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Allen & Heath iLive Addresses Surround Sound And Multipurpose Needs At Community College Theatre

With inputs ranging from a single voice up to 56 inputs and outputs that might be mono, stereo or full surround sound, it was critical that this multifunctional space have a sound system with maximum flexibility and sonic clarity.

The Howard Community College Smith Theatre in Columbia, Maryland, has installed an Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system, comprising an iDR10 MixRack and iLive-112 Control Surface, as the control centre for a new PA system.

A typical day at the venue might include everything from theatre and film activities to lectures and meetings, with the occasional live concert thrown in as well.

With inputs ranging from a single voice up to 56 inputs and outputs that might be mono, stereo or full surround sound, it was critical that this multifunctional space have a sound system with maximum flexibility and sonic clarity.

The theatre seats 420 in three sections, with identical left and right mezzanines above the main floor. Designed by Acoustic Dimensions and implemented by AVI-SPL, the audio system uses a left-right-centre approach, with delay speakers addressing the mezzanines.

Each section has its own rear speakers, creating a full surround experience for every seating position.

The facility’s production coordinator, Mark Smedley, selected iLive for its combination of flexibility, ease of use and portability.

“As a community college, we have a wide variety of events throughout the week,” Smedley explains. “Before the redesign, when we came in to perform a play, the console settings would be changed, so a lot of time was spent on set up and troubleshooting.

“With the new iLive system, we just push a button and we’re ready to go.”

“Essentially, we set it up so the system can be used in two ways, with all the iLive outputs feeding a Peavey Nion processor,” explains Jay Paul, VP of engineering and quality control for AVI-SPL, who commissioned and tuned the sound system. “If there’s a surround program, we take inputs from an Onkyo surround processor/preamplifier for 5.1 distribution.

“For standard programming, iLive can directly address the main left-center-right system above the proscenium, plus the delay speakers, individually. The subwoofers are also discretely addressable.”

Having full control of the surround outputs allows theatre sound designers the flexibility to create greater realism in their production.

“We use SFX playback software from Stage Research, which allows us to put sound effects in the most effective spot. That might be a field of crickets or an approaching helicopter using the surrounds. We also use what we call practicals, where we plant a small speaker right where the sound is supposed to come from onstage, using one of the spare Aux Outs that we have with iLive.

“So the system gives us both great depth and precise localization. It’s been great,” continues Paul.

Another advantage of the iLive is its portability. The MixRack, containing the primary inputs, outputs and DSP is located backstage.
From there, Cat5 cables carry both audio and control data to the control surface.

Paul explains, “We’re using tie lines from the FOH position at the desk, and there’s an alternate FOH position in the control booth. The system can move to either location. Using value engineering, we set up patchbays and routing so iLive can work in either location.”

Howard Community College was Paul’s first encounter with the iLive system. “Sonically, I’m very impressed. Also, having a separate stage rack using Cat5 for audio and control made the infrastructure part of this install very simple. The control surface size is very conducive to environments with space restrictions. Allen & Heath brings a lot to the table in terms of price, performance and versatility. It’s a nice system.”

“We looked at several digital boards and chose iLive because it had all the flexibility we needed and seemed to be the most user friendly
– and it really is! Going digital for the first time, it was very intimidating at first but most people pick up the layout and operation in about half-an-hour.

“However, the biggest thing is the time savings we’ve achieved as we can now manage three events in a day plus a show at night, no problem. It’s been amazing,” adds Smedley.

Allen & Heath iLive Website
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