TRONDHEIM, NORWAY – NOVEMBER 2013: The GranA¥sen Ski-Jumping Stadium in Trondheim ranks among the highest and best-attended ski-jumping stadiums in Norway. GranA¥sen hosts events throughout the winter months, including the World Cup and the Continental Cup, on its two side-by-side hills, one a K-90 and the other a K-124. Seating on both sides of the jumps give spectators an intimate view. Recently, A/V integration firm ATEA gutted GranA¥sen’s aging and bloated analog sound reinforcement system and replaced it with a slim, easy-to-use digital system centered on the SymNet Radius 12×8 audio signal processor and two Symetrix ARC-K1e wall panel remotes.
“The old system used two giant racks of analog processers,” said Andre [Dominic] Schorr, senior A/V consultant with ATEA. “They were even using analog delay! Nothing was labeled, and although it worked, no one could understand the line structure to make changes. Moreover, graphic equalizers and the like were just sitting there, and staff could make changes.” Of course, those changes would usually be for the worse, however well intentioned they might be. GranA¥sen officials requested the new system to stabilize and streamline performance for the weekly events that required it. ATEA installed the system in the dead of winter, and the deep snow and frozen earth made things challenging. Some cable runs were left in a temporary state until the summertime thaw.
Depending on the event, the system may be operated from either of two redundant positions, one nearer to the jumps and one within the spectator seating. Each position possesses a Soundcraft EMP6 mixer. Three Sennheiser wireless microphone systems provide the most-commonly used inputs to the system. Stereo outputs from both mixers, as well as a direct line from the primary microphone and an auxiliary input, feed the Symetrix SymNet Radius 12×8, leaving six of its twelve inputs available for future expansion. Seven of the Radius 12×8’s outputs feed four RCF HPS2500 amplifiers, then go to 100V transformers before feeding thirty-four 100V RCF weatherproof P2110 outdoor loudspeakers distributed across seven zones. The eighth output supplies signal to a hearing loop.
“Programming the SymNet Radius 12×8 using the SymNet Composer software was intuitive and quick,” said Schorr, whose background includes audio engineering. “It is very logical. Whenever I have a question, Symetrix’ online and live support are excellent. We were able to give the ski jump everything requested, including effective ducking of program material whenever the main microphone is used.” Although the SymNet Radius 12×8’s Dante networking capability is currently unused, it will make future expansion easy and cost-effective.
User control is achieved via the mixing consoles and via a pair of redundant Symetrix ARC-K1e wall panel remotes, one at each mix position. Users select from a list of presets and control various aspects of system performance using the ARC-K1e. For example, users can independently control the main microphone volume and the mixer output volume. A ‘mute all’ also answers a request from the GranA¥sen staff. “The Symetrix ARC panels are so user-friendly and so flexible, I can configure the interface to do whatever will make things easy and intuitive for the user,” said Schorr. “Even staff members with no technical ability can operate the system.”
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