A unique bar and music venue in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Cornerstone Tavern is actually three separate houses connected by a large communal patio, which can be separated or combined using a central bar area.
In the years before its recent audio upgrade, Cornerstone employed separate analogue processors for audio distribution in each respective house. ‘The system got complicated and overwhelming,’ says Scott Carneval, integrator and designer with Precision Audio in Raleigh. ‘There was buzz, among other issues. One of the old processors died and couldn’t be replaced. Allen & Heath’s AHM platform was the perfect replacement.’
All of the houses are now networked, each controlling their own front patio, a side patio, and the indoor sound, in addition to the rear patio. Up to five DJs can perform simultaneously, with each zone choosing which DJ they listen to. A standard music streaming device is also an available option for listening, along with one of eight TV feeds.
A 64x64 Allen & Heath AHM-64 processor is at the heart of the upgraded audio system, with an AR2412 I/O expander in one house, and an AR84 in another, allowing for plug-and-play distributed inputs and outputs for DJs and TV feeds.
The team at Precision Audio also built a custom application for the end-users to control and manage their audio system using Allen & Heath’s free Custom Control platform. Custom Control allows installers to design tailored applications using intuitive drag-and-drop editing software. The custom application can then be loaded on any Android, iOS, Windows, or MacOS device – as well as pre-configured Allen & Heath CC touch panels.
‘Building out the iPad and iPhone apps was straightforward and easy – it just works,’ Carneval says. ‘We were hesitant to pass digital audio from one building to another, but the system is rock solid. They’ve had no issues and we’ve had no support calls since the integration.’
More: www.allen-heath.com
