Mackie TT24 Digital Console In The Mix At U.K.'s Culture Lab

Woodinville, Wash - July 31, 2006 - Culture Lab, a new digital media facility at Newcastle University in the U.K. created to enable the development of digital solutions for arts, humanities and social science research problems, is outfitted with a versatile sound system headed by a Mackie TT24 digital mixing console.

The result of collaboration between the British government and the university, Culture Lab boasts a live event space for performances, lectures and interactive displays, as well as state-of-the-art workshops for customizing both hardware and software. John Ayers of the university specified the facility's sound systems, with Digital Village, a leading U.K. provider of professional recording equipment that now also boasts a growing install division (Digital Village Installations), serving as a key supplier on the project.

Ayers notes that the Mackie TT24 digital mixing console was selected using criteria of flexibility, sonic excellence and ease of use. "We needed a console that visiting researchers would be able to get to grips with relatively quickly," he explains. "The TT24 suits us very well in that it is flexible enough to handle everything from traditional front-of-house PA configurations to surround sound diffusion for electro-acoustic music, yet it remains simple enough to configure and set up that first-time users can be productive very quickly."

All of Culture Lab's spaces are networked using EtherSound over a single CAT-6 cable. Specific facilities include a testing and recording studio for digital sound and labs for multimedia audiovisual projects, with the TT24 also fitting very well within this scenario, with audio able to be routed anywhere, be it to the recording/post-production facility, the live performance space or elsewhere in the complex.

Also of note, the live performance system is outfitted with six EAW NT26 (12-inch-loaded) powered loudspeakers, six EAW NT59 (15-inch-loaded) cabinets and six EAW NTS22 dual 12-inch subwoofers. Ayers explains that given the huge diversity of applications for which the system is used, flexibility and superlative audio quality are the main focus points.

"We required something that could go from being a classic sound reinforcement system to being a creative part of a complex electro-acoustic production. That means each component has to sound as good individually as the sum of the parts," he concludes. "The EAW NT Series loudspeakers and Mackie TT24 console fit the bill perfectly.