NEW YORK — RTW, a leading vendor of visual audio meters for professional broadcast, production, post-production and quality control, will be exhibiting at AES 2011 (Group One Booth 530) the TouchMonitor TM9 with firmware Version 2 (V2) and the new 3G-SDI add-on interface, available by the end of 2011. 
A major enhancement to the V2 firmware is the innovative LRA instrument. It intuitively depicts the Loudness Range (LRA) descriptor specified in EBU R128, elegantly combining the two most critical loudness-metering parameters. This instrument is a key addition to the TouchMonitor's already extensive loudness implementation.
As many of the current loudness instruments for production are highly complex, requiring in-depth user knowledge, there is an increasing demand among broadcast and radio users for tools that are easier to use. These tools must allow for viewing and evaluating critical loudness parameters intuitively, often without technical expertise. This way, even non-engineers can use them to quickly assess production loudness. RTW's new LRA instrument provides an extremely fast overview of the loudness features of any program segments. For this purpose, it combines integrated loudness metering, as specified in EBU R128 regulations, with LRA metering, thus allowing for the accurate representation of short-time loudness variances.
The TouchMonitor V2 firmware also offers many more enhancements. These include the new classic PPM-instrument view derived from legendary RTW peak meters featuring gas-plasma displays and the moving-coil instrument that implements various types of pointer instruments (including an M/S combo display) on the screen. Another new feature is the global keyboard, a customizable keypad that can be used for issuing global start/stop/reset messages. It also allows for controlling the TouchMonitor using the integrated GPIO interface.
In addition, the new 3G-SDI option can be installed in all previous and future TM9 TouchMonitor units. The new TM9 units can also be ordered with the interface option already installed. The SDI interface for the TM9 supports the SD, HD and 3G-SDI formats, thus allowing for easy integration into TV studios, switching rooms and video post-production environments. It complements the existing custom input configuration of TouchMonitor units, which makes analog, AES3 and AES3-id formats available in various combinations, depending on hardware version. The through-port of the 3G-SDI interface forwards the SDI input signal. De-embedded SDI signals may be routed to any existing AES output. With the 3G SDI option fitted, the TM9 TouchMonitor can display up to 32 channels of audio from any combination of inputs.
The TM9 TouchMonitor is RTW's response to growing demands to adhere to loudness requirements in modern production, post-production and broadcast environments. With its high-quality nine-inch touch screen and intuitive user interface, the TouchMonitor breaks new grounds in professional audio analysis in terms of accuracy, performance, efficiency and flexibility.
About RTW
RTW, based in Cologne (Germany), has more than 40 years of experience in designing, producing, and marketing advanced recording-studio systems. The company focuses its business on professional audio signal metering tools that are in use in the leading recording studios as well as by radio and TV broadcasters worldwide. The current product portfolio highlights the TouchMonitor range, a new series of tools for visual signal analysis and comprehensive loudness metering. The TouchMonitor combines the highest of flexibility and modularity with an intuitive user interface and touchscreen-based multichannel-analysis features, integrating exceptional surround-signal visualization using the unique and groundbreaking Surround Sound Analyzer. The high-end SurroundControl series of products with fully fledged loudness measuring combines the convenient metering options of the RTW surround display devices and the control functions of an eight-channel monitoring controller.
For more information, visit www.rtw.de or www.facebook.com/rtw.de, or call +49 221 709130.