OLOMOUC, Czech Republic - Located in an historic 15th century building in the city of Olomouc in the Czech Republic, the Jazz Tibet Club is a live music venue with an unusual name that hosts an unusual mix of performers. "By our name you would think we are strictly a jazz club, but we focus on non-commercial music and the range of artists and musical styles we present is extremely eclectic," said Vladimir Foret, Program Director of the Jazz Tibet Club. Last December, Peter ?varc, sound engineer of the club, made the decision to upgrade the Jazz Tibet Club's live sound facilities with the purchase of a HARMAN Soundcraft Si Compact 32 digital audio console.
"The Jazz Tibet Club was founded in 1994 by jazz fans and through the years we have diversified to become a unique and prestigious venue in the region," Foret noted. "We've hosted artists including Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová, Erik Truffaz, Victor Bailey, Darryl Jones, Maria Doyle Kennedy, David Kitt, Mark Geary, Astronautalis, Black Cracker and Grand Pianoramax, Shearwater, Taylor McFerrin, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Duke Special and many others."
The Jazz Tibet Club has an intimate atmosphere that encourages close contact between the musicians and the audience. "We look for performers that have sincerity and energy," Foret continued. "However, it was becoming apparent that our old digital console, a Yamaha 01V-which did us a great service through the years-was limiting the ability of the artists to express themselves at their best. The old console's 16 inputs-only 12 of them with mic preamps-and four auxes could no longer accommodate our needs."
When the club decided to upgrade, Foret and his team evaluated their options and found the Si Compact 32 to be the perfect fit. "The greatest thing about the console is how it combines the best from both the analog and the digital approach." Foret said. "While some digital consoles require you to go through layers of menus, everything is easily accessible on the Si Compact 32. Working on this console is extremely intuitive and comfortable."
"Really, there is nothing about the Si Compact 32 that can limit us, or any sound engineer," Foret continued. "The console has an amazing number of inputs and busses that are sufficient for any application I can imagine, and all the inputs and busses are equipped with very high quality dynamic processors and equalization, which is an important 'real-world' feature. I also really like the fact that you get all this functionality in a really compact size that doesn't take up much space in the club and only one person needs to carry it."
With the new V2 software upgrade for Soundcraft's Si Compact series, Foret is getting even more mileage out of the console. "We're now running the latest V2 software, which gives us features like the ability to copy and paste channels and busses and set up assignable fader layers, and its vast amount of built-in digital signal processing," he said.
There is nothing we could complain about," Foret concluded. "The Si Compact 32 is fast, reliable and user-friendly. We love it!"
For more information on the Jazz Tibet Club, please visit www.jazzclub.olomouc.com
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.