The Centre in the Square (Kitchener, Ontario) has installed anInnovaSon Sy80 digital live mixing console in its Raffi ArmenianTheatre. The first of its type to be installed in Canada, the Sy80console will be used to mix a wide variety of performances.
The console was selected to replace a vintage analog console at thetheater for a combination of reasons, as chief engineer Bob Luffmanexplained: “The space occupied by the console is in the midst of theseating, which is at a premium. The Sy80 has a much smaller footprintand for many events has freed up a number of seats for payingcustomers. The physical compactness is also important, as I need accessto console functions without a lot of physical movement that mightdistract patrons around me. We regularly put on shows with a rock bandbacked by an orchestra and need the full 80 inputs. The auditorium’ssound system is designed for zone coverage, which requires a consolewith a large matrix output capability. Also, the versatility of theconsole is important to us because we do so many different forms ofentertainment.
“The learning curve was very quick and the digital console can do somany more things than an analog console,” he continued. “‘ExpandedFaders’ is a fantastic design implementation. For large shows, thewhole mic layout is within my immediate reach. Things like ‘Copy/Paste1’OverRAM’ and working offline are other great features that save a lotof time. A lot of the local shows we do have the same basic setups fromyear to year, so the time saved in being able to recall shows isinvaluable. By setting up templates to cover many different situations,it is very quick and easy to organize an event.”
The Sy80 was installed by Sennheiser Canada, which already sold morethan 20 InnovaSon digital consoles in the country. “We are very excitedabout the prospects for the Sy80,” reported Marc Vincent, VP sales andmarketing for Sennheiser Canada. “Four years’ worth of market feedbackhas been incorporated into the new console, but what’s so great is thatthe Sy80 retains the simplicity and ease of use of the earlier consolesdespite the increased feature set. We are at the dawn of the digitalconsole revolution in live sound but things are really starting toaccelerate now and the Sy80 is set to do extremely well.”
The theater/auditorium is home to the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony,whose 52-member orchestra presents 70 concerts each season. All 2,047seats enjoy clear unobstructed views of the stage and the acoustics canbe adjusted according to the type of production being staged. Thetheater is designed to handle Wagner’s Ring Cycle (140-piece orchestraplus chorus) and a variety of other events from rock to Broadway showsto one-man stand-up shows. Recent shows include a Saturday NightFever musical, David Copperfield’s magic act and an evening withEric Idle of Monty Python.
For more information, visit InnovaSon’s distributor, Sennheiser, atwww.sennheiserusa.com.
