Greg Vest, joint-owner of DB Commercial AV, headed up the effort at Swift’s Attic. “They originally asked for something less than we ended up installing for them,” he said. “I was getting mixed signals. On the one hand, they kept telling me that Swift’s Attic is a restaurant. But on the other hand, they were going to stay open until 2AM and feature over a dozen beers on tap, along with bottled beer, wine, and liquor. I said, ‘I hate to break it to you, but at 10PM, you’re no longer a restaurant; you’re a bar. And if you don’t have a slammin’ system, people are going to walk down the street.’ I convinced them to think and act a little bit larger now so that they wouldn’t regret it later.” That said, Vest was still operating on a very tight budget.

His powerful, yet still affordable, plan called for an Ashly Pema 4250, which packs an 8×8 DSP and four 250W amplifiers in just two rack spaces, together with two Ashly KLR 3200 stereo amplifiers, which deliver 1600W per channel with great efficiency. The KLR 3300s power the large Community VERIS loudspeakers that cover the restaurant’s “dance floor,” which is also a dining area depending on the time of day. The four amplifiers on the Pema 4250 cover smaller Community VERIS loudspeakers in the entryway, a smaller dining area, the back of the main dining area, and the bathrooms.

“Space was tight at Swift’s Attic,” said Vest. “But the entire Ashly system required only six rack spaces! Without compromising on quality, Ashly is at the head of the industry in terms of compact amplification.” The Pema 4250′s DSP accepts system inputs, which include XLR jacks at the front and back of the main dining area (for DJs or bands to plug into) and computer output for playlist playback. Pema provides EQ, delay, and matrix mixing of line-level signal to the KLR 3200 “slave” amplifiers.

“Ashly Audio delivers cost-effective solutions that are nevertheless reliable, powerful, and flexible,” said Vest. “With the Protea open-architecture software in the Pema, I was able to dial in the system exactly as I needed to, including effective feedback elimination where necessary.” Vest gave the staff at Swift’s Attic appropriate control over the sound system with a pair of Ashly neWR-5 wall mount remote controls. He customized the interface to allow input selection and zone volumes, along with preset selection with appropriate EQ curves and volume for lunch, dinner, and late night.

Vest built a lot of the system’s customized features right into the presets. For example, when the restaurant selects the XLR inputs for DJs and bands, the DSP reconfigures the gain structure and limiting as appropriate for that type of input. For the lunch and dinner presets, the DSP mutes a loudspeaker near the entrance that could potentially bother an adjacent dress shop, which prevents the justifiably distracted staff from making mistakes that might anger the neighbors.

With the killer system installed, Swift’s Attic is now fully operational, and word of mouth – both old-school organic and new-fangled electronic – is creating a wonderful buzz. It’s an early reward for the restaurant’s forward-thinking business model.

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high quality & high performance signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. The 37-year old company is headquartered in Webster, New York U.S.A.

www.ashly.com

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“The idea was to recreate the listening environment that the mix engineer of the source material might have experienced,” explained Storch. “Luckily, we were contacted early enough in the process that we could still alter the room’s basic construction.” Storch sent the blueprints to acoustical designer Richard Bird at Rives Audio. Bird tweaked the room’s dimensions and specified the ideal locations for loudspeakers, acoustical absorbers, acoustical diffusers, bass traps, and even the human listeners. When the builders were ready, Storch and his crew swooped in to install the equipment and acoustical treatments. “Two of the notable features of the room itself are its diffusive ceiling, which also has a cool twinkly star lighting system, and the acoustical fabric the interior designer selected,” said Storch. “The fabric is made by Knoll and is called ‘Heavy Metal’.”

Chafee helped with the equipment selection. Based on the room’s modest size and the goal of reproducing a neutral control room environment, he selected Genelec loudspeakers. Three AIW26s serve as the left-center-right, and two AIW25s serve as surrounds. A pair of Triad subwoofers powered by a Crown Xti 2000 amplifier provides the listener with thunderous low-end when needed. A Denon AVR-3312 integrated network A/V surround receiver provides the front-end user interface that selects input sources, adjusts the volume, and alters the surround sound configuration.

Once everything was installed, Chafee arrived with his sophisticated RTA gear and his ears. “Mike’s ears are the best piece of equipment he has,” Storch laughed. Chafee measured the room and found that everyone had done their jobs well. It is a remarkably flat room, “one of the flattest he had ever measured,” said Storch. Next, Chafee pulled up the sound system and loaded the “Home Theater” app onto the Symetrix Jupiter 8, which gave him all of the signal processing tools that he needed, including multiple flavors of equalization, dynamics, and loudspeaker management.

“Before Mike [Chafee] came in, we had the opportunity to listen to the room with the Jupiter running flat,” said Storch. “Given the excellent acoustics and the excellent components, it’s not surprising that it sounded really great. In fact, if we had stopped there, we would have felt satisfied that the job was well done. But then Mike dialed things in on the Jupiter and it was obviously much, much better. It was an order of magnitude better. The cost of Mike’s time and the Jupiter was a small fraction of the total cost of the room, but you couldn’t have purchased that degree of improvement with hardware alone, even if you doubled the price of the room! It’s a truly phenomenal sounding room.”

Once Chafee was finished adjusting the system, the Symetrix Jupiter 8 became a black box for the end user. “There are no knobs or dials on the front of the Jupiter,” said Storch. “And that’s a very good thing. The client wanted a well-tuned system, and there’s no way he could improve on Mike’s settings. So giving him any measure of control would be opening the door for him to foul it up. The client is free to enjoy the system, which is perhaps the best I have ever heard.”

ABOUT SYMETRIX Sound professionals rely upon the performance, value and reliability of audio mixing, routing and processing products from Symetrix. For more information on Symetrix professional audio products, please visit www.symetrix.co or call +1 (425) 778-7728.

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Like many churches, Goodlettsville FBC transitioned over the years from having only traditional services to offering a mix of traditional and contemporary services. Its old PA system consisted of a pair of two-way cabinets perched up among the organ registers, a location of convenience – not of ideal coverage. “For a contemporary service, Goodlettsville was terribly under-powered,” observed Oliver. “You might say they didn’t really have a sound reinforcement system at all.” Most of the direct sound from the instruments on stage came from their amplifiers or, for drums, the acoustic sound itself. Professional Audio Solutions won the bid based on its demonstrable record supplying churches with dimensional, engaging sound reinforcement systems.

Oliver had heard the Danley Jericho JH-90 output on several occasions, including demonstrations in a gym, in a sanctuary, and outdoors. “The interesting thing that I noticed each time was that its clarity and depth gave me the impression of stereo vitality even when only one Jericho was in use,” he said. Rather than approach a church sanctuary project as a live sound application, Oliver takes a different tack. He considers the sanctuary to be a critical listening environment, analogous to a studio control room or an audiophile home theater. Consistent with that, he almost always designs stereo systems, and he minimizes response-destroying interactions by using the minimum number of loudspeaker elements.

“People always ask why we install stereo systems,” he said. “To me, it’s like, why wouldn’t we? You enjoy stereo iN a studio control room. You enjoy stereo in your car. Your television is stereo. Of course your iPod is stereo. Why would church be the only place you don’t get stereo? People rightfully point out that you can’t deliver stereo to every seat in the house. True enough, but if we can deliver stereo to eighty percent of the congregation and the remaining twenty percent doesn’t suffer for it, then why not? Stereo music makes for a decidedly more engaging worship experience.”

Goodlettsville FBC’s sanctuary is approximately 65-feet wide by 90-feet deep and 22-feet tall with a balcony in the back. Oliver modeled the room in EASE and considered a range of scenarios consistent with the “critical listening environment” perspective. There were a lot of good solutions, but the simplest and least expensive to install would be a pair of Jericho JH-90s. “The Jericho is a truly full-range box,” he said. “No subwoofer is needed except when the music format calls for sub 30Hz extension. We were able to install the entire system in just a day-and-a-half, and because the Jericho is a true point-source box, we didn’t have to fuss with precise angles. It was simple, and the client was able to sink money into the product, not the black hole of labor.” Six Crest Pro 200-Series amplifiers power the system, with DSP provided by a Xilica XP 4080. In addition, Oliver used a pair of Danley’s smallest speakers the, SH-Minis, for choir monitors.

Measurements of the installed system confirm the EASE predictions. The coverage is even from the front to the back and from wall to wall. “The Danley Jericho delivers the motivating requirement of the line array system – even SPLs front to back – but because it is a point source, it achieves that even coverage without the fidelity-destroying interference typical of line array components,” explained Oliver. “It has 100dB of clean dynamic range and absolutely phenomenal fidelity. It’s like sitting behind an SSL console and listening to a perfectly aligned pair of Westlake in-wall reference monitors. The pastor’s voice is right in front of you. You can almost see the image of an acoustic guitar floating five feet away, fret noise included.”

Oliver enjoyed a lot back slapping and hand shaking after the first service with the new Jericho Horns. Already, Oliver is working with another church near Atlanta that wants the same system. “A pair of Danley Jericho Horns will ably cover sanctuaries of 1,000 seats all the way up to 10,000,” he said. “We’re looking forward to making this a new model for churches that really want great audio performance. A system with just two Danley Jericho JH-90s is easy to design, straightforward to install, and, given its phenomenal performance, surprisingly affordable.”

ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology.

www.danleysoundlabs.com

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“We’re very glad to have Gary on our team,” said John Sexton, Ashly’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Gary has years of relevant experience in every facet of the installed sound market, and we welcome the breadth and depth of his perspective.” Jones spent fifteen years with Altec Lansing in various marketing roles. Previously Jones worked for various companies as a professional audio manufacturer’s rep. Most recently, Jones headed a design and consulting company that worked with systems integrators on audio systems for churches, courtrooms, hotels, corporations, event centers, gymnasiums, auditoriums, warehouses, and arenas.

“Ashly is a big player in the professional power amplifier and DSP business, and I want to help make them continue their double-digit growth curve,” said Jones. “Ashly is among the last of the American-made professional power amp manufacturers, which is worth supporting, and its Protea DSP platform is unique in its power and intuitive design interface. In the short-term however, I’m just excited to get acquainted with all of my customers and reps!”

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high quality & high performance signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. The 37-year old company is headquartered in Webster, New York U.S.A.

www.ashly.com

Visom Digital has served the community for over 25 years with peerless audio mixing, mastering and recording services as well as top-of-the-line equipment sales and service. Visom Digital’s mission is to develop innovative recording techniques. In that spirit, Visom owner and founder, Carlos de Andrade, jumped at the opportunity to represent API products.

“For most distributors a line like API is a gem to be catered to with great consideration of its tradition,” declared de Andrade. “For Visom, API is not a brand. It is a passion and a bit of our history. We will not just sell API. We will evangelize and educate our clients on the ownership of an important part of audio history in a time where exceptional music found its match and made it to eternity.”

Visom’s repertoire of clients includes EMI, Universal, Warner Music Group, Paris Films, Sony DADC, Joao Bosco, Rita Lee, Maria Bethania, Ney Matogrosso and Ritchie Outravez.

ABOUT API (AUTOMATED PROCESSES, INC.) Established more than 40 years ago, Automated Processes, Inc. is the leader in analog recording gear with the Vision, Legacy Series and 1608 recording consoles, as well as its classic line of modular signal processing equipment.

www.apiaudio.com

“I have a lot of customers who are looking for very simple, very cost-effective solutions for straightforward sound reinforcement situations,” said Matthews. “They don’t need automation or zone capabilities. They need a basic amplifier with basic bass and treble adjustments.” And because those requirements are so minimal in a world awash in bells and whistles, it perhaps goes without saying that a successful basic mixer/amplifier had better be inexpensive and utterly reliable.

The Ashly TM-360 public address mixer/amplifier has three input channels and one 60-watt transformer-isolated output with four ohm, eight ohm, 25-volt or 70-volt options. Its appearance and user interface is simple. The front panel includes just six knobs – input volume (with signal presence LEDs) for each of the three inputs, bass, treble, and master – and an 1/8-inch jack suitable for iPod output. However, Ashly’s clever design allows the TM-360 to accommodate a wide range of applications. Using a versatile combination of Euroblock and RCA connections, inputs include one mic/line (with optional phantom power) and two stereo inputs. Integrator-accessible dip switches allow for a 400 Hz low-cut filter, flexible muting & ducking, and output sends to a second zone. A manual or automatic power-saving mode adds to the unit’s total lifecycle economy.

At Hillcrest, Matthews installed the Ashly TM-360 with just two inputs, a Toshiba CD player and an iPod dock. The output feeds seven, 70-volt SoundTube CMEZ eight-inch, two-way in-ceiling loudspeakers. “I’ve been specifying Ashly products in more sophisticated systems for years,” said Matthews. “I like the brand, I like the people, and I like their price point. Ashly consistently builds reliable equipment, and so I didn’t hesitate to specify the TM-360 – even though it’s a brand new product.” Thanks to the Ashly TM-360, Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery now has a dignified sound reinforcement system for its clients.

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high quality & high performance signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets. The 37-year old company is headquartered in Webster, New York U.S.A.

www.ashly.com

STOP BY AND SEE US AT INFOCOMM BOOTH #C11336

“I’m in the middle of producing a full-length LP with rapper Macklemore,” said Lewis. “I needed a small unit that could deliver audio quality worthy of our debut LP. The goal is for Macklemore to be able to record at home or on the road, tracking vocals wherever he wants or needs to.” Lewis learned about Metric Halo through online research and discussions with audio engineers in their hometown of Seattle.

“One of the largest consumer products for introductory home recording is the two-channel USB or FireWire interface,” he continued. “Almost every company has their own version. Nevertheless, there honestly wasn’t a lot out there that could compete with the ULN-2. Finding high-quality AD/DA conversion is hard, and finding high-quality AD/DA conversion together with fantastic preamps is almost impossible. The Metric Halo ULN-2 was exactly what we needed. It alone could match the quality of vocals we’re tracking in the studio.”

As an active member of the Seattle music scene, Macklemore earned a hometown following early on. But it was with his 2004 release Welcome to Myspace – which was heavily hyped by the then-new social networking site – that Macklemore earned respect and an eager following at the national and international levels. Success begat success, but in combination with a self-avowed drug problem, it also doused the creative flame that had committed so many fresh rhymes and ideas to paper. Macklemore languished for years before a one-month stay at rehab gave him the sobriety and creative perspective he so desperately needed. Now on a mission to make good on his promising start and with three successful post-rehab solo albums, Macklemore has joined forces with Ryan Lewis, and the two are poised to take the hip-hop world by storm with the forthcoming release.

Taking the long view, Lewis cited Metric Halo’s dogged commitment to future-proofing its equipment via upgrades as another excellent reason to go with the ULN-2. “Metric Halo is a company that is focused on the future of pro audio and that’s why I’m so excited to be working with their products,” he said. Later in the year, Lewis and Macklemore plan to follow up the ULN-2 with an eight-channel ULN-8, Metric Halo’s flagship product, for use in their studio.

ABOUT METRIC HALO Now based in the sunny city of Safety Harbor, Florida, Metric Halo provides the world with high-resolution metering, analysis, recording and processing solutions with award-winning software and future-proof hardware.

www.mhlabs.com

Studio Fort Music’s manager Oscar Gimenez Plett has been active in the Argentinian music scene for some time. He began his engineering career in the 1970s at Studio DISCOS CBS. He then moved on to Sandro’s Studio, Studio Greengo, Ion Studios, Pulstar Studios, Digiart Studios and Del Absto al Pasto before landing at Fort Music.

“API is the mixer brand which I learned to work with,” Plett said. “Once I tried the new 1608, I saw that it has the same audio dimension and quality as the API consoles had back in 1974, when I used them for recording Sandro’s hits at CBS Records!”

Over his career Plett has worked with artists such as Sandro, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Arturo Sandoval, Vox Dei, Vivencia, Iva Znichi, Ricardo Fogli, María Marta Serra Lima, Leo Dan, Paz Martinez, Cuarteto de Guitarras Martinez Zarate, Hilda Herrera, Cacho Castaña and Valeria Linch.

API Managing Director, Gordon Smart, said, “SL Audio continues to exceed our expectations in the Argentinian market, and it’s an honor to place a 1608 into such a prestigious facility like Studio Fort Music.”

ABOUT API (AUTOMATED PROCESSES, INC.)
Established more than 40 years ago, Automated Processes, Inc. is the leader in analog recording gear with the Vision, Legacy Series and 1608 recording consoles, as well as its classic line of modular signal processing equipment.

www.apiaudio.com

With its production of Tarzan in 2010, Tuacahn was the first theater company awarded an off-Broadway Disney production. Tarzan was a hit, and Tuacahn followed it up in 2011 with The Little Mermaid. In anticipation of The Little Mermaid, the facility invested heavily in its visual support. Upgrades included new intelligent lighting and a gigantic water-screen projection system. “The visual effects for The Little Mermaid were astounding,” said Jesse Edgel, systems integrator with Poll Sound, the company that designed Tuacahn’s original sound system and assisted with the subwoofer upgrade. For years, however, the otherwise first-rate venue limped along with marginally satisfactory low-end. “Before we upgraded to Danley, we always had to roll in extra subs for concerts,” said Edgel. “It was a total pain.”

In anticipation of 2012 runs of Aladdin and Hairspray and concerts by Three Dog Night, Huey Lewis & The News, Martina McBride, and others, Tuacahn Amphitheater committed to raise its bass response in order to bring it in line with every other aspect of it’s A/V system. Poll Sound arranged a blind shootout at the amphitheater involving the Danley TH-812 and top-of-the-line subwoofers from two other respected manufacturers. The TH-812 employs eight 12-inch drivers using Tom Danley’s patent-pending Tapped Horn technology. The design is highly efficient and even across its frequency band.

Everyone with an interest in the upgrade was present and rated the subs according to a number of criteria (e.g. “how low does it go?” “how musical does it sound?”). “The TH-812 was the overwhelming favorite based on the criteria,” reported Edgel. “At SPLs typical of a theatrical production, the TH-812s have a nice, honest, deep sound. At concert SPLs, they can kick you in the chest!” Tuacahn’s owners were surprised to learn that not only did the Danley TH-812s sound the best, they were also half to a third the cost of the other potential solutions!

“It was a no-brainer,” laughed Edgel. “The Danley was the best sounding box plus it was substantially less expensive.” With the money saved, the facility invested in high-end, reliable power for the new subwoofers. Four FP 10000 Qs, two FP 6000 Qs, and two FP 1400 Qs from Lab.gruppen power the two Danley TH-812s. In order to accommodate the many uses of Tuacahn, Poll Sound installed each sub on its own dolly. The stage managers and sound engineers treat them like set pieces. In addition, Tuacahn ordered the maximum weatherproofing for the TH-812s so that they will endure the meteorological vicissitudes of the high desert.

With the 2012 season underway, several concerts have enjoyed the use of the Danley TH-812s. “The FOH engineers have been thrilled,” said Edgel. “They have all said good things about the low frequency extension. One engineer even eyed the setup suspiciously before the concert and observed that ‘mixed-brand’ systems seldom held together nicely. But when the show was over, he was an unabashed convert. The Danley low-end is undeniable.”

ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology.

www.danleysoundlabs.com

“I love the new features on ChannelStrip 3,” he said. “The incorporation of SpectraFoo spectrum analysis on the EQ and side-chain graphs is obviously very useful. New character settings allow me to operate ChannelStrip 3 either transparently [no 'character'] or with selectable color. They even added a limiter, so now it really is a go-to plug-in, with a gate, a compressor, a limiter, and EQ. Like ChannelStrip 2, it is efficient. I’ll often put ChannelStrip 3 on every channel and then use it – or not – as the situation requires.” He also added that the ability to resize the interface window is a welcome update!

Noble is also enjoying the other elements in the Metric Halo Production Bundle. “The Multiband Dynamics processor recently helped me rescue part of a song,” he shared. “A break included a bass synth that was completely different from the bass texture used in the rest of the song. Raw, the new bass just didn’t fit in the song. But with a few moments and the Multiband Dynamics processor, I was able to lock it right in.” Other favorites include the HaloVerb and TransientControl.

Because Noble’s talents are in demand, he’s often asked to record or mix at studios that he’s never been to before. If he’s working on a hardware console, he’ll take a feed from the mains into Metric Halo’s SpectraFoo software. If he’s mixing in the box, he’ll route the main output to SpectraFoo using MIO Console. “SpectraFoo is an essential tool,” he said. “I keep the phase plots and spectrum analyzers up, and I now know from experience how the visual information in SpectraFoo connects with what I hear. A lot of rooms have problems, especially in the low end. By comparing the visual with what I’m hearing, I can tell immediately if there is an issue with the low-end reproduction in a room that’s new to me.” With that knowledge, Noble can compensate appropriately so as to still deliver a mix that will translate everywhere. In addition, he uses SpectraFoo to verify he’s making good use of all 24 bits of information in a mix.

For half of his career, a full decade, Noble has relied on his Metric Halo 2882 preamp/interface. “Now that Pro Tools allows third-party interfaces, I use my 2882 constantly,” he said. “It’s my main interface. I want to upgrade it to a 2882 Enhanced, but I can’t part with it for even a few days! The fidelity is fantastic – other manufacturers have been playing catch-up for years, and the 2882 (never mind the ULN-8!) is still at the top of the pack. I’m especially happy with the way the 2882 interfaces works with MIO Console. It allows me to send signals all over the place with imperceptible latency, which makes for easy monitoring or live applications.”

ABOUT METRIC HALO Now based in the sunny city of Safety Harbor, Florida, Metric Halo provides the world with high-resolution metering, analysis, recording and processing solutions with award-winning software and future-proof hardware.

www.mhlabs.com