The University of Iowa knows how to maximize value. Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the
15,500-seat multipurpose indoor venue located in Iowa City that is home to the
school’s legendary Hawkeyes basketball team—as well as the university’s wrestling,
women’s basketball and volleyball teams—opened in 1983 and the sound system
that was installed there then was the same one that fans listened to up until 2016.

When the school decided to upgrade the venue’s sound, its technology rep company,
Sound Concepts, which is also the systems operator for the venue, knew that the
school would be expecting that same kind of longevity from the next system, so it
specified a DiGiCo S21 digital console knowing that DiGiCo reliability can be
expected to see this new mixer through many upcoming years of unwavering
service. In addition, the school also purchased DiGiCo’s Purple Box MADI/Optical
converter and a D-Rack, both housed in a single deployable case.

The DiGiCo S21, which was installed by AV systems integrator Parsons Audio,
solves more than just the issue of durability. Marvin Smejkal, President of Sound
Concepts, noted that the budget for the sound system’s renovation was cut
substantially from initial estimates. That made the choice of the S21—a marvel of
value engineering—even more critical to the success of the project.

“Nothing comes close to what the S21 can offer at that price point,’ Smejkal states.
“I knew I wanted a DiGiCo console for this project’—Sound Concepts has specified
or installed them for numerous other projects, including for the University of Iowa’s
Kinnick Stadium and the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, as well as several in
the company’s rental inventory—”but the budget wouldn’t have allowed for one of
the SD series consoles. However, the S21 delivers so much functionality for an
incredibly cost-effective price.’

Smejkal cites the inclusion of the Purple Box fibre interfaces with the S21 and the
D-Rack; this was important because the project required the use of existing limited
cable conduit between the FOH position, the racks and the arena floor. “We needed
to use fibre because of the limited amount of conduit and the long length of the
cable runs,’ he says. “The S21 package addressed that.’

The Purple Box MADI/Optical converter brought the new system even more signal-
transport flexibility. Smejkal enumerates a few of the S21’s capabilities, such as its
40 Flexi Input channels, 10×8 full processing matrix, 16 assignable graphic
equalizers, and Dante connectivity (which allowed the S21 to interface with the Q-
SYS network connecting the PA system’s amplifiers at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena),
concluding, “So much of what the S21 can do—and that’s a lot—is included in the
price. For a situation like this, with a limited budget but high expectations, the
DiGiCo S21 is the only real solution.’

For more info on University of Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, visit www.hawkeyesports.com. Sound
Concept and Parsons Audio can also both be found online at www.soundconceptsinc.com and www.paudio.com, respectively.