MANHEIM, PA, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 – Rising country star Luke Bryan's current tour setup includes an Aviom Pro64® digital snake (PLASA Booth 1-F4) that simplifies setup and teardown for engineer Chris “Sully” Sullivan. The ease with which the Pro64 digital snake can be configured and reconfigured and the flexibility of the system architecture allows Sullivan to provide digital input and output points from anywhere in the physical setup to accommodate any front of house, broadcast or monitor deployment. All the pieces in the system are connected by a single run of Cat-5, allowing setup and strike to be accomplished in a matter of minutes, providing the next act taking the stage with time to spare. 
"The Aviom Pro64 system was really a revelation for us. It significantly changed our approach to setup for Luke Bryan's on-stage monitoring system," says Sullivan. "Luke has released one album on Capitol Records, so right now we regularly find ourselves in the opening act position. This, of course, means that speed is paramount in order for us to get on and off the stage quickly and efficiently to make room for the headliner. With the Aviom digital snake, we have shed all of our copper subsnakes and replaced them with Cat-5 cabling. Our speed in turning our stage around is untouchable.”
Sullivan uses three Aviom 6416m Mic Input Modules in three separate small racks that are placed left, center and right on the stage. The input modules are interconnected with Cat-5 cable running A-Net®, allowing for convenient connections of the performers' mics and instruments, minimizing long copper wire runs. The A-Net signal is transported via Cat-5 to three 6416Y2 A-Net Interface Cards in a Yamaha® M7CL digital console to drive the monitor system where the mix is controlled locally for onstage in-ear systems. Monitor engineer Ed Janiszewski remotely controls the 6416m mic preamps directly from the Yamaha console using m-controlâ„¢ for Yamaha digital consoles.
"The band members all commented on the great sound from the Aviom 6416m mic pre," explains Sullivan. "They had used an older, high-quality analog console for awhile and were not too pleased about switching to a digital desk. When we added the Aviom mic pres and began using the Aviom system clock, the audio for their monitor mixes was not only restored, but was in fact surpassed. Needless to say we are very happy with the sound quality."
Because the Pro64 system is an audio network, it provides Sullivan with uniquely powerful and flexible interconnect options. In the past to get the mic signals to front of house, Sullivan would need to split the mic signal at least twice, and then route it down a 300 foot copper snake to the FOH mic pre, compromising microphone performance. Now, with the addition of two Aviom 6416o Output Modules, each offering 16 balanced mic- or line-level analog outputs, connecting the performers' mics to the main FOH board is a breeze and Sullivan adds, "as far as the microphones are concerned, they only ever see one mic preamp. We can split the signal as much as we like in the digital domain without ever loading the microphones down excessively."
"Presently, we are not carrying a front of house console, so we are relying on a ‘desk du jour' supplied by the local sound company," states Sullivan. "Aviom's Pro64 is an extremely powerful tool for us because the system makes all inputs and outputs available throughout the entire system at all times. This means that I can run a Cat-5 cable from any A-Net box anywhere on the stage to a pair of 6416o output units that we place either next to the FOH stage box or right out front on the doghouse of the front of house desk. We have a pair of short XLR fan-out snakes to connect the Aviom 6416o outputs to the stage box or FOH console to deliver crystal clear audio. Aviom has allowed us to shed our long copper runs, making setup and take down very efficient. In every way the Aviom Pro64 has made monitoring and setup easy."
Aviom pioneered personal mixing with its Pro16® Monitor Mixing System and continues to break new ground with the revolutionary Pro64® Series of audio networking products. With tens of thousands of products in the field today, Aviom has set the standard for high performance, scalable digital solutions. All Aviom systems harness the power of A-Net®, Aviom's innovative digital audio technology that simplifies system design while enhancing flexibility and fidelity. All Aviom products are designed, tested, and manufactured in the USA.