As we have seen, a radio station often has more than one studio. The studios,
with the transmission system, make up the station’s broadcast system. The
way the studios are connected to each other is one of the things that will define
how the station operates technically, and what it is capable of.
The diagram below illustrates the floor plan of an imaginary community radio
station’s studio complex.
This model has three studios: a broadcast studio, a voice booth and a production
studio. The position of the three studio rooms, the positions of the windows
and doors and the audio connections between the studio rooms all affect how
this station will operate.
As you can see, the studios all have windows. These are important – they let in
light and create a pleasant working environment.
But they also have other functions. The windows in the broadcast and production
studios allow people outside the studios to see in, and people inside the studio to
see out.
The two windows on the outside walls fulfil an important marketing function.
They allow visitors and passers-by to look into the studios. Being able to see
the radio station in action generates interest and excitement.
The windows facing into the station offices make it possible for other station
staff to look into the studios and to communicate with presenters or programme
hosts – by waving or holding up notes. Many on-air mistakes or problems have
been avoided when someone outside the studio holds a note up to a studio
window.
The windows between the studios and the voice booth, allow people in the
studios to communicate with one another.
The broadcast studio, the voice booth and the production studio are usually
connected to enable the mixer in the broadcast studio to receive audio signals
from the voice booth microphones as well as the production studio.
At the same time, the audio signals coming from the broadcast studio and
production studio can be fed into headphones or monitors in the voice booth.
This allows people in the voice booth to hear what is happening in the broadcast
and production studios.
Together, the combination of windows and audio connections allow people to
see and hear one another, making two-way communication possible between
all three studios.
CONNECTING YOUR STUDIOS
The diagram below shows how a voice booth, production studio and broadcast
studio can be connected.
Follow the arrows and numbers in the diagram to track the signals between the
studios.
The voice booth microphone(s) are connected to a channel(s) on the production
mixer (number 1). This connects the voice booth to the production studio.
The production studio mixer has an output that feeds the headphones in the
voice booth (number 2). This allows the audio from the microphones and any
other equipment connected to the production mixer to be heard in the voice
booth.
The production mixer also feeds audio to the broadcast studio mixer (number
3). This connects the production studio to the broadcast studio, and allows
audio from the production studio mixer (including signals from the voice booth
microphones, because they are connected to the production mixer) to be
broadcast through the broadcast mixer.
The broadcast mixer has an output that is connected back to the production
mixer (number 4). This allows audio from the broadcast studio to be heard in
the production studio and also in the voice booth, as any signal connected to
the production mixer can be fed to the voice booth by the headphone output
(number 2)
Models from the real world
The imaginary floor plan drawn on Page 31 shows only one way of placing
and connecting studios.
Different stations will choose different approaches, depending on their premises,
their broadcast style, their budgets and other things.
Radio Unique
Radio Unique is a community radio station serving Burgersdorp and
surrounding towns, in the Eastern Cape. The diagram on the next page shows
how their studios have been laid out.
Radio Unique’s studios are in a house that was built late in the last century. At
first, the station wanted to put the production studio and voice booth in the
space labelled “office”. When building started, they found that there were
problems with the floor, and the space could not be used for a studio. So they
decided to move the production studio and voice booth to the positions shown
below.
A disadvantage of the move was that the person or people in the voice booth
could no longer see into the broadcast studio. An advantage was that the station
gained an extra window in the production studio, looking out into the street.
This allowed passers-by to see into both the on-air and production studios,
which attracted a lot of public interest.
Maputaland Community Radio
Maputaland Community Radio is a station serving Jozini and the surrounding
areas of northern KwaZulu / Natal. The station premises are a converted house.
The studios occupy rooms that used to be bedrooms.
The station chose their design to allow for the future addition of a production
studio.
The rooms are located at one end of the house, with a door separating the
studio area from the reception area and the rest of the station. This door can be
closed, improving soundproofing and studio security.
The programme manager’s office is within the studio area, close to where the
action is. The window linking the broadcast studio to the reception area fulfils
the important marketing role, as visitors can see into the studio.
To sum up
The connections between the studios, and the arrangement of studios at your
station, will determine how you work. As you can see, there are several aspects
of studio layout and connection to consider.
Consult with your supplier when it comes to studio layout to find out what is
possible, keeping in mind what is important for your station, based on your
mission and how you expect to do your work.
Try to keep the layout as flexible as possible. Broadcasting techniques and
technology are changing very fast, and over time the way your station operates
could change. As far as possible, the studio layout should allow for this and
leave possibilities for additional equipment and future improvements.
