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Lynx Aurora 16 Converter used for ‘Al’s Brain’ 3-D Movie at OC Fair

From July 10 through August 9, the OC Super Fair in Costa Mesa, Calif., is offering an original 10-minute 3-D movie titled Al’s Brain: A 3-D Journey Through the Human Brain with “Weird Al” Yankovic. Yankovic wrote, directed and stars in the movie, which features a new brain-themed song and his first-ever 3-D music video.

The movie is playing in a 500-seat theater with a custom designed 16-channel audio system. Lynx Studio Technology announces that event technology specialist Sound Media Fusion (Northridge, Calif.) chose the Lynx Aurora 16 converter for the sound system’s crucial digital to analog audio conversion.

Audio/video production rack for ‘Al’s Brain’ with
Aurora 16 Converter second on the right.

Sound Media Fusion’s Gary Hardesty designed the video, audio and lighting systems, and manages the daily production. Mode Systems of Burbank aided in the installation. The audio/video program is stored and played using an Electrosonic ES9600 HD Player, which outputs 16 digital audio channels to the Aurora 16 for conversion to analog. The 16 analog outputs from the Aurora 16 are fed to a PreSonus StudioLive 1642 mixer to Media Matrix breakout box and system processor to sixteen powered JBL speakers placed throughout the “Brainitorium.” This is designed to provide a surround audio experience to enhance the 3-D visuals.

“When I left the studio, I needed the ability to do a final mixdown in our theater at the fair,” says Hardesty. “This is not a typical surround application, and since this room is much larger than the studio, this final mix was necessary. The Aurora 16 came into play, as our Electrosonic ES9600 video server has only digital outputs and our matrix and equalization system can only accept analog inputs.

“The experience has been excellent. We get about 14,000 people a day coming through and we have had no problems,” Hardesty continues.

Hardesty specified the Aurora converter for Al’s Brain. “The Aurora converter is a really great piece. There are not many items on the market in that price range with this level of quality and flexibility. That really saved us here, as we did not need to go to much more expensive digital products.”

Because Al’s Brain will travel to other fairs and exhibits (“No one has made a traveling 3-D show of this caliber before.” Hardesty comments), the goal was to be compact, reliable and highly portable. The entire AV system comprises two 3-foot racks and two laptop computers, all housed in an 8×8-foot room at the back of the theater. Two operators control the show’s program and lighting at the OC Fair.

The attraction is free with admission to the OC Fair and open to visitors during all operating hours throughout the fair’s full run, until August 9.

For more information, visit www.lynxstudio.com, www.soundmediafusion.com, www.ocfair.com/2009 and www.alsbrain.com.

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