Symetrix Scene e-Zine April by Creative Fuel Design Studio

04/2022 ISSUE 02

Inspired AV Processing & Control Solutions

Q&A: APPLICATIONS ENGINEERS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AVE & SYMETRIX: MAKING CONNECTIONS FOR DECADES CASE STUDY: ‘HOLLYWOOD’-STYLE STEAKHOUSE

Are you a fan of Symetrix products and have a project that you think will make for an interesting project profile? Do you have an idea for an article or industry related news story? We look forward to working with you on an article or news story in our magazine. Reach us at marketing@symetrix.co. Share and subscribe for future issues.

Letter from CEO

AVE & Symetrix: Making Connections

Resilience, Why I Love Our Customers, and Unicorns

Symetrix Care Team

Hallelujah! Audio System Solutions

Meet the Symetrix Sales Team

Q&A: Symetrix Applications Engineers & Professional Services

Case Study: ‘Old-Hollywood’-Style Steakhouse on Lovers Lane Chooses Symetrix

Director of Sales & Marketing Ty Hawley Creative Director Bob Ale-Ebrahim Editor Rachelle Graham Graphic Designer Unmi Yank

Contributing Authors Bob Ale-Ebrahim Mark Graham Ty Hawley Scott Wrege Paul Lamarre Don Zadunayski Dan Lynch Scott Woolley Quinn Klarer Taylor Stanley Rachelle Graham

Contributing Photographers AlleyCat AV Unmi Yank

After dinner one evening, I was talking with a friend about his business. I have known him for over 20 years and during that time watched as his business blossomed and grew into a world leader, employing hundreds of people and providing them generous compensation, benefits, and personal growth opportunities. During this time, they had also developed deep relationships within their community and were a reliable source for help whenever called upon. However, neither the success of his business, nor the benefits provided to its employees, nor the meaningful community impact was the central topic of our conversation. My friend was relating to me how in the early days he often had to borrow money, and regularly worked through a weekend without sleep to ensure a project was completed on time so that he could collect payment from his client and make payroll the next week. I was struck at the time thinking “What would have happened if he hadn’t taken the risks, or made the sacrifices, or worked so doggedly hard to make that business successful?” Surely, the world would be a lesser place for its absence. It’s a meaningful question. Pause a moment and ask yourself: What would the world be like if the business you are working in went away? Likely, the world is a better place because the business you’re in exists. Your work and sacrifices are helping a business succeed and therefore have the economic power to take care of its people and contribute positively to its industry and community.

Three years ago, Rachelle and I bought Symetrix with this thought: A healthy business with an ethical conscience is a powerful force for good. After 30 years in the professional A/V business, with much of my time spent on the road, it had long been our dream to end the travel related separations, work together and do some good in the world. We wanted to operate a business to our own principles and values. We wanted to be a part of a team that enables people to thrive and grow, and out of that overflow, be a benefit to our community and worthy causes around the world. As an organization that had long been supporting its people and community in positive ways, Symetrix was a perfect fit. Now, three years in with Symetrix, I look around and am delighted and inspired by the team I see thriving around me. I see generosity, support beyond the workplace, kindness, individuals and teams growing and caring genuinely for each other, and a real sense of family. I see homeless families being helped, a very poor village and school being supported, and orphans receiving an education, care and belonging because of the work of the SymFamily. Feeling the stress of supply disruption? Weary from concern over pandemics, wars, and cultural upheaval? Let me encourage you. Stop for a moment and think about the difference you are making in the world. Because you work, and sacrifice, and care, the world is a better place.

Mark Graham Owner & CEO of Symetrix

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by Ty Hawley February was one of the toughest months of my career. Let’s face it, the last couple years have been trying for all of us. Too much has been asked. We’re exhausted. February was the toughest yet for me, personally. I faced the most difficult conversations of my career. I had to share tough news with many of you and I was terrified to disappoint you in so many ways. Until then, I had never experienced a situation where I could relate to the social media posts you see with little graphics that say things like “we’re in this together”. Throughout the last few years in these moments of adversity, and particularly this past February, you have shown me that we are in this together and I am completely blown away and humbled by so many of you. You have shown the highest character, strength, and class. In these moments where I had to face you and break tough news to you, during your own struggles, you greeted me with encouragement and support and this humbled me in ways I have never experienced. 05

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There were multiple times in February that I found myself in tears, not because things were hard (although that happened too!), but because you said something to me that touched me so deeply and I was so grateful for you in these moments. In fact, on one occasion Bob, our Marketing Manager, walked into my office, stopped, and looked at me confused as he noticed I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I simply said “I love our customers. We have the best customers.” Some direct quotes from you:

“ Ty, tough times don’t last. Tough people do.” “ Don’t let the tough stuff get you down! You are better than the tough stuff.” “ Keep your chin up – it will all be fine in the end.” “ Ty, we’re like superheroes, we fight the good fight and do what we can to keep things going.” “ We’re a fan of your products and company, and that isn’t changing.”

Brad Holmes, from Audio Video Exclusives (also featured in the E-Zine this month!!) called to check in on product a few times and each time he always asked me “how are you guys doing?” and it really meant a lot to me. I also made a new connection on LinkedIn. We decided to meet for a call and learn more about each other’s businesses; however, when we joined the call, we just found ourselves supporting and encouraging each other. This particular person shared with me that just that very morning an event they were hired for and were really looking forward to was canceled due to concerns about Omicron and in return I shared about the challenges we were facing with supply chain and project delays and in the end we just supported each other. She shared with me all the things she was keeping near her desk that help her to remain resilient and that inspired me. 07

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Queue… resilience. It certainly comes across as a buzzword, but it’s a term that has been heavy on my mind lately. So really, what does it mean to be resilient? According to Psychologytoday.com, “Resilience is the psychological quality that allows some people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back at least as strong as before. Rather than letting difficulties, traumatic events, or failure overcome them and drain their resolve, highly resilient people find a way to change course, emotionally heal, and continue moving toward their goals.” Work presents many new challenges daily, I have a sevenyear-old little boy, I am married, and I am going to school full time in the evenings. I don’t have a choice but to be resilient. But I don’t want to just have to be resilient, I want to choose resilience. I want to find a way to change course and continue moving towards my goals. I don’t want to be at least as strong as before, I want to be stronger. But how? Another saying from one of you…

“ Stress is like a bag of bricks. Each morning, you decide if you’re going to pick it up or not. You don’t have to pick it up.” I don’t have to choose stress. If I feel tempted to be stressed, my method of changing course is to turn on some pop music or maybe some disco (no shame!!) and try to have fun. I like to have dance parties on the way to work while listening to Miley Cyrus. I’ve been known to randomly start blaring Spice Girls or KEXP throughout the office. I also have a stuffed unicorn that I keep at my desk named Princess Gergen. Ok… there is more than one unicorn at my desk and there may be several unicorns around our office…and I may have sent our sales team their own personal desk unicorns… One final note on how I am practicing resilience is gratitude. I have a lot to be thankful for, but I am especially thankful for our customers! We have the best customers in the world! I’m thankful for everything each of you are doing out there. I’m thankful for your kind words and encouragement. I am thankful for all the unicorn and superhero pictures you’ve sent me, and I want to encourage you the way you have encouraged me. We’re in this together. I’m proud of you. I’m proud of my team. We keep showing up and when we are put to the test, we see how strong we really are. We are resilient. We are the #symfamily.

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by Bob Ale-Ebrahim Houses of worship are singing the praises of Symetrix audio system solutions. Ay Symetrix, we manufacture products that provide superior quality and integrate seamlessly into audio systems. Born out of a recording studio in 1976, our Seattle-based company is a leader in high-performance audio hardware, software, and AV control systems. Backed by award-winning technical support and customer care, our reputation is built on innovation and craftsmanship. Symetrix products are known for their superior sound quality, reliability and how easy they are to use. From the pastor to the choir leader to the kids in a classroom, Symetrix products are intuitive and solve a heavenly host of audio needs.

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Now, in the COVID-19 era, technology has added another dimension to how worshippers come together and experience services. Before COVID-19, live-streaming services were only an option for congregations, but since the onset of the pandemic, live-streaming is mandatory for their survival. According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, the mode of delivery of worship services was a major factor in whether median attendance increased or fell. For example, the 15 percent of churches that met solely in person saw the steepest decline in attendance—15.7 percent. The 5 percent of congregations that offered only online worship had a decline of 7.3 percent. But the 80 percent of congregations offering hybrid worship experienced an overall growth of 4.5 percent. So, having access to church services online is key to retention and growth. Quality, reliable systems that work online are where successful churches are putting their emphasis. Symetrix has audio system solutions to fit every situation, size, and budget. The pandemic has created new opportunities where working, learning, or worshipping from home is now commonplace. Many church meetings and classrooms are being held via a digital platform, which is an amazing blessing but also a significant challenge. Symetrix delivers high quality products, which are reliable and easy-to-use, to bolster these systems.

“ Symetrix products are perfect for Houses of Worship. All our products start with uncompromising sound quality, because if it doesn’t sound good, nothing else matters. Next, we ensure they all have the features needed for the system. This includes a plethora of full-featured DSP modules, flexible and powerful control options, and end-to-end design tools. Finally, we ensure the system is easy-to-use for all from technical employees to the volunteers. This requires a high level of customizations to allow designers to create touch screen user interfaces and remote-control options that cater to all the different users.” Ben Olswang Director of Product Management at Symetrix

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Leveraging Powerful Symetrix Quality Products For Simple Operation Symetrix Digital Signal Processors, (or DSPs) manipulate audio signals to achieve a specific goal. Some DSP systems work with video and others work with data. For example, a DSP system might include an algorithm that detects a primary audio source and isolates it from any unwanted noise, so that the signal is clearer. Symetrix offers a lineup of several DSPs including the popular Radius NX (4x4 or 12x8) that gives the end-user superior control of the networking of an audio system as well as modular I/O and onboard USB for audio playback and capture. Symetrix’s Composer DSP control software handles endto-end configuration of the system, including creation of customized GUIs, scheduling, presets, logic, security, and integration of Symetrix and third-party solutions. SymVue is the GUI interface that provides system control from a PC, tablet or smartphone with attractive, easily accessible multi-user screens created and tested offline without any script writing or coding. ARC-WEB allows users to access a browser-based interface via phones, tablets or computers to control volume, mute, source selection and other important parameters of their sound systems from devices they already own. Composer software offers the integrator many tools to create powerful ‘under the hood’ processes. For example, automatic mixing and dynamics control can result in a daily Mass which requires nothing more than one simple on/off interaction by the end user. At the same time, the Symetrix touch screens can be a unified and intuitive interface to control complex systems including video, lighting, power sequencing, cameras, and more. “The result is consistently excellent system performance, both in-person and online,” explains Richard Hembree of Griffith Sales. Users can control Symetrix DSP Systems with ARC, W or T Series Wall Panels and Remotes. They give the enduser simple and easy control, dramatically increasing the number of control devices that can be added to a Symetrixbased system. The T series Touchscreens are available in a 5- or 10-inch version. They have multiple page templates that can be quickly and easily designed with custom controls and unique backgrounds, and can be customized with your church logo. These control interfaces not only control the audio system but are capable of controlling things like lighting, video routing and displays.

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When It Comes To Sound Quality, Symetrix Delivers Symetrix has always been passionate about delivering the most pristine audio quality possible. The genesis of Symetrix over 40 years ago began with the pursuit of a higher fidelity audio standard in broadcast and recording studios. Manifesting our 40-year unrelenting pursuit of audio perfection, Symetrix DSPs are unmatched in this critical category. “The high quality of the audio, at a great price point, is one of the reasons why we use Symetrix and the customer support has always been fantastic,” said Joseph Ondrek, Shadowbox Design Management.

Symetrix Products Are Reliable And Easy-To-Use In a church setting, the primary people using the system are volunteers, so they need to know with certainty that everyone is connected to the service. “I find Symetrix products easy-to-use yet have the complexity to address all the needs at the same time. I absolutely love the ability to control every piece of gear on the network through the system; this was really important to me,” said Brian Webber, Install Tech and Programmer at Sacramento Production Services. Because of the global pandemic, the arm of ministry now has a greater reach in today’s world. The distribution of worship services extends to in-person, remote consumption, classroom, lobby, exterior spaces, and other specified zones. We have excellent products to help extend the “reach” of your ministry. The services that were once contained to the in-person worship environment are now blessing people as they drive, work, and connect from home. As many churches have discovered, producing quality content is easy to discuss but hard to accomplish in real life. The purpose of houses of worship are to spread their message, and having the technology in place requires quality, reliability, and easy-to-use audio systems. Symetrix has solutions to elevate the worship experience in any space. Learn more at www.symetrix.co/all-products or call 425-778-7728.

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Symetrix Applications Engineers & Professional Services

with Dan Lynch Principal Applications Engineer Team Lead 13 11

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Symetrix now has a dedicated team of Applications Engineers on staff. What exactly does that mean and how does it relate to tech support?

As a broad generalization, applications engineering is the thing that happen before the sale, or really before the system is turned over to the end user, and then tech support is everything that happens after end user turnover. So, for example, if your building was struck by lightning and the DSP is fried, that would be a conversation for tech support, not applications engineering. Tech support would be able to generate an RA for you to get that device repaired and shipped back to you. On the other hand, if you want information about the functionality of a specific Symetrix DSP or if you’re trying to figure out exactly how a certain DSP will interface with another manufacturer’s products, that’s exactly when you want to contact your applications engineers. An applications engineer can help you work through how to meet a specific bid spec or how to accomplish specific goals with a DSP. All of that sort of thing is loosely referred to as “hardware and software functionality assistance.” We sometimes also refer to “advanced system functionality assistance.” That could be a consultant or design-build firm who is trying to really push the envelope with specific 3rd-party hardware, or it could be other manufacturers who want to verify how their products work with Symetrix products. In cases like that, we can have the 3rd-party hardware shipped to a Symetrix applications engineer and the apps engineer can build a proof of concept to show exactly how the hardware will work together.

Is that a paid service per project or per device?

That’s one of the ways that applications engineering is similar to tech support. We provide a lot of free services to the dealers. Hardware and software functionality assistance as well as advance system functionality assistance are examples of free services we provide. Another one that’s often overlooked is design verification. After a system has been programmed in Composer, a Symetrix dealer can contact an applications engineer to go over that system with them and do a couple of things. First, an applications engineer can verify that the system as programmed will do what the system designer intends it to do. In some ways this is like proofreading something that’s written in a foreign language. If the system designer tells us what it’s supposed say, we can check to see if that’s what it really does say. For example, a system might have 12 zones of page ducking. So, if the sidechain mute for one of those zones is accidentally on, the music in that zone will still duck just fine, but you’ll never hear the page. There are lots of little details like that, that are really easy to miss when you’ve been looking at the same site file every day for a week, but they can jump out and be very obvious when you’re looking at a site file for the first time. The other aspect of design verification is identifying whether there’s a simpler or less expensive way to accomplish what needs to be done. An applications engineer can often identify ways to reduce DSP usage in a site or in some cases even eliminate some of the hardware to make a system less expensive.

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What sort of things would Professional Services include?

To take advantage of those services, the site file needs to be complete or nearly complete. What happens if you’re not sure which hardware you need or how it needs to be configured?

The most requested feature of pro services is site file creation. Starting from a system spec or an input/output list, Symetrix applications engineers can generate a quote for creating the site file for that system. That includes audio and logic programming, labeling everything in the site file, creating custom SymVue panels, programming remotes, defining presets, and anything else needed to fully program the system. When we’re finished, all the dealer needs to do is locate the hardware on site and push the site file to the hardware.

How expensive is a site file creation?

Applications engineers also provide design assistance as a free service. That basically means you need to explain your system to me and I’ll tell you which hardware you need and how to program it. The big variable there is how you “explain” your system. If you have a consultant spec or a bid spec of some sort, you can forward the whole thing to us. If all you have is an excel file with a list of system inputs and outputs, that’s fine too. We can combine that with a description from you of how you want to use the system and generate a complete equipment list and site programming description for you.

That depends on the system. A music system for a sports bar with one paging mic at the host stand will be a few hundred dollars. A football stadium with 3 club houses, a few dozen suites, 20+ restroom zones, 4 ticket booth atriums, etc. etc. etc., that will be a bit more expensive.

Once that’s happened, does the applications engineer create the Composer site file in that situation?

Another common customer for custom site file programming is the dealer who has a dedicated programmer on staff, but they’ve either won more jobs than expected this month or schedule changes have caused 5 big projects to all land in the same time period. We had one dealer who just had unlucky timing and all three of the people in his company who could program Symetrix site files were out with COVID at exactly the same time. In those cases, Symetrix can help with that temporary overflow and generate site files for those projects.

Everything that applications engineers do as a free service is focused on teaching our dealers more about the products and helping them understand how to use our products. There’s an entirely different category of services we provide called Symetrix Professional Services which are fee-based services. 15

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Customers for custom site file programming tend to fall into three broad categories. The first category is the dealers who might be doing fairly simple projects, and they could program the site files themselves, but they want their staff out installing systems rather than creating site files. So, for those dealers, it’s a better use of their staff’s time to have Symetrix generate the site files for them.

The third category is dealers who have won a project that’s a bit bigger than the projects they usually do or it’s a type of project they’ve never done before. Symetrix applications engineers have years of experience programming every possible type of system. So, whether it’s a performing arts theater, a stadium, a casino, or anything else, we can help make sure your site file is ready and perfect the day you walk on site. Another really important thing to remember about Symetrix professional services is the fact that we don’t give estimates, we provide quotes. If we say that it’s going to cost $480 to program the DSPs and remotes listed on your project, then the final bill for programming those DSPs and remotes is going to be $480. If there are more devices added halfway through the project or if somebody decides they need 8 more pages worth of controls added to a touchscreen, then there would obviously be a price adjustment, but the price isn’t going to change unless the hardware changes or the system requirements change.

At that point, is Symetrix taking responsibility for that system and making sure everything works? If we did that, then we would be in competition with our dealers. The dealer owns the project 100%. Whether it’s setting the EQs for the system, or teaching the customer how to use the system, or handling a warranty claim down the road, the project belongs to the dealer.

Which additional services would that be? We offer both remote and on-site commissioning assistance. For on-site assistance, we’ll send an applications engineer to your project site. For remote assistance, we use tools like TeamViewer to allow us to control the system on site. In both cases, we’re working with the dealer to provide that dealer with knowledgeable assistance while the dealer commissions the system. Remote commissioning assistance can be especially helpful on consultant driven projects where the consultant will be on site for a limited number of days to perform final commissioning and verification of the system. In those situations, every minute of each day is important and we can even schedule multiple applications engineers to trade off system control at different times of the day so the person who’s controlling the system is always fresh and isn’t getting fatigued by long days. Something similar is also available for end-user training. We can provide a quote to create the end user training materials and even assist with presenting the training to the end users either in-person or virtually online.

To watch other Q&A videos, CLICK HERE.

For some of those things, Symetrix Professional Services can be contracted to help with those services, but the project still belongs to the dealer.

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INTEGRATOR PROFILE

by Bob Ale-Ebrahim

Relationship With Symetrix Over The Years.

Long Time Symetrix Partners

“Audio Video Exclusives (AVE) is an integrator that provides services for the corporate world, including conference rooms, as well as in the hospitality, food & beverage, and retail industries. Their focus is on providing customized audio and video solutions, not just another cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all model. They know the businesses they serve have specific needs, depending on the industry, clientele or target audience. AVE has developed relationships with General Contractors, Engineers and Architects that rely on the quality of Symetrix products.

“Audio Video Exclusives has been using Symetrix audio system solutions since the early 2000’s,” explains owner Craig Holmes of AVE. “AVE is a small boutique, familyowned business and we started in 1989. We provide customized TV and music solutions for businesses. AVE first started using Symetrix with the SymNet 8x8 DSP. From that point on, Symetrix products have been our go-to audio system solution because of the quality and reliability of its products.” AVE’s relationship with Symetrix has grown over the years because we trust the quality, reliability, and the unmatched customer service.”

High Quality Products That Are Built To Last Brad Holmes, Senior Designer/Project Manager at AVE stated, “Symetrix is doing things in-house to make a high-quality product. A lot of these retail store clients have Symetrix products that have been installed for over 10 to 15 years. That speaks volumes to Symetrix’s quality and reliability. Our customers say the quality sounds better and we think so too.” Brad said, “We’re just trying to help our clients do their business, sell clothes or sell drinks or whatever it is they do. The whole system is transparent to them, and it just works.”

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Adding Value With Reliability And High Touch Customer Support Seth Howard, Director of Operations at AVE said, “We’re not just selling products, we’re selling solutions. Symetrix products are reliable and that’s why we specify them in our systems. The engineering team has the capacity to design complex TV and music systems that are specific to each client. Oftentimes, we back channel and work with the team at Symetrix to help design systems that create the perfect atmosphere for the business to keep endusers engaged, and customers entertained and coming back.” Howard added. “Another benefit of working with Symetrix is that they have a Tech Support Team and Field Applications Engineers who you can call to assist with a system design, troubleshooting or simply to ask a technical question. There have been times when we may have worked on a design for an hour, then decided to schedule a Team Viewer Session with Symetrix. After about 5 minutes on the team meeting one of the Senior Technical Sales Engineers will find a great solution. This kind of technical support is invaluable to us. We get better results because of the preparation we do on the back-end before the installation.” Another important factor now is that companies are demanding products that are reliable from a security standpoint. One such example is the program called “Code Adam”, which was initiated in 1993, after Adam Walsh a child who disappeared in a high-profile abduction case received nationwide attention. The program establishes a series of steps that store associates can follow if a child is reported missing. There are times when retail stores need to make important announcements over their PA system, such as details about an abducted child, active shooter, or a tornado warning. There are many important reasons why a store may need to make an announcement, so the products that deliver that information need to be reliable. Symetrix products deliver that reliability and can be trusted to work for years to come.

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“ We’re not just selling products, we’re selling solutions.” Seth Howard Director of Operations

Customer Service Pulls Through During Supply Chain Challenges Brad Holmes, Senior Designer/Project Manager at AVE observed, “When we pick up the phone, someone at Symetrix is always there to answer us. Even during the last two years of the Pandemic, Symetrix has been able to deliver. We’ve been facing a lot of out-of-the-box failures in the last few years with other products. Symetrix products have not had this issue, they are reliable.” Brad continued, “Our standard procedure is to bench test all products before we send them out to the field for an installation. Symetrix products are rock-solid and are consistently reliable.”

Foundation of Trust Audio Video Exclusives’ relationship with Symetrix over the last two decades has been built on the foundation of trust. They know that Symetrix products can be counted on for quality, reliability, and delivering top-of-the-line customer service. Symetrix’s mission is to design, manufacture and support innovative AV solutions focused on craftsmanship, performance, and the highest level of customer satisfaction.

To learn more about Audio Video Exclusives, please visit www.avexclusives.com To learn more about Symetrix products please visit www.symetrix.co/all-products To contact our Applications Engineering Team Lead, call Dan Lynch at 425-329-8283 or contact the Symetrix Tech Support Team at 425-778-7728, Ext 5 SYMETRIX SCENE > APRIL 2022

It’s hard to imagine a world where the corporate value of People is more needed and appreciated than what’s around us today. It’s so easy to get caught up in the struggles of life that thoughts about other people fall to the wayside. But research tells us, if we haven’t already discovered this for ourselves, that we actually feel less stressed and more positive when we help others. Helping People is the ultimate win-win scenario. People is one of Symetrix’s corporate values (People, Integrity and Excellence) and is one that resonates the most in our organization and beyond. Our People value includes not just the amazing individuals in our organization, but all those with whom we have the privilege of doing business and working with toward objectives beyond just the business arena. We see everyone we work with as partners deeply committed to each other’s success. Last year, we started a formal program at Symetrix to live out our corporate value of People in a decisive and planned way. We brought together representatives throughout the Symetrix organization and we voted to call ourselves the “Care Team”. Our Mission is

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Helping our people, families and community thrive by caring for each other in support of the Symetrix vision to be a force for good in the world.

The Care Team Started With 3 Core Programs:

Caught You Caring

is how we recognize Symlandians who show care for each other. This includes things like helping a co-worker change a flat tire after work, giving someone a ride or encouraging someone with a special word, treat or support. The easy nomination process (one way to nominate is to write out your nomination and place it in the Caught You Caring birdhouse in the break area) is followed by CYC award winners being recognized at the monthly Symetrix Town Hall meeting. Winners also receive an award they can hang in their cubicle/ office along with their favorite candy. Some individuals have gathered quite a collection of awards.

Clapping Hands

is a way to celebrate life events, holidays and employee achievements throughout the year. Affectionately known as the “Party Planning Committee”, we celebrated 22 events last year, including potlucks, wedding and baby showers, holiday celebrations, cookouts and other fun events. One of our favorite celebrations is eating several delicious types of pie on “P.I.E. Day”, which highlights our values (that just happen to spell PIE). We also have a regular Pancake Day just because we like pancakes and sausage and have our own in-house, gluten-free sourdough pancake chef.

Helping Hands

is how we provide support when someone in the Symetrix family needs help. If an employee or family member has an illness, surgery or hospitalization, or if there is a bereavement in the family, Helping Hands provides care and support. It means a lot to know that there are people and resources there for you if you need help. We all go through difficult things in life and we appreciate the opportunity to walk through both the ups and downs of life together, offering a helping hand when needed.

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In 2021, the Care Team concentrated on these three programs, with corollary activities supporting some of our other activities like our charitable support and employee assistance programs. This year, the Care Team has expanded to include 2 new programs: Outreach & Giving and Communication.

The Outreach & Giving program collaborates with the charitable organizations that Symetrix supports to ensure that we are regularly and appropriately engaging with each charity. This includes charitable contributions from the organization as well as regular opportunities for the SymFamily members to support these charities through donations of time, money, or other support. These charities include:

Vision House, a local charity focused on ending the cycle of homelessness.

Kids in Kamira Village, Uganda.

www.visionhouse.org

Dee’s Hope,

a non-profit that helps orphaned girls in Uganda have a better life by providing education, food and shelter. www.deeshope.org

Kamira Kids,

which helps the children of Kamira Village, Uganda by providing food and supplies to support education. Putting down new wood chips for the Vision House playground. 23

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The new Care

Team Communications program helps

make sure Care Team information is delivered throughout the Symetrix organization so everyone is aware of upcoming events. It also provides graphics to support other Care Team programs, including infographics, print pieces and presentations. If you’re wondering how we keep all these programs organized and running smoothly, the quick answer is the Care Team Coordinator. The Coordinator is an important role that serves as a touchpoint for Care Team members. The Coordinator runs the Care Team meetings, maintains the Calendar and follows up on Care Team objectives.

Scott Gellner Care Team Coordinator, Outreach & Giving

Each Care Team member is chosen by, and represents, their work team. They are able to bring unique insights and input to the Care Team and also to let their teams know about ongoing and upcoming Care Team activities. One of our Care Team goals for 2022 is to increase awareness of, and participation in, Care Team programs and initiatives throughout the year to Symlandians, their families, our partners and the community.

Chair Eli Green Helping Hands

Co-Chair Chris Sullivan & Don Zadunayski Caught You Caring

Co-Chair Don Zadunayski & Bob Ale-Ebrahim Communications

Co-Chair Stu Paterson & Sam Ah Yo Clapping Hands SYMETRIX SCENE > APRIL 2022

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Our sales team has over 80 years of sales experience in the AV industry. Scott Wrege is the National Sales director and covers our Western Region. Paul Lamarre covers our Eastern Region and Don Zadunayski covers Canada, the Rockies and Bay Area territories. We very much enjoy working with our amazing dealer network and can’t wait to get back out on the road! Our Application Engineering team is headed up by Dan Lynch who also covers the Eastern region followed by Scott Woolley who covers our Central Region and Quinn Klarer covers the Western region. Our Engineers have spent their careers working in the AV industry and helping our dealers solve complex problems. They are eager to help so please bring them your technical issues and they will be happy to answer your questions.

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Ty Hawley Director of Sales & Marketing

Scott Wrege National Sales Director

Ty Hawley focused the early days of her career around design and digital media. As she worked her way through a fast-paced Seattle software industry, she discovered her true passion for business operations and management. She has since transitioned into Symetrix and the pro audio industry where she has applied her experience in design, marketing, and operations to her new role as Director of Sales & Marketing. She loves the excitement and joy she experiences in a sales role as she gets to leverage her skillset to support phenomenal customer experiences, enable high end audio solutions and best of all, build meaningful professional relationships.

Scott Wrege is primarily responsible for implementing sales programs, sales strategies and managing the sales team to achieve set sales goals, targets, and revenue. Wrege joined the company in 2019 as Western Regional Sales Manager and quickly excelled in this role, growing sales in eight different territories. He previously owned his own rep firm, Pacific AV, which represented prominent AV lines in California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii, winning multiple outstanding achievement awards. Wrege received a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Sales and Management and a master’s degree in Information and Communications Sciences from Ball State University. “I love the diversity in our industry from the ‘rock and roll guys’ to the corporate guys. It’s a great, diverse industry to be part of and I love it every day.”

“ Being on the operations side of sales I get a lot of phone calls into HQ where folks are in a pinch or have a problem that needs solving quickly. I truly feel like I am part of their team when they can call me, and we can figure out how to solve a problem. Being on the West Coast, we have a few more shipping hours than most and there are many times where customers have called in a pinch, and we were able to get product out the door same day with next day delivery. It brings me great joy to be “part of the team” and to help in this way.”

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“ One time we “saved the day” was for an integrator in AZ that was new to Symetrix. I believe they were using a Prism and ran into a budget issue. They didn’t have budget left for control and called me to see what options they might have. I immediately brought up ARC-WEB which is a free control system that as it turns out, had all the features they needed. They were both shocked and very happy to find out that there was no cost for this, and it could live on their smart phones or tablets. The idea was to start with ARC-WEB until the customer had the budget to purchase a complete 3rd-party control system. As it turned out, after the installation they determined that they would not need the control system and went with ARC-WEB to control their entire system. Everyone was happy!”

Paul Lamarre Regional Sales Manager, Eastern Region

Don Zadunayski Regional Sales Manager, Hawaii, Northern California and Northern Nevada

Paul Lamarre is responsible for identifying customer specific needs and coordinating technical and service teams to support our customers. Paul has over 20 years of experience in managing sales teams, support personnel and direct accounts. He spent many years working in the professional audio industry, both as a dealer and a rep in the Metro Atlanta area, as well as working regionally and nationally for Eastern Acoustic Works where he grew the company’s dealer network through partnership and relationship building.

Don Zadunayski spent the last 20 years working for Bose building sales teams, driving revenue growth and maximizing profits. As Symetrix continues to grow and evolve, we look forward to leveraging Don’s expertise in our sales channel.

“ Like many in our industry, my path started as a musician playing in bands. As the bands I played with became bigger, so did the sound systems we played through. Wanting things to sound as good as possible, I became a bit obsessed with how things worked. I would talk to every sound man or system tech that would share their knowledge. Who knew it would turn into a career.”

“ I have always had a love of music and as a young teen playing in a band. It started with owning a small bi-amped PA and then attending a Recording Studio school in Ohio one summer. Soon after, there was a 16-track studio in the basement, and we were setting up a larger club-size PA for our weekend gigs which often needed quick troubleshooting. After Electronics Engineering in college, it was on to a position with an integrator in Western Canada and after 13 years I accepted a position with a manufacturer in 1999. This gives me so much in common with the industry folks I work with every day and has built some life-long friendships.”

With a background ranging from first-hand experience as a dealer to managing a network of integrators, distributors, and consultants for Bose Corporation’s Pro Division, Zadunayski brings a wealth of experience to his role.

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Dan Lynch Principal Applications Engineer, Team Lead

Scott Woolley Principal Field Application Engineer

Dan Lynch started in live music production in the 80’s, then he started doing small installs for churches, and bars which led to bigger projects. He worked with open architecture DSPs working at an AV integrator in Denver. He worked for Harman/BSS Audio as an application engineer supporting BSS Soundweb. Then moved on to Biamp where he helped develop TesiraFORTE. He has extensive experience working with AV installers, software programmers and hardware developers. In 2014, working for himself, he gained experience designing and programming thousands of systems. Bose contracted him to provide product development assistance for the ControlSpace EX product family. Dan’s philosophy is that “Distributors, reps, and AV integrators should be treated as the manufacturer’s partners, not just customers buying boxes.”

Scott Woolley has more than 25 years of experience in the sound, acoustics, audiovisual, and data network industries. This includes working in the direct design and integration experience on a wide variety of applications including institutes of higher education, courtrooms, houses of worship, convention centers, professional sports venues, hospitals, and corporate facilities. He has been involved in Product Management including; market analysis, competitive research, concept evaluation, market trend analysis, forecasting, creating product marketing requirements, as well as managing product development and team relationships. We are proud to have his extensive experience in sales management, channel sales, and business development within our team.

“ During the pandemic, a college music department had a problem with how they were going to be able to have lessons for wind instruments when you’re not supposed to have a teacher and a student in the same room without face masks. It’s tough to play a trumpet with a mask on. One of their primary concerns was super high audio quality, which is what led them to the Radius NX. They were able to put a microphone and speaker in some of their small practice rooms and in some of the instructors’ offices and then link each instructor’s office to one practice room through a Radius NX with acoustic echo cancellation. This means the instructor can be in their office while the student is in the practice room, and they can have lessons just like normal. The best part for them was the fact that the Radius NX is so powerful, they were able to use a single Radius NX to link 6 practice rooms to 6 different instructors’ offices. That was a simple, cost-effective solution to what seemed like a major problem.”

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Woolley has presented at multiple industry events, including InfoComm, has trained more than 3000 individuals in the AV industry, and has been published in several industry magazines and professional journals. “ One of the things I appreciate about the Symetrix mindset is the commitment to be highly responsive to customer needs. Multiple times when I have spoken to a design engineer, system programmer, or consultant and they asked for a change, refinement, or addition of a function to Symetrix Composer programming software, I sent the information to our product development department, and at the very next release, the feature or enhancement was there.”

Quinn Klarer Field Application Engineer

Taylor Stanley Inside Sales Administrator

Quinn Klarer received his Bachelor of Science in Sound Recording Technology with a Minor in Physics from DePaul University of Music in Chicago. He has played the cello since he was 10 years old and continued studying it while in college. Quinn’s professional career began as an integrator at PSAV doing corporate AV installations. He worked as an Audio Engineer for Airstream Audio, and Pianoforte Studios. He then became an Audio Engineer and Sound Designer for Opera Saratoga. In 2018, he went to PublicMedia Engineering as a Systems Engineer. Joining Symetrix in 2020 today Quinn is creating Custom Intelligent Modules with Lua Scripting and is heavily involved in hardware and software application testing.

Taylor Stanley is a recent graduate from Grand Canyon University with her Bachelor of Marketing and Advertising. Her professional career is starting at Symetrix where she is responsible for connecting with customers and supporting their teams to create the best experience possible. While new to the pro audio industry, Taylor has spent many years in customer facing roles which has given her the skillset to craft an excellent customer experience.

“ One thing we do well here at Symetrix is provide customized experiences for our customers. Every interaction I have with a customer I try to find a way to make their integrations special or different in some way. That might be with custom Intelligent Modules that can solve logic problems or control third party devices that had not previously been controlled or help find a creative solution using AoIP to route audio across different zones in creative ways. Once the customer has these solutions, they have them forever and they can show their customers the truly custom solution that bring joy to the end user when they use it.”

“ What drew me to Symetrix was the family environment that they cultivate. I love that we instantly join the teams of our customers to find the best solutions for problems they may be facing. Not only does this allow for collaboration, but it builds meaningful relationships that make Symetrix unique from others in our industry. Music has always been something that has inspired and motivated me. In college, it became very apparent to me that I wanted to work in the industry, but I wasn’t certain where I would fit best. When looking for a job before my graduation, working in professional audio was a perfect fit for my passions – music and people.”

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by Bob Ale-Ebrahim Drake’s Hollywood is a swanky, Old Hollywood-inspired restaurant, bar and lounge that has live music and DJ sets, along with a cocktail menu influenced by the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel. The decor takes you back in time, with a circular bar, red interior, and dim mood lighting. Restaurant aficionados say that Drake’s Hollywood should be ranked amongst 3-Star Michelin restaurants that you might encounter in France, Spain, or New York. The restaurant is up there with the best of them in terms of food quality and service. Even with the sophisticated concept, Drake’s is supposed to be a comfortable, fun place to hang out with friends. Danny Salinas, President of AlleyCat AV installed a new, crystal-clear audio system featuring Symetrix DSP Prism 8x8, Fulcrum Acoustic CX896’s and Innovox Audio MicroSubs at the upscale Drake’s Hollywood restaurant in Dallas, TX.

We asked Danny Salinas to tell us about the project and how AlleyCat AV got involved. “Initially, we were under bid on the project by a competitor on the initial audio system, I was determined to prove that the Symetrix system I could install was better.” Danny said with a grin, “After receiving a concerning message from the Director of Operations regarding the poor quality of the current installed system, I invited them to have a listen to a Symetrix-equipped location. After hearing the difference, they were sold. The sound they were looking for was something warm, rich, and clear… especially during peak hours. The existing system was far from it – ‘sounds like music from a tin can,’ said the owner. “After AlleyCat AV removed the existing system, it was night and day. There were no dead spots. No straining to listen. No uncomfortable or piercing frequencies. No second guessing what was playing. And guests truly enjoyed the live music... even at high volumes,” explains Hunter Pond, Owner of Drake’s Hollywood. 31

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“ I invited them to have a listen to a Symetrix-equipped location. After hearing the difference, they were sold.” Danny Salinas President of AlleyCat AV SYMETRIX SCENE > APRIL 2022

“ Sound quality via Symetrix — being a

self-proclaimed audiophile, I found I can bring rich and natural-sounding music to an establishment who prides themselves not only on their food and service, but now… their sound.”

Danny Salinas President of AlleyCat AV

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When asked why AlleyCat AV chose the Symetrix DSP for this installation he responded, “It has 3 stereo audio sources for the inputs. Symetrix offers the flexibility needed to adjust music levels and tone not only to specific zones of the establishment, but also to individual speakers as well. From Jazz bands, to DJ’s, to guitar instrumentalists and vocalists, Symetrix allows me to bring true, real sound not only to the owners and staff, but the guests of the establishment.” Danny added, “Sound quality via Symetrix — being a self-proclaimed audiophile, I found I can bring rich and natural-sounding music to an establishment who prides themselves not only on their food and service, but now… their sound. With a bit of audio knowledge and superb tech support from Symetrix, setup and tuning was smooth sailing. Being an average systems programmer, I never felt I could ‘hurt’ or ruin the audio program during and after the process. All I need to do is set up the system and then do any necessary customer support after the installation.” Danny Salinas and AlleyCat AV have been using Symetrix products for years. Their emphasis is on creating environments that promote engagement in retail environments. AlleyCat AV has been recognized for their high-quality installations in a variety of venues. In 2020 they won the Mondo dr Award for the installation at Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village in Dallas, Texas. Because AlleyCat’s reputation for high-quality installations, attention to detail, and first in class service is so important, they always rely on Symetrix products. “Symetrix products are reliable and have the best technical support. Not to mention, their products are easy for the customers to use and are easy to customize and program for the client’s specific needs. Symetrix is rock solid and is our go to whenever we start specifying a system.”