AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Auckland's College Hill Productions Ltd. is one of New Zealand's largest sound reinforcement production companies, and handles most of the concerts by major international artists as well as indoor and outdoor music events, TV and radio broadcasts, corporate events and more. Recently, College Hill Productions added two HARMAN Soundcraft Si Compact 32 digital live sound consoles to its equipment roster.
“We had been keenly awaiting the Si Compact 32 ever since we first got wind that Soundcraft was working on a line of small-format digital consoles with a rich feature set,” noted Leon Dalton, general manager of College Hill Productions. “When the Si Compact 32 finally shipped, we jumped at the chance to snap up a couple!”
“Our primary reason for going with the Si Compact 32 was its audio quality,” Dalton continued. “We didn't want to sacrifice sound quality just for the convenience and flexibility a digital console offers. In fact, we had found other small-scale digital consoles lacking in audio performance. The Si Compact 32, on the other hand, sounds fantastic.”
The console was a logical upgrade for College Hill Productions for a number of other reasons. “The Si Compact 32 is an easy-to-use, ergonomic, compact and great-sounding drop-in substitute for our older small-format analog consoles,” Dalton said. “Each Si Compact 32 also replaces two external racks of outboard effects. The four built-in effects engines are plenty for our purposes and they sound superb.”
Adding to the consoles' versatility, College Hill Productions ordered the Si Compact 32 consoles with the MADI card option, which allows the use of external stage boxes and extends the consoles' input/output and multitrack recording capabilities. “The MADI option complements our existing MADI inventory and gives us the ability to create cost-effective, live multi-track recording options for bands, television companies and radio stations,” Dalton pointed out.
“I cannot emphasize enough how much of a benefit the Si Compact 32's small footprint provides,” concluded Dalton. “It's one of the console's great strengths. The console in its road case has the same dimensions as a monitor wedge case, making it perfect as part of a support band package for larger arena shows where truck space is at a premium.”
For more information about College Hill Productions please visit www.collegehill.co.nz/chp.htm
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the 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 about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.2 billion for twelve months ending December 31, 2011.