Dennis O'Shea, the MCA's manager of technical production, recently added a second eight-channel TRUE Systems Precision 8 preamp/DI to the auditorium's reinforcement and archival system so that all 16 recording channels could benefit from the Precision 8's clean, warm sound.
The MCA bought the original Precision 8 after upgrading to a Yamaha DM1000 digital mixer. O'Shea explained, "We switched over from the typical 'barge' board to get something smaller and to take advantage of digital memory. With the addition of the 16 Precision pres we've added a very exclusive layer to the board. The Precision 8 has a warmth, clarity, and consistency that's unlike any other mic pre I've sampled before. Since it's honest and uncoloured, it serves all of the varied musical styles that play the MCA nicely."
In addition to live reinforcement, the MCA archives performances to hard drive or digital tape through a 16-channel Aurora converter, bypassing the console altogether. With the second unit, all 16 channels are now fed by TRUE Systems pres.
(Jim Evans)
