Warning: Array to string conversion in /home/u920033457/domains/avnation.tv/public_html/wp-content/plugins/td-cloud-library/includes/tdb_functions.php on line 433
Thursday, March 28, 2024
YOU ARE AT:FeaturesDesign Sound leverages DiGiCo for Hollywood sound

Design Sound leverages DiGiCo for Hollywood sound

Providing sound for tech and entertainment with DiGiCo

BEVERLY HILLS, California — If Entertainment Tonight and Page Six had a party, they’d call Design Sound, the sound reinforcement provider with a client list to match. The decade-old Beverly Hills-based company is the primary sound provider for West Coast Music, event-orchestra impresario Jim Eppolito’s company that provides live music for A-list Hollywood film and television celebrities, sports stars, and corporate events.

Design Sound’s attention to detail in both sound quality and visual aesthetic has attracted a glittering array of clients, including wedding events for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish, Kim Kardashian, and Jessica Simpson, as well as fundraisers for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and product introductions for Apple and Google. When doing live events at that level, only the best will do, and for Design Sound, that means DiGiCo’s SD7 Quantum desk.

“We’ve had our SD7 and SD-Rack loaded with 32-bit I/Os for almost a year now and we couldn’t be happier with the setup,” says Design Sound Chief Engineer Davis Jones. “It brings the level of redundancy that you have to have when you’re doing live events for clients like these. Everything has to be perfect.”

The SD7 Quantum’s high channel-count capacity and operational flexibility has made it the hub for Jones’ workflow. Using an Optocore network to minimize cabling, the SD7 Quantum lets him not only manage very high channel counts—a recent event that featured performances by both Jennifer Lopez and WCM Orchestra required over 200 inputs—but be able to put multiple setups on the same show file for a very quick changeover.

“We often don’t get a lot of setup time or the opportunity to do sound checks, so having the kind of power that the SD7 gives us in a package that can be deployed quickly and efficiently is very important,” he explains. “We can run a fiber-optic cable from the stage box to the console and we’re virtually ready to go.”

Similarly, the SD7 Quantum can work with the Pro Tools HD system in a separate building at Design Sound, connected by a fiber-optic link, allowing for live video and audio recording between the two spaces. In the same way, the DiGiCo Orange Box multichannel interface allows Jones to connect and manage all of his Aviom in-ear monitors from the SD7.

And DiGiCo SD-Range consoles are the choice of many top touring artists, which means that their front-of-house engineers simply bring in a thumb drive, and the easy setup that Jones finds so useful has become even easier for everyone.

Unlock all the Content
Takes only seconds to register
Invalid email address

“Especially in situations like that, where the artist is coming in as a fly date, and where they’re often bringing backing tracks and there may not be time for a sound check, the SD7 lets us go into performance mode with a high degree of confidence,” he says. “We have SoundGrid and a full complement of Waves bundles, so we’re always ready for whatever is needed.” That same readiness also extends to smaller, less-demanding events, for which the company owns a pair of compact DiGiCo S31 desks.

It does not hurt that the SD7 Quantum is a good-looking piece of technology, either. Jones says that Design Sound was born on the principle of combining premium sound quality with premium aesthetics, delivering the best sound while seamlessly integrating its systems into the decor of the event.

“We have used the SD7 and our new L-Acoustics Syva portable sound system together and they just look fabulous,” he says, noting the sleekness of the SD7’s dynamic worksurfaces and the Syva’s sinuous shape—they have speakers in white and black—a combination recently deployed at the museum gala, and both were part of a recent Vogue magazine spread. (“They’re in the picture; you just had to know what to look for,” quips Jones.)

“Design Sound started out from the beginning to work with this very high level of client, and we’ve always chosen our equipment with that in mind,” says Jones. “It has to sound great, look great, and never, ever fail. The SD7 Quantum fits right in with that.”

For more details on Design Sound, visit www.designsound.com.

Tim Albright is the founder of AVNation and is the driving force behind the AVNation network. He carries the InfoComm CTS, a B.S. from Greenville College and is pursuing an M.S. in Mass Communications from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. When not steering the AVNation ship, Tim has spent his career designing systems for churches both large and small, Fortune 500 companies, and education facilities.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

AVNATION IS SUPPORTED BY

- Advertisement -

POPULAR

Enterprise Connect 24 entrance

Enterprise Connect Day 2

0
Microsoft and Cisco both featured keynotes that laid out each company’s plans for AI in the workplace. We’ll get into each below. We also...

AVNATION IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY

- Advertisement -

More Articles Like This