The 21,000-seat stadium at Florida International University Stadium, which hosts the school’s football games, is currently undergoing an AV upgrade headlined by a Dante-compatible Symetrix DSP-based infrastructure for the audio system.
Having solicited possible solutions from a variety of audio specialists, FIU ultimately appointed Doral, Florida-based Icor International Systems Design & Integration to provide the replacement for an elderly, CobraNet-oriented audio system. In the first phase of the overhaul, the company focused its efforts on revamping the processing and distribution hub in the stadium’s control room.
“The old set-up had become unreliable and had a habit of failing at the worst possible moment,” says Scott Pearson, VP of engineering at Icor International Systems. “Having used Symetrix processors for many years, and the Audinate Dante media networking technology on several recent projects, we determined that a Dante-compatible Symetrix DSP-based solution would represent the best way forward.”
The ability to implement Dante on the building’s existing fiber backbone was a primary advantage of the final design, which revolves around a single SymNet Radius 12×8 open architecture Dante-scalable DSP and a pair of SymNet xOut 12 I/O expanders. In addition, a Yamaha Dante-MY16-AUD card has been provided to connect an existing Yamaha LS-9 mixer to the network.
An advocate of Dante, Pearson describes the increasingly ubiquitous technology as “the cleanest, most versatile and most economical way to handle complex audio systems. With many AV departments being managed by IT professionals now, we have found great acceptance for Dante as IT managers understand the technology well and appreciate its capabilities for control and expansion.
“I’ve been using Symetrix products for over 25 years,” he continues, “and have only had one product requiring a return for repairs, which is quite a remarkable achievement and a testament to the durability of their designs. The products are also very feature-rich, and we have Symetrix SymNet Composer software installed on a local PC that we can access remotely. With this setup, we can monitor, control and troubleshoot all stadium audio functions from anywhere with an Internet connection.”
Providing an FIU perspective, Anthony King – who is the assistant director of athletic facilities and operations – adds: “We could not be happier with our move to Symetrix. The reliability, power and broad functionality of our new system components has been an absolute home run for us. Having the peace of mind that comes with such high quality products is a welcome change in the hectic world of athletic facility management.”