Top Canadian Venue Hart House Aims Higher with HARMAN Soundcraft® Si Expression 1

TORONTO, Canada – Located at the University of Toronto, Hart House is one of the largest and busiest event spaces in Canada, hosting a variety of conferences, concerts, corporate and social events. To accommodate the 7,000 annual event bookings, AV Manager Ira Cohen recently designed a new audio installation for the Hart House’s Great Hall (the signature space at the venue), featuring a HARMAN Soundcraft Si Expression 1 to control the system.

To optimize the audio installation, Cohen also designed the system to include HARMAN BSS BLU-80 signal processing with a CobraNet expansion card for a full HARMAN integration with the Soundcraft Si Expression console. Cat5 connections were also installed in the hall to patch in the console for full control over the entire equipment rack.

“We have one of the most diverse types of clientele with a massive variety of events,” Cohen said. “Together with the CobraNet expansion card, this one-of-a-kind system offers an incredible amount of flexibility with the ability to run any type of event or show imaginable. Factoring in the expansion capabilities, it is a system that Hart House has longed for and one that we are truly proud of.”

“I have always held Soundcraft in high regard, and over the years I have had the pleasure of mixing on various analog and digital boards and have always trusted the level of sonic quality and control you get with Soundcraft,” Cohen continued. “At this price point, there is no other board in the market with as many top quality features as the Si Expression. It allowed me to present a proposal design at half the cost that external companies offered.”

Soundcraft makes it easy for any user to operate the Si Expression console; with its touchscreen U/I and FaderGlow™ that illuminates faders with color-coded LED’s, there is no need for a manual. Also, Soundcraft consoles are known for their analog-like feel and operation. Whether a beginner to live mixing, or a seasoned sound engineer, any operator can mix straight out of the box within minutes, thanks to its intuitive design.

“The console has exceeded performance expectations,” according to Cohen. Its ease of use right out the gate has been a pleasure to work with; I am mostly impressed with the layout, because it’s quite nice to have the physical controls of your channel strip and dynamics right in front of you. Overall, it is a very economical and straightforward board to operate, which is great for new users. All the advantages of digital are literally at your fingertips, rather than through page layers.”

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 14,600 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.5 billion for the last twelve months ended September 30, 2013.