Henry Engineering is now shipping the Talent Pod, a desktop local host controller for microphones and headphones.

The company says that the Talent Pod solves audio problems often encountered when doing remote broadcasts. It is suitable for use at sports remotes and other on-location broadcasts, in an announce booth or talk-show studio.

Talent Pod is a “mini-console” for use by an announcer. It gives the announcer control of his or her mic and headphones. It lets the announcer turn the mic on and off and create a mix of local and return (IFB) audio in the headphones. The mic on/off button is illuminated, visible in outdoor settings. The cough button momentarily mutes mic audio. These functions are compatible with any mic mixer.

There are two separate inputs for local and return audio, with a volume control for each. The local input is fed from a local (on-site) mixer. The return/IFB input is for audio that’s sent to the remote site from the main studio. The announcer can control the volume level and mix of the headphone audio. To prevent confusion between the local and return audio, Talent Pod has two pan switches, so the announcer can independently position the local and return audio in the center, left or right channel of the headphones.

For broadcasts with multiple announcers, several Talent Pods can be used so that announcers can control their own mics, headphone volume, mix and pan settings. Headphone audio is fed to the first units only. The other units are then linked together with Cat-5 cables, eliminating the need for multiple power sources, DAs and complicated wiring.

Talent Pods are compatible with Henry Engineering’s MultiPhones system.

NAB Show Booth: C1723
Info: http://www.henryeng.com/