Sean “Sully” Sullivan, a renowned sound mixer for some of the world’s biggest artists, was tasked with the challenge of mixing the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s World Tour. Having previously used Avid VENUE consoles, Sully was in search of the next stage in live sound. The challenge was not only to transition to a new system but also to decide which plugins to use. Sully was fond of using Waves, but the external nature of the SoundGrid MultiRack option was not appealing. He also had to overcome the muscle memory of where buttons are and how to use them on the new console. The transition was further complicated by the fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers had previously been mixed on an analog board, and Sully had to adapt to this change.

Riverside Television, a company started by Cyril O’Regan in 1989, faced a significant challenge. The industry was shifting towards a requirement for on-site production facilities, which meant that their studio, located in rural county Waterford, was no longer viable. The challenge was to develop a post-production facility that could be mobile and set up wherever and whenever it was needed. This was a significant shift from their traditional approach of having a fixed base within four walls. The company needed to rethink their business model and find a solution that would allow them to adapt to the changing industry requirements and continue to provide high-quality post-production services.

Live performances involve a diverse range of musicians with varying needs for music charts and details. This diversity necessitates a high degree of flexibility in notation and music publishing tools. Benny Rietveld, the bassist and music director for Santana, faced this challenge in his work with the band and other legendary musicians. The musicians he worked with had different skillsets when it came to reading music, and not all of them had classical training. This meant that he had to create music charts that were tailored to each musician's unique needs and abilities. Furthermore, the musicians he worked with were part of various ensembles, which required different types of music charts and individual parts. This situation called for a music notation program that was flexible and could cater to the diverse needs of the musicians.

Scratch Media, a creative agency based in Carlsbad, San Diego, has been producing award-winning video and live events for renowned brands, nonprofits, and higher-education institutions for over a decade. The challenge they faced was the increasing demand to deliver high-quality content, including 4K/UHD media, faster than ever before. This was crucial for them to stay competitive in the industry. Collaboration was a significant part of their workflow, with three or four editors needing simultaneous access to shared storage using Scratch Media's five edit bays. For urgent projects, all five bays would be in use. The need for a solution that could facilitate seamless project handoffs and enable the team to work safer and smarter was evident.

Seneca, a leading institution for students planning a career in the media industry, faced the challenge of equipping its students with the necessary skills to succeed in the highly competitive media industry. The institution had been using Avid Media Composer nonlinear editing systems and Pro Tools digital audio workstations for a decade, but it wanted to provide students with broader access to Avid technology, beyond the classroom. Additionally, keeping technology up-to-date in the rapidly changing media industry was a constant challenge. Seneca's existing media production infrastructure was over five years old, and the legacy technology did not enable students to develop the requisite skills to compete in the industry. It was also expensive to maintain and support. Seneca faced the challenge of dealing with a series of silos, including classrooms, editing suites, television studios, and centralized storage, each with unique limitations and at different stages of maturity in its upgrade path.

The challenge was to craft the enthralling series three finale of the multi award-winning series Sherlock. The task was to weave together the gripping plot strands, with the pathos and humour of the characters, seamlessly. The series finale was directed by acclaimed British film and television director Nick Hurran and was nominated for several awards, including the Primetime Emmys, at which it won a stellar seven awards, the most for any TV episode. The challenge was not just to maintain the high standards set by the previous episodes but also to bring in a fresh perspective and creativity. The complexity of the sequences and the need for seamless collaboration with third party programs added to the challenge.

The challenge was to foster creative collaboration among editors, VFX, the sound supervisor, and director Robert Rodriguez for the production of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. The team needed to streamline and simplify workflows, enhance collaboration, and allow creative teams to experiment with different creative ideas under tight time and cost pressures. The production involved multiple editorial venues and staff working simultaneously. Rodriguez worked from his home in Austin, Texas, while other members of the editorial team were based at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios in Austin. The team was also simultaneously working on the first two episodes of From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, which required all the media for the entire season to be kept online.

SKY Perfect JSAT, a leading Japanese satellite television broadcaster, faced a significant challenge in upgrading their sports broadcasting service. The company required a system that could support 4K / HDR and edit footage for highlights packages during a live broadcast. The need for this upgrade was driven by the increasing demand for high-quality sports content and the need to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving broadcasting industry. The last major update to their facility had been in 2009, and the existing system was not equipped to handle the demands of 4K broadcasting. The challenge was not just about upgrading the hardware, but also about ensuring seamless integration with existing systems, maintaining operational consistency, and preparing for future technological advancements.

Spotify Studios, a part of Spotify Technology, was faced with the challenge of producing high-quality, sonically crisp, and engaging content in a fast-paced studio environment. The studio records a weekly series called Spotify Singles, featuring original and cover songs from globally renowned artists. The challenge was to capture the musical magic in a way that would resonate with Spotify's 100 million subscribers across 65 regions. The studio needed a solution that would not only provide the highest standard in studio-quality sound but also offer flexible routing and monitor control. The existing non-HD system was limited in terms of fidelity and track count, which was a significant hindrance to the studio's workflow.

Spotlight Productions, a full-service production company based in Alberta, Canada, was facing a significant challenge due to the growing demand for 4K/UHD content. The company produces approximately 120 hours of unscripted programming annually, including educational programming for Rogers Broadcasting and a variety of lifestyle and cultural content for Canada’s TELUS Optik TV. Every month, Spotlight had to deliver a large amount of 4K/UHD mini documentary-style stories for TELUS Originals. This was putting significant pressure on its media storage capacity and throughput to its edit suites. Furthermore, the demand for 4K/UHD production was growing, and Spotlight’s president Matt Embry knew it was time to upgrade the company’s shared storage infrastructure, computers, and monitoring. Prior to the upgrade, the company was able to cut 4K/UHD footage, but was unable to view it fluidly. They also experienced excessive export and encode times, which prolonged their post-production deliveries.

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival, a hub of creativity and industry innovation, has been a springboard for artists in technology, film, and music for the past 26 years. However, with the festival's growing popularity, independent editors and filmmakers are facing increasing competition. The challenge is to create high-quality, inspiring film and music that stands out from the competition and maximizes the creative opportunities at SXSW. The artists needed a solution that would support multiple camera formats, handle mixed formats, and provide robust media management. They also required powerful creative tools that would help them deliver compelling stories and express their unique creative vision.

Teatre Lliure, one of Spain's most important theaters, was facing a challenge with its existing live sound system. The theater, which hosts a variety of performances including theatrical, music, and dance throughout the year, required a state-of-the-art live sound system to support its diverse performances. The theater is known for its multiple halls and ingenious manipulation of scene and staging elements, which further necessitated the need for a robust and versatile sound system. The existing system was not able to meet the theater's high standards and the diverse requirements of its performances.

The production team of 'The Amazing Spider-Man' faced a significant challenge in managing and editing a massive amount of footage and special effects. The film, being a reboot of the franchise, required quick and impactful editing to deliver a fresh and compelling narrative. The team, led by editor Alan Edward Bell and assistant editor Jennifer Vecchiarello, had to deal with a project starkly different from their previous ones, with the complexity of the footage and the need for special effects making it a different game altogether. The team recognized the need for effective collaboration and a powerful workflow to manage the project efficiently.

The Fried Music, a respected Finnish independent music company, was facing challenges in streamlining its audio production and speeding up turnaround time. The studio, which also serves as a base for a record label with in-house songwriters and producers, was in need of a more responsive and modern workflow. The mixing engineer, Arttu Peljo, was responsible for all the studio equipment and most of the mixing. He was tasked with making the music sound as good as possible, with new projects coming and going at a fast pace. The studio was looking for a solution that would not only improve the quality of output but also allow for more automated workflows. The size of the controller was also a crucial factor as it needed to fit into their small room.

The challenge was to cut a massive amount of complex material from many sources, often in the same frame, into a fast-moving yet comically nuanced film. The film in question was Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, which narrates the adventures of legendary concierge Gustave H. at a famous European hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrowka between the first and second World Wars. The film required a high level of editing precision to maintain the rhythm of the script and the tempo of the editing. The editing team had to manage a multitude of creative elements happening at different rates, and keep the cutting married to the rhythm of the comedy and action with working temps. This was an immense challenge, especially considering the complexity of so many different and fast-moving elements.

Wave Studios, a leading post-production house in the U.K., was facing the challenge of improving connectivity across projects and enabling remote collaboration to deliver compelling mixes for film and TV. The studio was also looking to anticipate and meet future needs of the audio mixing workflow. With budgets for post-production projects shrinking across the industry, it was crucial for Wave Studios to optimize their current workflows to maximize cost-effectiveness and productivity. The studio was handling a variety of film and television projects, including national and international TV projects, music videos for global selling acts, and movie credits. Therefore, it was essential to find new and innovative ways of working within the audio industry to keep their offerings fresh and competitive.

Miami-based news broadcaster WPLG, an ABC affiliate with a 44-year history, was grappling with an aging production infrastructure. The broadcaster, which produces over 50 hours of news each week, was facing challenges in maintaining competitiveness in a dynamic and highly competitive news market. The outdated infrastructure was hindering seamless collaboration between the newsroom and field crews, which was crucial for efficient news production and distribution. The need for an upgrade was further emphasized by the station's desire for a more virtualized production infrastructure, which would enable more efficient collaboration and streamline the news production process.