ATG Danmon designs an IP audio system for the most famous clock tower in the United Kingdom

A significant number of broadcasters in the United Kingdom were able to offer their end-of-year chimes with sound captured directly from the country's most emblematic clock tower thanks to an integration of ATG Danmon.

One of the main challenges of this intervention was to guarantee a faithful reproduction of the bells with minimal intrusion from road traffic. To do this, it was necessary to place the microphones relatively close to the bell tower and handle very loud transient sounds without causing distortion in the microphones themselves or in the processing electronics they power. ATG Danmon designed and integrated two complete audio chains configured as a fully resistant system. At the front end of each chain is a dynamic microphone cardioide Sennheiser E904 to capture high-level transients and a dynamic microphone omnidirectional Electro Voice 635A to capture the general acoustics of the bell tower. The four microphones are equipped with windbreaks, since the bell tower is essentially an outdoor space.

The audio output of each pair of microphones is amplifies at line level and it encodes an audio data stream over IP. The four streams are sent to a communications room where they can be converted back to analog for use with other program content or, optionally, be forwarded over an IP link to different stations. The system integrated by ATG Danmon includes eight transceivers that feed an interface AoIP CTP DIO1600 Capable of driving 16 line-level analog sources and supplying 16 line-level analog outputs. Each input and output allows gain adjustment from +12 to -12 dB. Operators can control parameters such as preamp gain remotely via a secure IP link.

An unusual complication was the need to test the acoustic and electronic performance of the system before the date when the bells could officially resume their public service. This was overcome by testing on a church with a similar clock tower. The results were satisfactory and have since been confirmed at the actual location.

The commission represents the culmination of the restoration project of five years of the famous tower, which has also included repairs to the clock and masonry work on the tower itself.