Brahma Kumaris’ Godlywood Studios installs Harman Studer Vista mixing console

Brahma Kumaris’ Godlywood Studios installs Harman Studer Vista mixing console

Godlywood Studios

NEW DELHI: Godlywood Studios – set up by Brahma Kumaris, World Renewal Spiritual Trust at Mount Abu - has installed a Harman Studer Vista 1 mixing console to serve at the heart of its audio system.

The new Studio is situated in its Shantivan Complex at its International Headquarters at Abu Road, Rajasthan.

This highly advanced electronic media studio creates television programmes and films dedicated to spreading spiritual knowledge and Raja Yoga meditation and is intended to create and air various spiritually oriented TV programmes and films.

It was conceived and initiated by Brahma Kumari Organisation managing trustee BK Ramesh Shah. Following Shah‘s vision to create a world-class studio with all functional infrastructure facilities under one roof, the implementation of this project was handed over to BK Harilal (Haridas Bhanushali) and the team executed this project in a short span of one year.

Determined to create a modern facility with world-class tools and equipment, Godlywood studios enlisted a technical committee comprised of BK Shiva, Shashi Mekal and Gerard Goveia of Broadcast Media Equipments Pvt Ltd (BMEPL) along with Harman Professional India Recording & Broadcast Sales Manager Ashish Barje. The team selected Harman‘s Studer Vista 1 mixing console to serve at the heart of the studio, marking the first installation of a Studer Vista 1 in India.

“The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation [BKWSO] chose the Studer Vista 1 as the perfect fit for Godlywood studios because the primary requirement was that of a compact solution without compromise on system performance, DSP capability or reliability. The Studer Vista 1 enables us to have the control surface, I/O system, DSP and power supplies all contained within one very small footprint console,” said Godlywood Studios Technical Head Shashi Mekal.

The BKWSO was also impressed with the Vista 1 for its user-friendly, easy-to-learn interface and unique functionality with its Vistonics user interface and 40 on-screen rotary knobs. Using Studer‘s unique Virtual Surround Panning, the operator can take mono sources and create a realistic sound field for a film quickly and easily.

The system integration for the project was performed by TASS Services of Mumbai. AVF Distributors, the authorised dealer for Harman‘s broadcast range, supplied the console to Godlywood.

Commenting on a successful installation, Gerard Goveia, Director, TASS Services, Mumbai, said, “The Studer Vista 1 perfectly fit the bill given the specifications by BKWSO, as well as the budget for the studio‘s setup. The Vista 1 sits at the heart of the studio, providing complete control and ease of operation to the technical users.”

In addition to the Studer Vista 1, Godlywood Studios deployed a full array of Harman technologies in the space, including three JBL 3730 ScreenArray cinema loudspeakers, one JBL 4642A subwoofer and eight JBL 8320 compact cinema surround loudspeakers. The system is powered with five Crown DSi 1000 and two DSi 4000 amplifiers.

Godlywood Studios also features an audio dubbing studio equipped with AKG C414 microphones and dbx processors, as well as an HD multicam shooting floor that has JBL LSR4326 studio monitors.

Elaborating on Harman‘s legendary expertise in broadcast solutions across the world, Harman Professional India Operations senior director David McKinney said, “The Studer Vista 1 has proven to be the ideal console for this prestigious installation at Godlywood Studios. The internal 5.1-to-stereo down mix function allows for simultaneous live productions in both formats; this saves a lot of time for the engineers having to redo the mix. Being a successful installation of Studer Vista 1 in India, we are extremely proud of the installation and the team involved has done a commendable job in the project.”

The Brahma Kumaris organisation is spread over 138 countries with 8,500 centres.