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For example, Element Show Profiles can recall each operator’s favorite settings with the push of a button — audio sources, fader assignments, monitor settings and more. And each jock’s Show Profile contains personalized Mic Processing and Voice EQ settings that load every time they’re on the air (so the midday guy will stop badgering you for “just a little more low end”). There’s even a “panic button”: one key-press returns a Show Profile to its default state instantly. (No more 3 A.M. “Help!” calls.)
 Did we say “mic processing”? You bet. Every voice channel gets studio-grade compression,
de-essing and expansion from the processing experts at Omnia, plus three-band parametric EQ to sweeten the deal. There’s even built-in headphone processing so you don’t have to waste money building a separate side-chain just for the studio cans.
Jocks have complained for years that making a mix-minus is too hard — so Element constructs mix-minuses automatically. Plus, mix-minus settings are saved for each audio source, so that sources, backfeed and machine logic all load at once. And every fader has a “Talkback” key to communicate with phone callers, remote talent or other studios using the console mic.
Speaking of phones, board-ops have enough distractions without having to reach for an outboard phone control panel. Element has hybrid controls with dedicated faders for Telos talkshow systems; there’s even a dial pad so jocks can dial, pick up, screen and drop calls without ever diverting their attention from the console.
Nearly every air talent has accidentally changed a fader’s audio source while it was on-the-air. To prevent that error, Element “queues” source changes: the operator must turn the fader off
before the next assigned source “takes”.
The radio console, redefined.
 Element was designed to fulfill either a production or on-air role, with amazingly powerful features waiting just beneath the intuitive surface. For instance, Element can mix in 5.1 Surround as well as stereo. That’s standard; nothing extra to buy (except more speakers). There are four stereo Aux Sends and two Aux Returns, so production guys can use their favorite outboard FX boxes. Great for custom IFB feeds, too.
Got a PA mixer tucked away in a studio corner to mix mics for live performers, talk shows and such? Element has 8 Virtual Mixers — no outboard gear needed. And the Virtual Mixers emulate ACU-1s, allowing tight integration with automation and satellite systems.
 You can administer Element remotely, from home, the airport — wherever there’s network access. A password-protected web server lets you examine the state of the console, see what’s on the air and even fix operator mistakes, without ever leaving the comfort of that new Aeron™ desk chair you (ahem) “requisitioned”
from the Sales department.
Small VU meters mounted at desk level are hard to read, so we re-invented the traditional meter bridge. Element‘s big meters are presented on an easy-to-read computer monitor along with large analog and digital clocks, event and countdown timers, and tallies that light when mics are open, delay is active, or during phone calls. You can even customize the display by adding your station’s logo.
Beneath the surface
There’s more to building a great board than just features. Consoles have to be rugged, to perform flawlessly 24/7, 365 days-a-year, for years at a time. So when it came time to choose the components that would go into Element, we literally scoured the globe for the absolute best parts — parts that would take the torture that jocks dish out on a daily basis.
 First, Element is fabricated from thick, machined aluminum extrusions for rigidity and RF immunity. The result: a board that will stand up to nearly anything.
With so many devices in the studio these days, the last thing anyone needs is gear with a noisy cooling fan. That’s why Element’s power-supply is fanless, for perfectly silent in-studio operation.
Element modules are hot-swappable, of course, and quickly removable. They connect to the frame via CAT-5, so pulling one is as simple as removing two screws and unplugging an RJ — no motherboard or edge connectors here.
 Faders take massive abuse. The ones used in other consoles have a big slot on top that sucks in dirt, crumbs and liquid like the government sucks in taxes. By contrast, our silky-smooth conductive-plastic faders actuate from the side, so grunge can’t get in. And our rotary controls are high-end optical encoders, rated for more than five million rotations. No wipers to clean or wear out — they’ll last so long, they’ll outlive your mother-in-law (and that’s saying something).
Element’s avionics-grade switches are cut from the same cloth. Our design team was so obsessed with finding the perfect long-life components that they actually built a mechanical “finger” to test switches! Some supposedly “long life” switches failed after just 100,000 activations; when they found the switches used in Element, they shut off the machine after 2 million operations and declared a winner. (The losers got all-expense-paid vacations to the landfill.)
 Individual components are easy to service, too. Faders come out after removing just two screws. Switches and rotary volume controls are likewise easy to access. And all lamps are LEDs, so you’ll likely never need to replace them.
Engineers have said for years that console finishes don’t stand up to day-to-day use. Silk-screened graphics wear off; plastic overlays last longer, but they crack and chip — especially around switches and fader slots, where fingers can easily get cut on the sharp, splintered edges. We decided that we could do better.
Element uses high-impact Lexan overlays with color and printing on the back, where it can’t rub off. And instead of just sticking the Lexan to the top of the module like some folks do, our overlays are inlaid on the milled aluminum module faces to keep the edges from cracking and peeling — expensive to make, but worth it. For extra protection, there are custom bezels around faders, switches and buttons to guard those edges, too. Element modules will look great for years.
 By the way, those on/off keys, fader knobs and bezels are our own design, custom-molded to give positive tactile feedback. The switch is flush with the bezel, so it’s easy to find by touch. But if something gets dropped on it, the bezel keeps the switch from being accidentally activated.
More than just products
Catfish learned something else important from his time at PR&E: “Even the best products are nothing without great support.” So Axia employs an amazing network of people to provide the best support possible: Application Engineers with years of experience mapping out radio studios... the most knowledgeable, friendly sales people in the biz... Support Engineers who were formerly broadcast engineers. Plus a genius design team, software authors who dream code... one of the largest R&D teams in broadcast.
And now Axia has become radio’s first console company to offer 24/7 support, 365 days a year. Chances are you’ll never need that assistance, but if you do, we’ll be ready for you. Our ‘round-the-clock help line is +1-216-622-0247.
Proudly Over-Engineered
 Are Axia consoles over-engineered? You bet. If you’re looking for a cheap, disposable console, there are plenty out there — but this ain’t it. Not everyone appreciates this kind of attention to detail, but if you’re one who seeks out and appreciates excellence wherever you may find it... Axia consoles are built just for you.
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“20-odd years ago,” says Axia President Michael “Catfish” Dosch, “I was designing custom consoles for recording studios. Somebody at PR&E – it was still called Pacific Recorders then – liked what I was doing and invited me to move there. Work with Jack Williams, the guy who practically invented the modern radio console? I jumped at the chance; BMX consoles were ultra-reliable, sounded great, and nearly indestructible! 
“PR&E was a dream job. Jack taught me how to design consoles without compromise — how to over-engineer them. It’s great to see, 15 or 20 years later, that many of the boards I designed are still on the air.
And we invented a way to network studios, consoles and audio equipment using Ethernet. It’s called Livewire™, and it’s now an industry standard. Livewire carries hundreds of channels of real-time, uncompressed audio plus synchronized control logic and program-associated data on just one skinny CAT-6 cable. 
Lots of well-known broadcast software and hardware companies (over two dozen already) now make products that work directly with Livewire. Thanks to this scalable network technology, integrated router control is a standard feature of every Element. Any source in any studio can be loaded on any fader with no need for add-on panels. 
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