Dynamix Connect With the World

Working with National Public Radio

One often overlooked service that Dynamix Productions provides on a regular basis is ISDN (see below for a more detailed explanation). It's a real-time digital audio connection that allows two or more studios to deliver near CD audio quality to each other simultaneously. We regularly connect with other studios around the world for voice-over sessions. In fact, in November we connected with studios in Washington, New York, and Dublin, Ireland. Its immediacy and rock-solid connection make it a favorite with "on-the-go" advertising producers.

But where ISDN really shines is with live interviews for news organizations. Dynamix has been connecting with National Public Radio and its affiliates for years now. In November, Dr. Louis Kroot and his wife Kathie were at Dynamix for an interview with NPR's "All Things Considered Weekend Edition." Also, Nikki Finney, who recently won the National Book Award for Poetry was interviewed for "Talk of the Nation." For NPR listeners, a studio interview is more intimate and engaging than a phone interview, which sounds edgy due to the poor audio quality. For NPR producers, a quiet studio with a benchmark microphone (Neumann U-87) provides a high level of quality consistent with their programming. NPR producers also appreciate studios like ours that understand the technical details and procedures of live broadcasts. Demanding? Yes, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

National Book of the Year in Poetry winner Nikki Finney during her interview on NPR's "Talk of the Nation."

Dynamix Tech Notes

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) has a very geeky and unsexy name. Maybe ISDN should be called "Is Done," because it's still the most reliable real-time digital audio connection, even after twenty years. It's basically a digital audio connection between two devices (ISDN units) through telephone wires. It's not a modem - it requires a special telephone circuit that bypasses voice circuits. It's not an internet connection either - it continually streams digital data, unlike the internet which spurts data in "packets." This continuous stream is what makes it so special. In the late 1980's, when ISDN was first used, there wasn't a real internet as we know it today. Even today's blazing internet speeds can't guarantee a rock-solid error free data stream like ISDN's continuous data stream can. There are internet-based real-time alternatives, but they're still unreliable.

How's the quality? With a single channel (most ISDN units have 2 channels), you can get great results. Most sporting events on radio are using only one channel, as are a great many live radio show hosts that work out of their home studios. With two channels, you get quality approaching an audio CD. This is the standard for voice-over and interview sessions. There is a slight delay that producers and talent must learn to work with, but each ISDN unit has settings that give a choice between delay and quality. You'd be surprised how many commercials, documentaries, and interviews are recorded over an ISDN - the quality, reliability, and convenience is that good. So the next time you need it now, consider using our ISDN services.