Calrec expands its ecosystem at NAB 2025

To help broadcasters and production companies meet the changing needs of media consumption, Calrec has shown at NAB 2025 an expanded set of interconnected technologies.

As the adoption of sustainable and cost-effective remote and distributed production workflows continues to develop, the ability to control any system from anywhere creates an incredibly agile way of working. Providing access to more cores, more faders, more surfaces and more control from anywhere gives users the maximum flexibility to broadcast content. To help broadcasters make the most of these workflows, Calrec has demonstrated in Las Vegas a combination of new products, expanded feature sets and distributed control.

Calrec has also highlighted recent major US sports clients such as NEP Denali, which has installed a console 144-fader Argo Q and a ImPulse IP core on its 53-foot Gold remote production unit. At the time of the announcement, James Mullen, head of audio for live and recorded events at NEP Denali, said: "The Argo surface's configurable nature, custom panels and fader option keys, combined with its immense power, put it in a unique position in the field of broadcast audio. One of our favorite features is the remote access to the surface that is given to the A1 before the program is loaded. You can conveniently program your program into the system from anywhere, whether at home, in a hotel or on a plane.”

One of the main novelties at the fair has been True Control 2.0, which creates more flexible workflow combinations. Calrec's second-generation remote production technology, True Control 2.0, is an adaptive IP ecosystem that enables broadcasters to embrace distributed production, minimize costs and scale resources on the fly.

With the ability to control up to five Calrec devices simultaneously, True Control 2.0 now covers all products across Calrec's entire IP-native range. At NAB, it adds control of Calrec's Apollo+ and Artemis+ consoles to the Argo Q, Argo S, Argo M, Type R, ImPulse, Impulse 1 and ImPulseV mixing engines.

Argo M e ImPulse V

As part of Calrec's enhanced True Control 2.0 ecosystem, Argo M and ImPulse V have also made their debut in Las Vegas. Argo M is an ultra-compact IP streaming audio console with integrated DSP, I/O and GPIO. Based on the same technology as Calrec's well-established Argo platform, Argo M is a 24 or 36 fader plug-and-play streaming audio console with up to 356 channels of internal DSP ready to use. With the ability to connect to an ST2110 networked environment and existing ImPulse cores, you can quickly create multi-console IP environments and add additional external DSP paths as production demands grow.

As to ImpulseV is a cloud-based audio mixing engine that provides virtualized Calrec DSP in a cloud-native AWS environment. It can be used to augment an existing workflow with additional processing, mix in parallel with cloud-based playback to deliver a single streaming mix, or provide access to a virtualized mixer alongside existing technologies. Optimized for low-latency performance, ImPulseV provides real-time, efficient and deterministic audio processing, control, routing and mixing. It can be controlled via any True Control 2.0 compatible controller.

Calrec has also released a software update at NAB Type R focused on radio users. New features include recording off-air content without affecting the on-air mix; improved GPIO control over talkback; user tags for Mix Minus buses; and a 120-channel DSP package option with 32 auxiliaries. Meanwhile, a new auxiliary amplifier upgrade is also available on the ImPulse and ImPulse1 DSP cores, and all three Argo consoles. Calrec is also debuting MIDI control across the Argo platform to support DAW control.

Finally, after several high-profile installations, such as that of Raycom Sports, Calrec has held a demonstration of its Argo Q and Argo S audio mixing consoles at the show. Raycom Sports has recently upgraded its flagship HD1 unit with a 60-fader Calrec Argo S console and a pair of redundant ImPulse1 DSP cores.