Bardstown, KY (August 13, 2019)—The Stephen Foster Story—a theatrical presentation about the namesake composer of “Oh! Susanna” and “My Old Kentucky Home”—is presented daily at the J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre with the help of an Allen & Heath dLive C3500 control surface and DM64 MixRack.
Built in 1958, the amphitheatre has hosted The Stephen Foster Story ever since it opened, and more recently underwhent a $1.2 million renovation in 2017, which included a new sound system designed and installed by Louisville-based JCA Media.
“While this is a permanent installation,” notes JCA’s Alex Peake, who worked on the design/build team, “some aspects of the sound system needed to be as agile as a touring rig.” The desk is kept in a custom flip case that allows it to be rolled out, plugged in, and have the system up-and running in five minutes. “The client wanted to keep the gear minimal and not leave a large footprint,” Peake relates. “That’s one of the reasons we chose the dLive. Its compact size offered a lot while taking away little.”
Providing 24 wireless channels onstage, JCA opted for Shure QLX-D bodypacks and using the dLive C3500 to monitor the systems without the use of any additional hardware. “dLive lets engineers monitor supported Shure wireless systems without leaving the mix position,” Peake explains. “All essential wireless information including multiple channels of mutes, signal levels, and battery bars can be viewed right from the C3500.”
An Allen & Heath DX168 expander provides I/O support onstage with its 16 XLR inputs and eight XLR outputs, while an IP8 remote controller was included for times when the system needs to be run without the control surface or additional mixing locations are required.
Allen & Heath • www.allen-heath.com