Allen & Heath Digital Mixer Nixes Bah Humbug Holiday for Southwest Christian High School in Minnesota

	Louis Clemente instructs students at SWCHS on the GLD-80

Southwest Christian High School (SWCHS) recently installed an Allen & Heath GLD-80 digital console just in time for its big theater production of A Christmas Carol. SWCHS, a college-prep high school located outside the Twin Cities, Minnesota, contracted Audio Video Electronics (AVE), a design integrator in the Midwest, to design a new system to replace their old, inadequate one.

"There were a lot of parameters we were working with when designing this system," explained Caleb Dick, AVE account manager. "We needed an excellent sounding console with a digital snake that integrated with a personal mixing system. It had to be expandable yet fit a tight budget."

The GLD-80 met all the criteria better than any other option on the market. In addition, it paired well with other top¬-of-the-line components AVE specked out such as the Danley speakers and subwoofer.

Celebration Church shares space at SWCHS for its services. The youth pastor, Louis Clemente, also doubles as sound engineer for both the church and the school. He has been a long-time Allen & Heath fan, but had never used a digital console.

"The GLD-80 does not sacrifice quality or capability under the guise of being easy to use," said Clemente. "The console brings the same great sound I'm used to from Allen & Heath analog mixers, which in my opinion is unmatched by any other company."

One of the biggest challenges designing the system was it had to be easy enough for high school students and volunteers to operate. Clemente is working with the students, instructing them on the board during weekly band rehearsals.

"There is a learning curve for novices to be sure, but the students are catching on thanks to the intuitive nature of the console and technology they are familiar with," says Clemente. "The board has no lag time and the touch screen menu allows the user to move things around with the touch of a finger."

The powerful user profile editor on the GLD-80 works well in an environment where both students and techs share a console. The GLD-80 allows for scenes to be set and saved and the board locked down restricting students and volunteers to the use of just two buttons. When more advanced techs are at the console, a passcode can be entered to allow full access.