Tony Mitchell, technical manager at Fleetwood Marine Hall, stated: "I have worked with A.C. for a few years now for brown box supplies to larger scale installation and fabrication work in all aspects of our entertainment technology needs, and have developed a good relationship with them. As a local authority, it is always important to remember that I'm spending council tax payers' money; when we place an order with A.C., I'm always confident that I will be getting great value for the overall service they provide."
The Marine Hall is a multipurpose venue covering everything from conferences to Rock and Roll, with both amateur and professional clients. After 10 years of dedicated service, it was decided to replace the in-house analogue console with a pair of digital boards. The brief was for a FOH console and a small footprint multipurpose console to cover monitor duty together with discrete FOH work, and to allow a quality PA to be used in some small bar and studio spaces. Prior to this purchase, the monitor and portable role was filled by hire equipment. This expense was used to offset the purchase price.
Tony Mitchell explains his choices: "With the multipurpose board there was a necessity for portability. The console and PA had to fit in a very small van and be rigged discretely and quickly, or be moved easily around the facility. With this in mind, the idea of a digital multicore was high on our list. However, there was also a cost implication to consider as the console was something of a luxury. After some reading and a trip to PLASA Focus in Leeds, the iLive-T was top of the shopping list. It has a good channel count, digital multicore and feature set plus the Allen & Heath name with a price that was spot on.
"At PLASA Focus I also looked at the Si and was intrigued enough to drive back the next day for a closer look. After a guided tour and the realisation that I could afford one, an on-site demo was arranged and we've not looked back since."
Peter Butler, sales manager of the A.C. Audio division, remarked, "At A.C. we've always been excited about the digital revolution in consoles and have watched the market evolve over the past few years. There has been a surge of new boards to the market but we've taken our time and done our research before getting behind any. Both the iLive and Si ranges have really exceeded all our expectations and we are very excited about what each console presents. We have always felt the best way for our customers to make informed decisions, especially about such larges purchases as consoles, is for them to have practical experience with the products. This is why we put on events such as our recent Open Day."
Demonstrating the latest in console technology, the most recent Audio Open Day at the Leeds premises was focused around in-depth training and one-on-one time with Soundcraft and Allen & Heath's technical staff on both desks.
Martin Daley, UK sales manager for Allen & Heath, commented on the day: "We are proud to have a long and established relationship with A.C., which has extensive contacts in the professional PA and theatre markets. A.C. was the ideal candidate to demonstrate our new digital offering. The day was well organised, providing excellent facilities for the detailed and hands-on training required to best demonstrate the full potential of our latest digital system."
(Jim Evans)
