PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – Catering to weddings, private events, festivals, clubs and concerts in and around the tri-state area, Philadelphia Funk Authority comprises hardworking individuals whose passion is playing funk, soul and R&B music from the ‘70s to today. Since the band’s members all maintain regular jobs during the day, it opted for a HARMAN Soundcraft Si Expression 2 console to mix its shows from the stage, foregoing the need for extensive technical training on a difficult-to-use console.
Heading up the technical department for the band is Andrew Kowal, a trumpet player who has been a musician for 30 years. While taking on the responsibilities of an onstage mixer, he needed an intuitive console that allowed him and the band members to simultaneously control the sound dynamics of the show and their own performances. The Si Expression 2 was chosen for its effortless workflow, flexible outputs, and the ability to mix on the fly.
“While onstage, I can operate the console and other band members can tweak their monitor mixes, meaning that we required an intuitive solution that could keep up with our dynamic pace,” said Kowal. “Having 24 channels is very comfortable for a 9-piece band with four lead singers and three horns, but having the flexibility to mix five discrete monitors at the same time while playing music is great!”
After acquiring the Si Expression 2, the band members noticed how much less gear they needed to transport to each show. With the Si Expression 2, no longer were they required to juggle additional racks and outboard equipment, resulting in a setup time of less than an hour. Even an extra feed into a house PA system only takes a couple of minutes to set up.
“I love everything about the console, especially the FaderGlowTM feature, because it’s so nice to light up only the faders that are in effect, so I don’t need to waste time on finding the right faders,” said Kowal. “I like having instant access to the graphic EQ, filters, compressors, as it makes everything so much easier and faster. Basically, everything improved for us overnight.”
For more information on Philadelphia Funk Authority, please visit
HARMAN (
) designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and integrated control solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With leading brands including AKGA®, Harman KardonA®, InfinityA®, JBLA®, LexiconA® and Mark Levinson A®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 16,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.3 billion for the twelve months ended June 30, 2014.
