Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Soundcraft V16 Pair Take Up Residency At Nokia Theatre L.A. Live

Twin digital live sound consoles soon to be joined
by two more for upcoming Club NOKIA

A pair of Soundcraft Vi6 digital mixing consoles – one at front-of-house and one at the monitor position – are at the front end of an installed sound system featuring a variety of Harman Pro brands at the new NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, which recently opened in downtown Los Angeles. A centerpiece of the L.A. LIVE entertainment, residential and retail complex, located adjacent to STAPLES Center, is the 7,100-seat venue which will be joined later this year by the 2,300 capacity Club NOKIA, which will also feature a pair of Soundcraft Vi6 consoles and various other Harman Pro products.

Robert Patrick, founder, president and principle project manager of IPR Services, oversaw the design-build of the audio and other systems at the entertainment venues at L.A. LIVE, which is being heralded as “Times Square West.” “What we tried to achieve was commonality of equipment between the monitor and front-of-house consoles and, because there are so many acts or tours coming through there will be a lot of one- or two-night stands, so the idea was to provide a console that touring engineers can familiarize themselves with very quickly,” says Patrick, who managed a team that also included acoustician Chips Davis, sound specialist Larry Spurgeon and video/IT technologist Dennis Kornegay.

In addition to long-established touring industry recognition of the Soundcraft brand name and sound quality, the Vistonics™ II control surface was also a significant factor in the rider-friendly decision to install the Vi6 desks, according to Patrick, who has over 25 years of experience in designing, engineering and managing sound, video and communications projects. “By far the biggest criteria here were the ease of use and the unquestioned sound quality. The Vi6 fulfilled that admirably in that it is by far the quickest console to learn if you’ve never seen it before. Vistonics was the key to the console’s ease of use and gaining familiarity with it,” he explains.

Patrick continues, “Everyone has their own favorite mixing console so trying to have some sort of commonality amongst touring engineers is difficult at best. But once you’ve seen the Vi6 you appreciate the benefits of the setup as well as the sonic quality.”

In addition to a pair of Soundcraft Vi6 consoles, the main PA system includes JBL VERTEC® line arrays, powered by nearly 400,000 watts of Crown I-Tech and CTs amplifiers. The entire system is configured and controlled via the Harman Pro Group HiQnet™ protocol.

NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE and Club NOKIA are just the latest in a growing list of major projects that Patrick has overseen, including work at STAPLES Center, Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, the WaMu Theatre in Seattle, The Mirage in Las Vegas, the NOKIA Theatre Times Square and The O2 in London. At L.A. LIVE, says Patrick, “I was responsible for the design-build of the sound system, broadcast cabling system, video production system, telecommunications, point of sale and ticketing systems, card access and security systems, and the RF distribution.”

NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE opened with six sold-out concerts featuring the Eagles and Dixie Chicks in October 2007, and has also been visited by Sugarland, Queens of the Stone Age, Neil Young, Anita Baker, Mary J. Blige and John Fogerty. In addition to hosting music, family, dance and comedy acts , the venue is additionally designed for televised events, such as the American Music Awards, which was another point in favor of the Vi6, says Patrick: “The Soundcraft allows for MADI interfaces to the broadcast world. Because we have a lot of broadcasts emanating from the theater, it lends itself to accommodating those requirements.”

Once it is completed, the four million-sq.-ft., $2.5 billion L.A. LIVE complex, controlled by AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), will also include a 54-story, 1,000-room convention "headquarters" hotel (combining JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton brands and 224 luxury condominiums), a 14-screen Regal Cineplex, broadcast facilities for ESPN plus entertainment, restaurant and office space, in addition to the two NOKIA venues.

About Soundcraft:
Headquartered at the Harman International Industries complex in Potters Bar, England, Soundcraft has built its global reputation over 35 years as a preeminent manufacturer of professional mixing consoles serving live, broadcast, theatre, recording and DJ markets. Worldwide sales and marketing for the brand is handled by the Soundcraft Studer Group, also of Potters Bar. In the United States, Soundcraft and Studer’s products are distributed by Harman Pro North America, a subsidiary of Harman International Industries.

About HiQnet:
Harman HiQnet is the world’s first connectivity and control protocol that integrates all product categories in the signal chain for professional audio systems of all types, size, and applications. Harman HiQnet no longer requires the user to manage multiple disparate operating systems or be responsible for programming individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems, and mixing consoles. HiQnet was developed by the Harman Pro Group System Development and Integration Group (SDIG), a team of dedicated systems specialists based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

About the Harman Pro Group:
The Harman Pro Group (www.harmanpro.com) is the world’s largest provider of professional audio products and system solutions for commercial sound, contracting, tour sound, recording and broadcast, musician, portable PA and cinema applications. The Group is headquartered in Northridge, California and includes industry leaders AKG Acoustics, BSS Audio, Crown International, dbx, DigiTech, JBL Professional, Lexicon, Soundcraft, and Studer. The Group is part of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE: HAR), a leading supplier of high-quality, high fidelity audio products and infotainment systems for the automotive, home and professional markets.

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