COLTON, OR – With the wide range of events taking place in Colton High School’s auditorium and gymnasium, a connectivity solution that was flexible and accessible to both rooms was essential. Thanks to a donation by Neutrik USA of several of its A Series Combo receptacles as well as its NYS-SPP-L1 Patch Panel, Colton High School was able to create a universal sound system that can be used in the parallel event spaces.
The auditorium and gymnasium are joined by a shared door and the sound system was housed in the auditorium’s backstage area. This presented challenges for events and assemblies that were being held in the gymnasium, since the system was only accessible from the stage. Neutrik’s A Series Combo receptacle was the ideal solution as it accepts both XLR and 1/4” phone plug connectors, both connector styles typically used by the school, depending on the particular event. For example, the student council hosts dances using a “DJ” style mixer that is equipped with XLR outputs, yet the Theater/Drama club and the vocal jazz ensemble uses a 1/4″ output during performances. Neutrik’s A Series Combo is also used during Spirit week and other sporting events that require multiple microphones and music devices enabling the school to simply run the pre-amp directly to the permanent stage audio system as opposed to an inadequate portable system.
Neutrik USA also donated its NYS-SPP-L1 Patch Panel to assist in the school’s growing theater program, giving students the added flexibility of multiple inputs in one location. Neutrik’s Patch Panel also enables the school to simply switch inputs from the auditorium to the gym, eliminating the need to buy a second amplifier.
“Donating products to hands-on student projects, such as Colton High School’s sound system renovation, is a great way for Neutrik USA to give back,� says Pete Milbery, managing director of Neutrik USA. “At Neutrik, we are proud to be a part of educational programs across the US.�
Colton High School also utilizes an apprentice-type program to educate its students about setting up the sound system for the variety of performances and events that take place.
“I have also found that there is a growing interest from students who want to learn about ‘sound’ and how it can be used,� says Daniel Thompson, former Colton High School student and volunteer sound engineer. “Last year was my senior year and one of the points of our senior year is to pass on the knowledge of how to work the school’s sound system. For graduation last year, it took us five hours to set up the sound system because we had to work around the old system instead of just flipping a switch and plugging in a sound board. Thanks to Neutrik’s generous donation, set-up for graduation and all the other events will be simplified.�
Neutrik’s Combo A-Series receptacle accepts both XLR and 1/4” phone plug connectors, offering users both cost and space savings. Based on the A-Series panel cut-out, the smallest available panel mount XLR, it features high packing density and excellent space savings. The new A-Series combo is available in two versions: as a 6-pole vertical receptacle and a horizontal PCB mount receptacle, without switching contacts.
Neutrik’s NYS-SPP-L1 is an economical and extremely sleek designed 1/4” modular Patch Panel for 19” rack mounts (19” x 1U) with a reinforced metal housing. Each of its 48 PCB wired balanced channels (24 front pairs and corresponding 24 rear pairs) can either be grounded separately or in groups of individual channel numbers. The PCBs are held securely in place by being clamped between the front and the rear panel, this grants an easy reconfiguration of the Patch Panel without the danger of losing any small parts. Standard configuration, when delivered, is half normalled bottom row. The configuration can easily be changed by just flipping the individual PCB.
Neutrik manufactures a wide array of XLR connectors and receptacles, jacks and plugs, speaker connectors and accessories for the professional audio industry. Neutrik USA is located at 195 Lehigh Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701.
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