La Jolla Playhouse Mixes Effectively With A Soundcraft Vi6™ Digital Console

La Jolla Playhouse selected a Soundcraft Vi6™ digital mixing for “Peter and the Starcatchers,” a new play presented by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theater at La Jolla Playhouse. The show is based on the best-selling book of the same name, written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.


Joe Huppert and Eric Stahlhammer, Co-Sound Designers for “Peter and the Starcatchers,” selected the Vi6 for its ability to simplify workflow and its capability for success in complicated theatrical events, such as “Peter and the Starcatchers.” Huppert states, “The VI6 suits our purposes well, making it very fast to develop and track
manipulations of a sophisticated theatrical design environment.” Stahlhammer says, “This show has really demonstrated to us how powerful the Vi6 can be in the theater as the desk has allowed our team to work faster, more intelligently and more productively. We have been able to do things in this show with the Vi6 that would not have been possible or practical with other consoles.”

La Jolla Playhouse’s Production Manager, Peter Davis, discusses the advantages of working on a Soundcraft board for both engineers and students alike. “This show is a great opportunity to experiment with the Soundcraft Vi6 and to see how applicable the desk is to our market,” Davis continues. “Being able to master the Vi6 in a few hours makes it a desired tool. In an industry where attention to detail is at its highest, it is a critical advantage that an engineer has the ability to execute the designer’s vision without overcomplicating things.”

The Soundcraft Vi6 digital console features a unique integration of Vistonics II technology that allows users to use the console quickly and intuitively. Sam Lerner, the show’s engineer says, “The Vistonics concept is great. Having all of your tools in front of you while you are mixing eliminates the need for paging and switching layers and lets me focus more on actually mixing.” Stahlhammer adds, “The intuitive nature of the interface is showcased in the fact that Sam had never used the console before this show and within a few days he was as comfortable with it as any other console he had used before. In theatrical applications such as “Peter and the Starcatchers,” the engineer needs the ability to be comfortable behind the desk and the Vi6 has been really easy to deal with.” Huppert was particularly impressed with the scene snapshot functions, “The snapshot functions allow for easy changes to particular parameters without worrying about collateral damage to other settings”.

The Soundcraft Vi6 Digital Live Console uses touch-screen color-coded TFT monitors with rotary controls and switches built in and around the glass, enabling direct access to all functions at all times and providing maximum information and visibility. Huppert notes, “The integration of display, touch and physical knobs is intuitive and clear. The lighting is my favorite part, not only is it honestly fun to look at but many functions are understandable without having to read anything, which makes it easy to know where you are, even in the dark and when your eyes are on a stage 100 feet away.”

For more information on La Jolla Playhouse, please visit www.lajollaplayhouse.org

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Soundcraft Studer Provides Outstanding Audio Support To The Kennedy Center In Washington D.C.

The John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts has recently upgraded its already superior audio system with the installation of Soundcraft and Studer digital mixing consoles into nine of its performance spaces. Equipping one of the worlds most prestigious and respected performing arts centers with new technologies is not an easy task, especially when considering the legacy system was of the highest standards, but three Soundcraft Vi6,™ one Soundcraft Vi4™ and a Studer® Vista 5 are up to the challenge.

The Opera House holds nearly 2,300 guests and is recognized as the official home to the Washington National Opera and the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Also, the establishment conducts ballets, operas and a variety of Broadway road shows. The Terrace Theater, a much smaller venue containing 513 seats, is used for performances of chamber music, jazz and children’s productions. The Kennedy Center’s Production Operations Department selected three Soundcraft Vi6’s along with a Vi4 and a Studer Vista 5 to provide audio support to each of the respective halls in the Kennedy Center.

“The boards sound outstanding and the user interface is great,” commented John Burke, The Kennedy Center’s Production Operations Department AV System Designer. “The audio capabilities at the Kennedy Center have improved remarkably and one thing that I have noticed is that people want the shows archived and the Vi6 allows engineers to record everything in HD. It gives the engineers the ability to take the MADI data streams and put it right into a multi-track recorder without worrying about splitters and it makes recording shows much easier.”

Along with the Opera House and Terrace Theater, the Soundcraft Vi6 was also integrated into the Concert Hall, a space capable of holding over 2,400 visitors and home to the National Symphony Orchestra. Providing sound reinforcement for the smaller venues, such as the Eisenhower Theater, which hosts a wide range of smaller-scale operas, plays, musicals, and ballets is the Studer Vista 5.

“The renovation to the Kennedy Center is very extensive and requires a lot of versatility on the part of the Soundcraft and Studer consoles. In the Eisenhower Theater for example, the Vista 5 is utilized to its full potential, as the entire system is CobraNet™. The success we’ve had in the Eisenhower Theater has led to the expansion into the Concert Hall as well,” said Burke. “These Vi series products and the Vista 5 have been really great in stability and haven’t caused any problems. The much smaller footprint has been a tremendous benefit and the Vistonics are incredible as well.”

Burke concludes, “The opportunities are endless with the Soundcraft and Studer consoles. As an example, in the Concert Hall, we are able to remotely control the racks from all positions and easily ship the signals, which has been an incredible step into the future. The transformation into digital with the Vi4, Vi6 and Vista 5 has increased our production, performance and accessibility.”

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Soundcraft Vi6™ Digital Consoles On Display At The 2009 NBA All-Star Game In Phoenix, Arizona

For the third time in NBA All-Star history, Phoenix, Arizona hosted the 58th annual All-Star game that featured a weekend of competition and events, including the 3-point and dunk contests as well as the Rookie Challenge. Two Guys Audio Services Inc. of Rainbow City, Alabama, through Volume Inc. provided FOH audio console support for the event and flawlessly mixed the weekend’s events on two Soundcraft Vi6™ digital consoles.

Engineers Jerome Fox and Dave Zammit independently operated the desks and provided outstanding audio quality for the event. Fox utilized one Vi6 to drive the speaker systems while mixing the production elements, including video playback rolls, announcer microphones, television feeds and on-court mics, while Zammit mixed the live music elements and delivered the feed to Fox’s console via AES for distribution.

Zammit commented on the development of the event and discussed the selection of the Vi6 consoles. “We started with 2 x 96 input systems, intending to use these as parallel main and backup systems, but as things progressed, it became clear that more than one system would be needed to merely address the input / output requirements of the event.” Zammit continued, “We needed outstanding performance from the consoles and we selected the Vi6 consoles for their great sound, reliable platform and the intuitive Vistonics interface that provides such an “analog” operation allowing engineers to fully exploit all the advantages of a digital system.”

Fox added,” I was sold the minute I discovered the HiQnet capabilities and the ability to mix effectively even without a mouse.”

The versatility of the Vi6 consoles was an integral part of the NBA-All Star weekend’s festivities commencing with the first live performance of Corbin Bleu on Friday at the Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam night and continuing on Saturday with performances by Kevin Rudolph and the dunk contest. The main event on Sunday featured John Legend, and included Latin star Juanes.

“As is the case with mixing any live event, the NBA All-Star games presented a few challenges but the Vi6 allowed us to successfully manage the event on the fly,” added Zammit. “The nature of the event required us to make quick adjustments and the reliability and flexibility of the console enabled us to remain relaxed while mixing a great All-Star game.”

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Seattle’s Famous Benaroya Hall Upgrades Sound System With Soundcraft Vi6™

The ease of operation of the Soundcraft Vi6 is being showcased at Seattle’s famous Benaroya Hall. Home of the Seattle Symphony, the 2,500-seat S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium is Seattle’s first facility designed exclusively for symphonic music performances and Soundcraft consoles provide outstanding sound quality and versatility for every performance. Celebrating 10 years as one of the nation’s premier venues for live symphonic music, Benaroya Hall sound engineers chose to upgrade their sound reinforcement system with three Soundcraft Vi Series digital mixing consoles – two Vi6’s and a Vi4 - for the 550-seat Recital Hall.

Soundcraft products are no strangers to the Benaroya Hall and the introduction of the Vi6 was the logical next step in upgrading the quality of the sound system. The hall previously featured analog boards by Soundcraft and the effects of the digital board were instantly felt as the sound quality in the hall was improved tremendously. Audio Director for the Benaroya Hall, Tom Akoury, states, “Installing the Vi6 was an unbelievable upgrade in sound quality and the sound engineers immediately commented on the intuitiveness and versatility of the Vi6. We were able to install the console without any difficulties and within 15 minutes we were very comfortable mixing on the board.”

The Soundcraft Vi6 console is designed to the reliability standards of Studer Vista and has the intuitive Vistonics II interface allowing engineers to control the board exactly where they are looking. “The board is designed with engineers in mind,” continued Akoury. “With other consoles, engineers are sidetracked by paging through multiple books and sometimes losing focus or train of thought. With the Vi6, engineers have the ability to save shows and operate the board without any books. The intuitiveness of the board and all of its capabilities has made my job easier and the overall ease of operation is truly a lifesaver.”

The diversity of the Benaroya Hall’s performances requires sound engineers to quickly and efficiently prepare for multiple concerts in the same day ranging from symphony’s to rock and roll. Akoury adds, “We have a lot of turnarounds in concerts and the timing of everything has to be perfect. With the Vi6 we are able to preprogram the console for the second show, which reduces the sound check time tremendously. We were really killing ourselves for the past seven years without the Vi6.”

The Vi6 is loaded with upgrades and boasts an impressive input-to-mix capacity of 64, or 96 channels mapped out on 32 motorized faders. These can be assigned to 32 outputs, plus a stereo and mono mix, that can be combined in any group, aux and matrix buses. The Vi6 is also HiQnet™ enabled allowing the desk to become a control point for a comprehensive Harman Pro Group system at the Benaroya Hall that includes AKG C414 microphones and JBL VERTEC® speakers powered by Crown Macro-Tech amplifiers.

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ESP New York Selects Soundcraft’s Vi6™ For Diesel’s 30th Anniversary “xXx Rock and Roll Circus” Party Finale In Brooklyn

The Soundcraft Vi6 was among the elite attendees invited to the final stop of a 24-hour non-stop party hosted by Diesel to celebrate its 30th anniversary around the world. The “Diesel xXx Rock and Roll Circus” took place in 17 major cities across the world; commencing in Tokyo and moving to Beijing, Dubai, Athens, Amsterdam, Milan, Zurich, Munich, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Oslo, Helsinki, London, Sao Paulo, and finally had its grand finale on Pier 3 in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, October 11.

ESP New York chose the Vi6 for its outstanding audio quality and its ability to handle The Rock and Roll Circus that hosted numerous music artists performing in front of thousands of VIP guests.

T.I., N.E.R.D., Franz Ferdinand, M.I.A., Hot Chip, and Chaka Khan staged performed on the Brooklyn waterfront in front of a crowd of 5,000 VIP attendees, including celebrities Lindsay Lohan and actress Emma Roberts. Soundcraft’s Vi6 enhanced each of the performers’ music exemplifying what a fantastic sounding board it is.

All the engineers involved with the show used the boards and programmed individual shows for each performer prior to show time. ESP New York’s Monitor Engineer, Steve Swope, educated the engineers on the Vi6’s capabilities. “The amount of inputs/outputs and accessibility makes the Vi6 perfect for this venue,” said Swope. “The user-friendly interface allowed the sound engineers to operate the console without any difficulties despite having very little experience on the Vi6.”

With the flexibility of the Vi6, engineers had the ability to digitally patch all content ahead of time to any specific location. This preparation allowed them to switch and adjust any problems that may have arisen without any interruption or loss of sound quality. ESP New York’s Glenn Davis and Bill Danilczyk met at Front Of House, and commenting on the potential of the system, Davis states, “I can route signals through this console more than any other digital console. The functionality in terms of outputs, routing, and flexibility is far superior and the sonic quality is outstanding. All of the design work, planning and layout were perfect every time.”

The Rock and Roll Circus went exactly as planned and the mash ups between T.I. /Franz Ferdinand and M.I.A./ N.E.R.D. were successful with the operation of 195 mic inputs. “The ability to pre-label the show ahead of time allowed the show to run seamlessly without any difficulties,” said Davis.

Tony Berger of Relevent produced the show that featured not only popular music acts but also an array of spectacular entertainment. Cabaret performers, fire-eaters, trapeze artists, sword swallowing acts, and female roller derby squads dazzled guests.

For more information on ESP New York, please visit www.espnewyork.com.

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Ten Day Navratri Music Festival Features India’s First Soundcraft Vi6™ Mixing Console

Showcasing Soundcraft’s growing influence in the burgeoning India pro audio market, SOUND.COM coordinated efforts with Reliance Big Music for a 10-day concert series that relied on an extensive Harman audio system featuring a Soundcraft Vi6 digital mixing console. The 96-channel Vi6 exceeded expectations, assuring further installations in the future.

The versatility of the Vi6 allowed the engineers to simply slot the additional DSP (Mix engine) card into the console, upgrade the software to V3.0 and start mixing immediately. There was no threat of sacrificing I/O on the desk as it is fully loaded to accept audio signals from all the input and output channels from the local rack as well as the stage box, simultaneously. The individual channels are managed in a small footprint while the fiber optic lines protect users from any disruptive interference.

Sunil Karanjikar, Systems/Mix Engineer for the Navratri Festival stated, “I’m extremely happy with the sound of the console, which is the most important aspect of providing the audience with a great experience. The Vistonics and Fiber Optics provided a full and sensational sound that resembled an analog desk. Overall, I felt completely at home with the Vi6 and I didn’t even reference the user manual,” Karanjikar added. “At SOUND.COM, we’re generally fanatical about loudspeaker engineering, and we gravitated towards the Vi6 console because it offers the pedigree of those ‘great-sounding British consoles’ that we could never afford in the past.”

Warren D’Souza, Founder and Owner of SOUND.COM, proudly mentions, “The decision to feature the Vi6 is a classic example of the team providing exemplary audio services to our customers, and instead of skimping on technical prowess and equipment, we exceeded our customer’s expectations.” D’Souza continues, “I also appreciate the efforts of the backstage team, including Ashok Giri and Ranjit Singh. The quality of the crew on stage is of the utmost importance, and we have to appreciate the contribution Ashok Giri has made to SOUND.COM. He’s toured a million miles, representing us all across the country, and it was only fitting that when we were recognized for our efforts, it was him who went up on stage to accept the laurels.”

The install consisted of 18 VERTEC® VT4889 full-size line array elements (nine per side), left-center-right hangs of four VT4880 arrayable subwoofers each, plus two VT4887 compact line array elements for front fill, all powered by Crown IT8000 amplification. The key focus was to not compromise on the trim lengths for good coverage and headroom to provide unprecedented power in the venue. The specific genre of music contains a lot of mid-frequency energy produced from the instruments as well as the vocals, and the R.B.I. (Radiation Boundary Integrator) of the VerTec mids produced a clear and full sound.

More information and a free download of the Virtual Vi software is available at www.soundcraftdigital.com.

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