BARCELONA, SPAIN РFEBRUARY 2011: Located in Barcelona, Spain, the Ateneu Barcelon̬s is a unique institution. It is not a school, though many have learned there. It is not a club, though many gather there. It is not a library, though many books and a wealth of knowledge are preserved there. The Ateneu Barcelon̬s is perhaps best described as an intellectual cultural center,
and, behind its doors, the citizens of Barcelona have been both understanding and shaping the world they live in for 150 years. The directors recently had the institution’s mid-size auditorium, where conferences, lectures, concerts, and movie showings are held, thoroughly renovated, bringing its technology and aesthetic from the middle of the twentieth-century to the cusp of tomorrow.
PRO3&Co, the Symetrix exclusive distributor in Spain, supplied a new Symetrix Jupiter “zero learning curve” DSP for auditorium installation. Since its formation in 1995, PRO3&Co. has been dedicated to providing the industry’s very best professional audio and lighting equipment, relying on a dynamic, dedicated, and knowledgeable team to turn clients’ wishes into A/V system reality. The system installation was performed by Barcelona’s Base 2 with Joan Pau Vaquera, technical director, at the helm.
The system inputs are varied so as to accommodate all the multiple uses of the auditorium. For musical events and spoken word, a collection of Sennheiser microphones, together with several XLR and RCA input plates, provide accurate capture, along with the potential to introduce any line-level audio device (e.g. a computer or iPod output). To facilitate user control of audio content, Base 2 specified a Yamaha 01V96VCM mixer. A rack of Lab.gruppen C28:4 amplifiers powering a stereo array of EAW MK2326, MK8126, JFX100 loudspeakers and SB180zP subwoofers constitute the system’s outputs. A Denon DVD player, an Extron ISM 824 modular integration scaling multi-switcher, and a Christie LW-650 projector serve the requirements of movie or multi-media presentations.
The heart of the system is the Symetrix Jupiter 8 DSP. The Jupiter system of hardware units and software algorithms are inspired by modern smartphone technology. Users select a hardware unit with an appropriate input and output count (the Jupiter 8 has eight-in/eight-out) and then download an “App” from the Symetrix website that is appropriate for the particular sound system requirement. “The Jupiter proved to be extremely flexible,” said Mr. Vaquera “It was easy to program and delivered all of the functionality and fidelity that the Ateneu Barcelonès had hoped for.” The Jupiter was integrated together with the video control technology, to a Crestron control system with a wireless touchscreen. With it, users intuitively control input sources and adjust volumes.
With its auditorium remodeled and modernized, the impressive Ateneu Barcelonès can continue its rich history of building a better future for the citizens of Barcelona.
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.
