Coeur d’Alene Church of the Nazarene Elevates Its Sound System With HARMAN’s JBL Loudspeakers and Soundcraft Digital Consoles

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Coeur d’Alene Church of the Nazarene has served its parishioners since 1941, with roots going back to the first group of Nazarenes who congregated in the region in 1912. Like many houses of worship, the church had been making do with an inadequate, practically antiquated sound system until it brought in Spokane, Washington’s Hoffman Pro Systems and HARMAN Professional for an audio revival.

“The sanctuary literally had two wall-mounted speaker boxes to provide coverage to the entire main floor, balcony, under balcony and the church’s extended side wings,” said Hoffman Pro Systems general manager Dave Kenagy. “To say it was insufficient for the church’s current needs, which include providing sound for a full praise band, would be an understatement.”

Not so for the current system, specified by designer/installer David Lewis which features a Soundcraft Si Expression 3 digital console, Crown XTi 2 Series amplifiers, JBL VRX Series and additional loudspeakers, dbx PMC16 Personal Monitor Controllers and AKG K240 MKII headphones.

The Soundcraft Si Expression 3 has a MADI card installed and provides 32 inputs from the floor as well as local inputs at front of house for playback from various audio sources. A Soundcraft Stagebox is located at the front of the pulpit/stage area, linked to the console via a HARMAN BLU-Link card. Two dbx PMC16 Personal Monitor Controllers connected to the front of house via Cat6 cable enable the drummer and guitar/bass player to control and balance their own individual monitor levels, which Kenagy notes helps to keep the overall stage volume lower and easier to mix.

The Si Expression 3 handles the front of house and all monitor mixes. “The church volunteer staff had to make the move from their old analog console to digital,” noted Kenagy. “Although they’re not audio professionals, the board’s straightforward control layout and ability to store and recall snapshots made it easy for them.”

Three JBL VRX 932LA-1 Constant Curvature loudspeakers and two VRX918S subwoofers are hung as the main center cluster. Two VRX928LA loudspeakers are used for balcony fill, with three AC18/26 wall-mountable loudspeakers employed for under-balcony fill. Two AC18/95 wall-mountable loudspeakers are used for front side fill where the seating wraps around the front corners of the stage. In addition, an AC26 compact loudspeaker is mounted on stage and aimed back at the choir area. The loudspeakers are powered by a total of five Crown XTi 6002, XTi 4002 and XTi 1002 amplifiers.

Lewis noted that the Coeur d’Alene Church of the Nazarene is “extremely happy with the new system. Aside from the fact that it’s a night and day difference from their old setup sonically, for the first time it enables the church to mix the praise band the way they should be heard and it gives the pastor and the speakers the freedom of wireless movement.”

Another benefit which was unforeseen by Lewis and the church’s staff: the sound quality is so clear throughout the entire sanctuary that fewer people are using the church’s assistive hearing devices.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and integrated control solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson ®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment 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 approximately 16,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.3 billion for the twelve months ended June 30, 2014.

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Studio Metronome Reinforces Location Recording Business With HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Expression 3

BROOKLINE, New Hampshire – Aside from album production, mixing and mastering at Studio Metronome in Brookline, New Hampshire, House Engineer and Studio Manager Brendan Connors also records live shows at remote locations. Recently, the business upgraded to a HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Expression 3 console for higher-quality sound, portability and a smaller footprint. Having worked with world-famous artists such as The Pixies, Peter Frampton, Black Eyed Peas and Warren Haynes, Brendan accordingly requires world-class equipment.

Studio Metronome needed a more space-efficient digital console to minimize its outboard gear, allowing for a lighter load-out when traveling to and preparing for live shows. In addition, a MADI option card makes the Si Expression compatible with the existing MADI-based infrastructure of the studio’s location recording and studio equipment. When ergonomics, channel count and price were added to the mix, the 32-channel console made a compelling argument for the engineers at Metronome.

“I’ve been quite happy with this console, as I just used it at the Unifier Festival in Connecticut,” said Brendan. “While I plan on exploring more MADI remote control options, I am already impressed with many of the digital capabilities of the Si Expression 3. It sounds better and with a smaller footprint than other brands within this price range, and the other boards I’ve tried also did not have recall capabilities that are as robust as those of Soundcraft.”

Brendan also creates real-time broadcast mixes while multi-tracking the concerts for touring artists, allowing him to deliver properly mixed and mastered CDs immediately after the show. Audience members often have the chance to take home the live recording of the show they just attended or purchase it online. Hence, ergonomics are critical for delivering flawless mixes and keeping track of every element of the recording.

“I enjoy the layout, and it’s been a pleasure to work on such an ergonomic board,” said Brendan. “Coming from a Yamaha console, I really enjoy the intent behind the layout. I basically mixed a show with the Si Expression one-and-a-half hours after I took it out of the box. Also, I love the FaderGlow™ feature, because it makes it easy for me to separate monitors from effects with just a glance. The intuitiveness of the board allows me to provide more comprehensive services for my clients.”

For more information on Studio Metronome, please visit http://StudioMetronome.com

HARMAN designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and integrated control solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson ®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a global workforce of 15,200 people and reported sales of $5.1 billion for the last 12 months ended March 31, 2014.

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Johnny D’s Serves Up A Superior Sound Experience with HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Expression 3

SOMERVILLE, Massachusetts – For a 300-seat nightclub that is 45 years old and doubles as a restaurant in David Square, Somerville, Massachusetts, Johnny D’s required a renovation of its outdated sound system. While MJ Audio integrated the front end of the new system, which features HARMAN’s Crown amplifiers and BSS signal processors, Technical Manager Dana Westover has installed a Soundcraft Si Expression 3 to improve upon its existing analog consoles.

Given the popular area in which Johnny D’s is situated, its stage enjoys many touring bands and guest engineers in addition to local artists. Therefore, Westover needed a reliable console that is not only within the venue’s budget and able to accommodate the various performers, but also one that is user-friendly for the various engineers working at the club.

“We’ve been running analog mixers up until now, and have had a slow transition towards digital technology, because we get a lot of guest engineers who come from the analog world,” said Westover. “However, the Si Expression 3 is perfect as an upgrade, because it helps people transition to digital due to its logical layout and ease of use. For example, we had a guest engineer who has never worked on a Soundcraft board before, and within 15 minutes, he was ready for the show.”

The room housing the new equipment contains no parallel surfaces, thus leading to unique acoustics and an intimate layout of the venue. With a Soundcraft Si Expression 3 console, a sound engineer can ensure that guests enjoy the most distinctive sounding shows. In addition, FaderGlowTM illumination of the faders prevents any unwanted mistakes in dark club environments that might hamper the audio experience.

“I think the audio quality is very solid, especially considering the price of the console,” said Westover. “I’m very happy that we have a great sounding venue, and now we have a great sounding board that any traveling engineer can do well with. I especially like how FaderGlow allows me to identify everything clearly, but I can also adjust the intensity of the LED’s depending on the lighting of the venue.”

HARMAN designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and integrated control solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson ®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a global workforce of 15,200 people and reported sales of $5.1 billion for the last 12 months ended March 31, 2014.

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Dayton Dragons Hit Another Home Run with HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Expression 3 Consoles

DAYTON, Ohio – Mandalay Baseball, the parent company of the legendary Dayton Dragons Minor League Baseball team, contracted integrator Alpha Video Sports & Entertainment Group to completely renovate the video control and broadcast room at their Fifth Third Field Ballpark. The new setup now comprises two HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Expression 3 consoles, significantly expanding the digital capabilities of the broadcast and production team.

Commenting on the project Darren Whitten, Account Executive with Alpha Video Sports & Entertainment, said, “We are honored that Mandalay Baseball chose us to provide the integration services for their new control room. Even though they’ve never had problems filling seats at Fifth Third Field, the new control room will definitely enhance the game day experience for their fans.”

The ballpark holds the record for consecutive sold-out games, which include all American professional sports teams. As a multi-use facility with seating for 7,800, it is used for baseball and various specialty events as well. Thus, the new digital system is fine-tuned to be flexible and expandable: the Si Expression 3 was installed in the production control room, feeding live signals to the audience, while the console in the broadcast room is responsible for broadcasting 25 games every season to local CBS affiliate networks.

“We wanted to move away from complex analog structures, and decided that the Soundcraft Si Expression 3 was the best choice,” said Scott Rohrer, Creative Technologist for Mandalay Baseball. “When compared with a Yamaha LS9 console, the Si Expression blew it out of the water, in terms of digital options and what we could do with it. From my experience with the Si Compact line and this console, Soundcraft has earned a well-deserved reputation.”

Given the limited size of the booths where the operations take place, the Si Expression 3 consoles fit the bill by providing great power in a reasonable form. Also, both consoles are configured with a Soundcraft Dante™ option card, which adds huge expandability and provides a 64 x 64ch interface to any Dante-compatible device from HARMAN or other third-party manufacturer.

“The new consoles allowed us to play around with many digital options; MADI links, and the functionality of the Dante card was a big advantage,” according to Rohrer. “Having 10 games under our belts so far with the Si Expression, the digital flexibility has been simply amazing. Our system now has a much more simplified integration of networks and gear than before, without compromising the audio quality.”

HARMAN designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,800 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.7 billion for the last twelve months ended December 31, 2013.

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Austrian Freelancer Lukas Zilka Takes HARMAN Soundcraft Si Expression 3 to the Big Stage

PURKERSDORF, Austria – Lukas Zilka, a freelancer who mixes audio for live concerts, press conferences, corporate events and national balls, recently elevated his company Live Productions –Event Services with the purchase of a HARMAN Soundcraft Si Expression 3 mixing console. This upgrade will assist him not only with his own productions, but also with the services he routinely offers to bigger companies.

Zilka is a highly skilled sound engineer who manages audio for some of the nation’s top balls, including the “Bonobonball” (Candy Ball) in Vienna. His previous experience with the Soundcraft GB8 analog console installed at that venue is what led him to grow his business with the Si Expression 3. It is the perfect console to lead analog users into the digital realm, as the controls on the Si Expression feel very much like any analog desk.

“Simply put, the value of the Si Expression 3 is unmatched, as other brands cost an arm and a leg for the same feature set that Soundcraft offers. I mix children’s plays for one of my regular clients, which is a local community church, and as the performance group expanded over the years and became increasingly professional, the small racks on the old Yamaha console couldn’t cut it anymore. I needed more outputs and more faders, so when I saw the Si Expression 3, I knew my search had come to an end,” Zilka said.

The Soundcraft Si Expression 3 features a mighty number of 30+2 faders along with flexible onboard and expansion I/O options to ensure that every one of the 66 input processing channels can be used. To help the operator power through concerts and events of any size, this console not only boasts the award winning EMMA™ DSP processor, it also comes with built-in FX engines that do not impact the mix regardless of load. To top it off, the fader groups are illuminated with Soundcraft FaderGlowTM, which color-codes the motorized faders for an intuitive mixing experience.

“So far, I’m loving the digital experience,” said Zilka. “I really like the easy handle on all channel parameters, as there is no need to jump into menus to get the effects I want. When I did a charity concert, I noticed the advantage of storable pre-amps, which was not present on my old mixer. I also enjoy using the ViSi app on my iPad for corporate events and press conferences.”

“Overall, Soundcraft delivered on every aspect of its name, providing me with an experience that cannot be found elsewhere for this price,” Zilka concluded. “The Si Expression does a perfect job and helps me create the exact sound that I want. Its ease-of-use features such as FaderGlow are revolutionary for this industry, which contains too many cluttered mechanics from other brands.”

HARMAN designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,800 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.7 billion for the last twelve months ended December 31, 2013.

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Pick Of The Hits - Soundcraft in Audio Media, December 2013

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Pick Of The Hits - Soundcraft in Pro Sound News, November 2013

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HARMAN’s Soundcraft® Si Expression 3 Console Provides an Educational Experience at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a 4-year public university whose Department of Theater and Dance offers a broad variety of academic courses and practical experience in Performance, Dance, Design and Technical Theater, Theater Education and Theater History/Literature/Criticism. In order to stay on top of theater audio technology, SIUE department chair Jim Wulfsong needed to upgrade to a digital live sound console, and found the HARMAN Soundcraft Si Expression 3 ideal as both a production and educational tool.

“At SIUE, performances and education are intertwined,” said Wulfsong, who teaches a number of courses at SIUE including live sound engineering. “My students start by taking courses in theatrical audio production and live sound—and then they soon move up to doing the front of house mixing of an actual performance.” Productions are held at SIUE’s main theater, where the Si Expression 3 is installed.

Wulfsong needed a console that offers the latest features to accommodate the requirements of professional theatrical production—and could stand up to the rigors of constant use. The students learn on the console day in and day out during the academic year, and activity gets particularly intense during Tech Week, the week before a show debuts when the technical staff finalizes the show’s mic requirements, live and pre-recorded audio cues and other audio needs.

One of the key reasons Wulfsong chose the Soundcraft Si Expression 3 is because he and his students needed flexibility in a console that wasn’t difficult to operate. “The console is primarily used by students, who, while eager and talented, aren’t pros yet. The Si Expression 3 lets them work out in advance and store almost everything that’s needed before the show—cues, levels, EQ and so on—which greatly reduces the students’ stress level once the curtain goes up.” The Si Expression 3 lets his students concentrate on listening to the sound—rather than constantly have to think three steps ahead about what they have to do next. “Sometimes it seems like we can get any slider and knob to do anything we want.”

One of the main uses for the console is to play back cues and sound effects for musicals using QLab multimedia playback software. There can be hundreds of cues in a show and Wulfsong finds the Si Expression 3 makes moving from one cue to the next easy. “The Next button on the console responds really fast, which is critical when you have almost no time to kill a cue or mute and unmute different combinations of every single onstage mic.”

Thanks to the console’s sophisticated panning capabilities and multiple stereo and mono busses, Wulfsong and his students can now do “fancy Hollywood sound effects” like having planes fly overhead and sound effects following the onstage action—all at the touch of a button.

Wulfsong finds the ability to apply EQ on every channel to be “a major feature.” Every input-processing channel on the Si Expression 3 has dedicated processing not only for four-band EQ, but also high-pass filter, input delay, gate and compressor, enabling precise sonic fine-tuning of every input. Another plus is the console’s smaller size. Wulfsong thought that moving to a more advanced console would require more space in the control room, but the Si Expression 3 is actually smaller than the previous console and gave room to install a bigger computer monitor.

In fact, Wulfsong originally was looking for a console to replace the board in SIUE’s smaller theater—and wound up using the Si Expression 3 in the big room. “I was stunned by the price point and value the Si Expression 3 offered—and once we got it in-house we realized we were going to be using it as our main console in the theater.”

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

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David Perry Puts HARMAN’s Soundcraft Si Expression 3 to the Test

BUFFALO, New York – Professional audio engineer David Perry recently purchased a HARMAN Soundcraft Si Expression 3 mixing console for use on a variety of regional events. A member of Buffalo, New York-based systems integration firm Ronco Specialized Systems and freelance broadcast engineer, Perry has already put the Si Expression 3 to the test this summer, using it for a variety of functions, including music festivals, corporate events and “Taste of Buffalo,” the second-largest food festival in the United States.

In addition to his position as Shop Manager with Ronco, Perry works as a freelance broadcast engineer for CBS Sports and NBC Sports, handling a lot of golf and football telecasts. “I’ve been doing sound since I was 13 years old and I still love working on all kinds of projects,” he said.

In May 2012, Perry purchased a Soundcraft Vi1 console, and his positive experience with the Vi1 compelled him to purchase the Si Expression 3. “I was predominantly an analog guy until I bought the Vi1,” Perry said. “I bought MADI cards for the Vi1 and added a mini CAT5 snake as well. I really loved the quality and ease of use of the Vi1.”

To date, Perry’s experience with the Si Expression 3 has been equally positive. “Out of the box, using the Si Expression was a snap,” he said. “I plan on adding a mini stagebox to the console as well to give me even more flexibility.”

“You really can’t beat the Si Expression: the footprint is small and it’s equally ideal for use at front-of-house and for monitors,” Perry concluded.

For more information on Ronco Specialized Systems, please visit www.roncospecialized.com HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. 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 14,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.3 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

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