Best known in the UK and the USA as Pop Idol and American Idol respectively, the format has also been a huge hit in many other countries, including Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Greece, Malaysia, Singapore, Russia and Turkey amongst others.
One of the latest versions of the format is in Bulgaria, where it is titled Music Idol. Aired on the country's first privately owned national television station, bTV (owned by News Corporation), the series currently enjoys the station's highest viewing ratings, its live performances broadcast from bTV's studios in the National Palace of Culture in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
Audio requirements for the shows are taken care of by THC Audio, a PA manufacturer and rental company with offices in Sofia, the USA, India and the Netherlands and recently appointed official XTA distributor. The company services many live concerts in Bulgaria and XTA equipment is now regularly seen at the heart of PAs featuring THC's proprietary loudspeaker systems.
Control of the sound on Music Idol is split between the studio PA system and feeds for television broadcast. An XTA DP448 is used for main system control, with a DS800 active mic/line distribution system also in place. EQ for the studio system is provided only by the DP448, which dovetails seamlessly with the DS800.
"We use XTA equipment to make sure of the best sound quality for both the live and television audiences," says THC's marketing manager Radolina Krasteva. "The sound engineer for Music Idol is THC founder Antoan Hadad. He and the executive producers of the show are very pleased with the sound and quality of the XTA units."
(Jim Evans)
