Located at the University of Toronto, Hart House is one of the largest and busiest event spaces in Canada, hosting a variety of conferences, concerts, corporate and social events. To accommodate the 7,000 annual event bookings, AV Manager Ira Cohen recently designed a new audio system for the venue’s Great Hall (the signature space at the venue) headed by a Soundcraft Si Expression 1 console.
To optimize the audio installation, Cohen also designed the system to include BSS BLU-80 signal processing with a CobraNet expansion card for a full Harman integration with the Soundcraft Si Expression console. Cat-5 connections were also installed in the hall to patch in the console for full control over the entire equipment rack.
“We have one of the most diverse types of clientele with a massive variety of events,” Cohen explains. “Together with the CobraNet expansion card, this one-of-a-kind system offers an incredible amount of flexibility with the ability to run any type of event or show imaginable. Factoring in the expansion capabilities, it is a system that Hart House has longed for and one that we are truly proud of.”
“I have always held Soundcraft in high regard, and over the years I have had the pleasure of mixing on various analog and digital boards and have always trusted the level of sonic quality and control you get with Soundcraft,” he continues. “At this price point, there is no other board in the market with as many top quality features as the Si Expression. It allowed me to present a proposal design at half the cost that external companies offered.
“The console has exceeded performance expectations. It’s ease of use right out the gate has been a pleasure to work with; I am mostly impressed with the layout, because it’s quite nice to have the physical controls of your channel strip and dynamics right in front of you. Overall, it is a very economical and straightforward board to operate, which is great for new users. All the advantages of digital are literally at your fingertips, rather than through page layers.”
