Direct Pro Audio and OmahaNightLife.com Team up to Rock the CWS

As the NCAA College World Series moves to its new home at TD Ameritrade Park in Downtown Omaha, Direct Pro Audio and a number of local promoters, DJs and business owners including OmahaNightLife.com have teamed up to rock the party atmosphere. Direct Pro Audio has provided nearly one dozen separate sound systems for various bars and clubs, private parties, and outdoor beer gardens.


Union Pizzeria and Sports Bar
 The Union Pizzeria and Sports Bar, will host the biggest party downtown from June 17th to the 29th, if necessary. With two indoor areas, one large patio, and a giant tent in back to support all the headliners for the weeks.  With such acts as Screaming for Silence outside and DJ Shift D inside, along with many others every night, where else would you go!


With a breakfast and bloody mary bar from 7 to 10 each day, lunch, dinner, and live music every night, this will be the hottest party downtown!


Farrels
Farrells and Famous Daves are teaming up this year and are going to have one of the best tents in town for this years CWS, its gonna be a ZOO!!!  $4 beers, $5 cocktails, shot specials, and food By Famous Daves! They will have DJs every night to keep the party going well after the game until 2AM!


The Underground
Located on Howard Street in the historic Old Market (below The French Cafe'), The Underground (AKA The French Underground) is a staple in the downtown Omaha bar scene. But, we are so much more! The Underground is the home to amazing drink specials like the ever-popular $2 Long Island Iced Tea!


Club Irie
Irie is a diverse and eclectic venue which appeals to everyone. Whether you are looking to start your night or end your night at Irie once you join us you won’t want to leave! It is three floors and the best time you can have in Omaha! They offer the largest beer garden in all of the Old Market with great specials.


Direct Pro Audio installed the sound system at Irie when it opened in 2008, and it has been moving crowds in the Old Market for over 3 years.


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So if you have a good time downtown this year for the CWS, you were probably partying with Direct Pro Audio! 

Direct Pro Audio and Renkus-Heinz Iconyx Tames a Legendary Challenge

Durham Museum’s Famously Cavernous Acoustics Under Control with IC16

Omaha, NE. For history buffs, the idea of turning a classic old train station into a museum scores high on the Really Cool Ideas scale. For the person tasked with designing a sound system for said museum, not so much.

When it opened in 1929, Omaha’s Union Station represented the city’s burgeoning growth as a railway hub and a gateway to the west. Hailed as one of the Midwest’s finest examples of Art Deco architecture, the station remained a hub of activity until the decline of the nation’s rail era, finally shuttered in 1971. Two years later the Union Pacific Company donated the building to the City of Omaha, who opened the Western Heritage Museum in 1975. A $22m renovation in 1995 was funded largely by civic leader Charles Durham, with the museum renamed in his honor. While no train station has ever won praise for its acoustics, the Museum’s home is even more challenging than most. With its soaring ceilings, abundant glass and no shortage of hard surfaces, it’s a space so acoustically live that even minor background noise generates a din that challenges the intelligibility of most normal conversation. Bringing that environment under control was the task at hand for Omaha-based Direct Pro Audio, and as DPA’s John Manhart explains, the project turned out somewhat different than expected. “My original design concept called for four Renkus-Heinz Iconyx IC16 arrays,” says Manhart. “Ben Shipman of Audio Video Associates in St. Louis had provided the Museum with a demo system for an event, and it was so successful that a donor immediately provided money for the system.” The project took an unexpected turn when the museum board discovered that the building’s landmark status prevented them from making the necessary structural modifications. “They had to obtain special authorization, which could potentially take quite some time, or even completely derail the project,” says Manhart. As an interim solution, Manhart and DPA’s Dan Allen built a temporary system, setting the IC16s on tripods and pairing them with an SG12S-5 powered subwoofer. But rather than a short-term inconvenience, the system’s lack of a permanent fixed location has proven to be an asset. “Because the system is portable, they can use it in a variety of locations and in different configurations,” says Manhart. “They can set up in the Susanne and Walter Scott Great Hall, or in the smaller Swanson Gallery, or even outside on the grounds. We created a handful of presets, so they can easily change the steering and tuning to suit the space.” Iconyx’s steerable beam technology made the difference in a space once legendary for its bad sound, says Manhart. “It’s the most acoustically challenging room I’ve ever been in, and the IC16s provide clear, wonderfully voiced sound without agitating the space too much. The beam steering enables us to place the sound exactly where we want it, and nowhere else.” Not surprisingly, there’s no rush to make a final decision on permanent installation for the system. “Sooner or later they might decide to install them, but for now they’re really enjoying the flexibility,” says Manhart. “The Museum’s staff have commented several times that they’ve never heard it sound so good.”

Back from NAMM 2011 with lots of great new products!

Direct Pro Audio is back from the 2011 NAMM Convention... this is our eighth consecutive year! The NAMM Show is one of the largest music product trade shows in the world, founded in 1901. It is held every January in Anaheim, California, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants, the International Music Products Association) has evolved from a national entity representing the interests of music products retailers to an international association including both commercial, reseller members, affiliates and manufacturers.

Direct Pro Audio attends the NAMM Show every year to meet up with our suppliers, and check out all of the new and cool products and specials. Sunny Orange County is a great break from the cold and snow of the Midwest!

 

This year we stayed in style in Newport Beach California at the Newport Beach Marriott. Holy smokes, look at that view! We had an ocean view, and were right next to all of the cool things to do at Fashion Island.


There are so many new and cool products! We are busy right now uploading them to Direct Pro Audio, and we will blog about them here and post links when they are up!

We started our trip to NAMM with the traditional stop at In-N-Out for a great burger! WOW, you can't get that burger experience anywhere else!

Friday night we had a great dinner with our good friends from Yorkville Sound at the Orange County Mining Company. There is no better view and no better steak dinner to be had in all of Southern California! We had a great night with Betty, Joe, and Errol.


Overall the show was a great success for Direct Pro Audio. We are working hard to price and upload all of the newest products we found at NAMM! So check back to our blog over the next couple of days!

JM

Direct Pro Audio Completes New Sound System for Fremont-Mills Iowa School Gym

Check out this cool sound system at the Fremont-Mills Iowa High School Gymnasium! The customer requested a system to be used for multiple events such as sports, assemblies, and theater performance. So we used a Rane RPM 26z as the main speaker processor to recall preset configurations based on the type of event.

The speaker system consisted of nine Community R.25TZ's that we mounted from the ceiling rafters to achieve even coverage throughout the gymnasium. We used Crown CDi amplifiers to  provide plenty of clean power to the speakers.

The system also includes four microphone jacks on the East and West sides of the gym. We included wired and wireless microphones and an portable media player interface.

We finished this cool little job on time and within budget!

Direct Pro Audio Provides Sound For the Durham Museum's Christmas at Union Station

Direct Pro Audio is proud to be the sound system provider for the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Join us for Christmas at Union Station 2010!


Direct Pro Audio has provided 4 Renkus-Heinz ICONYX IC-16 speakers and a wireless head end consisting of Audio-Technica 5000 series wireless microphone systems. The ICONYX digitally steered system provides beautifully clear sound for the entire Great Hall museum space, an extremely challenging acoustic environment. 


As the home to Omaha’s largest indoor Christmas tree, The Durham Museum’s Christmas at Union Station is one of the region’s most cherished traditions. Union Pacific Railroad began the tradition over 75 years ago by cutting down a Christmas tree from along its right of way in the Pacific Northwest and transporting it to Omaha’s Union Station. The tree greeted the thousands of passengers arriving on trains during the holiday season in the heyday of passenger rail service.


The Durham Museum, with the assistance of many community partners has continued the tradition by accepting donations of trees from local homeowners and putting it on display during the holiday season. Each year, Union Pacific employees cut down the tree and place it in The Durham’s Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall. Then the talented design team from Mangelsen’s decorates the tree.




Tree Lighting Ceremony Friday, November 26, 4-7PM
The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is a holiday favorite! Renowned vocalist, Michael Lyon will give a live performance in front of The Durham’s beautiful Christmas tree. His Frank Sinatra style of music is certain to put you in the holiday spirit. During this family-friendly event, you can also take part in cookie decorating, create holiday crafts in Mangelsen’s Craft Corner, and children can share wish lists with Santa and Mrs. Claus under the glow of the tree.

Direct Pro Audio Provides Harman Sound Solutions for Bar Louie Locations across the United States

Awarded "Concept of Tomorrow" by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine, Bar Louie is a casually cool neighborhood restaurant & bar, featuring warm, upbeat surroundings with contemporary photography, mosaic tiling, wood-paneled walls, modern lighting and plasma televisions. It is a favorite gathering place for family and friends.

Specializing in oversized sandwiches and artfully concocted signature cocktails, Bar Louie also offers an extensive selection of appetizers, pastas, entrees and a wide assortment of interesting beers, microbrews and wines by the glass or bottle.

Direct Pro Audio has provided professional sound equipment from the Harman family of brands, including JBL MRX speakers, Crown XTi amplifiers, and DBX Zone Pro processors to Bar Louie locations across the United States; including St. Louis and Kirkwood Missouri, Naperville Illinois, West Homestead and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Boyton Beach Florida, Evanston Illinois, and Milwaukee Wisconsin.

For more information about Bar Louie, visit http://www.BarLouieAmerica.com/.

To check out the extensive offerings of the Harman Family visit http://www.harman.com/EN-US/Pages/Home.aspx

Direct Pro Audio New Location Now Open!

Direct Pro Audio is proud to announce the opening of our new Omaha, Nebraska location! We are still in the process of moving, so please excuse a little mess.


Our new location in Omaha will provide local customers a more convenient location to find and shop from. We plan an updated and expanded sales experience with interactive lighting, sound and video demonstrations and more product in stock.

"We know this new location in Omaha will provide our customers with the best possible shopping experience in the Metro Area." said John Manhart, Partner with Direct Pro Audio LLC. "We look forward to inviting all our Metro area customers to our grand opening in early December 2010."

New Address:
4022 South 108th Street
Omaha, NE 68137

The new location is just north of 108th and 'I' streets. To access from Interstate 80 westbound or 680 southbound, exit on 'I' street and take a left (East). Drive to 108th Street and take a left (North). We will be on the left (West), just next to Oriental Trading Company.

To access from Interstate 80 eastbound, exit at 'L' street. Merge onto 'L' street then take a left (North) at 108th Street. Go north past 'I' street and we will be on the left (West), just next to Oriental Trading Company. 

From the north, we can be accessed from the Rockbrook Village area by going South from 108th and Center, and over Interstate 80.

Our phone numbers 866-444-8090 and 712-256-5446 will continue to work. Our new Omaha number will be 402-991-1488 and fax 402-991-1499.