LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY: Church of the Savior is a growing mid-size church nestled amid the bluegrass of Lexington, Kentucky. In order to support increased programming, the church raised funds to build an annex comprised of three high-tech classrooms anchored by an equally-high-tech foyer area. Kentucky-based Pro Sound & Lights designed a forward-thinking A/V system for the new space, but requests from the church’s knowledgeable liaison threw a wrench into the plans at the eleventh hour. Additional processing and amplifier channels would be needed, and Pro Sound & Lights’ systems engineer Chris Naughton accommodated the requested additions without going over budget by calling on an eight-channel Ashly ne8250.pe amplifier with optional onboard Protea(tm) DSP processing.

“All three rooms can be combined into one larger room, with all of the technology routed appropriately,” explained Naughton. “It’s functionally similar to a small conference center. Moreover, the foyer area – which will have a little coffeehouse and plenty of comfy places to hang out – can be used as a fourth classroom, so we included all of the A/V infrastructure there as well.” Naughton already had a processor and amplifier ordered when he received a call from Dave Grosz, Media engineer, for the media communications department at Asbury University and a member of Church of the Savior. “Dave knows his stuff. He’s behind one of the leading telecommunications programs in the country,” said Naughton. “He felt the new classrooms would be better served with JBL Control-series full-range loudspeakers paired with JBL Control-series subwoofers.”

At first, Naughton imagined that the easy fix would be to order a second four-channel amp to power the subwoofers, one per zone. But while he was revising the layout he realized that the processor on order had only six outputs. He needed eight outputs to do the crossovers. “That’s when I began to panic,” he laughed. “Contracts were signed, we were good to go, and now this! Money was very tight, and so I needed to find a solution that would not only work, but would work for not a lot more money than we had already committed to.”

Naughton did some research and realized that the Ashly ne8250.pe was the cost-effective solution that the project now cried out for. Within its two-rack unit frame, it offers eight 250-watt amplifier channels plus an on-board Protea digital matrix mixer & processor. He could keep the original processor, which was inextricably linked to the Extron control system to which the church had already agreed. Only four of its outputs, one per zone, would feed the Ashly ne8250.pe, which would supply the necessary crossover processing, along with modest delay and equalization. “No other manufacturer has a quality solution that is as affordable as the Ashly ne8250.pe,” said Naughton. “Despite the inclusion of the processing power, the ne8250.pe was still less expensive than two of the original four-channel amplifiers, which had no processing at all. In addition, Ashly’s shipping time was phenomenal. I received the unit two or three days after I ordered it. That gave me enough time to have the two original amplifiers rerouted back to the manufacturer!”

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high quality & high performance signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. The 37-year old company is headquartered in Webster, New York U.S.A. www.ashly.com

TEMPE, ARIZONA: The Wells Fargo Arena is the home of Arizona State University’s basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling teams. At six stories high and with over 10,000 seats, it also hosts concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other events. Over its nearly forty years of service, the Wells Fargo Arena has had several sound reinforcement systems, all of which lacked power and were unintelligible to one degree or another. But that changed recently, when the school raised funds for a whirlwind renovation project that resulted in a new system centered on Danley Sound Labs full-range loudspeakers and subwoofers. The new system conveys impressive bass and highly-intelligible speech.

“From conception to commissioning, this job spanned a mere three weeks,� said Ron Klaus, design engineer with Phoenix-based Audio Video Resources (AVR). AVR had worked with Arizona State University on a number of projects in the past, and so the school trusted the firm to guide the project to a successful completion – even on such a compressed timeline. Anthony James Partners (AJP) served as the project consultant, and AVR partnered with the Arizona contingent of Clearwing Productions on the installation. Under the guidance of Project Manager Jared Bigelow, AVR managed the project and procured the equipment, whereas Clearwing Productions provided all of the speaker rigging, rack building, and cabling. Engineers at Danley Sound Labs designed the system in consultation with Anthony James Partners, Director of Audio Engineering, Larry Lucas.

The new system is comprised of a primary ring, together with a delay ring, for the upper tier. Twelve two-box hangs form the primary ring. On each, a Danley SH-69 delivers 60- by 90-degree coverage for the closest seats, whereas a narrower Danley SH-60 delivers 60- by 60-degree coverage for the mid-level seats. Twelve Danley SH-100s form the delay ring that covers the “nose bleed� section. Four Danley TH-118 subwoofers, one in each corner situated above a two-box hang, supplement the main boxes with generous low end. “The Danley engineers took the wire frame of the arena and optimized loudspeaker choice and placement in EASE,� explained Klaus. “The experts at Clearwing Productions turned those plans into reality, a process that was expedited by their familiarity with the rigging at the Wells Fargo Arena. Clearwing Productions is frequently contracted to do the staging for events at the Wells Fargo Arena.�

Everyone involved in the project, including Lucas and engineers from Danley Sound Labs, was present for the system commissioning. “The guys from Danley were very thorough,� said Klaus. “For example, they went into the processor and custom tuned the attack, release, and thresholds on the limiter for each box. It was well done.� Only two days after the booms were removed, the school was already sanding the floor to paint on new stripes for the rapidly approaching fall season.

“It’s an impressive system,� summarized Klaus. “Even when the arena is empty and its reverb time is hovering around five seconds, the direct sound coming from above is full and highly intelligible. Then you look up and realize that that big sound is coming from a couple of relatively small boxes. Moreover, the low-frequency extension is impressive, despite the fact that the system only possesses four subwoofers.� The Wells Fargo Arena marks the second largest Danley installation in the Grand Canyon State; further south, the University of Arizona’s football stadium employs four of Danley’s massive Jericho Horns to efficiently and effectively cover 52,000 seats.

Noted Mike Hedden, Danley Sound Labs’ president, “Using the current design trend, many design engineers would have chosen the line array approach. In comparison, the Danley Synergy Horn/Tapped Horn subwoofer solutions yield vastly better pattern control and frequency response in a fraction of the cabinets for substantially less money. Plus, from the time Danley Sound Labs received the order to the product being on the job sight was less than three weeks. Cutting edge technologies, delivered in extremely short time frames, at a very competitive price, these are some of the reasons Danley is enjoying such incredible growth.�

ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology.
www.danleysoundlabs.com

SAFETY HARBOR, FLORIDA: As a founding member of pioneering thrash act Sabbat, Andy Sneap secured his place within the canon of British heavy metal at a very young age. A devastating guitarist and a talented songwriter, Sneap also showed an interest and proclivity for the critical tasks that took place on “the other side of the glass.� Indeed, he produced two of Sabbat’s successful and highly-respected albums, which, combined with a network of industry friends and a reputation for good work and dependability, earned him a steady flow of production and engineering work for his early-1990s, ADAT-centered home studio. As his prestige grew, his circle of friends and clients grew to encompass the big players in the genre, and Sneap is now credited with over one-hundred works with acts such as Exodus, Machine Head, Napalm Death, and Kreator. He received Grammy nominations for his work with Killswitch Engage and Megadeth.

Sneap is as busy as ever these days. He recently completed producing, recording, mixing, and mastering Testament’s Dark Roots of Earth and Accept’s Stalingrad from his now vastly-updated digs, Backstage Studios. At the same time, he’s active in the 2006 reformation of Sabbat and the 2008 reformation of associated act Hell, both of which keep him busy during the summer festival season. When we spoke with him, Sneap was mixing Saxon’s forthcoming release (the band’s twentieth album!) between festival dates and gearing up to mix a new one for Killswitch Engage and to record Anonamar’s latest. Metric Halo’s ChannelStrip plug-in is one of the essential tools that Sneap has relied on to deliver the kind of mixes that put big, big smiles on the faces of musicians, label executives, and fans. He recently expanded his Metric Halo palette with the Production Bundle, a comprehensive collection of Metric Halo plug-ins.

“I was turned onto Metric Halo ChannelStrip way back in the late 1990s, when I first started using Pro Tools,� said Sneap. “A friend suggested that if I liked the SSL sound, I’d like Metric Halo ChannelStrip. He was right, and it has since become absolutely essential to the way I mix. Truly, every single mix that I have completed in the last fourteen years used Metric Halo ChannelStrip. There are no exceptions.� As part of the continual upgrade of Backstage Studios, Sneap recently added an analog outboard Solid State Logic processor. “It’s great,� he said, “but there’s no way it can replace Metric Halo ChannelStrip!�

Sneap is happiest and most satisfied when he can pilot a project from start to finish, filling the roles of producer, recording engineer, mix engineer, and even mastering engineer. And because he is an accomplished guitarist, his rapport with the musicians he works with makes his sessions uniquely productive, characterized by an easy exchange of ideas and suggestions that never come off as offensive. However, Sneap also recognizes that shrinking budgets have forced many bands and labels to shoulder the recording responsibilities all on their own. As a result, more of his work is shifting to mixing and mastering only.

Associated with that shift is a greater need to “fix� aspects of the recording that don’t arrive in good condition to meld with his mixing style. Here, he is beginning to explore the world of processing possibilities embodied by the Metric Halo Production Bundle, which includes ChannelStrip 3, Character (an analog circuit modeler), HaloVerb, Multiband Dynamics, Precision DeEsser, TransientControl, and Multiband Expander. “The TransientControl has been especially useful for highlighting the ‘ring’ in Saxon’s snare sound,� he said. “And I’ve been using the Multiband Dynamics to zone in on the vocals, where some awkward and nasty stuff was happening around 2kHz.�

Although Sneap bemoans a certain lack of songwriting polish in modern metal that has strayed from the genre’s origins in the late 1970s, he’s quick to assert that modern metal’s sound is nearly ideal. “It’s true that things are becoming a bit too corrected… a bit too cut and paste,� he said. “I prefer a more raw recording, one that conveys the energy and emotion of the actual performance. But at the same time, I think that if I was turning in mixes that sounded like late 1970s albums – though a lovely retro thing to do – people would be disappointed. The power of a modern metal record stands far above those old recordings.�

And Sneap cannot fully convey that power without Metric Halo ChannelStrip. “I’ve tried every plug-in, every channel strip, and nothing can give me the smack, the front-end pop, and the warmth of Metric Halo’s classic,� he said. “I simply cannot complete a mix at a remote location without it. I would be totally lost. With the release of ChannelStrip 3, that is not a concern. The Production Bundle and all its plug-ins are authorized via iLok so I can take the software wherever I go. I’m grateful that Metric Halo continues to update ChannelStrip.�

ABOUT METRIC HALO Now based in the sunny city of Safety Harbor, Florida, Metric Halo provides the world with high-resolution metering, analysis, recording and processing solutions with award-winning software and future-proof hardware. www.mhlabs.com

WEBSTER, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 2012: In response to steady growth in domestic and international sales of its uniquely cost-effective, powerful, and reliable signal processors and amplifiers, Ashly Audio has created a new position, Director of Marketing Communications, and appointed industry veteran Anthony Errigo to fill it. Errigo will support the sales team and will oversee all communications, ranging from advertising and social media to web development and creative applications for mobile marketing. In addition, he will serve as Ashly’s brand custodian and will assist with product development.

“Anthony has an established career in advertising, graphic design, and marketing,� said Ashly President, Mark Wentling. “His experience is broad and includes time spent outside the pro audio industry with Verizon Wireless, and, most recently, Harris RF Communications. Anthony and I met years ago when we both worked at Yorkville Sound. To Ashly, he’ll bring his skills and perspectives in modern advertising and promotion of technical products, including web and sales presentations, as well as literature design, and trade shows.�

In his most recent position with Harris RF Communications, Errigo was a senior designer working on marketing campaigns focusing on International Systems business. He was heavily involved with creative development, designing graphics for trade show spaces, and supporting managers with product launches. Projects ranged from strategy and executive presentations to branding and traditional print design. Recently he won design awards with the RAF (Rochester Advertising Federation) and AIGA (a professional association for design) for collateral pieces he designed for Harris.

“As a musician, I’m happy to be returning to the pro audio industry,â€� said Errigo. “It feels like home because I’m passionate about music and audio. Ashly is one of the few companies that have persevered over 35 years by not forgetting its roots. Ashly is a quality American brand backed by a dedicated group of extremely talented professionals who care about quality and service. I want to help Ashly grow and continue to prosper. It’s probably also worth mentioning that my first real bass amp was an Ashly BP-41 preamp paired with a MOS FET 1000 power amp! So I’ve always been a fan.â€�

Errigo’s short-term goals are to define market strategies, fine-tune all messaging, develop the new website and digital collateral. His long-term goals are to grow the business and gain significant market share in the commercial signal processing and power amp categories in the next five years.

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high quality & high performance signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. The 37-year old company is headquartered in Webster, New York U.S.A. www.ashly.com

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 2012: Symetrix announces the promotion of Zak Dewey from Project Coordinator & Test Engineer to Engineering Manager. In his new position, Dewey will report to Symetrix CEO Paul Roberts. He will coordinate company efforts to ensure that the engineering team has all of the resources it needs to research and develop innovative new products while maintaining the high quality and value for which Symetrix is known. It will be Dewey’s responsibility to sustain the rapid pace at which Symetrix introduces market-changing product lines, such as Jupiter app based turnkey digital signal processors, Dante network audio SymNet Edge and Radius digital signal processors, and ARC-WEB smartphone-based user control.

Dewey comes to the new position with over fifteen years of professional audio experience that spans live sound (for both club- and arena-sized shows), sound recording, installed sound, and electronic engineering & servicing. He served as Pro Audio Retail Sales Associate, Installation Specialist, System Technician, Live Sound Engineer, and Speaker Recone Manager at Morgan Sound (Lynnwood, WA). He served as Recording Engineer at Sage Recording Arts (Arlington, WA) and as Electronics Technician at Sunfire Corporation (Snohomish). In addition, he has spent a decade at the helm of his own recording studio and commercial audio installation firm, ZDPro.

“I have a long-standing loyalty to Symetrix as a company and to Symetrix products in the field,� Dewey said. “I have known Dane [Butcher] for a long time, and I am excited to contribute my unique perspective and diversity of talents to the company.� Observed Paul Roberts, “Zak has an obvious passion for audio. With his command of the industry, his breadth of experience, and his natural people skills, I am confident that Zak will help us maintain the momentum we are currently enjoying and spur us to even greater heights.�

ABOUT SYMETRIX Sound professionals rely upon the performance, value and reliability of audio mixing, routing and processing products from Symetrix. For more information on Symetrix professional audio products, please visit www.symetrix.co or call +1 (425) 778-7728.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 2012: This past weekend, at IMSTA Festa, Metric Halo announced the release of the Metric Halo Production Bundle for Pro Tools 10 for Windows, as well as Macintosh Audio Units. The software will be available 9/25/12 and consists of seven plug-ins compatible with AAX Native and AAX DSP Pro Tools systems and any Macintosh DAW that supports Audio Units: ChannelStrip 3, Character, HaloVerb, Multiband Dynamics, Multiband Expander, Precision DeEsser, and TransientControl.

This bundle provides all the tools necessary to sculpt a mix. Four of the plug-ins contain audio analysis tools from Metric Halo’s SpectraFoo software, giving the user visual feedback of the plug-in’s processing. “We’re excited to release the Production Bundle for Pro Tools on Windows,� said Allen Rowand of Metric Halo. “The introduction of the AAX plug-in format has made it possible for us to offer our software on Windows for the first time. We’re also thrilled to make the Production Bundle available to all of our longtime Macintosh users. The great thing about the Production Bundle is that one iLok license works cross-host and cross-platform – so if you prefer to edit audio in Pro Tools but compose in Logic, you only need one license. Or if you work in Pro Tools in Windows at home and Mac in the studio, you’re covered as well.�

The MSRP for the bundle is $699 USD, with individual plug-ins priced at $199 USD each. Upgrades from ChannelStrip 2 to ChannelStrip 3 are available for $49, and upgrades from ChannelStrip 2 to the Production Bundle cost $549. Owners of Metric Halo’s +DSP software may purchase the Production Bundle for $549, and may purchase the Bundle for $399 if they own licenses for both +DSP and ChannelStrip 2. Customers who have purchased ChannelStrip 2 Native since October 1, 2011 are eligible for a free upgrade to ChannelStrip 3.

In order to celebrate the release of the Production Bundle, Metric Halo is offering special pricing from 9/25/12 to 10/25/12; the Production Bundle and individual plug-ins are 25% off. See http://mhlabs.com for more information.

Promotional pricing is available through Metric Halo dealers, as well as Metric Halo’s direct sales site, and may only be combined with customer loyalty discounts. AAX plug-ins require Pro Tools 10 or later running on Mac OS X or Windows, and Audio Units require Mac OS X and Audio Unit hosts. The Production Bundle and individual plug-ins require an iLok for authorization.

ABOUT METRIC HALO Now based in the sunny city of Safety Harbor, Florida, Metric Halo provides the world with high-resolution metering, analysis, recording and processing solutions with award-winning software and future-proof hardware. www.mhlabs.com

HUDIKSVALL, SWEDEN – SEPTEMBER 2012: Hudiksvall is a medium-sized city of 15,000 on the Gulf of Bothnia, and one of its major attractions is Hagmyren, a horse racing track situated north of the city’s center. The main track at Hagmyren is 1,000 meters, and the sprawling area that the public uses to watch the races, and to enjoy the facility’s other events, covers seven acres and can comfortably accommodate the city’s entire population. In addition to races, Hagmyren hosts fun events, like car bingo (where participants sit in their cars and play bingo) and horse exhibitions. Because of its multiple uses and because quality sound reinforcement was deemed an important component of the track’s continued success, the track sought to renovate its aging system. A new system centers on a pair of Symetrix’ newly-released SymNet Radius 12×8 processors, which feature open-architecture programming, fixed I/O, Dante networking, and a competitive price.

“These days, a modern horse racing track depends on excellent sound reinforcement that is flexible and easy to use,” said Börje Jälmefors, sales manager with Visono Media AB, the company that sold the SymNet Radius 12x8s. “There are many other amusements vying for people’s attention and money, and horse racing is competing with them. Moreover, the races are broadcast around the region and around the globe, so the sound quality must be superb.” The requirements set forth by the track owners were that the new system must be future-proof, scalable, flexible, and intuitive to operate, even for a non-expert. The track owners hired sound installation company DAT AB to develop and install an appropriate solution. “After investigating the options available on the market, DAT AB recognized the advantage of going with the SymNet Radius 12×8,” said Jälmefors. “A pair of SymNet Radius 12x8s could handle all of the processing, sharing signals via the Dante bus, at a very competitive price point.”

Inputs to the system include the referee’s wireless microphone, the commentators’ microphones, a paging system, various pre-recorded music feeds, audio from various pre-recorded video feeds, and output from a live mixing console. Both of the Symetrix SymNet Radius 12x8s accept either mic-level or line-level inputs. Because they are networked together via the Dante bus, signals input to one unit can be sent to the output of the other unit with truly negligible latency. Their combined sixteen outputs feed a rack of QSC amplifiers, which power loudspeakers by TOA, RCF, and Phillips throughout the facility in appropriate zones.

“Robert Nilsson of DAT AB told me that the two SymNet Radius 12x8s, with their built-in Dante bus, made it easy to meet all of the complicated requirements of this installation,” reported Jälmefors. “For my part, I have been working with Symetrix equipment for twenty years – including an installation I did a few years ago on another horse racing track that used Symetrix open-architecture DSP – and so I feel very confident recommending Symetrix. The Dante bus used by the new SymNet Edge and SymNet Radius system is easy to set up and represents an excellent standard for installed, live, and broadcast audio.”

Currently, users control the system via Symetrix modular wall panel remotes – the ARC-SW4e and ARC-K1e. “We are very satisfied with the solution Robert Nilsson came up with,” said Mats Österberg, the manager of Hagmyren. “The most crucial aspect for us was a control interface that is user-friendly and easy to understand. The wall panels Robert gave us meet that requirement.” Jälmefors added, “There are so many user control options available for the SymNet Radius 12×8 system. They range from a simple contact closure to the range of ARC panels and from the customized SymVue computer interface to many third-party solutions. But the staff at Hagmyren is most excited about Symetrix’ ARC-WEB, which places user control of the system on any smartphone! DAT AB will give them ARC-WEB in the coming months.”

ABOUT SYMETRIX Sound professionals rely upon the performance, value and reliability of audio mixing, routing and processing products from Symetrix. For more information on Symetrix professional audio products, please visit www.symetrix.co or call +1 (425) 778-7728.

GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 2012: Danley introduces the SM-80, the latest in its SM-series of lightweight, cost-effective molded-horn loudspeakers. Tom Danley and the crack engineering team at Danley Sound Labs created the SM-80 for anyone who needs loud, and yet highly-articulate sound in a lightweight, portable package. Indeed, the SM-80 weighs in at a mere 65 lbs., a comfortable mass to perch atop more

HOUSTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 2012: Leon Cortese is the owner of Dynasty Sound, a Houston, Texas-based company that specializes in providing sound masking solutions for buildings and offices both large and small. Cortese himself has been in the business for over forty years. Now his children and grandchildren work for Dynasty Sound, giving the company’s name a very literal spin. In recent years, Cortese has designed his masking systems using Ashly multi-channel amplification, often with integrated processing, citing its cost-effective pricing, bulletproof reliability, and flexible functionality, not to mention the affable Ashly staff.

“There are a few exceptions, but basically all we do is masking,” said Cortese. “Some people say that’s boring, but not to me. Every time someone says they need a masking system – which is common and becoming more common – my cash register rings!” Cortese has installed literally thousands of masking systems, and today, Dynasty Sound installs between 10,000 and 15,000 loudspeakers a year.

“In the old days, everybody had an office, which made masking much less critical than it is today,” explained Cortese. “Today, companies put people in cubicles, and all of their conversations float throughout that space. Masking serves two purposes. First, it alleviates the potential distractions caused by so many conversations, and second, it brings companies in line with privacy laws. It used to be that companies piped in music to create an ‘environment,’ but music is much more personal today than it was then. If you pipe music into an office of workers these days, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a large fraction of them hating what you’re playing.” In contrast, employees won’t argue over whether you should play pink or brown noise.

When he started out in the business, the amps that Cortese worked with were all tube-based. He has thus witnessed the tremendous technological advances that led to the modern amplifier. “There are several reasons why we only install Ashly amplifiers,” said Cortese. “First and foremost, they make one of the few eight-channel, two-rack space amplifiers that deliver greater than 125 watts per channel. Using the Ashly ne8250.70pe allows me to install twice as many loudspeakers, and I can avoid buying and installing a separate DSP by using the ne8250.70pe’s optional onboard DSP. It is a tremendously cost-effective solution.” Cortese reports that his company has installed between 400 and 500 Ashly amplifiers and that only one of them didn’t work perfectly right out of the box. “The people at Ashly are wonderful,” he said. “They are very easy to work with and are always ready to lend assistance.”

Every job is different and comes with its own idiosyncrasies and nuances, but they also share many commonalities. For example, a well-distributed masking system requires a loudspeaker for approximately every 144 feet, and except for where architectural concerns prevent it, Cortese places the loudspeakers above the hung ceiling. “Instead of pointing downward like a normal speaker, they point up,” he said. “That way the noise fires up, hits structure, and rains down like a sprinkler.”

Dynasty Sound most recently completed masking systems in the new 28-story building of Hess Oil Company in Houston. Delivering masking to every office space required 28 eight-channel Ashly ne8250.70pe amps and 10 four-channel Ashly ne4250.70pe amplifiers. “For that job, we mostly used loudspeakers that were placed in the sheetrock,” Cortese said. “With Ashly’s optional DSP tools built right into the amps, it’s very quick to install them, give them a quick EQ curve, and rock and roll.”

Now well into his 60s, Cortese shows no signs of slowing his active lifestyle, and his enthusiasm for creating functional masking systems has never been greater.

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high quality & high performance signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. The 37-year old company is headquartered in Webster, New York U.S.A. www.ashly.com

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 2012: The modest sanctuary of St. Anthony Claret Catholic Church in Anaheim, California is of an airy and lovely modernist design. It was at the height of architectural fashion when it was built in the late 1950s and has again come into vogue in the new century. However, its unintelligible sound reinforcement system was hardly state-of-the-art when installed decades ago, and unlike a fine wine, time did not make it sound any better. As the church’s musical ambitions and spoken word requirements grew through the years, Reverend Rudolph Preciado contacted Newport Beach-based 7K Solutions to remedy the antiquated audio. Paul Dexter, owner of 7K Solutions, used an open-architecture Symetrix SymNet Solus 16 processor to create a system with twelve open inputs that could automix itself.

“Reverend Preciado will be retiring soon, and he wanted to do something great for the church before he left,” said Dexter. “The old sound reinforcement system was not performing well. An early-1980s rack of analog processing and amplification that had become ever-more ‘Frankensteined’ through the years drove a ceiling full of eight-inch, full-range loudspeakers.”

When it was constructed, the church used a charming pipe organ as the sole musical source and had only modest spoken word requirements. Today, the pipe organ is joined by a choir and, for some services, by a band that mixes itself on stage. Three microphones cover the choir, and Dexter replaced the band’s old mixer with an Allen & Heath MixWizard. Instead of a boundary mic at the altar, St. Anthony Claret now uses three wireless headset microphones for the priests, one wireless handheld microphone, and four optional podium microphones.

The Symetrix SymNet Solus 16 is an open-architecture, stand-alone unit that provides sixteen mic/line inputs and eight outputs. The routing, logic, and signal processing that Dexter programmed was quite involved and reflected the specific uses and contexts of each input. For instance, the band’s input will not duck for any other input. In contrast, all of the microphones will duck in response to the headset microphones. Dexter used Symetrix’ time-tested auto-gain algorithm on all of the microphones to ensure that individuals with both quiet and loud speaking voices receive ideal reinforcement.

“I started using Symetrix processing several years ago,” said Dexter. “I’m not the sort of person who’s into taking classes and certifications, so I appreciate how really intuitive SymNet Designer is. But things always come up, and I can call the Symetrix support staff any time and speak with someone who is knowledgeable and interested. My question gets answered and I move on. The SymNet Solus 16 was the perfect solution at St. Anthony Claret because I knew sixteen inputs would be ample and eight outputs was all that were needed. The open-architecture programming would allow me to customize the system for the very particular needs of this church.”

In addition to some clever processing inside the SymNet Solus 16, Dexter corrected the intelligibility problem with a generous helping of acoustical treatment and a single, nearly-point source loudspeaker cluster. “The walls, ceiling, floor, and pews are all quite reflective,” he said. “It was originally meant to amplify the pipe organ.” Dexter placed absorptive panels on the ceiling, sidewalls, and back wall, taking care to match colors so that the aesthetic of the church wouldn’t be compromised. He placed several panels on the ceiling near the central loudspeaker cluster so as to minimize intelligibility-degrading early reflections. The loudspeakers are Fulcrum Acoustic DX1265s, powered by Powersoft amplifiers.

Just a single Symetrix ARC-2e wall panel remote provides all of the user control for the system. Dexter fixed the sanctuary’s output volume and then provided ten steps of volume control for wireless microphones (as a group), the podium microphones (as a group), the choir microphones (as a group), and the band’s on-stage mixer. Additional menu pages provide output volume for the choir monitor (which contains all content except the choir mics) and the cry room. Behind the scenes, the SymNet Solus 16 provides additional zone control for the foyer and each main loudspeaker. Zoning out the loudspeaker cluster allowed Dexter to shade and tune each element to deliver even coverage from the front seat to the back wall.

“Taken together, the system is very effective,” said Dexter. “It sounds great, and they don’t need an audio tech on hand. Reverend Preciado tested the system with us, and he walked all around the room, overjoyed by how clear everything sounded. And it’s so easy to use that we never had to provide a formal training session. The Reverend just pushed some buttons on the ARC-2e, and he understood exactly how it works.”

ABOUT SYMETRIX
Sound professionals rely upon the performance, value and reliability of audio mixing, routing and processing products from Symetrix. For more information on Symetrix professional audio products, please visit www.symetrix.co or call +1 (425) 778-7728.