"The Thunder organization contacted me and they were concerned that Ford Center's sound system wasn't adequate to handle the playoffs," says Jerry Hooper, owner of Hooper Sound Production Services in Norman, Oklahoma. "The Thunder fans are among the loudest in the NBA, and a playoff scenario against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers was sure to test the limits of the current system.
"They asked what should be done to give them the best results, and we determined that the analogue FOH console was the weakest link in their situation." Hooper consulted with the house sound engineer for the arena, Jeremy Griffin, and recommended the Allen & Heath iLive, largely for its ability to be quickly integrated. "We brought in an iLive-144 console and tied it into the existing sound system. In about three hours, we had it all plugged in, checked out, and ready to rock."
"With our system, it's not really a question of channel count. It's more about flexibility," notes FOH engineer Jeremy Griffin. Audio sources include the PA announcer, video playback system, music from two DJs, a CD player, and four wireless mics that are used for everything from vocal groups to drums as the occasion demands.
"The wireless mics are the biggest challenge. During the course of the game, I might be asked to cover almost anything using those mics, because you can't run cables out onto the court. Everything happens on the fly, and you can't use the same mics for choirs and percussion and expect both to sound good. But the iLive changed all that instantly. I just set up different EQs, duplicate the channels and put them anywhere I want on the surface, then call them up when I need them."
(Jim Evans)
