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2002 News Articles XTA at the Heart of the Arezzo Wave Festival Service Aosta provided the festival's audio with a Martin W8L line array system, mixed on a Cadac R-Type console. The PA was driven by Lab Gruppen amplification and controlled by a pair of XTA DP226 digital loudspeaker processors and six DP224s. System EQ was via three XTA GQ600 graphics, with a pair of DP324 SiDD dynamics processors providing gating, compression and dynamic EQ. A similar XTA rack handled the stage monitoring, again featuring Martin Audio cabinets and Lab Gruppen amps. Audiosales srl of Parma, Italian distributor for XTA, supplied the XTA equipment to Service Aosta. Says Mauro Codeluppi of Audiosales: Says sound engineer Enrico Fumasoli:
Sound quality was as ever an extremely important factor, and XTA digital processing played a key role for the production team - The Show Company Pte Ltd. The XTA kit list comprised two SiDD digital dynamics processors, three GQ600 graphic equalisers and three DP226 digital loudspeaker controllers for FOH, two SiDDs and eight GQ600s on monitors, five SiDDs for the recording/TV mix and six DS800 signal splitters for signal distribution. Joseph Gan from The Show Company explains: "For the FOH PA system we used a total of 32 Meyer MSL4s, eight DS4Ps, 12 650-Ps and 12 UPA-2Ps for near-fills. The XTAs helped the self-powered Meyer Sound produce a clear and undistorted sound throughout the whole arena. "The XTA DP226s managed the whole PA system without any peaks thanks to the built-in limiters watching the signal, while the built-in parametric EQ helped to reproduce the ideal sound and gave us a crystal clear result. "To record the whole event we used five XTA SiDDs linked with an external laptop using XTA's AudioCore software. This allowed us to save a lot of time by pre-programming the type of compressor, limiter or gate on particular instruments or vocals - we then saved these and moved on to the next band's setting. "The software program is very user-friendly and a lot of valuable time was saved by the digital architecture of XTA products. The inter-link between the SiDD, laptop and console was done so quickly and easily, and makes a multiple band situation simple to configure. "We are still exploring SiDD and finding out lots more - this is the future of precision audio reproduction. My last word is - try it." Pan-regional winners at the Awards included Bon Jovi (Favourite Rock Act), Ricky Martin (Favourite Male), Britney Spears (Favourite Female), Westlife (Favourite Pop Act), 'The Call' by the Backstreet Boys (Favourite Video), Linkin Park (Favourite Breakthrough Artist), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Favourite Film), Donatella Versace (Favourite Fashion Designer). Local MTV territory Favourite Artists included Siti Nurhaliza (Malaysia), Pru (Thailand), Stefanie Sun (Singapore), PADI (Indonesia), Regine Velasquez (Philippines), Sammi Cheng (Hong Kong) Chang Hui Mei (Taiwan), "Tanha Dil" by Shaan (India), Kang Ta (Korea), Na Ying (China). "Jaane Kyon" from the movie 'Dil Chahta Hai' won the award for Favourite Indian Film Artist. Additional presenters at the event included Zhang Ziyi, Anggun, Stefanie Sun, WWF superstar Lita, Ziana Zain, Natural, Thongchye Macintyre, Tanya Chua, Tata Young, Kit Chan, Natural, Karen Mok, Siti Nurhaliza, Dewa, Celeste Chong, PRU, Shaan, Dreamz FM and Cirque Du Soleil. Another category, the Inspiration Award, which honours an individual or group admired by Asian youth or an organisation that has contributed to the betterment of Asian youth was awarded to Jackie Chan for being an inspiration to the young people of Asia and around the world.
Sean Busby-Little has used SiDDs as in-ear monitor control processors in the past, but working as FOH engineer on the Geldof tour needed a different approach completely. He explains: "I use each channel of the SiDD on Bob's voice and guitar. Not only is his voice unusual, but he also plays a right-handed guitar upside down, so when he hits the top string first you can get too much top end. The SiDD gives the dynamics to get rid of the bits that I don't like." He continues "Also, on the vocal, the compression gives warmth and depth and the limiter is great for when he plays the harmonica. I'm using everything that SiDD's got on Bob's voice - he has a very gravelly sound, so the parametric gives me total control which means I can smooth things out." It also heralded one of the first uses of a line array system for a theatre tour, from Welsh PA company, Big Sound, a fairly new name in the industry, but one whose people have years of collective experience and some innovative ideas. Company director, Duncan Wild, commented: "We're using an Adamson Y10 line array here. It's the first time that it's been used in a theatre tour, and it actually solves a lot of the usual problems associated with venues like this. The throw means that there are very few places where we have to use in-fills [in fact, they only used two of the installed Renkus-Heinz speakers to give a little reinforcement in the balcony area] and the sound is very even without having to crank up the volume too much, which is really good for a small space. Everyone's been very pleased with the overall sound, and Sean once again did a great job."
Capital Sound is providing a combination of Meyer Sound M3D and the new, compact M2D line array systems, along with Meyer M3D line array subwoofers, UPAs for front fills and barrier fills and a combination of Meyer UPM1Ps and UPA1Ps for fills on the large central stage thrust. All the Meyer cabinets are self-powered, and are configured into various zones. The system consists of two main left and right hangs, followed by two further 90 degree dispersion side hangs (all a combination of M3D and M2D) designed to extend clear reproduction all the way round, since all of the shows are completely sold out. For the Manchester and Wembley shows a third hang supplemented the central rear area coverage. Explains Capital's Paul Timmins: "We're using XTA DP226s as line drivers as the speakers are self-powered, and because XTA's AudioCore software allows us to very quickly set up the levels and EQ for all the zones remotely, they make setup very fast and efficient." Five DP226s provide a total of 30 lines, most of which are being used in the show. The zones divide each venue sonically into upper and lower bowl and near fill, running three zones per hang, with the facility to create a further zone when an extra hang is used. All five DP226s are linked via AudioCore laptop PC control software. Says Paul Timmins: "Considering it's quite a complex system the way we've set it up makes it remarkably straightforward to get from load-in to be ready to soundcheck at each venue." XTA's Guy Lewis comments: "Capital Sound looked pretty carefully at what is out there at the moment to process their new system, but ultimately went with ease-of-use and what sounds best in the rig. The Capital guys have used XTA on many successful tours over the past few years and we were hugely pleased to see the blue stuff on Travis and Kylie as well." He adds: "Chris (Pyne) was also using an XTA SiDD on a drum sample that runs through the show. He used the look-ahead gate and compressor sections to control the envelope and give the sample some real punch in the mix. Anyone at the gigs would have felt it!" Paul adds: "We're making extensive use of XTA processing these days. Travis are carrying a Martin monitor system that's driven by DP224s for their summer festival run, including the two headline slots at V2002. XTA is the perfect choice for versatility and quality for the wide range of work that we do."
Along with the XTA DP200 processors already heavily used by the company, these additions will bring the number of XTA DP Series processors in ATK/Audiotek's arsenal to over 120. ATK/Audiotek has been using XTA's DP Series products for several years, and has applied them to the wide range of prestigious productions. ATK/Audiotek's roster of events includes the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Super Bowl, and Miss America pageant, among many others. Most recently, ATK/Audiotek added the XTA DP200 to the studio audience sound system it installed at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at NBC's Burbank studios. In every instance, the XTA DP Series digital processors have performed flawlessly. "When we wanted to transition to digital speaker processors several years ago, there were about four or five of them on the market - and none of them were what we were looking for," recalls Mike Stahl, President of ATK/Audiotek. "But when XTA got into that market, they listened to us and gave us the flexibility we were looking for." Stahl points out that ATK/Audiotek's many systems use seven separate speaker configurations. With their racks fitted with XTA's DP Series processors, each specific configuration's parameter curves are stored and are instantly recallable. With the addition of the XTA DP224, ATK/Audiotek now has stereo capability for its speaker control. Stahl is quick to point out that every product has to earn its way into ATK/Audiotek's inventory. "We're not committed to any particular company," says Stahl. "We're committed to products that meet our standards of excellence. Even if it's a change in a product we're already using, we evaluate it to make sure it still meets or exceeds our standards. We like to think that if you can sell it to ATK/Audiotek, you can sell it the world. We think that's exactly what XTA has achieved with their DP Series processors - that's why we have over 120 of them now."
C2 - Dual/Stereo Compressor As with the XTA DP226 Speaker Management System and more recently the DP324/SiDD, the working practices and ideas of engineers have been transformed by XTA into powerful, innovative processing solutions that provide fresh audio possibilities to engineers, sound companies, broadcasters, installers and the like. XTA's Andrew Grayland is more than enthusiastic: "These new tools are both a nod to the past, with their easy-to-grab knobs and buttons, and a step into the future, with crystal-clear audio quality and cutting edge-features, such as look-ahead attack times. John Austin (Co-Director, XTA) and I have always wanted these products to complement the advanced, multi-functional SiDD and we can now offer them. The choice is yours!" Grayland continues: "We have responded to requests from around the world and created a fantastic set of intuitive front panels to exploit what are accepted as the industry's best-sounding DSP algorithms. We were asked for the quality of our digital audio in simple-to-operate packages for dynamics and EQ control, and that is simply what we have done. The C2 Compressor and D2 Dynamic EQ are particular favourites of mine and I really can't wait to see how many different uses they find. De-essing, for instance, has never been easier or sounded better!" The Series Two processors will be worldwide from May 2002.
The shows took in dance/DJ events, as well as live performances by Outcasts and Basement Jaxx, with the SiDD units at the heart of all of them. The one-off Basement Jaxx show was the first time that the band's sound engineer Shan Hyra had used SiDD. "I believe you have to give new equipment a try, so I was very keen to get my hands on a SiDD unit," he says. "And I wasn't disappointed. As it was a one-off show, I didn't get chance to really 'get into' it, but I can see a lot of potential for it. I'd really like to take one on tour to properly get to the guts of it." For the Academy shows, GPA ran the units across the vocal channels, as well as the main left/right PA. In the latter case, the frequency-conscious compression was used to good effect on the low end, a key requirement for the dance sector. "Compression on bass frequencies sounds good, but there's nothing worse than listening to a compressor working hard," says Chris Hinds. "With the frequency conscious compression of SiDD, you can bring more life to the low end, but it doesn't 'pump' on the high end." This fact isn't lost on Shan Hyra, who describes the Basement Jaxx gig as: "A thundering show, a great show. It sounded great. I will certainly be getting in touch with XTA to have a more in-depth look at the SiDD processor." "The beauty of them is their versatility. They have so many features, they can be literally anything you want them to be," adds Chris Hinds. "The interface is also very easy to use, it's purely the amount of stuff it can actually do that takes any time to learn. In an ideal world, we'd like to sit them across every channel of a show."
270 wedding guests were treated to performances by Cirque du Soleil, the cast of Disney's The Lion King, Kool and The Gang and Sir Elton John, with production company Banana Split co-ordinating a team that included sound by Forefront Audio, lighting by Vari-Lite Europe, projection by ETC and staging by Supotco. It was, according to the national press, the most expensive private wedding reception ever thrown in the UK. Banana Split's Alan Scoley explains that the couple had recently returned from a rainforest holiday, and wanted the company to elaborate on that theme. The outside of the Roundhouse became a giant projection screen with rainforest imagery, while the bar was a cavern and the venue's pillars were camouflaged as tree trunks. Forefront Audio provided the party sound using a Funktion One Resolution Series PA system, overseen by Jim Mills and John Newsham, with XTA Electronics DP series loudspeaker controllers. A main left and right PA comprising three understage F218 subs and four flown Resolution 4s a side, while raised table areas were served by Resolution 2 outfills either side, along with four flown Resolution 2s in the bar, delayed at times, with various effects, MiniDisc-sourced insect noises and ambient jungle sounds - which were also piped into d&b E3 speakers (running from d&b E-packs with built-in controllers) high in the truss and in the main entrance. These were fed from the PM4000's matrix sends. A huge thunderclap greeted the call to dinner, when guests were led in by a flautist on a radio mic. Elton John, after a grand entrance, had his classic piano setup and performed a pair of songs with Kikki Dee, before the grand finale with the full cast of The Lion King, followed by a DJ with a percussionist. Newsham says there was plenty to keep the team - and the guests - occupied: "When the waterfall parted and the bridge came down there was lightning, and a huge thunderclap through every speaker; at other times we had a live polynesian band, the DJs, a live flute player on a lavalier radio mic, playback for Cirque du Soleil, and Kool and the Gang, who were fully live and mic'd up." Out of sight of the main area, they used a pair of delayed Turbosound TXD530s as nearfield monitors, running an XTA SiDD unit for delay, EQ and compression. GPA Hire's Howard Smart mixed monitors. Amplification was via QSC PL4s PL2HBs and PL1.8 PowerLight, with two XTA DP224 loudspeaker controllers providing crossover and delay functions for the main system and a pair of DP226 controllers for the Resolution 2s. Since the crossovers and amp racks were dotted around the building, XTA's AudioCore software enabled the team to set up the crossovers from a laptop at the mix position. Mixing was done on a Yamaha PM4000 and, says Newsham, "We needed every input, output, matrix and subgroup!" Concludes Alan Scoley: "It was a great occasion and the couple and their guests had a wonderful time. It was amazing to see The Roundhouse transformed into somewhere from another continent."
'Thoroughly Modern Millie', 'The Goat or Who is Sylvia', 'Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe', 'Dirty Blonde', 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas', 'Smell of the Kill', and 'The Producers', are some of the Broadway and touring shows that are sounding better than ever thanks to the DP226. Broadway continues its love affair with the acclaimed DP226 speaker controller system. The DP226's most recent application on the Great White Way is the revival of the Rogers & Hammerstein musical classic Oklahoma!, which is currently running in previews at the Gershwin Theatre, and will open on March 21, 2002. A total of seven DP226 crossover controllers are in use at the theatre (12 DP200 crossovers are also being used). As with numerous other Broadway and touring productions, including According to Mark Menard, Associate Sound Designer for Oklahoma!, several of the DP226's are being used in a 1-in, 6-out configuration. "That allows us to get six multiple taps off a single signal," Menard explains. "We only have to use a single DP226 to control a large group of speakers. We don't have to gang units together. The benefits of that kind of configurations flexibility is we have fewer controllers working more speakers, which cuts down on the number of points on the signal path, and provides a cleaner, quieter signal path. Also, we get more uniform control over parameters such as equalisation, delay, and level." Furthermore, Menard adds, the remote programmability of the DP226 means that he can roam the theatre before and during performances, constantly fine-tuning the sound. "We can make changes in real time from many different locations. That is the greatest flexibility of the XTA's." ProMix Electrotec, the Westchester, NY-based rental company servicing mainly the theatre and concert touring markets, supplied the sound system for Oklahoma! and many other Broadway productions. David Strang, General Manager at ProMix Electrotec, says the DP226 is now Broadway's favourite speaker controller and DSP system. "We've had literally hundreds of DP200 controllers for years," he explains. "In the last few months, though, the DP226 has surpassed it as the most popular signal processor on Broadway, no question about it. We have about 40 pieces ion various locations around Times Square and with touring companies, and we're adding more of them all the time. The DP226 really is a remarkable piece of technology and deserves to be up there with its name in lights."
The tour's sound system uses an L Acoustics V-DOSC PA rig, with DV-DOSC house sidefills and downfills, and L Acoustics stage monitoring. All of this means a sizeable monitor system, comprising over 70 channels., mixed on a linked pair of Midas Heritage consoles by engineer Steven May. He creates 22 sends, of which eight are being fed to Shure PSM600 wireless in-ear monitor systems. FOH is mixed by Levi Tecofski through Midas consoles, with XTA loudspeaker controllers for the V-DOSC FOH system. The on-stage system has Arcs side fills - all of which are controlled by XTA DP224 and DP226 digital loudspeaker processors. The SiDDs are being employed in a dual role, to both protect the wearer from sudden noise peaks and enhance the audio quality. Explains Steve May: " I was first interested in using SiDD as an alternative to my usual compressor, which both softens the sound in the ears and fattens it up as well. Using the SiDDs improves it for me still further, because of being able to combine three functions at once - the six-band parametric EQ, which is lot nicer than using a graphic, the compressor and the hard limiter. The other advantage with the SiDD EQ is that you can see the curves on your laptop while you're setting it up. So it's easier to shape the sound and make the in-ears sound better." He adds: "You really cannot hear the compression working at all, but you can tell that it's on by the fact that you can run something really loud from the desk straight into the unit and it just doesn't get any louder, which also means that it's perfectly safe for the musician. There's no way in the world that it will let you blast musicians with anything. "It's the same story with the XTA DP224 crossovers on the floor monitors and DP226s across the main PA system - we were using analogue crossovers before and the difference is like night and day. The high end is nicer, the clarity is a lot better. I borrowed one and tried it and haven't changed back since." It is the first time Steve had tried out XTA's SiDD: "You're always a bit dubious about the sound of things until you try them for yourself - in particular, when people tell you that you won't hear a compressor. I wish I had a few more of them; maybe next time!"
270 wedding guests were treated to performances by Cirque du Soleil, the cast of Disney's The Lion King, Kool and The Gang and Sir Elton John, with production company Banana Split co-ordinating a team that included sound by Forefront Audio, lighting by Vari-Lite Europe, projection by ETC and staging by Supotco. It was, according to the national press, the most expensive private wedding reception ever thrown in the UK. Banana Split's Alan Scoley explains that the couple had recently returned from a rainforest holiday, and wanted the company to elaborate on that theme. The outside of the Roundhouse became a giant projection screen with rainforest imagery, while the bar was a cavern and the venue's pillars were camouflaged as tree trunks. Forefront Audio provided the party sound using a Funktion One Resolution Series PA system, overseen by Jim Mills and John Newsham, with XTA Electronics DP series loudspeaker controllers. A main left and right PA comprising three understage F218 subs and four flown Resolution 4s a side, while raised table areas were served by Resolution 2 outfills either side, along with four flown Resolution 2s in the bar, delayed at times, with various effects, MiniDisc-sourced insect noises and ambient jungle sounds - which were also piped into d&b E3 speakers (running from d&b E-packs with built-in controllers) high in the truss and in the main entrance. These were fed from the PM4000's matrix sends. A huge thunderclap greeted the call to dinner, when guests were led in by a flautist on a radio mic. Elton John, after a grand entrance, had his classic piano setup and performed a pair of songs with Kikki Dee, before the grand finale with the full cast of The Lion King, followed by a DJ with a percussionist. Newsham says there was plenty to keep the team - and the guests - occupied: "When the waterfall parted and the bridge came down there was lightning, and a huge thunderclap through every speaker; at other times we had a live polynesian band, the DJs, a live flute player on a lavalier radio mic, playback for Cirque du Soleil, and Kool and the Gang, who were fully live and mic'd up." Out of sight of the main area, they used a pair of delayed Turbosound TXD530s as nearfield monitors, running an XTA SiDD unit for delay, EQ and compression. GPA Hire's Howard Smart mixed monitors. Amplification was via QSC PL4s PL2HBs and PL1.8 PowerLight, with two XTA DP224 loudspeaker controllers providing crossover and delay functions for the main system and a pair of DP226 controllers for the Resolution 2s. Since the crossovers and amp racks were dotted around the building, XTA's AudioCore software enabled the team to set up the crossovers from a laptop at the mix position. Mixing was done on a Yamaha PM4000 and, says Newsham, "We needed every input, output, matrix and subgroup!" Concludes Alan Scoley: "It was a great occasion and the couple and their guests had a wonderful time. It was amazing to see The Roundhouse transformed into somewhere from another continent."
Sound engineer Richard Waghorn is a regular SiDD user who has used the units on product launches and conferences for a range of high-profile clients, including Honda, TNT, DHL and One-2-One. He recently used the units at a management conference for global fast food retailer McDonalds, held in November 2001 at the Hilton Metropole hotel in London. The conference hosted 1000 delegates and required 24 channels of audio, which comprised four lectern mics and a range of tieclip mics, plus VT stings and other playback elements. The sound was broadcast to the floor via Funktion One Resolution 2 loudspeakers. Of course, a major drawback of corporate events is that they often take place in venues such as the Hilton Metropole which were not designed for amplified audio. SiDD provides the answer to these problems by featuring all the EQ and dynamic controls required to tune any size or shape of venue. In addition, once an event has taken place, the setup can be stored for instant recall when the venue is next used. "The EQing of tie clip microphones is absolutely critical, so the quality of the EQ is very important," says Richard Waghorn. "At the McDonalds conference I used SiDD's dynamic EQ, limiters and compressors on the tie clips. The dynamic EQ is particularly good for de-essing, which improves the sound an enormous amount." The SiDD EQ was also used on the four lectern microphones to ensure that every word of this key conference was heard by the delegates. Another advantage for corporate work is that SiDD can also be controlled remotely, using laptop computers with wireless modems and PC Anywhere software. This allows a sound engineer to both set up and control the entire sound system from anywhere in a venue - a distinct advantage in venues such as hotels, museums and conference centres which do not have a 'natural' position for the front of house engineer. "The laptop control aids engineers because they can adjust the system from literally anywhere in the venue," says XTA marketing manager Guy Lewis. "As Richard has found, where lavalier mics are being used, the de-essing and de-popping facilities are also vital. An engineer can save the settings for all the different microphones he'll ever use, or the settings for a certain person's voice - for example the managing director of a company. After that it will take two seconds to set up the vocal channel, saving the client money because it means an expensive presenter or executive doesn't to have to be present for the soundcheck." "SiDD works equally well with music and speech content," concludes Lewis. "Engineers at corporate events now really have no need to be held back by the acoustics of a room not designed for amplified sound." Richard Waghorn concurs, saying: "Using SiDD really makes a huge different to the sound quality at these events."
Sound engineer Richard Waghorn is a regular user of SiDDs and seized the opportunity to explore the units' remote control facilities when the 'other' Hampton Court - a stately home near Leominster - staged an evening of classical music with a string quartet. Waghorn controlled the show from two laptop computers with wireless modems running PC Anywhere software. This allowed the AudioCore control software for the SiDDs to be accessed from the laptops and the FOH engineer to literally sit in the audience to control the entire sound system. XTA's Phil Key notes how the novel way of mixing this production came about: "Because it was a string quartet, Richard and Hampton Court obviously wanted to make the audio production as discreet as possible. I'd done some research into fast radio links and thought we could combine that aim with Richard's use of the SiDDs. "We thought 'It's not a huge gig. Let's try it and see what happens, we'll see how flexible it is.' The whole thing was very experimental, but it worked extremely well." Richard Waghorn concurs, saying: "The SiDD unit is pretty special. I've been using it 'manually' all year and it was a good opportunity to look at the computer control facilities. It was fantastic to be able to sit in the audience and control the entire system from the laptop, with no multicore or mains. The whole system worked incredibly well." The only problem Waghorn encountered was the battery going flat on one of the laptops. "But that was fine," he says. "Because if the computer shuts down, the other end stays exactly as it is until you change the battery and re-boot the laptop." Such was the event's success that wireless control of SiDD processors is likely to become a far more common occurrence, along with the remote control facilities for the DP226 loudspeaker management system already in use on major shows around the world, such as the current AC/DC tour of European festivals. "I'm sure we'll expand on it. We'd certainly like to try it on a bigger scale," says Phil Key. "The technlogy is all there to do it, it's fast and it's now reliable. It's just gaining people's acceptance of it."
"I've been using the XTA DP224 and DP226 units for the last year or so, and the DP200 and DP202 systems for three or four years now," says Tom Clark, one of the founders of Acme Sound Partners, a collective of top-tier Broadway and theatrical sound designers in Manhattan. "They are incredibly reliable, and that's why I stay with them." Clark designed the sound for theatrical hits such as Anton Chekov's The Seagull, The Full Monty and Annie Get Your Gun, and each production utilizes several XTA DP Series Processors. "The sound has to be great for all of these shows," says Clark. "The musicals, obviously you want great vocals. But people are also coming to see The Seagull because it has huge Hollywood names in it, including Meryl Streep, Kevin Cline and Christopher Walken. People associate the best sound possible with these names in feature films. The DP Series Processors help maintain the level of sonic quality in the theater." Clark uses the DP226 and DP224 units as systems controllers between the console and the sound system, but also uses several at insert points into the console modules for an enhanced degree of control over individual microphones. He also extolled the fact that the DP200 can be controlled externally by XTA's AudioCore Windows™ control software, using both existing and future AudioCore series products, giving him the freedom and flexibility to check the sound from any part of the theater remotely. "It's a great unit," he says. At Sound Associates, sound designer and company President Peter Fitzgerald has 20 DP200 units in place on his system for the smash musical 42nd Street. "We have them both as system controllers between the FOH console and the sound system, and as individual processors for specific microphone channels," explains Fotxgerald. In both applications, Fitzgerald uses the DP Series Processors mainly for time delay and EQ. "But there's a lot more functionality in each unit if I need it," he adds. Fitzgerald has also had 10 DP200 units out on the road with the former Broadway hit Fiddler On The Roof. "It's a great system for time-aligning the sound system to the room on the road," he says. "I really like the unit - it's easy to use, reliable, quiet and transparent sonically to the sound system, and it's a proven technology. I doubt I could count how many DP200s we actually own. But I know it's a lot." David Strang, General Manager of ProMix Electrotec NY, says that many of the 100-plus XTA DP200 systems his company has in inventory are in New York City theatrical productions, including The Producers, Blue Man Group, Contact, Blast and Tick Tick Boom. "The DP200 units literally started at the top when they first became available," recalls Strang. "They went right into Rent, which was one of the top shows on Broadway at the time five or six years ago. They've stayed at the top ever since. They're reliable and great-sounding. But just as important, they combine so much functionality into a single rack-space unit, including delays, EQ and speaker control, and that allows them to replace a lot of other signal processing gear."
The River Center, a massive three-section new performing arts center connected with the University of Georgia and slated to open in the Spring of 2002, will feature complete speaker control and processing using 21 XTA DP202 and DP226 systems. 11 DP202 2x2 units and 10 DP226 2x6 units will be used as the main speaker processing systems for all of the EAW speaker systems in each of the new River Center's three separate component buildings. The use of the XTA DP Series systems, brought in to replace the matched control systems of the speakers, further underscores the high degree of compatibility, flexibility and reliability that have defined the XTA processing systems for years. The Center is made up of three distinct performance spaces: a main stage theater, a smaller recital hall, and a unique experimental theater hall designed without proscenium or other traditional theater elements. Each of the three areas has its own specific audio characteristics to which the sound system needed to be adapted and optimized. "We chose the DP Series systems as the front-end processing device for all of the speakers in all of the theaters throughout the complex," continues Nittoli. "This was a decision based on quality, flexibility, price, ease of use, and reliability. Only the XTA DP Series systems met our criteria, and were the only ones we believe exceeded the performance of the speaker manufacturer's own controller, yet offered complete compatibility with the speakers. That's why we have specified XTA DP Series controllers on various projects we have in progress - there just isn't a better choice to be made when it comes to speaker processing and control."
Moore's front of house engineer, Andy May, decided to experiment with the unique multi-dynamics device after trying "virtually every compressor on the planet, from all the familiar units to the most esoteric American kit". Capital Sound is providing the tour's audio production, with a Martin Wavefront 8 system, itself controlled by XTA DP226 digital loudspeaker processors. Both the DP226 and SiDD are based on XTA's proprietary AudioCore DSP engine. The Gary Moore band is a straight-ahead four-piece line-up. The rig includes a Midas Heritage 3000 desk, Martin LE700 wedges, and Crown Macrotech amplification. Graham Lilley is production manager and Danny Stead mixes monitors. Says Andy May: "The band play really well, and we try to amplify it to sound fairly loud and very clean." The challenge, he explains, is capturing Moore's high energy vocals over his equally blistering live guitar sound. He says: "Gary sings and plays with a lot of passion and adrenalin, which works the vocal audio chain to the limits. He also likes a high guitar level on stage, so when he walks away from the microphone, the guitar sound floods into the mic, which means a lot of riding the faders for me. "I've tried every kind of compressor on his vocal and none has ever really done the job of managing the dynamics without compromising the energy of his performance or the sound quality. SiDD goes a long way to solving that problem; it's simply a brilliant product." As well as SiDD's compressor functions, May is also using its dynamic equaliser on the vocal. "I use the dynamic equaliser to smooth out the high-mid range edginess that comes with a Shure Beta 58 when he's singing hard into it. When it senses those particular frequencies coming up, it attenuates them very precisely. "I experimented with the limiter, but I found I didn't need it because the compressor was doing a perfectly good job on its own, so I didn't need the extra 'cap' from the limiter." Concludes Andy May: "When I first plugged it in, I thought it wasn't working - it's almost eerily silent and you can't hear the compressor starting to pump, which you do with conventional compressors. Then I realised that even though I couldn't hear it working, it was doing its job incredibly well, so what was I worrying about?"
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