You’re going to need a sharp axe to cut through all the details of budgeting for new AoIP studios.  The number of channels, microphones, drivers, sources and where GPIO will be used and for what–everything needs to be thought out well in advance to avoid cost overruns.

Here’s how we helped WBEZ FM, Chicago, sharpen the axe for new WheatNet studios.

Long before Chicago Public Media cut over from its legacy TDM routed studios to a WheatNet® IP audio networked facility in December 2023, there was a plan.  

It began years before when our senior sales engineer Jay Tyler stopped in to do a walkthrough of the WBEZ 91.5 facility on Chicago’s Navy Pier. (Read Extreme Studio Makeover in last month’s Wheat News.)

One of the more prolific NPR stations in the country, where iconic shows like Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me and This American Life have been created and with live local shows such as Reset with Sasha Ann-Simons, WBEZ had been using Wheatstone’s TDM network and consoles since 1995. 

Cutting through decades of add-on infrastructure and getting the most out of AoIP networking would take a sharp axe.  

“When you go with an AoIP system it’s a little bit different than the traditional analog systems where channel counts, number of microphones, number of drivers, analog/digital sources, even down to the GPIO all should be spec’d ahead of time [to avoid cost overruns],” said Tyler, who drew up an initial layout for WBEZ’s new studios soon after he returned to New Bern from Chicago.

The goal from the start was to establish better sight lines between studios, greater usability of each studio and the ability to create video while establishing a standard studio footprint that flowed from one workspace to the next.

Tyler’s layout outlined AoIP elements, signal flow and logic controls optimized for eight primary studios and four production rooms. With input from Andy Cole at SCMS, the CAD drawing included mics and other accessories in addition to WheatNet IP audio routing, console surfaces, talent stations, and topology.  

The pandemic came and went and planning continued. Chicago Public Media Vice President of Technology and Operations Stephen Wright sat down with 15 staff members representing anchors, producers, and hosts to go over potential designs and workflows. Architect firm V Three Studios from St. Louis began drafting a new studio core for a more workflow friendly environment. 

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

― Abraham Lincoln

Wright continued the collaborative planning and brought in other consoles and routing systems in addition to WheatNet IP for evaluation by the “people who would actively be using the system every day.” The consensus was to go with WheatNet IP audio networking and LXE console surfaces, and a more detailed plan began to emerge. 

Adding to the project team were local general contractor Skender, which had experience with the construction logistics of Navy Pier, and systems integrator Inrush Broadcast Services, whose engineers had worked at WBEZ at various points in their broadcast careers. 

Inrush engineers scripted workflow screens into studios as well as framed out the AoIP infrastructure according to plan. “By the time we got involved the equipment list was finalized, down to the inputs and outputs,” said Inrush’s Shaun Dolan. 

Given their long history with the studios, removing all the cabling from the old TOC was a personal victory for Dolan and fellow Inrush partners Mike Dorris and Brian Sapp. “Being able to go from the terminal room, which was always a bit touchy to work in with legacy wiring and equipment, to the new simple TOC with everything done in software over a few cables … was really satisfying,” commented Dolan.

The rest went according to plan and to budget, with the team working off a detailed drawing laying out eight LXE consoles in main on-air rooms and master control; four L Series consoles in production rooms; 42 talent stations for talk positions throughout; and 63 I/O Blades with hundreds of channels of GPIO and more than 1,000 crosspoints connecting all 12 studios and dozens of workflows.

Each source, destination, user interface, and workflow was planned and accounted for, effectively eliminating downtime as well as cost overruns over the life of the project.  

View a photo gallery of the new WBEZ facility

Behind the camera in these photos are Bob Martin, a regular WBEZ listener and a longtime friend and associate of Wheatstone, and his son Nick Gerber, a videographer who spent the day touring the new WBEZ facility.

Starting a new studio project? Download our helpful guide Studio Project Planning for trends to consider and gotchas to avoid.

Machines like this one are the beating heart of electronics production at Wheatstone. Dozens of components are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards in one sweep to make Wheatstone and Audioarts consoles and Blades.

An overhead view of the soldering machine.

Finished surface mount cards are inspected photographically by this dedicated computer with specialized high-resolution camera and software, which detects solder failures or bridged components. The card is photographed in segments, as shown, and even the slightest error is highlighted for correction.

Wheatstone sources and stores components needed for more than 200 broadcast products currently in production as well as products now in service in studios worldwide. This 5,000- square-foot stockroom contains rows of parts that go all the way to the ceiling.

To schedule a real walkthrough of the Wheatstone factory, contact our sales team at sales@wheatstone.com.