonny Hoare]

At Hospital radio i am curtrently helping install the play out system. It's Ok for my kind of programme but for the old duffers who have just got in to cds.....

[Eddie]

Have they moved studios completely or just into one of the other ones in the basement i.e they are usually in Y1 but could broadcast from Y2, or Y3? The reason I ask is that when I was working there last summer they were apparanetly moving studios to the 5th floor which was just an empty space (Remember when they did office dares they did some to some builders - this was where they were, on the 5th floor). Scott Mills told me (And I am not name dropping) that the new studios would be all digital etc etc and I was just wondering if they have made this move or if this move was scrapped. It will be a shame to leave the basement as I think the basement is very special with a great atmosphere etc.

[David]

Na they are still in the same studios, just all modernised. All though, so far only Y2 has been moderniesed and they still have plenty of minidisc players and cd players to keep em going :p

David

[David]

Because I lead a sad little life and have nothing better to do than watch the DJ's on the webcam all day, I have got this:

Before:


After:


David[/list][/code]

[Eddie]

It seems strange that Y2 is the one to be modernised first as it is one of the lesser used/smaller studios Y1 is the main one then Y3 although Y3 is bigger. Maybe it is because it is used less that they were able to modernise it without too much interuption!

[David]

Well they are going to do them all, cause Y1 is gettin done now... so why they decided to do Y2 I have no idea, there is probably some crazed technical explanation for it.

David

[gregs]

most commercial radio stations use pc based stuff, and after doing work experience at one, it's a lot easier, especially with news jingles and clips etc.


gregs

[David]

Easier, but not as fun! I actually find it funny when the DJ's play the wrong songs and say something funny. The other day, Mark and Lard "how ever much we love Idlewild, hearing their song twice isnt that good!" and when Moyles accidently played the wrong song once and the start sounded like a laser "And that was the sound effect of a laser" and then he kept playing it through out the show

David

[gregs]

believe me, it can still go wrong

[a_girl_from_mars]

Erm I'm sorry BBC... but the studio doesn't look any different. Am I missing a joke?

[Guest]

i'm thinking that it was studio 3 that was done first, as studio 2 is where coxy broadcasts from and that studio is still the old one....

[Funky Drummer]

I think 2 was done first (look above to Eddie's post), then 1 then 3. And whatever you can say about computer-based playout, I think that CDs and mini-discs are raelly easy anyway (particularly compared to vinyl, and even that's hardly a challenge), but still fun enough. Damn computer playouts!

Rich~

[David]

i'm thinking that it was studio 3 that was done first, as studio 2 is where coxy broadcasts from and that studio is still the old one....

Coxy is from studio 3....
Shows like lamacq are from studio 2 and when Moyles used to be on a Saturday he was in studio 2...
Moyles is usually in studio 1 during the week.

[David]

I think 2 was done first (look above to Eddie's post), then 1 then 3. And whatever you can say about computer-based playout, I think that CDs and mini-discs are raelly easy anyway (particularly compared to vinyl, and even that's hardly a challenge), but still fun enough. Damn computer playouts!

Rich~

Yeah and from reading the description of the software on the German softwares website that Guest told us about, it looks like all the DJ's have to do now is press buttons on a keyboard and control the microphone. Because it says that the computer will automatically fade down the music when the microphones are switched on.

David

[kendra k]

that's just crap. i'm sorry, but i like the fact that propper djing takes some skill. minidiscs are dead easy compared to cds and vinyl. it's tragic that people can't jockey discs at all these days. what's the point then, eh?

[David]

yeah, a computer play out doesnt seem so skillful as cds :p
I am sure the computer will also segue the songs together aswell.

[jc]

I sorta expected these studio upgrades from reading someone's job description on the OneMusic site, the Operations Manager methinks, who mentioned he was overseeing the introduction of the "hard disk" technology. (How quaint.) I think it's about bloody time they moved away from MiniDiscs, as tracks are starting to skip a lot on-air, but it does take away a lot of the excitement and * associated with manually switching discs.

I've used a system called ENCO at my local commercial station in the past, and I've generally found computer-based systems work best with playlisted shows such as all of Radio 1 Daytime. ENCO does have immense potential and it's a really good system, but it's completely impractical when most of your music isn't already on the HD as you have to record music onto the system in real-time.

That, plus the threat of complete on-air failure should the system crash, is why such systems should only be used in tandem with a backup, manual system. - jc

[kendra k]

good engineering is a skill that should be coveted. i know i hate bad engineering, and feel great when i hit a tight segue. it seems that broadcasting music (i'm sorry, this isn't djing anymore) is getting to be too easy. who needs production?

[jc]

A couple of shows on said station only need one person in the studio, who can answer calls during records without having to worry about cueing up the next tune. That said when the phonelines are really busy you'll always need a phone bitch. - jc