Part of its 25 year history, the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has frequently been swift in its uptake of new technologies in the audio sector. With a history of investing in DiGiCo systems for live audio, the MCEC recently added two Quantum 338 mixing consoles to its inventory.
As one of MCEC’s approved suppliers, Diversified company (SADC) Soundcorp managed delivery of the consoles and provided local support. ‘The Quantum 338 offers a fairly dramatic step up in connectivity and processing within the DiGiCo workflow, and so was the logical choice when MCEC enquired about the acquisition of new workhorse systems,’ says SADC’s Scott Jamieson.
Hosting an large number of conventions, events and live music performances each year, the MCEC already operates a fleet of DiGiCo consoles and equipment, with its Plenary Theatre home to a permanently installed DiGiCo SD-Rack and Optocore infrastructure.
‘Currently, MCEC has three SD11is, two SD9s, two SD8s, two SD10s, two Quantum 338s and an S21, as well as several SD-Racks, SD-MiNiracks, and a D-Rack in one of our theatres. We also use DiGiCo Little Red Boxes for flexible routing arrangements in a number of spaces,’ MCEC Audio Specialist Michael Pfundt elaborates. ‘We deliver hundreds of events every year and have a large technical staff, so ease of use is really important to us. DiGiCo consoles provide a highly intuitive user interface, along with powerful processing and flexible routing capabilities – meaning that it’s easy for our crew to deliver what’s required by our clients. On top of this, the reliability of SD-Racks and Optocore are important to us when we are doing back-to-back shows and there is limited time for troubleshooting.’
When the MCEC looked to expand its large-format console resources, the 338s won through on performance and a demo at a local event. ‘Stand-out reasons for me were the enhanced screen space and Nodal Processing,’ Pfundt expands. ‘The Mustard Processing and the Spice Rack are also pretty great, and we’re looking forward to the addition of more effects modules being added to the Spice Rack soon.. Also, having spent quality time with them, I’m impressed by how quiet they are. I think I’ve only heard the fans spin up twice, and they were barely audible.
‘We’re anticipating the 338s being a rider friendly console for touring shows where a little more than what the SD10 can provide is needed,’ adds. ‘Outside of that, the Nodal Processing makes it a great monitors option, not to mention the possibilities it opens in the hybrid event space.’
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