Event production company Sound Media of Hollywood, FL has updated the drive system for its main PA rig, with company owner/operator Lennox Foster opting for Optocore components to simplify set up as well as to improve sonic quality.
Sound Media’s main production system includes two DiGiCo SD10 consoles that now use onboard Optocore network links to connect to an SD Rack.
Further, the system processor for the PA feed is a Dolby Lake LM44 linked to an Optocore DD32R-FX network device at front of house. Foster had considered Optocore X6Rs that offer eight and 16 channels of both analog or AES signals for this application, but elected to go with the DD32R due to its ability to transport 64 channels of AES I/O, providing both additional flexibility as well as an increased channel count for the future.
The DD32R-FX at FOH is connected to two more DD32R-FXs at the stage via two redundant tactical fiber optic runs that ensure redundancy. They send main and back-up AES to 18 Powersoft X4 and nine K10 amplifiers, along with DSP control via the 100Mbit LAN connection created over the Optocore network. The amplifiers drive Turbosound loudspeakers.
“We chose Optocore based on consistent and robust performance, low latency, ease of use, open architecture and technical support,” Foster states. “Our goal was to obtain improvement in sound system performance, reduction in cabling and expanded channel capacity.
“We’ve achieved improvement in audio quality; there’s improvement in audio depth and detail resolution,” he continues. “We’re able to use longer fiber runs and eliminate grounding issues between FOH and stage, and can now distribute and route AES to each amplifier, which we couldn’t do before.”
The new system’s first deployment came at the University of Miami’s Watsco Arena for the Tabernacle of Glory’s annual four-day conference. “We were surprised at the ease and flexibility of programming the Optocore system,” says Foster. “Optocore wasn’t scheduled to be used until October, 2017 but after testing the units to demonstrate their capabilities, it was decided to deploy the system in July based on stability and consistent performance.”
On large events, Sound Media is also commonly tasked with providing additional feeds to production mobiles, and in the past, these last-minute changes would have required running new cables. But that’s changed according to Foster.
“It was always a challenge to route signal from FOH to the recording trucks’ location outside,” he concludes. “Optocore allowed us to reduce the amount of cables running to these locations. We are able to route all audio via fiber. The FOH left and right PA feeds were routed to the video broadcast truck as a backup, and the audio broadcast master channels were routed to the FOH system console as a PA backup.”
