VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018 – As one of the fastest growing schools in the nation, Regent University has invested in all aspects of campus life to ensure it remains a leading Christian university. This includes enhancing the production quality of weekly academic, worship, and music events held in various spaces across campus, such as its 1,000-seat chapel. The school’s Media Services Department began migrating to a campus-wide Dante® network to provide an improved workflow for front of house personnel. Dante-enabled solutions from Studio Technologies, manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, have been a key asset for Regent’s production team during the transition from a traditional audio environment. The Model 362 Listen-Only Beltpack has proved particularly useful for production personnel, speakers, and musicians, with each unit providing two channels of high-quality audio at any campus location where (PoE) network capability is accessible.
James Maurer, Director of Media Services at Regent University, says the aging intercom system in the university’s chapel and communications building made it difficult to consistently obtain acceptable audio performance. When the school began converting over to a Dante network two years ago, Studio Technologies’ Dante-enabled intercom solutions enabled Regent to easily achieve improved audio delivery and enhanced user satisfaction. The department initially purchased two Model 362 beltpacks, a self-contained user device that supports reliable, high-quality headphone monitoring of two audio channels over any Dante network. The university now has eight Model 362 beltpacks, along with a Model 44D Dante Audio Interface, Model 374 Intercom Beltpack, and a Model 5422 Dante Intercom Audio Engine.
The Model 362 has provided Regent’s Media Services Department with an audio monitoring option it previously lacked with its older infrastructure. Production personnel can now guarantee speakers and musicians access to live audio monitoring virtually anywhere on campus. Additionally, since the university hasn’t fully converted to Dante audio delivery, Maurer says other analog-to-Dante interface devices offered by Studio Technologies have allowed production personnel to seamlessly run audio through both the school’s older system and the new Dante network.
“We were looking for a way to easily send an in-ear mix to musicians and speakers,” says Justin Fugett, Audio Operator at Regent University. “Like many churches with traditional audio infrastructures, we didn’t have physical mic lines on stage to establish audio return channels. With Studio Technologies’ Dante products, we can easily transport high-quality audio down a single connector line anywhere on campus.”
Fugett adds that the Model 362 has been particularly well-received by musicians performing in the university’s chapel. Performers appreciate the benefit of having a small, compact means of receiving a high-quality audio mix while on stage. The beltpack’s ¼-inch and 3.5mm output options cater to their specific needs, as performers can choose to connect either in-ear or over-ear headphones. Above all, musicians have praised the units’ pristine audio quality, delivered in stereo with configuration capabilities that allow for balance control and other live audio adjustments.
“We provided the beltpacks to musicians who are extremely particular when it comes to onstage audio, and they were just blown away by the units’ fantastic sound quality,” says Fugett. “Everything sounds so much clearer with the Model 362, the musicians can hear distortions and other imperfections with their instruments that they hadn’t noticed before.”
Moving forward, Fugett plans on using the beltpacks for a monthly concert during Regent’s upcoming fall semester. Maurer adds that they will eventually convert the university’s entire intercom system to the Dante network, which will hopefully involve the addition of more Studio Technologies products, like the Model 5401 Dante Master Clock.
For more information on the Model 362 Beltpacks and other Studio Technologies products, visit www.studio-tech.com.
About Studio Technologies, Inc.
Studio Technologies, Inc. provides tailored, high-performance video, audio and fiber optic products for the professional audio and broadcast markets. Founded in 1978, the company is committed to designing and manufacturing dependable, cost-effective, and creative solutions for studio and mobile broadcast, stadium and corporate environments, and related applications. Known for “designing for the way professionals work,” the company is recognized as an industry leader. Product categories include fiber-optic transport, intercom and IFB interfaces, announcer’s consoles, and loudspeaker monitor control systems. A growing line of Dante-enabled audio-over-Ethernet products is receiving wide recognition. For more information, please visit the Studio Technologies website at www.studio-tech.com or call 847.676.9177.
