Established in 1993, KISI is a Christian non-profit organisation focused on engaging children and teenagers through songs and music. Based in a lakeside farmhouse in Austria’s picturesque Altmünster region, it has expanded over the past 13 years to include groups and outreach projects in seven other countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

When KISI chose to upgrade the sound system in its Altmünster farmhouse – which also houses the chapel – in April 2021, Austrian distributor ATEC Pro came in to design a system to meet key requirements of high-quality audio, flexibility and ease-of-use. At the heart of the new install is an Allen & Heath AHM-64, a 64x64 matrix mixer with 12 local inputs and outputs with an array of scalable I/O options, fitted with a Dante card and the new Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) module.

The AEC module adds 12 channels of AEC to AHM-64, and was designed to assist in teleconferencing and videoconferencing applications. ‘We regularly use Zoom for meetings, but we also use it for remote vocal coaching,’ explains KISI Technical Manager, Johannes Minichmayr. ‘The AEC is valuable for us in both applications, ensuring clarity for the remote participants.’

To facilitate sound management beyond the chapel and throughout the large farmhouse, further analogue I/O is provided by a DX168 expander, connected via Allen & Heath’s low-latency DX protocol, and a DT168 Dante expander, adding a total of 32 inputs and 16 outputs to the AHM-64’s local I/O. Both expanders use a portable stagebox, ensuring they can easily be deployed in different locations when required.

A pair of IP8 remote controllers, each offering eight motorised faders and 16 programmable buttons, provide hands-on control for both technical and non-technical operators for day-to-day usage. ‘The system does everything we need, and programming is easy,’ Minichmayr concludes. ‘We also own dLive and SQ systems for our live concerts, and the AHM-64 integrates with them when needed. We are very happy with our choice.’