Australia’s Star chooses DiGiCo
Published: ASIA
AUSTRALIA: The Star in Sydney’s Pyrmont has morphed from a large-scale casino into a full-blown leisure and entertainment complex. Situated within The Star is The Event Centre, an entertainment space which boasts a combination of DiGiCo SD10s and SD11s at the heart of its audio system.
Head of audio at the Event Centre, Ian Brown, made his assessments of what audio solution it would need early on in the process. ‘This was the first major purchase of audio equipment since the initial fit out of the Casino. From the beginning of this project we set a very high standard for all systems to be installed into the Event Centre, with special emphasis on the audio system. We had a huge list of special requirements the system had to meet: it had to deliver the best sound available today; and be able to mix up to four independent events on one core system while integrating with our HD vision, conferencing systems and broadcast trucks, as well as be able to link to the existing audio system within the casino. Ultimately, my brief was simple. It had to be the best in the world. Nothing else would do.’
The flexibility of the console was paramount. ‘We required a system that could easily switch from doing a concert for major international artists to a conference with the main room operating as two spaces, then go back to broadcast with Madi consoles from the truck linked to the system; and all with minimal time and minimal fuss. It also had to be a system that any sound guy (or girl) would be happy to use - and we can be a very fussy bunch. Above all, it had to be reliable. The SD series consoles were the only system that could meet all of the scenarios we could throw at them and they have exceeded all of our expectations.’
With such a varied cross section of events being held at the Event Centre year round, the ability to re-locate consoles and re-configure them in various locations easily via optics proved very appealing at the onset and has since proven extremely practical. ‘The ability to put a console anywhere in or out of the venue and have it link to the rest of the system with a simple optical patch is a god send especially when sub mixing for vision and/or links to breakout rooms are required. Many events require some unusual operating locations and complex routing is the norm here.
‘We are able to mix vision on one SD11 in the control room while sub mixing additional vision and playback from the main operating position on the other SD11 while mixing a band and additional mics on the SD10s,’ continues Mr Brown. ‘We can then bounce a mix to one of the SD11s for a live conference link, then bounce a total mix out for broadcast or streaming from any of the consoles. The possibilities are endless.’
After steady use for several months, the SD consoles have met every requirement for Mr Brown and his crew. ‘Everyone at the Star is blown away by the SD consoles. The layout and features are done just right. The mic preamps are stunning, tonnes of gain and clean - they don’t add any unwanted noise or tone to the input. The EQ is as good as any I have ever heard. The routing capabilities of the system are extremely powerful while being easy to get your head around. The FX and dynamics are fantastic. The snapshots and pre-sets are powerful yet functional - easy to use and update on the fly. They are clearly designed by people who operate sound systems for people who operate sound systems. The learning curve is very shallow for such a powerful system.’
Mr Brown also has a big thank you for the teams at GT and DiGiCo for their advice and support. ‘There are many people I would like to thank, above all Drew Menard, Peter Thoms and the team at Group Technologies. Legends, they have been so helpful throughout the whole process and their support has been Incredible. Also David ‘Webby’ Webster and all the boys and girls at DiGiCo in the UK. Their products are just superb and I cannot thank them enough for making a system that has exceeded our demanding specifications. The addition of the optical system to the SD11 has given us a level of flexibility and performance we could not achieve with any other system.’