Now we come to the really exciting bit; filling in the holes and plugging things in!

Well, when I say exciting, what I actually mean is pretty dull, until it comes to turning everything
on, so I haven’t bothered with any pictures of plugs going into sockets. Instead, we have the almost
finished article; behold the magnificence…

1: It does look a bit like a bird’s nest under there, but time was pressing and we wanted to know if it
would all work; this stuff is like Xmas lights, leave it in a box for a while and there’s no guarantee
that it will still be OK when you take it out.

2: Still a few tools and cables laying about, but it’s looking like a radio station now.

3: This is the brains of the outfit, a powerful piece of software that can access any one of the
thousands of tracks in our database, in seconds. We can also play CDs and, coming soon, good old
vinyl records.

4: And this is the sharp end of the studio, the mixing console, now with CD players, keyboard
control for the computer and a microphone, so we don’t have to shout.

Here’s the low down on the kit we use (unless you’re a techy geek, you’ll probably want to skim this
bit).

Mixer: Like tulips, windmills and mice that go clip clippity clop on the stairs, this D&R Airmix
hails from Holland and, despite being at least 20 years old, has served us well; we’ve actually got
two, but the other needs some work and will eventually be the basis of a training and production
studio.

Each slider controls a separate sound source; on the left is where the music comes in, including
three inputs from the computer and a fader for each of the CD players. On the right are controls for
four mics and incoming telephone calls, but don’t phone us yet, the line hasn’t been installed.

Playout System: Computerised audio playout is the standard in today’s radio industry and we’re no
exception. There are many systems available, but we’ve been using ZaraRadio since day one, first
as downloadable freeware, now upgraded to the paid for ‘Pro’ version.

At it’s most basic level, it’s just a glorified jukebox, giving almost instant access to any of the
tracks in our database, currently numbering around 3000 and growing; delve deeper and it’s an
extremely powerful tool, enabling (amongst other things) full shows to be loaded in advance, songs
to be ‘chained’ together and played continuously, or even full 24/7 automation, where it will either
dip into the database at random, or play pre selected playlists.

From a practical point of view, we don’t have to store big piles of CDs (although we still seem to

have collected quite a few) and presenters can prepare their shows at home, bring them in on a USB
stick and load them onto the system in seconds.

CD Players: A pair of Numark MP102 decks, featuring variable pitch control, infinitely adjustable
cueing and MP3 capability. They take up more space than the more commonplace dual decks, but
the big advantage is, if one breaks, you don’t have to send both to the mender.

Limiter: Mounted above the CDs is a Cloud CX335 Compressor/Limiter. Essentially, this little
gizmo equalises the level of each sound source, so that it all arrives at your ears at (more or less) the
same volume. Unfortunately, it’s not foolproof, so if you hear someone playing very quiet music, or
it’s horrendously distorted, feel free to email the studio and tell the presenter they are being a clot!

Microphones: One for the presenter and three for guests, we’re using Audio Technica AT2035s.
They have adjustable noise filtering and are mounted in shock resistant cages; the counter-sprung
arms ensure that the mic can always be set in the right place.

Fiddly bits: Each of our guests can have the use of a set of AKG headphones, controlled via a
Behringer distribution amplifier, giving each user their own volume control. We’re currently using a
pair of basic studio monitor speakers (due to be replaced soon) and we’re now telling the time using
a radio signal controlled clock, so there’s no excuse for getting it wrong!

And that’s just about it; it all seems to work and I got some pleasant noises from it, so I guess
it’s OK (you’ll notice I’m not being over enthusiastic, that usually puts an irreversible curse on
everything).

I’ll put up more pictures when everything is complete and tidied but, until then, all that remains is
to thank our technical suppliers Broadcast Warehouse, Digital Village and Canford Audio, while
special thanks go to James and Michael from Taylor Building, for the excellent job on the furniture.

Finally, thank you for reading and we hope you enjoy listening; if you want to know any more
about our new facilities, get in touch via email, text, Twitter or Facebook and we’ll do our best to
help.

(Don’t forget to pop back for the P.S., coming soon)