Audio Supervisor Builds Comms Collection

Skokie, IL (September 24, 2025)—Gideon Zaretsky, owner of Electric Ear and Research Company and an experienced audio supervisor, recently added a Model 545DR intercom interface to a collection of Studio Technologies gear he’s been amassing for over a decade.

“This unit is a full circle moment for me,” Zaretsky says, “because it extends the life of older two-wire equipment that has been sitting on the shelf for years, as it integrates legacy gear into Dante networks. My favorite use of the product is as a Dante bridge for stand-alone wireless PL base stations, which for some reason still ship with two wire ports.”

Zaretsky’s credits include NBC, Netflix, Food Network and other major productions. His first experience with Studio Technologies came via its two-wire to four-wire analog interfaces, which allowed him to integrate party-line (PL) systems with improvised four-wire gear. As productions grew more complex, he transitioned from DIY solutions to purpose-built products like the Model 233 announcer’s console and Model 240 producer’s console.

Studio Technologies Announcer Console Trio Launches

The true game-changer came with Studio Technologies Model 348 intercom station. “The Model 348 is a small box with eight buttons, but it’s brilliantly designed,” he says. “I use it for IFB talk/listen, ad hoc PL stations, QC, live announcers and whatever else producers need. We were already into Dante on the audio side, but still in the Dark Ages as far as PL. Most of our shows at that time did not have much of a comms budget, so we were rolling our own party line matrixes and IFB buses on analog mixers. We had been dreaming of a Model 348-like device for years. It immediately allowed the control room crew to seamlessly talk to wireless PL channels, talent and each other.”

Discover more great stories—get a free Mix SmartBrief subscription!

Zaretsky now owns more than 20 Model 348 units, multiple Model 5312 intercom stations and relies heavily on the Model 5422A Dante intercom audio engine for IFB sends, summing buses and custom routing. “Typing in a label and hitting connect on the Model 5422A replaces 10 minutes of complicated patching,” Zaretsky adds. “It’s a massive time saver during live shooting.”