As Head of Sound at Centre In The Square (CITS) in Kitchener, Ontario, Jeremy Bernard works with a wide range of performers. “Every day is different, but my role is always to support them in any way I can.” That support now includes the venue’s latest investment: a DiGiCo Quantum 852 for front of house.
CITS, a 2,000-seat theatre presenting over 140 events each year, is the first venue in Canada with a Q852 permanently installed. The move continues CITS’ history of early adoption. “That was before my time here,” Bernard says of the theatre’s first-in-Canada DiGiCo SD7 purchase over a decade ago. “But we were also the first venue to have a Meyer MICA line array system. And we still have that rig.”
He credits Bob Luffman, who became CITS’ Head of Sound in 1980 (and continues to work at the venue as A2), for laying the groundwork. “Bob’s put so many great things in place here. He’s a big reason why CITS has the reputation it does. It was his work that laid the foundation for this new project.” Bernard adds, “Bob was also one of Gerr’s first employees in the late 1970s,” a role that led to his CITS position and helped build the venue’s lasting connection with GerrAudio.
The project also reflects CITS’ strong partnership with Aligned Vision Group. “Most purchases like this, we use Aligned Vision Group.” Bernard explains, “We really needed to upgrade and were hoping to do it fairly quickly, and Paul Forbes (Partner at Aligned Vision Group) said, ‘We can make it work and get you the Q852.’”
A longtime DiGiCo user, Bernard is enthusiastic about the new desk. “I’ve definitely been on the DiGiCo bandwagon for years, and I've been happy with all of their products, and I’m very excited about and pleased with the Q852.” Familiarity helps, but his preference goes deeper. “It's about knowing that it can help me solve other people's problems - every day - because there are always multiple ways of doing things.”
The console’s flexibility supports both touring artists and local productions. “So, when somebody says, ‘This would be handy’ or they're struggling because they have a short time frame, knowing the desk so well, I can step in and help. For instance, by building a button for them that does what they need. So they can just mix.”
Speed matters. “Even when they’re mixing (if they need me to), I can fix something under the hood while they pay attention to the show.”
The Q852 combines familiarity with new power. “Has the same feel as the SD, but extra features. It's familiar but different, and I can customize it for anyone coming in. My template isn’t just for me. It's for people coming in without a show file, or who need to adapt their file. So, if they say, ‘I’d like to do this,’ it's no problem. You can’t throw much at a device like the Q852 where it doesn’t go ‘Yeah, I got you.’”
It also offers benefits for large, complicated shows.. “We’ll have bands come in with a full symphony. Sometimes, I’ll mix the symphony, and the other engineer mixes the band, but we'll share the console. So, two people mixing on the same console, at the same time, yes, there's room for that.”
For Bernard, key features like Mustard processing, preamp modelers, and dynamic EQ are game changers. “That’s huge. I didn't have as much of that on the SD platform. So I'm able to do more without bringing some of the analogue gear that I also like to use, right? I'm not schlepping that stuff back and forth as much. Because, even though it is fun to play with, I'm getting those results quicker on the desk.”
Though the Q852 is a significant step up, it was necessary. “We were past the 10-year mark with our SD7, which was very well used and well taken care of, but it was time for a replacement. The Q852 is a beast, more than some people might need. I won't use 384 channels on a 2025 show, but looking towards the future, say, in 2027, I might. At CITS, we needed something with new hardware - something that would be supported and upgraded over the next decade.”
Compatibility across DiGiCo platforms is also key. “If I create a show on the Q852 and need to do it on an SD12 or SD9 (as long as it can handle the channel count and has the latest software), I can import and convert my show file.”
Bernard appreciates DiGiCo’s responsiveness to user feedback. “Another thing I love about DiGiCo is that they take suggestions from users seriously. I feel confident that when I think about something (I’d like to see) and make a note of it – and I'm not the only one who does that - it often comes out in the next update. I’m confident that DiGiCo is working on those new things.”
He also values how Aligned Vision Group supports CITS well beyond the sale. “There are certain things they want to see for the spaces and people they work with, too. It's a big deal that they care as much about getting something like this in our hands (quickly) to push our venue forward.”
Bernard’s relationship with GerrAudio also spans more than two decades. “I've been working with Gerr since almost the moment I started doing live sound and theatre sound, probably 21 years. They always answer my texts or calls. They always have solutions. And they support customers in a way that shows they understand the relationship."
Looking ahead, he sees future possibilities in tools like DiGiCo’s integration with KLANG’s immersive monitoring platform. “Being able to adapt these tools to the way I mix going forward helps me take care of parts of the mix that, normally, I'd be adjusting 50 times throughout a set.” This, paired with the Q852’s existing capabilities, will go a long way in allowing CITS to support local ensembles like the Kitchener Symphony, other Canadian and international artists and productions alike as their needs evolve.
“CITS is a beautiful building,” Bernard says. “And I think having a console like the DiGiCo Q852 allows us to never be the bottleneck to getting somebody's vision to the people. But the entire team at CITS rallied together to make this happen. Without our management and financial departments believing in this vision, I truly believe this wouldn’t have happened. That type of collaboration is what makes this place so special.”
Ultimately, Bernard says, success depends on more than the gear. “It depends on relationships, too. There are a lot of companies that make nice products – that's part of why I choose certain things.” Beyond the gear, however, “It’s about who's going to provide service, and stand behind the product and their clients for a long time. DiGiCo, Gerr, and Aligned Vision Group do. They understand that the relationship is deeper than one purchase."
Canada’s First DiGiCo Quantum852 Lands at Centre In The Square