SAFETY HARBOR, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 2012: Metric Halo is pleased to officially certify two Thunderbolt adapters for use with their line of FireWire based audio interfaces. According to Allen Rowand of Metric Halo, “We’ve tested the Thunderbolt-to-FireWire adapter in the Apple® 27-inch Thunderbolt Display and the Sonnet Technologiesâ„¢ Echo 34 adapter combined with their FireWire 800 Pro ExpressCard – both systems provide performance identical to native FireWire ports. Since the display has a Thunderbolt pass-through it’s possible to use both adapters at the same time, allowing the user to create two separate FireWire busses. With two busses the user can connect up to six of our interfaces, or use one for up to three interfaces and the other for hard drives.”

Rowand said the company looks forward to incorporating Thunderbolt into their products. “We’re in discussions with Intel to gain access to Thunderbolt more

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 2012: When the Hilton Concord undertook a multi-million dollar plan to renovate its thirty year-old property, it wanted to do more than merely spruce up the amenities. The popular hotel, which occupies prime real estate on the East Bay of San Francisco, wanted to increase the environmental sustainability of its operations. The overhaul included the use of recycled carpet, LED lighting, low-VOC paints, and a new, super-efficient HVAC system. Even the sound reinforcement system in the building’s flexible ballroom and meeting space contributes to the hotel’s much smaller carbon footprint. Local AV integrator JK Sound, Inc. designed the new sound reinforcement system around Ashly Audio’s new KLR Series amplifiers, which deliver tremendous output efficiency while still maintaining high fidelity, bulletproof reliability, and affordability.

“There wasn’t much to the original sound reinforcement system,” said Dan Thiel, sales and installation more

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 2012: The Salvation Army is consistently ranked as one of the most popular philanthropic groups in the United States. Its name conjures images of Christmastime bell-ringers and thrift stores, both of which provide support for the Army’s vast network of social support programs and its comprehensive disaster relief aid. It is perhaps ironic that despite its very public alignment as a Christian organization, the Salvation Army is not well known for its church services. Its Clearwater, Florida church has grown over the decades, in its congregation and its physical space, as a result of local “adherents” joining and officers from around the country retiring to its Floridian splendor. After moving to a beautiful new building in 1990 with sanctuary capacity for 385 and overflow capacity for over 300 more, the congregants suffered with a woefully inadequate sound system. Paul Garner more

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 2012: Cardone, Solomon & Associates (CS&A) is now representing Symetrix in the New York Metro region of the United States. Founded in 1997, the CS&A team brings a wealth of industry experience and strong connections to the region’s corporate, educational, theatrical, sporting, church, amusement, and medical commercial audio markets. CS&A is representing all of Symetrix’ product lines, including the powerful SymNet line of open architecture DSP, Jupiter line of app based turn-key DSP, and Integrator Series line of application specific installed system DSP.

Noted Dane Butcher, president of Symetrix, “We’re very excited about working with John Cardone, Mike Solomon and their entire crew. These folks have an exceptional track record of service to integrators and consultants. As we looked at their line card it became apparent that, without distraction, they’re hyper-focused on systems integration. We couldn’t ask for better more

JESSUP, MARYLAND – FEBRUARY 2012: Foo Fighters took home five statues at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, including prestigious Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance honors, winning for an album produced entirely using a 32-channel API 1608 console. For its Wasting Light album, the band went back to basics, switching off the computers and tracking and mixing to tape via the all-analog API console, with the help of engineer James Brown and producer Butch Vig.

Nominated in a total of six categories, Foo Fighters won for Rock Song: “Walk,” Rock Album: Wasting Light, Rock Performance: “Walk,” Hard Rock/Metal Performance: “White Limo,” and Long Form Music Video for “Foo Fighters: Back and Forth.”

In his acceptance speech after the band received the Best Rock Performance award, frontman Grohl said, “Rather than go to the best studio in the world down the street more

JESSUP, MARYLAND – FEBRUARY 2012: Evidence that JDK is quickly reaching the forefront of the audio industry, Emmy Award-winner Brian Tarquin has chosen the JDK R20 two-channel mic pre and R22 two-channel, four-band equalizer for one of his newest projects: Guitar Masters, Vol. 5.

“You know, I’ve always been a big fan of the old API stuff, so when I saw that API was putting out the JDK brand I was very intrigued – especially with the R22 compressor,” said Tarquin, who has previously recorded artists such as Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Frank Gambale and Billy Sheehan. “I knew the R22 was based on the original live mixing Paragon console, and then I saw that JDK had the EQs. JDK has some fantastic stuff.”

In his own career as an artist, Tarquin has had more than thirty commercial releases, which include more

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: For the second year in a row, Ashly’s extremely efficient and powerful KLR-4000 amplifiers powered Community loudspeakers and subwoofers at the 2012 NAMM “Wanna Play?” stage in Anaheim, California. Michael Bell of Bell Event Services handled production at the stage, which featured an inspiring collection of handpicked, up-and-coming artists. The stage takes its name from NAMM’s “Wanna Play?” campaign, which encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to take up a musical instrument and perform. Last year, the “Wanna Play?” stage used a similar Ashly/Community configuration that set off alarms in the parking lot next door!

The Ashly KLR Series amplifiers leverage the company’s decades of experience building reliable, high-performance amplifiers and uses the latest technologies and materials to dramatically increase efficiency, while maintaining sonic purity and decreasing cost. The Ashly KLR Series amplifiers are dual channel, and each of the nineteen KLR-4000s used at the “Wanna Play?” stage delivered 2,000 watts per channel into a two-ohm load.

The “Wanna Play?” stage was located just outside the convention center area, adjacent to the arena fountain. The impressive collection of Community loudspeakers and subwoofers comprised a four-way system and included four Solutions SLS960 bi-amped all horn-loaded array cabinets, four iBOX i215S double-15-inch bass cabinets, eight VLF218 double-18-inch subwoofers, iBOX i2W8′s for front fill, and six channels of M12 stage monitors.

This year was the largest NAMM show in its 110-year history. Registered attendees numbered over 95,000, a six-percent increase over last year. International registration was up 15%. These numbers, along with the 236 new exhibitors, appears to forecast a prosperous 2012.

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO With a greater than thirty-seven year history, Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of quality signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. www.ashly.com

ABOUT COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL LOUDSPEAKERS Community Professional Loudspeakers has been a leading supplier of professional sound systems since 1968. Headquartered in Chester, Pennsylvania, Community distributes its products to over fifty countries on six continents. Visit www.communitypro.com for more information.

DOBBS FERRY, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 2012: For over three decades, Matthew Noble has been at the forefront of pop music as a session guitarist, programmer, songwriter, engineer, and producer. His impeccable ears and knack for spinning irresistible tracks across genres has earned him an engineering client list that includes Rihanna, Diana King, Southside Johnny, and Rod Stewart, among many others. These days, he performs most of his work out of the Loft Studios in Bronxville, New York and in the newly renovated Riverworks Recording in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Recent work with the musical Big River and gospel artist Rell Holland & Experience have put Noble’s new favorite plug-in, Metric Halo’s enduring ChannelStrip, through its paces.

“I tried Metric Halo’s ChannelStrip because some other people that I respect were using it,” explained Noble. “My friend Keith Brown, who is a well-known Nashville songwriter, was working on a project with Billie Decker, who is one of the hottest mix engineers in country music. Keith’s enthusiasm for the plug-in, together with his revelation that Billie uses it ‘all over the place,’ was enough to motivate me to check it out.”

Riverworks Recording boasts a huge, luscious acoustical space, which has changed the way both Noble and the producers and artists he works with approach the recording process. “So much of my work there has involved tracking live instruments, as opposed to the ‘virtual players’ that live inside our modern computers,” he said. “While it’s been a refreshing change, it has also brought with it challenges. For example, getting a great drum sound and a great overall mix with the new expectations for how long things take these days is not easy. ChannelStrip has been very helpful because all the functions that I need to access quickly are all in one plug-in. These include the less ‘sexy’ functions, such as phase reverse and multiple trims, in addition to full-blown and flexible dynamics and equalization. Having everything in one plug-in has greatly improved my workflow.”

Because it can do so much, Noble often puts Metric Halo’s well-crafted presets to use. “The ChannelStrip presets are a great starting point. They’re especially useful in a time crunch, when the client is breathing down your neck. The acoustic guitar and drum presets are often spot on, right out of the gate. When I tweak, the informative GUI lets me know exactly what I’m doing.” Of course, the best GUI in the world is useless if the algorithms behind it don’t cut the mustard. It’s here that Noble finds it really shines. “ChannelStrip has a great sound,” he said. “Like an SSL, it can be very aggressive and not at all subtle. Despite all its flexibility and sonic muscle, it has remarkably low CPU drain, which means I can use it whenever I need it.”

Noble’s introduction to Metric Halo’s ChannelStrip came back to him in an interesting way. “Last week, a New York client of mine wanted to make a few changes on a song that he had recorded recently in Nashville,” he explained. “I opened the session and saw ‘Dekerator’ on it. Then I knew Billie Decker had performed the original mix. A moment later, the mix window opened and there was the ChannelStrip plug-in – all over the place!”

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

Matt Noble: www.matthewnoble.com
Loft Studios: www.theloftstudios.net
Riverworks Recording: www.riverworksrecording.com

SAFETY HARBOR, FLORIDA: Metric Halo has completely revamped its website, bringing the crystalline clarity of modern design and functionality to its online presence. The new site, www.mhsecure.com (which is also accessible at the old address, www.mhlabs.com) offers users well-organized access to product information, product support, purchasing, and user-community wikis & list-serves. It is simple and intuitive to navigate and will make more

FLETCHER, NORTH CAROLINA: With multiple, well-booked indoor and outdoor event spaces, something exciting is always happening at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center (WNCAg). On any given day, equestrian shows, dog shows, or gun shows may run in parallel with conventions, meetings, or workshops. For a week-and-a-half every summer, the North Carolina Mountain State Fair celebrates life in the Blue Ridge Mountains at WNCAg. The center recently updated the Davis Arena, which boasts 45,000 square feet of exhibition space plus meeting rooms and hospitality suites. In order to deliver reliable, sophisticated sound reinforcement, local A/V integrator B&R Audio deployed Ashly Audio amplifiers and signal processors, including a Pema Multi-Channel Amplifier with on-board Protea(tm) DSP Processor. To give the non-technical staff a transparent user interface, the company provided WNCAg with Ashly’s new FR-8 and FR-16 Networkable Remote Fader Controls.

“The Davis Arena supports a huge diversity of events,” said Bruce Jensen, president and owner of B&R Audio, who led the design and installation. “The center needed a very flexible sound reinforcement system that would allow any member of the staff to play music from a variety of input sources and deliver announcements that would be clearly intelligible. In a nutshell, they asked for input volumes and mutes as well as output volumes and mutes to a number of zones, including several far-flung buildings. But perhaps even more importantly, they wanted something that would not intimidate even the most technologically bashful user.” Jensen had worked with Ashly Audio before and caught wind of the FR-8 and FR-16 before they were officially released.

“Ashly’s FR-8 and FR-16 remote controllers were perfect for this installation,” continued Jensen. “And because Ashly’s support is so complete and reliable, I had no fear that I’d be stranded with a semi-functional beta if I pressed the company for an early model.” The FR-8 and FR-16 offer eight and sixteen faders and mutes, plus a master fader. The integrator has full control over which input, output, or mixer volumes are controlled by each fader, with flexible range limits and defaults. An Ashly ne24.24M DSP Matrix Processor handles all of the complex input processing, matrix logic, and output processing behind the scenes. Jensen was careful to set the fader limits and the ne24.24M’s output protection limiting in such a way that even a complete novice can do the system no harm.

Four Ashly Audio amplifiers provide power to the Davis Arena’s distributed loudspeakers. An ne2400.70 Two-Channel Networkable Amplifier rated at 1200W into 70V feeds an outdoor collection of Community R1-64Z weather-resistant horn-loaded loudspeakers. An ne800.70 Network Amp covers the bathrooms and corridors, with ne1600pe.70 and ne2400pe.70 Networkable Amplifiers powering the main exhibition hall. All indoor speakers are down-firing SoundTube models, which do an excellent job of keeping energy off the reverberant walls. Both main exhibition hall amplifiers deliver loudspeaker conditioning with integrated DSP. “Like everything with Ashly, when I buy the amps, I know I’m also getting the company,” said Jensen. “The stuff is solid, and on those rare instances when there is a problem, the people at Ashly are on it right away. Ashly installations always run smoothly.”

Because several of the buildings that require a music and/or announcement feed from the Davis Arena are quite distant, Jensen convinced the WNCAg for forego the miles of speaker cable (literally!) they had been using in favor of fiber optics. A MultiDyne DAM-1000 provides conversion on either end of a pilot feed. “They weren’t sure that they wanted to commit to fiber optics, so we did one trial run,” said Jensen. “They love it, and we’ll be upgrading the other distant feeds in the near future.” Every aspect of B & R Audio’s installation is future-proof. Jensen continued, “One of the nice features of the Ashly ne24.24M is that the input and output count is totally modular. So when the needs of the event center change, we can accommodate those changes without having to rip everything out.

As part of the renovation, the WNCAg added three classroom spaces that are large enough to require sound reinforcement. “It was the perfect application for Ashly’s Pema Multi-Channel DSP Amplifier,” said Jensen. “Because the Pema has everything I needed inside a two-rack space unit, the installation was simple, quick, and reliable.” The Ashly Pema 4250 four-channel delivers input conditioning, switching logic, and loudspeaker conditioning (again for SoundTube loudspeakers). Similar to the FR-8 and FR-16 in the big room, each classroom has an Ashly neWR-5 wall-mounted remote control that allows users to easily select inputs and volumes.

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO With a greater than thirty-seven year history, Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of quality signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets.

www.ashly.com