WMG enlisted UK-based Pure AV to devise the audio systems for the auditorium and the laboratory, and in both cases Pure AV support engineer Colin Hasted opted to use Symetrix SymNet open-architecture DSP solutions.
In the auditorium, two SymNet 8×8 DSP units and one SymNet BreakIn12 are part of a networked AV system that calls upon numerous inputs, including CD and DVD players, and microphones from Shure, Sennheiser and Audio-Technica.
In addition, surround-sound processing from a Denon DN-A7100 preamp feeds the SymNet DSP system, rather than the other way around. Beyond the 5.1 output, the SymNet processors also manage stereo recording feeds to a high-definition broadcast recorder, a feed to the building-wide Cat6 video distribution network, and a dedicated mix to a Sennheiser IR system.
“We went with SymNet because it has better signal-path fidelity than the other units we compared it to, it has ample processing power to deliver everything WMG asked for and the flexibility to create a customised user interface,” explained Hasted.
Meanwhile, in the psychoacoustics laboratory, a SymNet 8×8 DSP and two BreakIn12s are at the heart of an audio system that also includes Nuendo, a SoundField MKV microphone system, a portable Edirol R4 Pro recorder, a Denon DN-7100 preamp and an AMX touch screen.
“Again, SymNet controls the system with the utmost fidelity,” said Hasted. “For what they’re doing in the lab, truth in the signal path is essential.”
