{"id":57888,"date":"2024-08-28T12:27:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T11:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/?p=57888"},"modified":"2024-08-28T12:27:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T11:27:07","slug":"gareth-owens-theatre-sound-directout-prodigy-mx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/2024\/08\/28\/gareth-owens-theatre-sound-directout-prodigy-mx\/","title":{"rendered":"Sound Design Maestro Gareth Owen Selects DirectOut for Advanced Theatre Productions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\"Jeevan<\/h2>\n

Award-Winning Sound Designer Gareth Owen specs DirectOut for Starlight Express (London, UK) and The Devil Wears Prada (Plymouth, UK)<\/h2>\n

The DirectOut PRODIGY.MX<\/a> is currently in use across a range of Gareth Owen Sound (GOS) Productions in the UK, including the stage productions of Starlight Express and The Devil Wears Prada.<\/p>\n

One of the world\u2019s most successful theatrical sound designers, Gareth Owen is responsible for multiple award-winning shows and recognised as a pioneer of immersive theatrical sound design. Co-founder of Fourier Audio (he still holds the title of CCO), Own is also CEO of software house Show Control Ltd – creators of EnSnap and other software\/hardware tools – for use exclusively on Gareth Owen Sound productions.<\/p>\n

As evidenced by his many Best Sound Design awards – including a Tony for MJ the Musical, and Olivier Awards for Merrily We Roll Along, Memphis the Musical, and Come from Away – Owen understands exactly what is needed for bringing theatrical storytelling to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been using DirectOut on our shows for a few years now. Most shows have a pair of PRODIGY.MX and we use the EXBOX.MD a fair bit, too,\u201d Own explains. \u201cI love elegance and simplicity, as hard as that might be to believe from my shows!<\/p>\n

\u201cChris Lambrechts from Avid is a huge proponent of DirectOut and he said that the PRODIGY.MX would replace a lot of other stuff with one elegant box. That was music to my ears!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RackThe DirectOut PRODIGY.MX is a multi-format audio matrix with a capacity of 1664 x 1668 audio channels. Interfacing with the whole range of audio protocols offered by DirectOut \u2013 including MADI, Dante, RAVENNA\/AES67, SoundGrid and AVB\/MILAN – and with powerful DSP functions, the PRODIGY.MX addresses numerous applications<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The hardware is modular and the available licenses are granular, making a reliable and stable choice to meet various theatrical applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use the PRODIGY.MX primarily as a format convertor. For most shows, this is usually from MADI to Dante and back again. We also use it as a matrix router,\u201d Owen continues. \u201cHowever, in recent years we have realized we can retire many of our MADI and Dante backup switchers by doing main-backup changeover inside the PRODIGY. We use the Nemesis OSC GPIO box, coupled to a nice panel with some illuminated switches, and do all our backup switching internally. This massively simplifies our signal path and removes additional points of failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theatrical performances happen every night, for as long as the show runs, and Owen has designed musicals that are still playing to audiences after many years such as Back to the Future, which opened in August 2021 and is currently booking until October 2025.<\/p>\n

When your show must perform to the same high standard, for years, you need a product you can trust to turn on and work first time, every time. DirectOut\u2019s EARS\u2122 (Enhanced Automatic Redundancy Switching), reassures the team that, in the event that switchover to a backup signal is required, switching will be quick and glitch free. The EARS system monitors the condition of the trigger signal on the input and in case of a failure switches automatically to the backup input.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have PRODIGY and\/or EXBOX.MDs on at least a dozen shows around the world today and they have been nothing but trouble-free.”<\/h2>\n

Gareth Owen<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

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Interfacing with the PRODIGY.MX couldn\u2019t be simpler: DirectOut\u2019s globcon control software manages all DirectOut devices via network, either on Mac or PC. Local display and operation is offered via the PRODIGY.MX\u2019s touch-screen front panel, providing a device overview and granting basic control. Other third-party control protocols are also available as options.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur primary way of interfacing with the units is globcon,\u201d Owen says. \u201cWhile still a relatively new technology, I can certainly see the potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huw Semmens, Head of Sound and Technical for Stage Sound Services (SSS), agrees that globcon has an important role to play in addition to interfacing: \u201cA huge surge towards digital radio mics in theatre over the past five years has meant EXBOX.MD, alongside globcon, has been utilized in place of bantam patch bays for radio mic monitoring and patching.\u201d<\/p>\n

SSS is responsible for the install and rental equipment for many of the Gareth Owen Sound shows, including Starlight Express in the Troubadour. Rental companies work closely with designers to ensure that the equipment specified will be suitable for the show and the venue, as Semmens continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been using DirectOut kit since 2013,\u201d elaborates Huw. \u201cThe modular nature of PRODIGY is perfect for us. It enables us to carry host units and swap I\/O cards to cater for most requests. Following the initial investment, whenever we had a specific task that required a hardware solution, we found that DirectOut already had a suitable product in their line-up. We now have just under 100 DirectOut assets in inventory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Starlight Express, we knew that PRODIGY was intended to convert multiple streams of MADI\/Dante in and out of the Avid E6L-192, then switch multiple Dante streams and function as a digital patch-bay for the production’s radio mics. These tasks were previously achieved with several Yamaha RMIO64-D, Autograph Signature Series XDANTE-1, and a DirectOut EXBOX.MD<\/a>, so combining this functionality into one, stable unit made complete sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"DirectOut<\/a><\/h2>\n
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The DirectOut Prodigy Series<\/a> includes comprehensive network control courtesy of the free globCon software.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Invaluable service and support<\/h2>\n

When purchasing and using a DirectOut product, rental companies, designers and engineers can be assured not only of the product\u2019s reliability but also of the service DirectOut offers, with support and problem solving.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome companies treat support like a necessary evil – they know they have to do it, but it\u2019s given begrudgingly and on their timetable,\u201d Owen concludes. \u201cDirectOut are all over it. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever failed to get hold of a qualified engineer on the first call, and I\u2019ve never waited more than an hour for a sensible email reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DirectOut team understand that when we are in the thick of an install, the last thing we need to be doing is opening a Service Ticket. That is invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n

See the full range of DirectOut devices<\/a><\/p>\n

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External Links:<\/h2>\n

www.starlightexpresslondon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

www.garethowensound.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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