Dale: Immediately ahead of the power amplifiers. Usually, the signal comes from the console to the analog comp/limiter, then to the DSP and then to the amps.

yam4000vca: As a consultant do you at all stress the need for qualified operators after the install or do you just deal with the hardware and software to make it do what it should?

Dale: As a consultant who has done a lot of mixing in high power worship situations, I prefer to set the DSP using all the tools I have available to me and lock the DSP away.
If a system is properly set up and EQ'd, there is no reason for the mix engineer to need to "sweeten" the EQ.

Marc: How much control to the end user? Complete lock out?

Dale: Typically, we do a complete lockout for the first year for warranty reasons, to protect the contractor and the client. After that time, if clients want to change things, they
do so at their own risk. It is our experience that most churches do not have the technical expertise or the equipment to properly EQ a system.

Tim: Have you ever had an end user where you left it open?

Dale: Not for the first year. At least not on purpose.
yam4000vca: This is an interesting concept to me. Are you saying that in a contemporary music service there is no need for a person to provide a "mix" if the system is tuned properly?

Dale: No, what I am saying is that there is no reason for the mix engineer to need to
re-EQ the system on a week-to-week or service-by-service basis. The mix engineer, whom I call the "Mix Musician" in the church, has a great deal of responsibility to provide an excellent mix. It is just that he/she doesn't need to EQ the system.

yam4000vca: I see. Do you make changes available for room usage and type of service, such as a different setting that can be accessed?

Dale: Yes, if required, we will program in preset memory settings that the owner can recall at a moment’s notice to change the configuration of the system or even mute
different aspects of the system.

Sobe: Do you know of good DSP-oriented educational programs out there for those of us wanting to learn the basic concepts of DSP?

Dale: Are you talking about the machine level programming of the DSP, or are you talking about using the DSP in a pro sound application?

Sobe: Pro sound application.