Today’s stop on the grand tour of WLHA studios finds us in New York City, home of WLHA East, which oddly enough is the main master control center for WLHA. Almost all programming is fed through this over-engineered facility just a few blocks from the original Radio City in Rockefeller Center. Click any picture to enlarge it.
WLHA East features all the servers that play out our programming to the world along with the audio processing that keeps our sound punchy but level (with a special dose of inaudible hum). We also have an Arrakis ARC-10 console for originating live programming from New York. Note the Neumann U87 mic – a classic made in West Germany in 1974 – more about the RCA 77d in a moment.
This rack contains switching, mic processing, audio distribution and our off air monitor. If WLHA East should stop making noise WLHA West will immediately take over.
Here’s our audio processing chain. On top we’re keeping a close eye on the audio from WLHA East and West. There’s a smart fan to cool our rack and directly below that a an Art Pro VLA tube leveler which helps keep our sound on the level. Below that is the an Aphex Compellor and Dominator Combination to give our audio a nice little punch, all the while keeping things transparent and clean.
Also at WLHA East we have our production studio where the WLHA Comedy Hour and the Lee Harris Show originate. The preferred mic is the RCA 77d circa 1954, paired with Clevite Brush crystal headphones from 1963. But not everything here is old timey.
At the center of our New York production facility is a new Rodecaster Pro II which is an amazingly capable bit of gear that lights up like a Christmas tree. Thanks for visiting WLHA East. Be sure to exit through the gift shop!
