IOWA CITY, Iowa - May 2015 -- As the only stadium named after a Heisman trophy winner, Iowa City's historic Kinnick Stadium home to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes is known for its pink visitor's locker room, large seating capacity (70,585, which would make it the fifth most populous city in the state of Iowa on game day, if the stadium were a city), and, as of the 2014-2015 football season, one of the best single-source stadium audio systems ever built.
Powered by nearly 150,000 watts of Lab.gruppen amplifiers driving Danley Sound Labs speakers, Kinnick's new audio system is controlled by a pair of DiGiCo SD11 audio mixing consoles. The dual mixing console design was proposed by system operator and rep firm Sound Concepts Inc., which worked closely with audio system consultant Anthony James Partners on the new design.
The two DiGiCo mixing consoles are redundantly linked via token-ring fiber, so either board can seamlessly take over full system operation at any time even if a fiber connection is severed. One mixing console is primarily used to mix Front of House for the main stadium areas: seating, concourses, entrance gates and restroom areas, as well as audio feeds to TV and radio. The second console is used for Back of House mixing: indoor seating, private boxes and other indoor areas.
The game-day audio mixing demands are extensive, says Sound Concepts Owner Marvin Smejkal, but the DiGiCo platform covers all the bases from redundant backup to mix minus on the field. System operators utilize the DiGiCo SD11s to achieve precise control of this powerful and complex new audio system.
Real estate in the Kinnick Stadium press box, where the audio system controls are located, is at a premium, so extremely capable mixing consoles with a compact footprint were required. The SD11 provides the most advanced fingertip control for a console of its size. Features such as the ability to assign both the primary and redundant head referee microphones to a single slider and completely customizable output zone controls make the SD11 platform the ideal fit for mixing audio during football games and other events for which the stadium is used.
The stadium's new sound system is structured like a distributed system, although all of the speakers are physically configured in a point source location within the scoreboard. The audio system is engineered to provide consistent sound coverage to all areas of the stadium bowl; however, using Danley Sound Lab's Synergy Horn speakers, individual control of each zone is possible.
This zone control allows us to adjust for wind, weather, ambient noise or inconsistently filled seating sections, says Smejkal. With the SD11, we are able to maintain consistent EQing in each zone, yet vary volume.
Kinnick's audio system has four layers of redundancy, starting with primary Dante, followed by a redundant Dante network (on a completely separate, standalone data/fiber system), AES and analog. The system can be operated remotely with the DiGiCo app and from the field during practice. Using the DiGiCo desks, volumes to individual zones are configured differently for pre-game without fans, pre-game with fans, and even during the game to compensate for crowd noise. According to the system's operators, Complex audio system operation is made easy with our powerful new DiGiCo tools!
For information on Kinnick Stadium, visit www.hawkeyesports.com/facilities/kinnick-stadium.html, while Cedar Rapids-based Sound Concepts Inc. can be found online at www.soundconceptsinc.com.
DiGiCo Press Contacts
David Webster at DiGiCo
Tel: +44 1372 845600
Email: webby@DiGiConsoles.com
Chris Shuler at Public Address
Tel: +1 269 815 5055
Email: christophershuler@comcast.net
Images: (Marvin Smejkal to provide)
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering many of the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced the launch of In-Scene Advertising, a new monetiza...
05/06/2026
Berklee Study Reveals Video Has Become Essential to Music Careers Survey findings show social platforms have become the primary source of music for video cont...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
IOWA CITY, Iowa - May 2015 -- As the only stadium named after a Heisman trophy winner, Iowa City's historic Kinnick Stadium home to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes is known for its pink visitor's locker room, large seating capacity (70,585, which would make it the fifth most populous city in the state of Iowa on game day, if the stadium were a city), and, as of the 2014-2015 football season, one of the best single-source stadium audio systems ever built.
