Wayne Carlson, Harrah's sound supervisor for 17 years, is using two all-digital Lake Contour processors to control the entire main Meyer Sound speaker system, which he put together with the help of Glenn Hatch of Audio West, a system design and supply company. The Lake Contours are integrated with a wireless access point for remote control from a wireless tablet using Lake Controller software. Each unit offers two inputs and six outputs and provides powerful DSP-based EQ and processing, such as crossovers, dynamics, and delays. "There's one Lake Contour unit that controls the line arrays on each side, left and right," explained Hatch. "On each side, Output 1 is the top Milo system, Output 2 is the bottom two Milos, and Output Three the UPA-1P. The second Lake Contour unit controls the centre cluster and the front-fill."
Carlson had already encountered the Lake Contour unit many times in touring systems while overseeing production audio at the 6,000-seat summer outdoor concert series at the nearby Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino and Resort, another Harrah's property. "I was very impressed with the sonic qualities of it," said Carlson. "When we were talking about what would be best here and Glenn suggested the Lake Contour, I said that would be perfect for the system."
Carlson is particularly impressed with the wireless tablet access to the Lake Controller software, particularly since he and Hatch discovered that they could piggyback Meyer Sound's monitoring software onto the same platform. "I walk around the room with it all the time," Carlson reported. "I'm able to monitor everything and do whatever I need to do. I love the Lake Contour. The digital all-pass feature is off the Richter scale!"
The South Shore Room's chairs are cleared away from the main seating area Thursday through Sunday to create the Altitude Nightclub. "We transform the room but use the same sound system," said Carlson. The room also hosts special events, including high-roller parties and corporate meetings.
(Lee Baldock)
