Aaron Alter, a composer and technical consultant, faced the challenge of creating music for modern performances and recordings while maintaining his full-time career. He needed to establish a creative presence in the music industry, despite having limited time due to his demanding consulting job. The traditional method of composing music, which involved writing everything by hand, was time-consuming and inefficient. This made it difficult for him to expand his second career as a composer and produce new music regularly.

Airbag, a band from Argentina, faced the challenge of recording and producing music that captures high-quality audio while being flexible and easy to use. With a busy live concert schedule and global ambitions, the band needed a tool that could capture their sound in both live and studio settings, edit and mix their tracks, apply effects and MIDI instruments, and quickly publish songs online for their rapidly growing fan base. The band's bassist, Gastón Sardelli, was largely responsible for their recording sessions, editing and mixing, and developing a sound that was unique and personal. The challenge was to find a tool that was intuitive for a musician and could capture a very clean sound.

Al Baghdadia TV, a Middle East broadcaster, was facing significant challenges in its news production process. The primary issue was the bottlenecks in sharing media between field journalists and the main studio, which was slowing down the time to air for breaking news. Additionally, storage and workflow restrictions were preventing the capacity for High Definition (HD) content. The broadcaster was also in the process of a phased station-wide migration to HD to maximize efficiency and quality of content. The second key issue was to significantly improve time to air for its news division. The broadcaster was also planning to expand with further Iraq-based studio facilities.

Al Ghad Al Arabi TV, Egypt's first privately owned news broadcaster, aimed to establish itself as a leading pan-Arabic 24/7 news channel. The challenge was to move the central operations from London to Cairo, transforming the production centre at Cairo’s Media City into the main full 24/7 news facility. The London facility was to remain as a broadcast centre and disaster recovery location, with the Beirut facility proceeding as planned. The channel's aspiration was to compete with the existing leaders in the field, requiring a complete restructure and transformational program to gain recognition as an international broadcaster. The challenge also involved identifying gaps in the existing infrastructure and operating model at Media City, addressing technology changes, operational workflows, training, branding and on-screen graphics, and recruiting editorial and operational staff. The goal was to enhance the existing infrastructure to allow the production of 24-hour news and social media, delivering a multi-location solution within a set timeframe and a tight budget.

Al Jazeera English, the European headquarters of Al Jazeera Media Network, faced a unique challenge when they moved their operations to the 16th floor of The Shard, London's iconic skyscraper. The challenge was to connect Al Jazeera English to Al Jazeera Media Network’s hubs spread across three continents, enabling each site to access, share, and distribute assets collaboratively and efficiently. Broadcasting from the tallest building in the European Union, with an audience reach of 270 million households in 35 countries, brought a unique set of challenges. The broadcasting site, primarily built for offices, required intricate planning and meticulous site tests to ensure optimal broadcasting conditions. A crucial part of the planning phase was assessing the angle that the sun entered the 16th floor during all seasons to ensure that the two TV studios wouldn’t be compromised by glaring sunlight while on air.

Al Jazeera, one of the world's largest news organizations, faced a significant challenge with its legacy system that was limiting growth and access to modern news gathering technologies. The system was nearing its end of life from a support perspective, and a major upgrade was required to keep the channel on-air. The organization's biggest challenge over the past few years has been to connect its over 70 bureaus and be the first to break stories for its multi-lingual audiences. The iNEWS legacy system was reaching end of life and was constraining growth, with no real potential for expansion to include new services and functionality. There were also many tasks that had to be carried out manually, taking up the time of creative operational staff.

Alessandro Magri, a renowned producer, arranger, and musician based in Italy, was facing challenges in his music production process. As an analog enthusiast, he was seeking a solution that could provide an analog-like experience in the digital world. He was using multiple control surfaces for different applications, which was not only consuming a lot of space but also creating confusion. He was using Logic and Pro Tools installed on two networked Mac Pros and had to switch between two control surfaces for each application. This was hampering his workflow and reducing his efficiency in music production. The challenge was to find a solution that could integrate all these functions into one control surface, providing a seamless, efficient, and intuitive music production experience.

Musicians seeking to explore new horizons and share their experiences with a global audience face the challenge of finding software that provides them with the versatility and power to capture their vision and create work that will inspire listeners worldwide. This challenge is particularly significant for musicians like Aliya Cycon, who uses her music to raise awareness for people suffering from disease and hardship around the world. With her ensemble, the Aliya Cycon Project, she has written and performed numerous pieces for the oud, a stringed instrument used to play traditional Arabic music. The challenge was to find a way to communicate her music and its message to people in the States who might not be exposed to it, and to create a bridge for them to see a different, more positive side of the culture she represents.

AMC Networks was facing the challenge of transitioning from a collection of independently operated channels to a coordinated production environment. The network was in need of a solution that could streamline production, accelerate workflows, and enhance collaboration across the network. The key to building this large, cohesive operation was a powerful asset management technology that could automate and streamline the storytelling process. AMC Networks wanted to establish end-to-end workflows encompassing the full production cycle—from search, ingest, and editing to distribution and archiving—within the context of a unified architecture. The system also needed to be platform agnostic, giving editors the ability to work on both Media Composer and Final Cut Pro and go between the two systems seamlessly.

The challenge was to support pop superstar Anastacia’s five-month long Ultimate Collection Tour, a large-scale 60 input production designed for theatres. The tour was scheduled to make multiple stops in the UK, Germany, Italy, and Eastern Europe. The tour required a powerful and reliable system that could handle the demanding nature of the tour, including a special show in Prague where a full orchestra joined the production. The system needed to be able to handle the high channel count and provide flawless performance and recording every night.

Documentary programs cover a wide range of topics and are often produced on a tight schedule. The success of a series heavily relies on a talented editor equipped with the right software. The editor must have a natural sense of timing for drama and a journalist’s devotion to the truth. The challenge lies in managing the fast-paced production schedule while ensuring the quality of the content. The dialogue in documentaries is key to engaging the audience, which means the editor must work hard to get the best from the audio. The editor also needs to be mindful of the real people involved in the stories, especially when the subject matter can often be delicate and heartbreaking.

Berklee College of Music, the world’s largest independent contemporary music college, faced the challenge of updating its curriculum to reflect evolving trends in music production and enable collaboration between its campuses in Boston, Massachusetts and Valencia, Spain. The college needed to incorporate cutting-edge technology into its curriculum to prepare students for real-world production environments. The college recognized that collaborative work processes have become the norm in the music industry, and in the future, distant collaboration will be a standard work process. Therefore, it was crucial for Berklee to provide its students with the tools and experience to master these processes while they were still students. The college also wanted to create the most professional studios possible to address these industry changes.

The challenge faced by renowned composer Brian Tyler was to compose music across a wide range of genres, from orchestral to rock to hip-hop scores. The music industry demanded a versatile solution that could keep up with his diverse musical history, which included stints in numerous orchestras, choirs, ensembles, and rock bands with the likes of Elton John and Slash. As a first-call film composer, he needed a tool that could handle the fast-paced and demanding world of film scoring, where he was required to write for an orchestra or a hip-hop score interchangeably. The challenge was to find a software that could handle all aspects of the writing, recording, and creative process, and be versatile enough to accommodate his diverse musical needs.

The Carolina Panthers football team was faced with the challenge of creating engaging, immersive content for multiple platforms to drive game day attendance, viewership, and sponsorship revenue. The team needed to deliver content year-round, from NFL drafts and stadium upgrades to player fitness during the off-season. The demand for video content was growing exponentially, with fans seeking diverse content across various platforms. The team's broadcast television had been the primary content producer, but in-venue entertainment and social media presence were becoming increasingly important. The team's PantherVision department was tasked with creating unique, high-quality content for the game board at the Bank of America Stadium, while also managing content for corporate partners and sponsors. The challenge was to keep the content flowing, repurpose media across departments and platforms, and elevate the fan experience.

Fifteen years ago, Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts was a small program catering to an enrollment of 200 students. The school aimed to prepare students for successful careers in film, television, broadcast journalism, digital arts, and more. However, as the school grew rapidly to accommodate over 1,400 students, it faced the challenge of providing in-depth professional training that mirrored the workflows used in professional media facilities worldwide. The school needed to create a cutting-edge learning environment featuring industry-standard technology workflows to ensure its graduates entered the workforce with real-world experience.

The case study revolves around the challenges faced by film editor Christian Siebenherz and his post-production team in creating high-quality films with special effects, particularly disaster movies. The team had to deal with a limited budget and a small team size, which made the process of video editing, special effects, and color correction complex and time-consuming. The challenge was to streamline and simplify the post-production workflow to ensure the efficient creation of high-quality films. The team also had to deal with the complexities of editing action sequences, maintaining continuity, and creating realistic special effects, particularly in disaster scenes. The challenge was further compounded by the need to manage large projects and multiple users, and to quickly move scenes around and splice together different structures.

The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences (CRAS) in Arizona, a highly regarded audio recording, sound engineering, and music production school, faced a challenge with its outdated live analog console. The existing system was aging and lacked the ability to network with other classrooms or integrate with the existing Pro Tools setup. The school needed a modern system that could provide students with real-world training and experience, and seamlessly integrate with the existing infrastructure. The challenge was to find a solution that offered excellent sound quality, proven reliability, and advanced workflows, while also being user-friendly for the students.

Acclaimed music producer, Damian Taylor, was tasked with producing an album for the popular band, The Killers. The project required a recording system that could handle massive and complex sessions, as Taylor's contributions spanned all aspects, from technical to creative. The project also involved frequent movement between Taylor's Golden Ratio Studio in Montreal and the band’s Battle Born Studios in Las Vegas. The challenge was to find a system that could handle large amounts of tracks and system-intensive plugins, while also being portable and compatible with the rest of the studio's equipment.

The challenge was to create a fan-made film about Darth Vader, one of the most complex and interesting characters in the Star Wars universe. The film needed to be of cinema-quality and had to be accepted by the Star Wars community, which is known for its rigorous debates about what is considered legitimate and what is not. The film also had to be shared online without any advertising. The process of creating the film involved various stages including writing, directing, editing, and coordinating with remote staff. The challenge also included the need for a tool that could enhance the ability of the team to deliver the story quickly and enable richer collaboration.

David Pritchard-Blunt, a renowned musical director and arranger in the Australian live performance TV industry, faced the challenge of arranging and delivering compositions based on abbreviated versions of songs for popular TV shows like The Voice. The task involved translating existing material into a live situation for the band to play, often for clients located interstate or overseas. The process required seamless file sharing and collaboration with clients and colleagues. Furthermore, the nature of live television demanded speed and accuracy, as arrangement changes often needed to be made at very short notice. The challenge was to find a reliable, intuitive, and efficient solution that could facilitate these requirements.

Directors Cut, a premier long-form post-production house in London, was faced with the challenge of providing its clients with new and remote working capabilities to meet their evolving needs and increase the facility’s revenue potential. The company needed to improve access to its catalog of assets for staff and clients working both on-premise and remotely. They were also looking to repurpose and monetize content more effectively. The management team was keen on embracing innovative technology to improve its client offering and streamline its operations. However, the remote viewing tools they had seen were not advanced enough to integrate into their Avid workflow.

The music industry is a highly competitive field that requires songwriters and producers to have powerful and user-friendly audio recording, editing, and mixing software. This software should facilitate collaboration and sharing of work among music creators, thereby driving creativity. The challenge lies in finding a tool that is not only easy to use but also allows songwriters and producers to listen, edit, and mix their recorded projects effectively. This is crucial in enabling them to collaborate with musicians and create high-quality music.

The post-production team for the American Race documentary, led by supervisor Tim Cunningham, faced a significant challenge. They needed a workflow with ample storage and collaborative capabilities to manage the post-production needs of a fast-paced episodic documentary. The documentary, hosted by Charles Barkley, was a four-part series exploring race in America, with each episode examining different contemporary race issues. The production involved extensive live footage, requiring hours in the editing room and significant storage requirements. This put immense pressure on the post-production team to ensure all technical and artistic components came together for a compelling story. The team also faced a tight production schedule due to the show’s airdate, adding to the challenge.

The challenge was to provide an easy way for audio professionals to integrate Dolby Atmos into their projects without changing their existing workflows. Dolby Atmos, a new sound format, needed to be introduced in a manner that would allow sound experts to creatively place and move sound anywhere. The integration had to be seamless and compatible with Pro Tools and Apple products, which are widely used by content creators globally. The solution had to be simple enough to enable rapid adoption among stakeholders in the cinema industry.

Elijah Ray, a solo acoustic guitarist, faced the challenge of creating a natural feel in his recordings while capturing an improvisational vibe with his music. He often uses a looper, a device that records segments of music and plays it back, to enhance his live performances. However, this introduced a new challenge, requiring an improvisational spirit and a high level of skill to master. Furthermore, his performances tend to be very different from what normally happens when touring groups take the stage, as he prefers to live on the edge, making his performances vulnerable and edgy.

ENVY, a leading post-production provider for the British broadcasting and advertising industries, was facing a series of challenges due to its rapid expansion and increasing workload. The company was dealing with tighter production schedules, a growing 4K workload, and expansion across multiple locations. ENVY's workload had expanded at an astronomical rate, with growing client demand for tighter turnaround times, disruptive ideas, and state-of-the-art media technology. The company had also added a new production facility for its advertising clients. To manage these challenges, ENVY needed to upgrade and expand its storage capabilities. However, it was crucial that the integration of a new storage system wouldn’t affect its high standards of work and client relations.

The challenge was to bring to life the complex, intertwined personal stories behind the fast-paced, emotionally charged film Everest, while dealing with huge volumes of footage and recreating the sounds of one of the world’s most hostile environments. The film depicts the catastrophic events of the 1996 mountain disaster, following two doomed expeditions to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. The climbers face near-impossible obstacles to survive, trapped in the ‘Death Zone’ of Everest—25,000 feet up in the highest altitudes of the mountain—by one of the most ferocious snowstorms ever known to man. The film features an all-star cast, including Emily Watson, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin and John Hawkes. Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) tackles the role of the infamous expedition leader, Rob Hall, while Oscar-nominated Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Jarhead, Brokeback Mountain) plays rival mountaineer and expedition leader, Scott Fischer.

The challenge faced by the Face Vocal Band was to create music that transcends genres and styles, specifically transforming rock hits into vocal rock performances. This required the band to identify rock hits and then use their vocal abilities to turn them into something completely new. The process involved arranging a time-honored standard into five-part harmony, which required powerful software solutions. The band also needed to figure out how to translate songs from their original electronic-infused drum patches, pulsing bass, synth pads and vocal samples into a sonic experience that would engage audiences in live settings and in recorded media.

Films at 59, a leading UK post house, was faced with the challenge of needing a flexible, expandable storage platform to support increasing frame rates, more complex formats, and a growing roster of activity. The company, which has grown organically alongside clients whose work spans all genres, from feature films to drama, natural history, daytime, and VR, needed a system that could accommodate increasingly more complex requirements and technically demanding productions. This included greater frame sizes and rates, as well as the capacity to expand to handle more projects while storing and managing ever higher volumes of media. The chosen storage platform needed to complement Films at 59’s existing workflow and third-party editing tools, and also support innovative new technologies like VR.

The challenge was to deliver an eight-part documentary for HBO under a tight deadline while managing a vast amount of footage. The documentary, Foo Fighters Sonic Highways, was a recording odyssey around iconic US music studios, directed by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. The series saw the band travel to legendary studios in cities across the USA to write and record their latest album, Sonic Highways. Each episode featured interviews with influential artists, producers, and studio owners. The production team had to handle 400 hours of footage per episode and cope with increasingly tight timescales. The team comprised of six video editors, a sound mixer, a dialog editor, a sound effects editor, and a team of post assistants.