TAMPA—More than 30 acts performed over five musical stages during Funshine Fest, held May 3-5 on the fairgrounds of Florida State in Tampa with an attendance of 20,000. Main stage artists included Train, the Smashing Pumpkins, REO Speedwagon, Styx, the Wallflowers, Cheap Trick, New Found Glory, Gary Allen, and Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional.

ESI Audio of Tampa provided audio production, and this year, the new NEXO STM was used as the Live Nation Amphitheatre main stage line array. Company President, Erick Celeiro, functioned as FOH tech and Ozzy Giron acted as monitor tech on the rig. The system consisted of 15 M46 per side flown, 15 B112 per side flown, 32 S118 subs ground stacked, 10 NUAR racks that included 2x 4×4 NXAmps, and four M46s stacked on S118 subs for front fills. The entire system was running from front of house via the Dante network to the amp racks. A Yamaha PM5D was at the front of house mix position.

About the new STM system, Live Nation Amphitheatre production manager Andy Martinez said, ” I have seen many systems come in and out of here, and never had a system that rigs and flies so easy and sounds amazing.â€� And, REO front of house engineer, Neil Schaefer, added, “I had the pleasure of using the NEXO STM, and having had plenty of time in front of NEXO rigs over the years, my expectations were high. The STM PA is very tidy with clever rigging. Most important, it sounded very good. Smooth, powerful, and responsive; a very nice rig indeed!â€�

The NEXO STM Series (Scale Through Modularity) loudspeaker cabinets are the first of its kind on the market and combine the best of Alpha functionality with the technical innovation of GEO waveguide designs, delivering a powerful, flexible, and easy to use system. STM enables line array systems to scale up or down depending on event audience size, from 1,000 to 100,000 people. STM is unique in that it is the first vertical array system to offer scalable LF, making it easy to add extra bass cabinets for increased power and headroom, without introducing unwanted phase anomalies.

The outdoor Pavilion Stage used a NEXO GEO T line array along with a Yamaha CL5 at front of house used by mix engineer Jan Javier, with a CL1 at monitors for engineer Rob “DH� Durkee. “I felt very comfortable taking the CL out for the three-day festival with multiple bands, some with their own engineers, some without,� states Javier. The CL screen is like the difference between a regular VHS tape and a Blue-Ray DVD. I was using AES outs all the way to the amps. The system sounded great, the desk was very easy to use from the first day. The next day, I put the Premium Rack’s Portico Compressor in stereo in the left and right, and what a difference, just passing through the unit; smooth and warm become the words to best describe the sound. I used the DCAs, as I am used to mixing that way. Assignments are very easy, and finding my way around the desk is simple and very intuitive.�

“The guest engineers were amazed at the sound of the desk and how friendly it is, notes Javier. All who used it said they would tour with it.â€� Javier said they ran the stage rack onstage, and ran a cat6 snake out. He also said he noticed the pre-amps are much more responsive and a lot warmer out of the box. The Pavilion Stage hosted Lone Bellow, Tonic, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, and Dead Confederates. “They all loved the sound.â€�

The Concourse Stage housed a Yamaha CL1 at front of house with mixing by Bryan Rogers and Justin Lenards. An LS9 was used for monitors. Rogers said the CL1 was “like butter… smooth and creamy.â€� Lenards who mixed FOH and Monitors said “Love it, great little console.â€�

For more information on ESI Audio, visit www.esiaudio.com.

For more information on the NEXO STM and Yamaha CL Series, visit www.yamahaca.com.

-END-

Photo ID: NEXO STM and Yamaha PM5D during FOH mix for Styx
Photo ID: L to R: Pat Clark, VP ESI, Yamaha’s Brian Coviello, Andy Martinez, Live Nation Amphitheater Technical Director

Bohemia, New York

RelampIt recently hired Brian Hallhan to help coordinate new programs within the marketing department. They recognize that new blood often brings about great innovation and ideas for companies, and Brian’s energy, experience and enthusiasm create the right cocktail to push the RelampIt marketing department to a new level.

Brian will be involved with reimagining the RelampIt brand, cultivating language for new RelampIt markets and working with the RelampIt sales staff to develop more successful campaigns and materials. Gina Sansivero, Partner, Sales & Marketing at RelampIt says, “with marketing experience in the entertainment, technology and printing industries, Brian brings a lot of creativity and proven analytical skills to the table. We are looking to continue to establish a brand that is well recognized in the industry as well respond to the changing technologies and revitalize the company. Brian will be an integral part of this path moving forward.�

RelampIt provides relamping services for the projection display industry. RelampIt has developed a process that allows projection lamps to be reclaimed and renewed at a reduced cost without compromising lifetime or performance. RelampIt also offers a no charge projector lamp recycling service. The RelampIt Projector Lamp Recycling Center focuses on reducing waste and environmental contamination from the lamps found in projectors. For more information about relamping and recycling or to become a RelampIt dealer, call 1(631)244-0051, email gms@relampit.com or visit our website at www.relampit.com.

LUMINEX Network Intelligence, a Belgium-based developer of lighting control, pro audio and video data distribution equipment for the entertainment industry, makes its first appearance at InfoComm showing its new range of Gigabit Ethernet switches with updated web-based user interface. The GigaCore line will be exhibited in LUMINEX booth #561 at InfoComm13, June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

A young, ambitious company that has already made a name for itself in Europe, LUMINEX has designed the GigaCore line to handle the most demanding sound , video and lighting installations. This next-generation family of Ethernet switches has three models – GigaCore 12, GigaCore 14R and GigaCore 16Xt. They meet and support all industry protocols and offer a user-friendly experience with an industry-specific outlook and optimized defaults. The products come with a built-in redundancy system providing a reliable and easy-to-set-up backbone for users’ networks.

The GigaCore line will showcase its updated web-based user interface at InfoComm. It enables users to easily assign the network ports to different groups or segments on the network (protocol isolation), automatically detect links between GigaCore units and provide network switch status.

The GigaCore Ethernet switches are optimized with a very fast recovery time for any link failures delivering seamless operation for sound, video and lighting protocols running over these links. The products currently support audio over Ethernet protocols such as Dante, Ethersound and Q-Lan with a low jitter, and lighting over Ethernet protocols such as Art-Net, ETCNet2, MA-Net and Streaming ACN (sACN).

Since their introduction last year, the GigaCore line has been used in many applications and has been recommended as a third-party solution by leading industry manufacturers.

The GigaCore range offers common features on the three models, such as 12 Gigabit ports on shielded Neutrik Ethercon ports, making it a rugged, environmentally-friendly range. All devices feature wire-speed layer 2 switching, port status, three LEDs per port (PoE, RLinkX, Link/Speed) and four status LEDs (OK, PoE, RLinkX, Power).
All models come with a built-in redundancy system enabled on all ports, called RLinkX, providing a reliable and easy to set up backbone for the user’s network.
The range also offers the group function, a unique Luminex solution, providing a true user-friendly way to create subnets within your network.
A PoE supply unit, allowing for the feed of PoE compliant devices from the front ports, is available as an option.

GigaCore 12 embeds all the common features of the range.

GigaCore 14R adds two SFP cages for fiber connections. By using fiber transceivers, users can break the limits of 100m given by copper links, and makes its links interference free. it also boasts redundant fans. It adds a backup PSU and a backup PoE supply to the list of available options.

GigaCore 16Xt extends the functionality of GigaCore 14R with four SFP cages, which allow users to create complex network topologies over the fiber link, such as mesh or ring. Its feature set includes a front-end display for basic configuration, avoiding the usage of a computer to set your network, and reducing your setup time. A backup PSU and a backup PoE supply are also optional.

About LUMINEX

LUMINEX Network Intelligence was formed by Bart Swinnen and Jan Renckens as a branch of parent company LUMINEX Lighting Control Equipment nv, which has an extensive technical background in the lighting industry. LUMINEX Network Intelligence launched its successful Ethernet-DMX8 node in 2004 when it ran 32 DMX lines at the Paralympics in Athens. Their complete DMX and Ethernet solutions range debuted at Siel 2005 in Paris. The GigaCore switch family opened the doors to the digital pro audio and AV markets for the new company and broadened their commitment beyond their traditional customer base.

High Resolution Systems is now shipping UDC Pro ECS-Raptor, a UDC Pro Embedded Control Server designed for permanent AV installs. Raptor will be showcased in High Resolution Systems’ booth at InfoComm13, June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando booth # 4089.

Raptor teams up with the company’s popular UDC software to offer a cost-effective, stable hardware/software solution for long-term installations in a wide range of environments. A custom Linux embedded server, Raptor significantly lowers costs to users over full-blown Windows servers and comes with a free version of UDC software so customers can build their workflow configuration with UDC software, load it onto Raptor, test and run their UDC configuration.

“We expect most customers will pay for an upgrade to UDC Pro software, which allows them to send all their commands from UDC software to their Windows computer before loading onto Raptor,” notes Drew Taylor at HRS Control.

Raptor supports the same user interfaces as UDC software: iPad touch control with the HRS Control Pro iOS app available in Apple’s App Store; the HRS Control Pro app for any Windows tablet; in-wall mount touchscreen and button solutions; Android tablets; and web servers. Any device with a browser can act as a controller.

Raptor comes with an Ethernet connection to the device network plus two USB ports for accessories and button control panels. It occupies 1RU in height and one-half of a rack in width and ships with an optional rack shelf for space-saving rack mounting.

Raptor’s first installation saw one system dedicated to an executive briefing room, which needed extensive device control, and a second unit filling the needs of the rest of the facility. “Even with two Raptors, this was still a very cost-effective solution for the integrator,” Taylor reports.

About High Resolution Systems
High Resolution Systems, a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers is a company with a strong systems engineering and applications background. Its founders have decades of experience in the audiovisual rental and staging industry, broadcast applications, A/V installations and system design. This combined experience allows them to provide the highest possible quality solutions to its customers in the most efficient manner. For more information, visit www.hrscontrol.com.

Vaddio today launched the EasyUSB PRO MIC I/O Interface, designed to integrate any professional microphone with Vaddio’s EasyUSB audio solutions. The PRO MIC I/O Interface incorporates Vaddio’s unique SmartMIC technology into the device, providing distributed multi-channel acoustical echo cancellation and automatic microphone mixing. Additional DSP/Digital Signal Processing technologies include noise reduction, microphone gating, equalization, filtering and AGC for automatically calibrating to the live requirements of the room.

The PRO MIC I/O comes equipped with four independent echo cancellation microphone inputs and one discreet output for interfacing to the Vaddio EasyUSB Mixer/Amp. The system can be expanded to support eight microphones by adding an additional PRO MIC I/O.

“When we launched our EasyUSB MicPODs we heard from a lot of our integrators that while they loved them, they also wanted to have the capability of adding any professional microphone to their system designs,� explained CEO, Rob Sheeley. “So we are responding to their requests with the launch of the PRO MIC I/O. We believe that this is a game changer for consultants and integrators because they can now integrate the world’s best microphones into their Vaddio USB solutions. The audio quality of Microsoft Lync, Cisco WebEx and Skype audio calls will be amazing and with our state of the art DSP signal processing, they sound crystal clear and echo free.�

With Vaddio’s SmartMIC technology, there’s no more complex programming or time-consuming setups. No more having to relearn the room every time a change occurs.

“Plug in the microphone of your choice, adjust the input gain and let the PRO MIC I/O do the rest,� says Sheeley. “Once again Vaddio has given you The Art Of Easy.�

###
About Vaddio:
Vaddio is the leading manufacturer of specialty PTZ cameras and camera control systems used in the audiovisual, videoconference and broadcast industries. Your customers demand cutting-edge technology that’s simple to use. You want equipment that’s easy to install and reliable to operate. Vaddio serves integrators and operators alike – with broadcast-quality PTZ cameras and control systems that deliver the performance you need with the convenience you demand. More information can be found on the Vaddio website, www.vaddio.com or at (800) 572.2011.

Making its InfoComm debut, the A/V Binloop HD from Alcorn McBride is the ultimate 8-channel, frame-accurate synchronized audio and video player. The A/V Binloop HD, which provides up to 8 channels of Full HD 1080p or 2 channels of UltraHD 4K along with 16 tracks of 16 bit audio, will be on hand in Alcorn McBride booth 2504 at InfoComm13, June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Offering reliability in a compact form factor, the A/V Binloop HD is a high performing solid-state player characteristic of Alcorn McBride engineering. It contains no spinning drives, just simple removable solid-state media that store hours of HD content. It is designed for video walls, museum exhibits, military simulation systems, 4D Theaters and digital signage applications, and is capable of displaying synchronized content across 16.6 megapixels.

Each channel plays back MPEG2 or h.264 video at bitrates up to 40Mbps and resolutions up to FullHD 1080p (1920 x 1080) as well as 16-bit stereo or surround sound audio. These channels can be easily synchronized to provide up to 2 channels of UltraHD 4K (3840 x 2160) playback, or even atypical arrangements such as a video wall banner (15360 x 1080). Content can be managed remotely via Ethernet. The A/V Binloop HD also features SMPTE timecode capability and genlock input.

Unlike most commercial video devices it provides a Full HD 1080p video source to each screen. This eliminates the loss of quality due to stretching, which is often seen in traditional videowall controllers and makes it scalable to much higher resolutions.

About Alcorn McBride:
Founded in 1986, Alcorn McBride is the leading manufacturer of show control, audio and video equipment for the themed entertainment industry, and a rapidly growing provider of audio and video systems for retail environments and transportation applications. Staffed by some of the industry’s best engineers and backed by outstanding customer support, the company has demonstrated great agility in bringing new designs to market. A hallmark of Alcorn McBride products is their durable, zero maintenance design. The company’s products provide consistent, reliable operation for audio and video playback applications worldwide. For more information, visit www.alcorn.com.

Kannapolis, NC – May 2013… As is the case with many houses of worship, music plays an increasingly vital role during services at North Kannapolis Baptist Church these days because of its ability to engage the audience and, as a result, make services more relevant to a wider constituency. After having struggled with the inadequacies of its previous sound reinforcement system, church leaders decided an upgrade was in order. After reviewing a variety of SR systems, the decision was made to install loudspeakers from the TrueLine and Wave Series catalogs of Greensboro, NC-based WorxAudio Technologies. more

Show Sage and Dataton will exhibit on Booth 3915 at InfoComm 13 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL, from 12-14 June 2013.

WATCHOUT powers ‘history in the making’ at Liberal Party Convention in Toronto

In a powerful demonstration of its ability to integrate live data into a multimedia production with both local-venue and broadcast connectivity, Dataton WATCHOUT™ multi-image display and presentation software has been deployed as a key presentation tool at the Canadian Liberal Party’s Ontario Leadership Convention in Toronto.

The WATCHOUT licences were supplied to Mediaco by Show Sage, Dataton’s Premium Partner for North America. Jim Testa, President, Show Sage, comments: “Whether it’s equipment rental, lighting and staging, technical production or fully fledged system design, Mediaco is a highly innovative and trusted partner, and it was a pleasure to support them in the creation of the Liberal Party Convention multimedia show.�

The Convention, which resulted in the nomination of Kathleen Wynne as the first openly gay female Premier in Canadian provincial history, was held in Toronto’s historic former Maple Leaf Gardens building and took place over two days in January this year.

Local event production company Mediaco was responsible for the technical system design and co-ordination of the event, including all on-site AV provision and appropriate OB feeds to Canada’s broadcast community. Mediaco has just rebranded aligning themselves to providing the fastest service and support possible.

Matt Farrell, Mediaco’s Production Manager for the Convention, takes up the story: “The Liberal Party is the sitting party in Ontario so this was no ordinary Leadership Convention – it was a congress to elect a new leader for the entire province of Ontario. As such there was an enormous amount of media attention, in addition to all the hectic negotiations you would expect from a Convention where six candidates have to be reduced down to one winner in a matter of 48 hours.�

Mediaco’s work on the project began a week ahead of the Convention’s opening, with lighting and audio systems being hung over truss in a series of eight-hour shifts. “We came into the building the day before and had to be loaded-in by 4pm for the start of rehearsals,� Farrell continues.

“We had three separate rear-projection displays, using WATCHOUT to create a single HD backdrop that could also be divided into three, depending on the requirements of the event and the timing of the votes inside the venue.

“The screens showed a mixture of pre-made images created by our in-house content team, live camera feeds of the candidates making their pitches to the Convention delegates and other key party members delivering speeches and, last but not least, the big numbers for each candidate as the votes were tallied up.�

As well as the edge-blending and scheduling capabilities of WATCHOUT, Mediaco also used the software platform’s geometry correction functionality for projection onto the center screen because of installation issues caused by the building design.

WATCHOUT’s timeline-based show management tools also allowed direct integration with pre-programmed sound effects and cues that were fed into the on-site audio desk.

The complete audio and video feed was then made available to a broadcast connection that was used live by local stations and in highlights packages by national networks.

Throughout the two-day Convention, Mediaco staff had to adapt the content of their main display to accommodate the shifting political landscape of the event – as Chris Cameron, Technical Director at Mediaco, relates:

“There were a lot of last-minute changes to the presentation which we were able to accommodate into the WATCHOUT timeline because the software is just so easy to use. Once on-site we used the platform’s ability to take data from a live input capture card. This allowed us to broadcast up-to-date voter statistics throughout the frenzy of delegates transferring their vote from one candidate to another as each round of voting was completed.�

Fredrik Svahnberg, Marketing Director, Dataton, concludes: “People tend to associate WATCHOUT with artistic content, and rightly so. But in this particular application we see the power of our platform to act as a communications tool as political history is being made – to the benefit not just of the local audience but to the millions watching broadcast channels at home.�

ENDS
About Show Sage
Show Sage LLC is Dataton’s Premium Partner and distributor in North America. For over a decade, Show Sage has provided sales, training and support to WATCHOUT users across the U.S. and Canada. Show Sage also sells, rents and supports a broad line of specially configured, WATCHOUT-tuned computer systems.

About Dataton
Established in 1973, renowned Swedish show control developer and manufacturer, Dataton this year celebrates its 40th year in business. The company serves its core markets in multi-media entertainment, visitor attractions, digital signage scenography, event production and corporate A/V. The company’s flagship products include the WATCHPAXâ„¢ media server, award-winning Dataton WATCHOUTâ„¢ multi-display production and presentation system as well as the intuitive Dataton PICKUPâ„¢ audio guide. The entire range is supported by Dataton’s established global distribution and reseller network.

For further information about this and other leading products please visit www.dataton.com or contact:

Manufacturer Enquiries
Fredrik Svahnberg
Dataton AB
Telephone: +46 70 3228557
Fax: +46 13 138445
Email: fredrik@dataton.se

Publicist
Katinka Allender
Telephone: +44 (0) 1491 571402
Mobile: +44 (0) 7887 711 246
Email: katinka@k-communications.com

Lightware U.S.A., the US distributor for Budapest-based Lightware Visual Engineering, is now shipping the 25G Hybrid Technology, a revolutionary line of digital matrix switchers, which work in tandem with Lightware’s Modular Extender (MODEX) family of external signal extenders. The 25G Hybrid Matrix will be showcased in the Lightware booth at InfoComm13, June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando booth # 4180.

Designed to deliver exceptionally high-resolution image quality and 24/7 reliability, 25G Hybrid technology sets a new standard in the pro AV industry. More than just a switcher, the 25G Hybrid is a complete source that manages and distributes all digital and analog signals over a single CAT5 cable or fiber via specially-developed input/output cards combined with audio add-ons. As a comprehensive line of digital matrix switchers, transmitters and receivers, 25G Hybrid combines switching with a powerful suite of diagnostic tools for the digital age, delivering a superior user experience.

Since the 25G Hybrid accepts multiple formats it enables users to deploy a single, space-saving frame instead of separate routers and switchers for various formats.

At the heart of the new line is super-fast 25 gigabit per second data-rate switching, which allows transportation of next-generation video signals like HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort1.2. The future-proof platform is ready for all video and audio standards, including 4K and stereo 3D formats.

Multilayer switching design allows independent routing of each signal type (breakaway switching) for all layers. This feature provides switching and extending of all signal layers separately, or in a breakaway format, to be recombined at output to a single connection.

Each video port can be equipped with a separate audio input and output (audio return channel) connector forming a 320×320 S/PDIF crosspoint switch. It manages stereo and multichannel audio as well as high-bit rate formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Multichannel-to-stereo down mixing can be provided as an option.

Other 25G Hybrid features include Ethernet 10/100 connection in all input and output ports for local devices and remote extensions, USB KVM connectivity, and IR/CEC/RS-232 control signal support.

About Lightware U.S.A.

Lightware U.S.A. is the US distributor of professional AV products manufactured by Lightware Visual Engineering in Budapest, Hungary. For more information on these products, visit www.lightwareUSA.com.

With songs by rocker girl Cyndi Lauper and story by celebrated actor/playwright, Harvey Fierstein, Kinky Boots has Broadway on its proverbial feet. Based on the 2005 British flick about a struggling shoe factory that reinvigorates business by making fetish footwear for drag queens, the show opened to rave reviews—and a TONY award nom on the horizon. In keeping with many award-winning shows on the ‘Great White Way,’ sound designer John Shivers opted for a DiGiCo SD7T to handle the production, after becoming familiar with the system on his previous productions for Bonnie & Clyde, Sister Act and The Lion King overseas. The SD7′s powerful system and diminutive size made it a perfect fit for the new show.

“A few years ago, I saw a brief demo at Masque Sound when the SD7 first became available,” he recollected. “Seeing the feature set and the redundant engine and power supply all onboard got me interested. When designing The Lion King for Singapore in 2010, part of my negotiation involved suggesting that we swap out the Cadacs with SD7s in New York and London for both creative and financial reasons. Before I knew it, I’d gotten an email telling me to move forward. Within 6 weeks of that conversation we were implementing the SD7s on the New York show and a month after that we were doing the same in London. I’ve been using SD7s pretty much on every show since.”

Shivers says the console offers a lot of flexibility, especially with the new “T” software, which he says brings features and functionality specific to our needs on theatrical productions as well as a solid sounding foundation in a very compact package.

“The SD7T software has added these very beneficial features thanks to [award-winning sound designer] Andrew Bruce’s involvement in the development. Having onboard compression, gating and delay—along with the programmability and recallability of those parameters on every channel—opens up possibilities that you just can’t have with an analog console. It’s definitely been an upgrade for us from that standpoint. A positive byproduct has definitely been the size of the console, which allows you to get into smaller spaces and require less seats and has served as a large financial windfall for producers. For me, from a purely creative and design standpoint, it’s about the capabilities of the console. I’m not one to follow the crowd necessarily, but the SD7 has become a standard of our industry and the reason everybody’s using them seems clear. It has proven itself to be a very capable and reliable console.”

“The SD7 with the ‘T’ software option has indeed proven to be a very good investment for Masque Sound,” says Masque’s Scott Kalata. “It has near-universal client acceptance, unlimited flexibility and its small footprint make it the ideal choice for today’s theatrical sound designer.”

The show’s Associate Sound Designer & Production Sound Engineer David Patridge has mixed on virtually every make and model DiGiCo has offered since the D5 in his two decades on Broadway. He, too, raves about the increased functionality that the Theatre Software offers.

“This is the number one reason for using SD7 in my opinion,” he offers. “We really appreciate all of the work that DiGiCo has undertaken, in tandem with Andrew Bruce, in developing a purpose-built version of the SD7 software for the theatrical market. DiGiCo has been very responsive in listening to end-users and new features are added and perfected constantly along with the elimination of oddities and bugs.

“I could fill pages on all of the features and how we use them. Specifically, the Auto Update is a great feature on its own but when it is employed as part of the theatre software it is really powerful and allows the desk to remain automated to a much larger degree than other types of desks. Typically, when using a recallable desk, you would need to dumb-down many of the features in order to avoid constantly recalling entirely new settings each time a scene is recalled. With the theatre software, you can expect the desk to operate in a ‘manual’ way but with full and selectable recall ability from moment to moment. On other productions such as The Lion King, we have enjoyed using the Gain Tracking ability of the desk in a creative new way. There is no other desk that I know of where you can assign headamps to a redundant set of control channels dedicated to band monitoring and then have the digital trim of those redundant channels track changes to the headamp. DiGiCo has really stepped up by providing a console that provides us with the greatest creative freedom when doing theatrical sound designs.”

“We use the onboard processing extensively for band reverbs and dynamics, which really cuts down on the real estate at the FOH position. The only outboard gear we’re using is a couple of Avalon Tube Compressors for our lead vocalists to fatten up their vocals. We also have a TC6000 System and Eventide H3000 for Vocal Effects/Reverbs etc. We are not using Waves yet, but I am interested in doing this in the future.”

The show’s system inputs total 116 analog and 6 AES, in addition to 60 analog outputs and 14 AES outputs. The production uses a pair of DiGiCo SD Racks along with the local I/O and MADI for the QLab playback system. They took advantage of the onboard MADI Split on the SD Rack in order to provide audio to a Yamaha PM5D monitor console. “The new racks offer a host of features positioning them well for use where audio is being split to a number of places like OB trucks etc., without needing to tap into the topology of the SD7 audio engines.”

By its very nature, Patridge explains, the SD7T solves many of the issues that crop up when dealing with a theatrical piece. “The cuelist structure, MIDI implementation, onboard input and output dynamics, the desk footprint and the Auto Update features not to mention the desk’s excellent sonic characteristics make choosing an SD7T a no-brainer. And in terms of flexibility and ease of use, I would say that DiGiCo is at the top of the ladder. There is no other digital desk that offers the same degree of theatrical features. The desk is also designed in such a way that it is very simple and intuitive to explain it to a new operator. Sonically I would say that that DiGiCo is on par with the top of the marketplace. Often the weakest link in any sound design is things like the content, mic positions or the room architecture. I don’t get the sense that any of the available top-of-the-line digital consoles add much of a sonic signature, although certainly you get what you pay for. We have been very pleased with the results that we get from DiGiCo desks.”