Radio France purchases third Innovason Eclipse GT digital console

Paris-based public service national radio broadcaster, Radio France, has purchased a third Innovason Eclipse GT digital console to support its innumerable studio and festival applications.

The broadcaster already owns seven Innovason mixing consoles at its Maison de la Radio France headquarters. Included in this number are two Eclipse desks, one of which is installed in the legendary Studio 106 which, amongst other things, broadcasts the daily show on France Inter “Les Affranchis” hosted by Isabelle Giordano.

“I felt it was important that we have a back-up console that could be available quickly for the studios that are broadcasting every day, in particular Studio 106,” explained Radio France’s Head of Sound Reinforcement, Bruno Lompech. “Not that we expect to have problems – on the contrary, all of our Innovason consoles and especially Eclipse have proved to be extremely reliable, but it’s good practice to have a spare.”

The new 48-fader Eclipse console—which thanks to its DSP engine enables it to handle up to 104 inputs into 48 mix busses—will also be vital for Radio France’s annual festivals.

“By the same token, we also needed a spare for the huge Radio France festivals that we host every summer in Avignon and Montpellier,” continued Lompech. “The festivals are extremely large scale, complex events that require ALL of our consoles, so we really needed to have a back-up. However, that said, we will in fact be using the new Eclipse for recording purposes on the festivals, thanks to the integrated M.A.R.S. multitrack recording feature.”

The built-in 64-track recorder M.A.R.S. option allows users to record directly onto a hard disk which is plugged into the rear of the console.

 “Our decision to invest in a third Eclipse was also motivated by a desire to remain consistent in terms of our existing inventory and our user group,” added Lompech. “because, as I’ve already pointed out, the consoles aren’t just used for mixing sound in a radio studio. We also use them for recording purposes on live events. It was already the case with our Sy80s, and of course now that Eclipse has M.A.R.S. on board, it’s even easier.”

Equally important to Lompech, Radio France’s fruitful long-term relationship with Innovason has instilled confidence which makes the continued use of Innovason tech a solid decision.

“Innovason has always managed to come through for us, whatever the circumstances,” he explained. “I know that whatever happens, they are only a phone call away, and I can rely on them to find a solution. They may be based in Germany now, and the German team is great, but it’s reassuring for us to know that the core of the French team is still here in France. It’s the best of both worlds.”