B13's desk was new when the photos on this page were taken in 1971 and was
a stereo version of the marque. The modules in the left foreground are stereo
processing (width, offset, balance). The right hand wing includes RSAs and
OS modules.
The main module is on the left, then comes the echo module which includes
control of a remote echo plate. The three stereo channels are followed by
the monitoring module and eight mono channels. Controls on the stereo channels
are routing (see 3E page), gain pre-sets, echo mixture, foldback, cut key,
fader and prefade. Mono channels add a pan pot and omit the cut key.
The bay is visible in the background. There are further jackfields either
side of the desk - the main routing and the insert jackfield. BBC desks still
did not have EQ on every channel - the RSAs (eq modules) had to be plugged
into the channels as required.
These rest of the pictures on this page were taken during one of those Sunday
Morning bookings that had a real sense of continuity with the past - "Family
Favourites". The programme was originally
called "Forces Favourites" and started during the war. For many years the
opening announcement (The time in Britain is twelve noon, in Germany it's
one o'clock, but home and away it's time for "Two-Way Family Favourites")
and the sound of its signature tune (With a Song in My Heart) would be associated
with the smell of Sunday lunch cooking! By the time of these photos it was
no longer "Two Way". Regular links with other BFBS stations widened its coverage.
Australia was also a regular source. The London and overseas presenters would
alternately introduce records with dedications and messages. For the German
section each end played only its own discs but working with more remote sources
required that both ends played the discs in tandem, making fading up the far
end after each disc rather tricky. Too early and you got the end of their
disc, too late and you clipped the beginning of their link.
B13 was having some changes made at this time, a phone balance unit now sits
on the right hand side of the desk and a limiter will be installed in the
gap next to the PPMs. The RSAs have moved from right to left (with two more
added). The small speakers have moved from beside the PPMs to the outer wings.
The presenter of Family Favourites by this time was Michael Aspel. For many
years Jean Metcalfe had presented in London, meeting, on air, her future husband
Cliff Michelmore who presented from Germany.
The grams are RP2/6, a machine offering reasonably quick starts but spoiled
by a rather cheap and nasty fader.
As much of the programme as possible was live, but the most distant places
required the links to be pre-recorded as the time differences were too great
for the far end to broadcast the programme live.
