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| Innova-Son Grand Live for Billboardlive |
| 01.08.2001 OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT |
When one of the biggest names in the recording industry opens up a multi-level, multi-purpose entertainment center, they're obligated to run a sound system that is second to none. Opening in early September right on the beach in Miami, Florida, Billboardlive will have an Innova-Son Grand Live console at FOH and a second Grand Live at monitors to marshal together a "who's who" list of audio equipment in their three level club. Dubbed "The Studio" for no lack of recording, broadcasting, and webcasting capabilities, Billboardlive promises to attract premier DJs, top name acts, emerging talent, and high profile events. Two restaurants undergird the club: the already open "Breez" seats patrons street-level, while the third-floor "Parallel" turns down the lights for a more intimate experience.
Billboardlive's VP of talent and production, Jed DeFilippis headed up an elite group of sound system specialists that included Jack Alexander of Martin Wavefront Loudspeakers and Columbia College fame, Michael Harris of the aptly named distributor Harris Audio, and Paul VanPuffelen of Miami's Southern Technical Support. DeFilippis conceived the overall design, both aesthetically and sonically, Alexander fleshed out the basic sound design and Harris and VanPuffelen made the design a reality.
Until learning of Innova-Son through Harris, DeFilippis planned to purchase two inexpensive - or even used - consoles in order to hold out for a digital state-of-the-art console that he knew couldn't be more than a few months off. With Innova-Son, Harris told him, the future was now, and they arranged a demonstration with Sennheiser's director of distributed brands, Jeff Alexander. "As soon as I saw what the Innova-Son was capable of, I was sold," recalled DeFilippis. "In short, it was powerful, flexible, compact, and affordable."
With plans to accommodate everything from multi-band concerts to radio shows, and from live webcasts to live recordings, the Grand Live's input and output flexibility fit Billboardlive's requirements. Moreover, instant recall of every parameter of the Grand Live's ample in-line processing ensured that switching between bands or even wholesale use of the space would not entail a laborious documentation and re-configuration exercise.
"Space was also a consideration," noted DeFilippis. "The club is intimate, and we didn't want to take up a lot of room with consoles and racks of outboard gear. At the demo, Alexander pointed out that having four-band parametric equalizers, gates, compressors, filters, and delays on every channel meant we wouldn't need the typical rack of outboard processors."
"Not only did the Grand Live take up considerably less space than an analog board," he continued. "But its comprehensive processing and intuitive interface meant we could accommodate the needs of virtually any engineer who came through. The ease-of-use is an important issue, because quite a few engineers cut their teeth on analog boards and won't hear of any radical new interface. The Grand Live feels and behaves like an analog board."
With a three-way split off the stage for FOH, monitors, and broadcast/record and an army of broadcast panels for direct-run cameras, Billboardlive is ready for a multi-media explosion. The warm sound of the Innova-Son Grand Live feeds Bryston and BGW amplifiers and a Martin Wavefront loudspeaker rig. The whole system will be in place by the September 8th Grand Opening and Billboardlive already has its sights set on new clubs for Asia.
Innova-Son
1 Enterprise Drive, Old Lyme, CT 06371
(860) 434-9190, Fax (860) 434-1759
http://www.innovason.com/
CONTACTS
Karl Winkler, Director, Marketing Communications
kwinkler@sennheiserusa.com, (860) 434-9190
Antoinette Flosi, Publicity
tflosi@aadvert.com, (847) 998-0600
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