Extron Electronics is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the DSC 301 HD, a compact HDCP-compliant video scaler. This scaler has an HDMI input, a configurable high resolution analog input, a composite video input, and an HDMI output. Featuring an advanced scaling engine with 30-bit processing and 1080i deinterlacing, the DSC 301 HD delivers uncompromised picture quality for output resolutions up to 1920×1200, including 1080p and 2K. It includes EDID Minder®, automatic input switching, and simplifies system connections by embedding audio from one of the three stereo inputs onto the HDMI output.

“The DSC 301 HD delivers high performance and a compelling feature set,” says Casey Hall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Extron. “With its compact form factor and integrator-friendly features, this scaler lends itself to basic conference room applications as well as more complex systems where multiple scalers are deployed into a large signal distribution system.”

The DSC 301 HD offers several features that enhance and simplify AV system setup and operation. For HDMI signals with protected content, Key Minder® authenticates and maintains continuous HDCP encryption between input sources and displays to ensure quick and reliable switching. EDID Minder ensures that the display’s capabilities are communicated to connected video sources to obtain an optimal image. Front panel controls, intuitive on-screen menus, plus USB and RS-232 connections provide flexible control and monitoring capability.

Visit our Web site at www.extron.com for more information.

LAKELAND, Florida — HARMAN’s Soundcraft Studer mobile truck will be coming to the First Baptist Church at the Mall on March 4 and 5, 2013 for Open House sessions focusing on live sound mixing for houses of worship. The Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Florida can accommodate almost 2,500 congregants and is equipped with a Studer Vista 5 M2 digital console.

The sessions will provide hands-on training about how to use Soundcraft and Studer consoles in a house of worship environment, along with instruction about the particular requirements of house of worship mixing and audio production for live sound and broadcast.

“Mixing audio for a house of worship can be just as complex and demanding as mixing sound for a rock concert or theater production, especially when you have to mix a full praise band, choir, preacher and others, deal with the acoustics of a large sanctuary or mega church and possibly also create separate mixes for a live broadcast, recording, foyer and other areas� said Katy Templeman-Holmes of Soundcraft Studer. “The Open House is an opportunity to learn from us and from some of our users basic through advanced theory to hands-on tips and tricks on how to get the most out of Soundcraft and Studer consoles and the specific features that make them ideal for house of worship applications.�

Attendees will have the opportunity to work with Soundcraft and Studer factory experts to receive demos and training on various consoles, from their general operation and signal flow to the consoles’ unique features. Jason Bethune of HARMAN Professional’s regional rep firm Dobbs Stanford will be on hand both days to cover all HARMAN-related questions.

The Open House will be held at the First Baptist Church at the Mall, 1010 East Memorial Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33801. Details are available at usa.soundcraft.com.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for year ended June 30, 2012.

The Who‘s 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia—which sets the tale of teen Jimmy Cooper amidst the global sociocultural upheaval and psychological angst of the times and the rivalry between Britain’s mods and rockers—has been reprised in a multimedia display on the band’s latest outing. The 37 date tour, which began in November and runs through the end of February, celebrates the four-decade anniversary of the album’s release and marks the band’s first major North American tour in four years. Even long-departed drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle make cameo appearances, joining remaining original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. Entwistle’s virtuosity and famous bass solo on “5:15″ are showcased in live footage shot at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000, which streams onscreen. They also pay tribute to the late Keith Moon; their performance of “Bell Boy” incorporates video footage of a 1974 performance, with Moon’s vocals dubbed in from the LP (one of the only times in Who history his vocals were heard on an album).

The Quadrophenia tour also reunites the band with production partners Eighth Day Sound, who have worked with the iconic rockers on their last three major tours. This time out they’re carrying a pair of DiGiCo SD7 desks (each running the latest MACH III software) for FOH and band monitors, plus an SD-Rack at FOH and a d&b audiotechnik J-Series PA. The audio crew is comprised of longtime Who FOH engineer Robert Collins, Simon Higgs on monitors with support from Eighth Day’s Senior Audio Engineer Mark Brnich, and sound techs Drew Marbar and Carl Popek. [Pictured: Popek, Marbar, Collins, Higgs and Brnich.]

Collins started with the band in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and has also worked with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend on their solo projects, trading tours with engineer Paul Ramsey in between tours with Eric Clapton and others. “Paul used to look after me; he was my systems tech on The Who. I made sure the team was put in place, you know, ‘cause an English band should have an English engineer—or British, I should say. I’m Welsh, though. So here I am back. They wanted to get me back for this, and luckily it worked out timing-wise with the schedule. It’s worked out with Eric so I can go do that as well this year.�

A relative newcomer to the SD7, Collins is certainly no stranger to DiGiCo (he’s an early D5 adopter and part of the DiGiCo family). Collins says he wouldn’t part with his trusty D5 until this tour. “She’s been really good to me. Y’know? Obviously, I’ve grown up with the D5, so I was like, ‘I’ll just stay on my D5, thank you very much.’ I wasn’t ready to go to the SD7 until I knew we had the new racks… and honestly I couldn’t justify going to an SD7 working with a four-piece (like Clapton) playing blues and such, you know? I mean, that thing can run a small country, can’t it?! But for this tour, it seemed like it was time.�

Right out of the gate, he was floored by the SD7’s sonics. “It just sounds great, doesn’t it? And the biggest thing for me personally with digital desks is, I’m old-school. I come from the old analog school. I feel like I’m a part of the band. I learned the music. I’m into the music. I do the music. I know what everybody plays, what everybody does. That’s my thing. I’m not into the technical side. I just want a bass drum to sound like a bass drum. I want the piano to sound like a piano. And if you don’t get a feeling off a desk… I find that this console is musical. I feel musical on it. I feel as if I’m doing something on it. Not to mention any names, but there are other digital desks and I don’t get anything out of them. It’s like working a laptop, for God’s sake! That’s one thing about all the boys at DiGiCo: they came from the old school. They knew what we wanted. They spoke to engineers. But they didn’t just speak to them like every other company; they listened to them.

“I think DiGiCo consoles are the best out there. What you can do with this one is way beyond me. I don’t need to go down that line. Don’t tell James [Gordon, DiGiCo’s managing director], but I’m still not using Snapshots! I still do it all myself; I like to do it myself. I want to be part of it. I want to switch the guitar on when it’s supposed to be on. I feel part of it, and that’s what I want to feel. I don’t think in the digital domain.�

Monitor engineer Simon Higgs presides over the other SD7 at stage left, managing approximately 112 inputs for IEMs and such for the nine-piece band. He’s also a veteran Who member, starting in ’98 with Townshend on his Lifehouse project. He’s a diehard DiGiCo engineer, having also used the consoles since their release a decade ago.

“It’s the only digital console that I really care to use and the only one I really like,� Higgs explains. “I used a D5 with the Los Angeles band Sparks when they did 21 albums in 21 shows back in 2007, and that was the first time I really used the D5 for an extended tour… 150-odd songs, all programmed in. The Who’s monitor mix was analog for a long time until it started getting bigger and bigger and we realized we had to move to digital. So we started using two D5s, but that filled up quick. We currently are using an analog console for Pete, who has his own operator, and I look after the rest of the band on the SD7.�

With nearly 112 channels of odds and sods, Higgs says he has a lot going on managing the band’s in-ears, a few random wedges around the stage and submixing stems for Townshend’s mix. “My desk is pretty full; 112 channels and they’re pretty much filled up. A lot of outputs. I’ve still got some floor monitors up there. I’m mixing down to the analog console as well, which is just a 16-channel desk, so I’ll mix all the drums, drum floor monitors, drum sub, floor shakers [drum thumpers] under his seat…�

Having everyone on in-ears has made his job a bit easier. “Roger decided that in order for The Who to work again, he had to get used to in-ears… he couldn’t have a half-dozen wedges all around him like he used to. So he’s gone through the whole process of getting used to in-ears. They’re all on Jerry Harveys, and that’s really enabled the band to work again. Pete’s still got conventional fill monitors; he’s got four around him, just split up, one doing vocal, a stereo pair doing something else, and there’ll be acoustic guitar in the wedge, and then a monitor behind him that has sound effects for ‘Quadrophenia’ or the loops that are in ‘Who Are You’ and ‘Baba O’Riley.’�

For effects, he’s primarily using what’s in the console, save a few outboard pieces, including a Lexicon PCM 60 for the snare drum, and a Bricasti M7 reverb for Roger’s vocal that he says “is absolutely amazing.�

‘Amazing’ is often the tone of reviews streaming in from critics and fans, not only heralding the show but also the durability of both Townshend and Daltrey. Their “My Generation� anthem notwithstanding (�I hope I die before I get old�), the founding members did just that (both are now in their late ‘60s) and if the Quadrophenia tour is any indication, they still have a lot of rockin’ left to go. As for engineer Robert Collins, it’s a full-circle homecoming of sorts, having grown up on their music.

“I got a good memory on me,� he laughs. “It’s very short. But The Who have been part of my musical thing. Them, the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks—that’s what I grew up on. In fact, I was pissed off at them, actually. As a teen, I queued up in the top rank in Swansea in Wales to see The Who, and they didn’t fucking turn up! I was pissed off. They had a fight or something. This was the ‘60s. But it’s kind of funny… Who’d have thought that when I was growing up trying to play in little bands and not very good, listening to all these great singers, that I’d end up engineering for many of them?�

UK manufacturer DiGiCo held the coveted position as console provider for the second year in a row at the annual GRAMMY® Awards this year. The 55th installment of “Music’s Biggest Night” was overall a bigger show musically, with 20 acts on the schedule, up from 2012′s 18. As the show’s live performances have expanded, so has its audio footprint. With audio production facilitated by ATK AudioTek (and consoles provided by Hi-Tech Audio), the digital desk count handing both music and production included five DiGiCo SD Series desks: four SD7s (an upgrade from last year’s SD10s) and the addition of an SD5, as well as 11 SD Racks (up from last year’s six).

At the MusiCares event the Friday night preceding the GRAMMYs, engineer George Squires manned a DiGiCo SD7 with four DigiRacks at monitors to provide 170 inputs to 28 stereo ear mixes and 30 wedge mixes. Delicate Productions handled the audio production. On the 85th installation of the prestigious Academy Awards, ATK provided audio production with a Peterson-designed system comprised of three SD Racks, an SD5 at FOH helmed by Pat Baltzel and an SD10 run by Mike Parker. Hi-Tech Audio provided console support for all these events.

The GRAMMY and Oscar systems were both designed by ATK’s FOH Tech Jeff Peterson. On the GRAMMY event, Peterson also served as the system tech with assistance from Andrew “Fletch” Fletcher. The GRAMMY audio team again included consultant Ron Reaves mixing all of the live performance elements at FOH on an SD7, and ATK’s VP of Special Events Mikael Stewart on an SD5 managing all the nonmusical production assets. At stage right (“A”) and left (“B”), respectively, Tom Pesa and Mike Parker facilitated artist monitor mixes using a pair of SD7s (with an additional “guest” rig used for sets by Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars). [Pictured LtoR: ATK FOH Tech Jeff Peterson; Leslie Anne Jones, The Recording Academy®, Producers & Engineers Wing®; Production Mixer Mikael Stewart, ATK; Andrew “Fletchâ€� Fletcher, Audio Consultant; FOH music mixer Ron Reaves (seated).]

“Overall, we have a massive total of 276 mic preamps and 176 outputs distributed between five consoles and 11 DiGiCo SD Racks,” explains Peterson. “Those four consoles, plus eight SD Racks, are on one optical loop, each connected to one of ATK’s 56-pair splitters. The guest monitor SD7 console is on its own optical loop, with three more SD racks. Also new is JBL’s newest line array, the Pro VTX V25 3-way system (powered by Crown ITech 1200 HD amps).

“In addition, we have more than 50 wireless microphones this year,” he adds, “which take up an entire splitter. We have almost an entire splitter dedicated to what we call high-level items, which are things like playback from the truck, Pro Tools lines, all of the production elements, and the podium mics (that are not for use with a band) are down the fourth splitter. The first two splitters are dedicated just for band inputs, one for stage right and one for stage left. This year we’re using AES outputs directly from SD racks in three locations to drive the amplifiers to the PA system. So it’s a whole digital system path again. What we eliminated was a second optical loop just to do the amplifiers. So everything is on one optical loop, with the SD Racks and the consoles.”

The transformer splits themselves are where the copper stops, Peterson explains, and are the dividing line between the live PA side with the DiGiCo SD racks and the trucks. From the ATK splitters, the signals go on to all of the different head amps: one to the two recording M3/Music Mix Mobile trucks, one to the main Denali broadcast truck, and one to the head amps for the DiGiCo consoles. “From there, it’s all various flavors of fiber, whether it’s Optocore to us or MADI to the M3 truck, or Hydra to the Denali. Once it leaves the transformer split, it’s pre-amped and converted to digital from there on. So the inputs come from the stage and then they are split up and sent to multiple destinations. The broadcast truck gets all of the raw microphones the same way we do. They do their mix, package it together with the broadcast items, the show elements and the production elements and send it out for broadcast. They also generate a lot of signals that we take out here: all of the videotaped packages, all of the music play-ons and play-offs, any band’s Pro Tools backing tracks—all of those are generated and routed from the truck through another splitter system to the rest of our consoles.”

“The SD system worked flawlessly,” sums up FOH production mixer Mikael Stewart. “The flexibility of the SD5 and SD7 are exactly what is needed for a show like the GRAMMY Awards.”

“I have continued my love affair with the DiGiCo console,” adds Ron Reaves, “having done quite a few gigs this last year on both the SD10 and the SD7. We started using these last year, and decided that this is all we wanted to use moving forward. This year, both monitor mixers switched from SD10s to SD7s, and that worked out great. The SD7 continues to be the best tool for my particular job at the GRAMMYs, and helped contribute to another great-sounding show out at FOH. I’ve particularly enjoyed the new dynamics package, and feel that between the new de-essers, and the dynamic EQ (a gift from the sound gods), that there’s no vocal ‘problem’ that can’t be tamed with this console. I’ve enjoyed some of the best vocal sounds I’ve ever gotten, too, thanks to this console.

“This year, there was a bit of extra pressure put on us at FOH to get mixes together faster in soundcheck,” Ron continues. “The demand has grown to have the first pass of a song be as close to the full band sound as possible and the console has helped me to accomplish this with the use of presets. I use a lot of presets and pre-dial pretty much everything so I’m never starting from scratch when we start rehearsing a band. That’s been a very helpful tool to have. The addition of the “presentation performances,” where a performer does a song and then introduces another performer, was also tricky and another place where the console excelled. I wrote separate snapshots in order to switch between these segments instantaneously and that worked great. For example, Hunter Hayes performed out on that dish stage in the middle of audience. When he finished, he immediately introduced Carrie Underwood—and bang, snapshot change. The console did what we hoped it would do with no glitches in the audio. In the time it took the audience to applaud, the console had already switched and we were ready to rock on the next act. It was really cool. That was a great example of how quickly this console can switch snapshots and turn on a dime.”

After two years of working on a DiGiCo SD10, the process of building snapshots was made much easier for engineer Tom Pesa, who handled the inner monitor workings on an SD7 this year on the A-Stage at stage right. “It begins with a strong template,” he explains, “a snapshot that is laid out to accommodate anything that comes down the pike with 10 A-stage acts to soundcheck. The common functionality between the DiGiCo platforms means that session structuring, labeling, grouping, building macros, etc., is all very familiar. I had only two days to dive into my SD7 on-site and plan a basic template based on the volumes of band info. Each act provided input lists, band plots, monitor layouts and in-ear requirements. Once my fellow monitor crew created the plan on monitor wedge quantities and in-ear assignments, I added that info to the input list to create the snapshot for that band. Each act is so different when it comes to instrumentation, microphone type, mono mixes and stereo mixes, but the ability to truly customize each snapshot with every parameter being specific to that act means that almost any request can be satisfied. If time permits I try and get ahead of the game by focusing on individual processing for each input, high-passing, EQ and compression as well as FX presets and mix content. The availability of powerful processing onboard the SD7, including the dynamic EQ and multiband compression, allows me to keep things well contained and sonically tight, which is important, especially when creating smooth, coherent in-ear mixes. There is no doubt how good the dynamic range is with the new generation of DiGiCo consoles. I knew how good mixes sounded on SD10 and the SD7 continues this experience for me, just on a much larger and customizable platform.

“Once again this year at GRAMMYs, the entire FOH and monitor consoles were on an Optocore loop utilizing shared head amps. Monitors were in charge of band input gain and FOH was in charge of RF vocal and production mics as well as Pro Tools inputs. We have worked hard the last two years to create a system of trust when trimming each other’s gain while soundchecking, and it has worked well. Once everyone is happy with where the individual inputs of gain are, we switch to digital trim and can fine-tune our own inputs and not affect anyone else. This whole symbiotic relationship of all the mixers at the GRAMMY Awards is why session saving, snapshot updating and recall scope is so important, and all of us have done well in making sure everything is as it should be through soundchecks, dress rehearsal and show. All in all, the use of the DiGiCo systems at GRAMMYs continues to be a leap forward in how everyone’s mixes sound and the sheer utility of how they create those mixes.”

“Honestly, no other console is touching what DiGiCo can do right now,” declares Peterson, who, since last year’s GRAMMYs, has also worked extensively on SD5s and SD7s for a host of award and music shows, from the Oscars to The X Factor. “You can’t network the other consoles the way you can the DiGiCos, so there’s really no other game in town. On shows like these, half the engineers coming in that we work with are jealous that they don’t have a DiGiCo, and the other half come in and are thankful that we’re using them now.”

Photographs courtesy of The Recording Academy®/Wireimage.com © 2013.

MS1600X Powers Multiple Digital Signs with Dynamic Full High Definition

One Multi Screen Appliance Powers up to 16 Displays including Multi-Zone Management for Each Screen

Digital Signage Expo, Las Vegas & San Jose, CA – February 27, 2013 – DT Researchâ„¢, Inc., an industry leader in the development of information appliances for vertical markets, today announced the release of the MS1600X, a new signage appliance in the WebDT Signage System line, capable of powering content over up to 16 screens. The MS1600 Multi Screen Appliance enables powerful content streaming on anywhere from 2 to 16 displays, and offers content blending, or tiling, across screens. The MS1600X, along with WebDT Content Manager, provides a fully integrated system with 1080p over up to 16 screens and multi-zone management for up to 16 zones.

The MS1600X is powered by the IntelÃ’ Quad-Core i7 processor, and provides full HD (1080p) video quality to every screen. Running MicrosoftÃ’ WindowsÃ’ operating systems, the WebDT Multi Screen Appliance displays content files in native resolution, so images are sharp and true to original properties, even when presented on multiple displays or large screens, maintaining optimal picture quality.

The MS1600X is ideal for applications that require high-resolution on multiple screens including digital signage walls, menu boards, flight/transportation information, and creative display arrangements. The MS1600X enables dynamic digital signage deployments in spaces where multiple screens are indoors and viewed in shopping malls, entertainment venues, and airports.

Each of the screens powered by the MS1600X can be remotely managed with the WebDT Content Manager software, which is bundled with the appliance. This intuitive interface software is used for organizing, scheduling, and deploying content to the digital signage network. The WebDT Content Manager provides multiple zone support and planning for each display, so that a screen can be divided into up to 16 zones with different content in each zone. With WebDT Content Manager, all screens can show the same content, each screen can play different content, or content can be blended over several screens. The user-friendly WebDT Content Manager also allows users to create many combinations across multiple screens, such as four zones on two screens, two zones on five screens, and hundreds of other possible screen layouts.

The MS1600X Multi Screen Appliance brings top quality performance and is available now.

About DT Research

DT Research™ develops and manufactures web-enabled information appliances for vertical applications. The WebDT family of products is based on embedded computing platforms for secure, reliable, and cost-effective computing. WebDT products include digital signage solutions, wireless tablets, point-of-service handhelds, compact modular systems, and display-integrated information systems. These systems emphasize mobility, wireless connectivity and touch displays. Powered by Windows® Embedded and Windows XP operating systems, WebDT devices offer durability and ease in integration, leading to solutions that can be remotely managed with the comprehensive WebDT Content Manager and WebDT Device Manager software. For more information, visit www.signage.dtri.com

MS1600X Multi Screen Appliance

DT Research and WebDT are trademarks of DT Research, Inc. All other brands and product names may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Ministry of Sound’s production manager Chris Thoms with the Soundcraft Si Performer.

During the 3-week shutdown, the world-famous club extended its existing BSS network and provided an additional four channels of AKG DMS 700 wireless capability; but the piéce de resistance is found in 103—the venue’s second dance room—where a new Soundcraft Si Performer digital console now partners the Soundcraft Si2 in the adjacent box.

This is the centrepiece of a substantial upgrade, authorised by production manager Chris Thoms.

Although other spaces within the club have been reconfigured, including the VIP Room, it is 103 that has undergone the biggest change, in order to bring it more in line with its larger neighbour. As a result, it is now an adaptable space which can also feature headline acts.

This has included re-locating the DJ console, boosting the sound and giving the room its own dedicated FOH console for the first time, in a new booth offering better sightlines across the dancefloor.

“It made perfect sense to invest in a new console—since we also handle corporate work and film shoots,” said Thoms, explaining the rationale. “We wanted a good sounding desk that was easy to use and spoke to Ben Todd at Sound Technology. Although we conducted a lot of research, this presented the best solution—particularly since the new Si Performer contains all the best elements of Soundcraft’s superior Vi platform—minus the screen.”

At the same time Ministry of Sound purchased a Compact Stagebox, which with the MADI card and single Cat5 connection to the Si Performer gives them a capacity of 64 I/O’s.

“With the I/O expansion not only do we get the increase in channel count but if we have a band playing we can plug in over MADI and the Si Performer will double as a monitor and front of house console,” Thoms continues. It is simple for the FOH engineer to control the console from the surface, whilst a monitor engineer controls it simultaneously via the free Soundcraft ViSi iPad control app (or vice versa).

As for channel assignment, the DJ feed takes up four channels, a further four channels are used for booth monitors, there are two crowd mic channels for the radio feed, the AKG radios are on four channels … and the remainder are spare.

Chris Thoms says the immediate increase in sound quality has been matched by the ease of use of the desk.

“The way you assign channels to busses [with the Assignable Fader Layers] and can customise these on any page is fantastic. For instance, our main operating page will have DJ inputs, VCA, busses for radio mics, crowd mic levels and if we want to mix a band we go to Layer B. The desk feels solid and the faders are quick—you seem to get a lot more for your money with an Si Performer.”

At the same time the club has boosted its BSS Soundweb network and with the broadcasting of its live radio shows, has now replaced its Cobranet routing infrastructure entirely to create a new 256-channel Blu-Link matrix, chosen for its low latency. The club has also added a BLU-BOB 8-channel output expander, installed in the radio studio from which they perform a broadcast mix of the two main rooms on a Saturday night. It is also used for logging the broadcast material for PPL royalty purposes, taking a direct feed from the Soundweb network.

Finally, Ministry of Sound has added four channels of AKG DMS 700, with extra receivers and lapel mics to match the four channels in The Box (purchased with D7 capsules last summer for a Hadouken! live show). “We have the diversity antenna, and this will give us a chance to share channels between the two rooms,” he states.

“This significant investment will keep us ahead of the game,” Chris Thoms concludes. “We will now try and incorporate the equipment we have here in our touring concepts around the world.”

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012.

NORTHRIDGE, California – Named for John Mariucci, the “Godfather of Minnesota hockey,� Mariucci Arena is home to the Golden Gophers, the University of Minnesota’s men’s hockey team. The 10,000-seat facility opened in 1993, and after almost 20 years its audio system wasn’t sounding so golden anymore. Enter Parsons Electric of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who along with Richmond, Virginia-based A/V and architectural services firm Anthony James Partners renovated the sound system with HARMAN’s JBL PD (Precision Directivity™) Series loudspeakers.

“Mariucci Arena was a challenging environment because we had a reverberation time of about eight seconds, and there is nothing in the way of acoustical treatment,� said Tim Habedank, System Specialist for Parsons Electric. “The rink acts as a big, perfectly flat reflector so all the sounds the players make on the ice are bouncing up into all areas of the arena. Combine that with crowd noise during games, which can reach over 100 dBA, and overcoming the sheer volume of the space was a challenge.�

Parsons Electric installed 28 PD5322/95 and PD5322/64 loudspeakers in 12 clusters, flown from the ceiling and aimed throughout the arena. Four corner clusters contain three PD5322/64 loudspeakers each, while the other eight clusters each include one PD5322/64 and one PD5322/95. In addition, four PD5322/95 loudspeakers are used as floor fill.

“The best thing about the PD5000 Series loudspeakers is their pattern control and directivity,� Habedank noted. “A big box is required to achieve this level of control, but the PD boxes are not too big to the point of being distracting. They give us the performance we need, they provide high fidelity and high output but most importantly, the pattern control is terrific.�

Complementing the PD loudspeakers are 12 JBL ASB6128 subwoofers hung in four arrays of three subs each, while 14 JBL Control 25 loudspeakers provide under-balcony fill. “It’s a pretty big arena, but those subs can really shake this place,� Habedank said.

In addition, 13 JBL CBT70J-1 Constant Beamwidth Technology™ column speakers are used to fill the press box and upper suite areas. “The CBT’s worked perfectly, enabling us to achieve tremendous clarity and intelligibility in the upper areas of the arena by focusing the coverage into the narrow seating area,� Habedank pointed out. “They also have a pretty wide coverage pattern so we can space them out pretty far from each other.�

“The system at Mariucci Arena demonstrates the excellent pattern control of PD Series loudspeakers and their ability to create relatively small but powerful arrays,� said Brad Ricks, Senior Application Engineer, JBL Professional, who was instrumental in the system design.

“The JBL system rocks,� Habedank concluded. “They get as loud as we need them to be, and we could even drive them harder if we had to. There are not too many other loudspeakers we can trust in such a challenging acoustic environment.�

For more information on Parsons Electric, please visit www.parsonscorp.com

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012.

Extron Electronics is pleased to introduce the EDID 101H, an EDID Emulator for HDMI signal sources. It features EDID Minder®, an Extron exclusive technology that automatically manages EDID communication between connected devices. Pre-stored EDID is communicated to the source based on a user-selected resolution and refresh rate. Alternatively, the EDID 101H can be set to capture and store EDID information when connected to a display. A unique HPD – Hot Plug Detect port provides control for remote cameras and other signal sources that require a periodic HPD trigger.

“Problems with EDID communication between devices have become a major headache for AV integrators,� says Casey Hall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Extron. “The EDID 101H solves these problems by ensuring that EDID information is properly communicated between the HDMI source and display.�

The EDID 101H joins the EDID 101 Series of EDID emulators, which includes the EDID 101D for DVI and the EDID 101V for VGA signals. The EDID 101H is housed in a compact 1″ high, quarter rack width metal enclosure for convenient, discreet installation. An energy-efficient external universal power supply is included.

Visit our Web site at www.extron.com for more information.

NORTHRIDGE, California — Indiana University’s Assembly Hall, a 17,000-seat indoor arena is the home to the Indiana Hoosiers—one of the most storied teams in college basketball. The arena, which opened in 1971, was recently retrofitted with a new audio system featuring HARMAN’s JBL loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers. Pensacola, Florida-based All Pro Sound in conjunction with Sweetwater, Inc. of Ft Wayne, IN., handled the installation in coordination with New York-based Acoustical Design and consulting firm SIA Acoustics.

“Before we were called in, Assembly Hall was still using its original sound system from 1971. The arena had a lot of existing acoustical treatment but the sound quality in the lower frequencies was unbalanced and made it difficult for the crowd to hear speech announcements clearly. Needless to say, we had to bring the system up to today’s standards for performance, coverage and intelligibility,� explained Sam Berkow, Principal at SIA Acoustics.

As an older facility, Assembly Hall’s unique architecture caused some challenges in the installation process. The logistical difficulties of mounting the speakers to cover the arena’s unusual steeply raked seating proved to be difficult. “Any big arena like this is going to present some acoustical issues, but Assembly Hall is unique in that most of the seating is on two very steep sides of the court and go up high, and there are also balconies that are even higher,� added John Fuqua, Vice President, All Pro Sound.

“Because of the seating layout, we had to fly the speakers at 80 feet above the floor. We installed a mix of JBL VERTEC® VT4888DP midsize powered line array elements, PD5322/95 full-range speakers and ASB6128 subwoofers specifically to provide the best coverage and performance to all the seating areas,� stated Fuqua.

The PD5322/95 loudspeakers and ASB6128 subs are powered by eight Crown Macro-Tech i Series MA9000i, six MA5000i and 10 CTs 1200 amplifiers. Five BSS BLU-160 digital signal processors are also part of the system.

For the main arrays All Pro Sound installed six hangs of nine VT4888DP line array elements each, spaced around the arena. The 10 PD5322/95 speakers are used for upper balcony fill and are flown from the existing catwalk system. The ASB6128 subwoofers are hung in four arrays of four boxes each, placed near the outer main arrays.

“Sam Berkow and the SIA Acoustics design team chose this combination of HARMAN equipment because the JBL speakers are the right match in size and coverage capability, especially considering the odd vertical layout of the seats at the sides, and the electronics complement the speakers perfectly to achieve the highest level of performance for the venue,� concluded Fuqua.

“For this system, the job was contracted, the equipment procured and the installation completed in just 19 days from the receipt of the notice to proceed. We coordinated with HARMAN representatives, All Pro Sound, retailer Sweetwater and the Indiana University staff to streamline the process and facilitate this quick turnaround. It was an impressive amount of work to be completed and be up and running within such a tight schedule,� added Berkow. “We are extremely happy with the results.�

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – FEBRUARY 2013: The University of Utah’s Libby Gardner Hall is large enough to comfortably accommodate a 200-member choir, an 80-piece orchestra, and nearly 700 audience members. It is acoustically and aesthetically stunning, with a warm, rich reverb conveyed by wood panel walls arranged in a spectacular geometry. For years, the school struggled to provide the hall with sound reinforcement for spoken word, solos, and non-classical musical forms that matched the splendor of unamplified instruments. That struggle ended with the purchase of a high-end K-Array mobile PA system, but the fact that it would be placed at different areas of the stage for different types of events meant that well-balanced equalization in one location would be unbalanced at another. A simple, cost-effective, and equally high-fidelity Symetrix Jupiter 12 DSP solved that problem by allowing straightforward selection of different equalization curves from authorized users’ smartphones and other Internet-connected devices via Symetrix’ ARC-WEB user interface.

“I joined the University of Utah faculty twelve years ago,� said David M. Cottle, music tech specialist and director of the electronic music and recording studios. “I was responsible for recording and sound reinforcement in our three performance halls. The first week I was here, I disconnected the existing speakers in Libby Gardner Hall, our premier performance space. The hall is built for acoustic performance, and the installed speakers did no more than muddy the speaker’s voice. From then on, we made announcements without a microphone until we could find a better solution. We started to investigate phased arrays, which have a wide horizontal, but narrow vertical pattern. The first system we tried was a clear improvement: extremely low feedback, even distribution, clear response across the spectrum, and very little reflection. But it was also flawed. It had weak low end, was noisier than I had hoped, and proved bulky to move.�

Salt Lake City-based Performance Audio stepped in with a better solution: a K-Array KK 200 full-range tower, KK S50 subwoofer, with KA 40 and KA 10 amplifiers, all in a stereo set. “As expected, the K-Array system has the same positive properties as the previous phased array,� said Cottle. “Feedback is practically non-existent, and the dispersion is even and horizontal. The system controls the reverb in the room very well. But in addition, the K-Array subs are solid enough for occasional student talent shows and the system is quieter, and easier to move.�

When the new system would be used as the primary source of sound for a performance, it would have to be located toward the front edge of the stage. In contrast, when the system would be used to augment a mostly-acoustic performance, it would be located behind the performers. “When located behind the performers, the sound is less like a PA and more like a richer, blended ensemble,� explained Cottle. “For example, a mic’d piano with orchestral accompaniment isn’t noticeably louder. It can simply be heard with all the other instruments.� However, the system gets a pronounced low-frequency buildup when located behind the performers.

“By providing the school with a Symetrix Jupiter 12 app based turn-key DSP, we were able to give them the EQ curves to match the two locations, along with the flexibility to accommodate other positions should they need them in the future,� said Jake Peery, system design and installation expert with Performance Audio and the individual responsible for designing Libby Gardner Hall’s new reinforcement system. The system currently uses eight of the Jupiter 12’s twelve inputs and two of its four outputs. Many of the inputs combine using Symetrix’ sophisticated automixing algorithm, and mixer inputs accommodate larger, multi-mic performances. A hardwired Symetrix ARC-2e wall panel remote controls the volumes of two Sennheiser G3 wireless microphones used for announcements and spoken-word events.

In addition, Peery used Symetrix ARC-WEB to give Cottle and other authorized users control of the system from their smartphones, iPads, or other Internet-connected devices. “They can select the proper EQ curves for the loudspeaker locations and control the volumes of the wireless microphones or other inputs right from their phones,� said Peery. “They really liked that idea.� Since the new system’s installation, Cottle has received numerous compliments from faculty, students, and audience members. “The other night, we mixed a jazz band, which is one of the most difficult ensembles to control, even without a PA,� he said. “The Director said that it was the best the band had ever sounded in Libby Gardner Hall. The solos were present, but not piercing, and the rhythm section sounded homogeneous.�

ABOUT SYMETRIX Symetrix engineers high-end professional audio solutions, specializing in DSP hardware and software. Symetrix products are distributed worldwide, and designed and manufactured in the U.S. at the Seattle area headquarters. Since 1976, customers have enjoyed the benefits of Symetrix’ independent ownership and management. For more information on Symetrix professional audio products, please visit www.symetrix.co or call +1 (425) 778-7728.