Stage Research has announced that ADK Pro Audio, the professional audio value-added reseller in Alexandria, Kentucky, is selling turnkey SFX Theatrical Live Computer Systems. The Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) are configured with SFX, the leading live entertainment sound playback software and Stage Research's flagship application.
"We've had a long, successful relationship with ADK, so we are delighted that they have introduced this powerful system for their customers built around SFX," notes Carlton Guc, cofounder of Stage Research. "This new turnkey approach makes it easy for customers to experience the capabilities of SFX in a user-friendly DAW."
Scott Chichelli of ADK, says, "We were getting calls all the time about system configuration from potential SFX clients. With so many requests coming in we decided to develop a system just for SFX and add it to the inventory on our website."
He points out that SFX is often a popular choice for sound playback thanks to its reliability and ease of use. "A lot of SFX clients either rely on young employees at theme park venues or volunteer staff in the case of community theaters and churches. Once the show is designed, cued and set up with SFX very little training is required to run the show. At the same time, SFX is powerful enough for even the most advanced theatrical productions. We design our systems to run seamlessly in the background and meet these same requirements."
ADK takes pride in offering systems built for audio guys by audio guys who actually use the product. The SFX Theatrical Live Computer System features SFX installed on a Windows XP Pro/Vista PC up to 3.2 Ghz quad/3.6 Ghz duo. The system, which boasts an Intel P45 chipset, has up to 8 GB of DDR-2 800 RAM and up to 6 TB of audio drives. It also offers dual layer DVD+R with Blu-ray and dual, triple or quad DVI graphics.
The DAW comes with an up to two-year inclusive warranty and lifetime technical support and is available in a tower or rack configuration. Optional Xtreme Quieting is also available.
"We have already used four of ADK's SFX Theatrical Live Computer Systems for the Kansas City staging of 'Dialogue in the Dark' and one for the Atlanta venue," reports Guc. Dialogue in the Dark is an exhibition to discover the unseen in which visually-impaired guides lead visitors on a journey through a series of darkened galleries replicating everyday experiences. "The innovative performers BLUE MAN GROUP also use ADK's DAWs."
Chichelli attributes the success of the system to the unique Stage Research-ADK partnership. "We work closely together to ensure that our products are a perfect fit," he says. "Both of our companies are small enough to remain flexible yet large enough to serve the needs of our clients. And we're both able to react rapidly to market and technology changes."
About SFX
SFX is found at all levels of theater from academics to the pros. Professional theaters use the software to create reliable and enriched soundscapes and it has been employed in many award-winning shows, including several Tony Award winners. The academic stage (elementary education through college) and amateur theater appreciate SFX for the high quality of shows it can create and because it can be easily run by novice operators. Students using SFX get the added benefit of learning the software they will most likely work with when they enter the theatrical job market.
SFX 6 provides features that no other product can. It enables designers to refine and create effects on-site rather than having to shuttle back and forth between a studio and performance space. This affords the freedom to optimize sound designs for the acoustics of the space and other components of the performance. SFX 6's newly rewritten audio engine frees the need for an OS playback engine for hassle-free mixing and placement of audio. SFX 6 features an intuitive user-interface and can be programmed to run complex events with little or no user input.
About Stage Research
Stage Research is the developer of SFX, Soft Plot, Light Factory, ShowBuilder: Sound Design and other audio and lighting software. For more information, visit our website at www.StageResearch.com.