Allen & Heath Touches Down at Carter-Finley Stadium

Raleigh, NC (November 11, 2024)—When you have a Division I football team that plays in one of the largest stadiums in the U.S., able to host nearly 57,000 screaming fans at a time, it needs to have an up-to-date audio system. That’s exactly what North Carolina State University in Raleigh ensured recently when it renovated the audio system at Carter-Finley Stadium with the help of integrator Precision Audio, based in Raleigh.

The previous system was outdated, unreliable and unable to provide the sound clarity and control necessary, so when the university prepared for a major scoreboard renovation, the opportunity to reassess the audio system was too good to pass up. Precision Audio was brought in to handle design and implementation of the new system

At the heart of the new sound system is Allen & Heath’s AHM-64 audio matrix processor, which handles the distribution, tuning, and control of the stadium’s P.A. system, including not just the field and main seating areas but also concourses, suites, clubs, lobbies, elevators and more. In all, five CC-10 touch panels run Allen & Heath’s Custom Control software, allowing localized and system-wide control accessible to both technical staff and non-expert users like coaches and game-day staff.

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Several Dante-enabled DT164 and DT168 I/O audio expanders were deployed around the field, providing numerous remote inputs and instant access to audio feeds. Additionally, four DX012 output expanders are deployed in the concourses and amp room to feed the facility’s Danley Sound Labs PA.

For live events, including football games, the venue’s Allen & Heath dLive mixing system, based around a DM0 MixRack and a C3500 Surface is used to mix the DJ, referee mics, host mics and a P.A. announcer, distributing the audio across a half-dozen matrices to the AHM-64 for further processing and control, as well as local recording and broadcast facilities.

One of the standout features of the new system is its ability to cater to different areas of the stadium. The clubs and suites, which host some of the university’s passionate alumni and key influencers, can select between various audio feeds. If they’d prefer to listen to the direct audio feed from the dLive, it’s available on the AHM at the touch of a button. If they’d rather listen to the game feed from the local radio for a play-by-play, that’s also an option.