The Lake Technology

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The advanced technology of Lake Processing provides audio professionals with unparalleled power to shape and optimize sound in a variety of environments. Regardless of the make or type of loudspeaker system, the venue size or acoustics, or the program material, Lake Processing will help you create a more consistent sound with less time and hassle in system set-up.

The LM Series devices contain two full-featured Lake Processor contour modules, each offering precise settings for gain, delay, crossover slope, equalization, and limiting. Exclusive Lake Processing algorithms are included for Raised Cosine input Equalization with Mesa EQ. The LM Series also incorporates Analog input and output Iso-Float ground isolation, a cost-effective and audibly superior alternative to isolation transformers.

Input EQ

The Input EQ incorporates the Lake first raised cosine Mesa EQ, that gives sound engineers a faster, more effective optimization tool – one that can truly match the asymmetrical responses of loudspeakers. While other processors provide standard symmetrical boost and cut functions, the Mesa EQ offers asymmetrical filtering, with the ability to separate the sides of a parametric section, change center frequencies,and independently adjust slopes.

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Classical Crossovers

Bessel, Butterworth and Linkwitz-Riley crossovers are provided, selectable up to 48 dB per octave. The crossover interface also allows you to quickly add low shelf, high shelf, and parametric filters to each output. These filters use the latest in digital signal processing technology, maintaining their symmetrical shape at high frequencies.

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Linear Phase Crossovers

Linear phase crossovers are another feature separating Lake Processing technology from ordinary processors. Linear phase crossovers can match traditional crossover slopes, such as 24 dB per octave and 48 dB per octave, when desired. But they are also capable of transition slopes exceeding 180 dB per octave.

These slopes offer dramatic benefits when applied to various types of loudspeaker arrays. Off-axis lobing and cancellation between loudspeakers are dramatically reduced. Greater control over slopes means that different speaker cabinet types can be more easily mixed and matched. Also, a loudspeaker’s impulse response is significantly improved, providing a time-coherent wavefront.

Additionally, improvements of up to 3 dB or more in acoustic output power may be expected in some frequency ranges.

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Networking

Lake has long been at the forefront of networked audio devices, with the Lake Contour being one of the First Ethernet controlled audio processors. We were also one of the first manufacturers to license Audinate‘s Dante digital audio networking protocol – with the award-winning PLM Series in 2007 being the second product with Dante, now an industry standard for professional audio-over-Ethernet. The Lake LM Series is fully compatible with other compatible Lake devices such as the PLM, PLM+, D Series Lake and Yamaha MY8-Lake with precision control in Lake Controller, which can group all different Lake products, create system files which are easy to recall to come back to a known state for a complete system. The LM Series also integrates perfectly the Dante Controller. They feature two Gigabit Ethernet ports, which can be configured either in Switch mode, making it possible to daisy chain and control multiple LM or Lake devices without any need for an external switch - or be set to Dual Redundancy making it possible to transmit and receive Dante audio over two different networks where if one source goes down, the device will seamlessly switch to the other network without any audio interruption.

A Little Bit of Our History

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Early 1990’s
Defining the Future

Three Australian engineers – David McGrath, Brian Connolly and Marcus Altman – formed a new enterprise to develop advanced digital signal processing applications. The Lake name was inspired by a modest pond near their offices in Adelaide. Lake quickly expanded, and following relocation to Sydney, soon developed the Huron Digital Audio Workstation. The DSP architecture of Huron contains advanced proprietary algorithms that were adapted for sound reinforcement applications in future generations of products.

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Mid 1990’s
Partnerships

The late, great Bruce Jackson – renowned technical innovator and tour sound engineer (Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand) – joined with Lake’s David McGrath to develop a new digital processor for sound reinforcement applications. They set up shop in Santa Monica, California. Renowned tour sound company Clair Brothers, headquartered in Lititz, Pennsylvania decided to back development of the promising new technologies. Clair Technologies LLC was formed in 1997 by Clair, Jackson, McGrath and Ed Meitner to produce the new live sound processors, initially built exclusively for Clair.

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2000
The TC Group

TC Group, which includes audio companies such as Tannoy, TC Electronic and TC Helicon, acquires Lab Gruppen and Lake. This acquisition brought Lake’s advanced processing and networking technology under the TC Group umbrella, allowing the group to offer a more comprehensive range of professional audio solutions.

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2001
The Lake Contour Pro

Lake re-acquired the technologies, made further refinements, and introduced them to the wider industry as Lake Contour Pro 26.

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2006
The Dolby Lake Processor

Dolby Laboratories (San Francisco, CA) acquired Lake Technologies in 2004. Backed by the company’s worldwide resources, the Dolby Lake Processor was soon established as the premier DSP platform across the full range of live sound applications.

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2007
Still Growing

Dolby and Lab Gruppen announced an agreement to incorporate Lake processing into the forth coming PLM Series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems. The first Lab Gruppen product to incorporate Lake processing, the PLM 10000Q, was introduced in 2007.

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2009
Paving the Way

Dolby decided to exit the commercial live sound market. Lab Gruppen of Sweden acquired both the Lake trademarks and exclusive rights for use of Dolby Lake Processor technology for the touring and permanent sound reinforcement markets as demands dictate.

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2015
Music Tribe Acquires the TC Group

Music Tribe, parent company of British pro audio icons Midas, Klark Teknik and Turbosound as well as Behringer and Bugera, acquired the TC Group. Empowering such world-class brands to join forces opens up tremendous opportunities for industry-leading collaboration and customer solutions.