Eastern Stage Productions Outfits Gotham Hall With Soundcraft Vi1 Console

Eastern Stage Productions, located in Edgewood, New York, recently installed a Harman Soundcraft Vi1 digital console in New York City's Gotham Hall.

Gotham Hall, originally a landmark bank built in 1922 incorporating many Roman architectural features, was transformed in 2002 into a remarkable high-end ballroom. It has been used for a variety of events including concerts by James Brown, Alicia Keys, the B-52's and corporate events such as the 2003 BMG GRAMMY Awards after-party.

When looking to upgrade to a digital board, Tim Wright, engineer for Eastern Stage Productions, recognized the need for a compact desk to fit in the corner of the large ballroom. "We didn't want anything that would interfere with the overall atmosphere of the building as it has some amazing artwork and designs we didn't want to obscure," he said. "The Vi1 fits perfectly into our little 3x4' area, and we don't lose any functionality that you would with other brands. Having the versatility to use the board at both the front-of-house and monitor positions gives us even more options."

Easy control of different zones throughout the ballroom is an important feature of the Vi1, Wright noted. "Having control of the right, left, and center speakers and being able to easily make adjustments to EQ is huge due to the fact that the dome shaped ceiling makes it acoustically difficult to tune. This makes it ideal for different types of concerts and events where you can change settings depending on the situation," Wright stated. "I have loved using the de-esser and compressor to adjust the settings to fit the room as well. I don't need to scroll through pages to change a quick setting, the EQ is very responsive and makes life easy."

When making the transition to digital, Wright noted the easy learning process of Soundcraft and how it feels like an analog board. "The transition was seamless and gives us everything that we need and more for the price point. For a regional sound company we couldn't have found a better fit."

The Vi1 can easily be moved to different locations throughout the space. "It is so user-friendly, there is no need to patch wire, no latency, everything just works well. I even encourage other engineers to try the board and most of them recognize right away the advantages that Soundcraft provides over other boards," stated Wright.

Wright added, "Honestly, for how compact the console is, I am constantly surprised at how much it offers. The built-in Lexicon effects are easy to scroll through and changing settings is easy with the click of a button. The ability of the soft patching to copy vocals or settings to a different page is great. It's just another way that Soundcraft is making my life easier and allowing me to focus on what needs to be done instead of making tedious changes to settings."

"The support that I have received from Soundcraft verifies everything I feel about the company and console," Wright concluded. "They are very helpful with support and truly know what they are talking about rather than simply reading from a script. If I didn't truly love it I wouldn't try to push the Soundcraft brand as much as I do."

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