Main Facts
Old World Village in Huntington Beach, California, has completed a comprehensive, multi-phase audio system overhaul, modernizing the sprawling Bavarian-themed destination with state-of-the-art digital signal processing. Spearheaded by John Trenholm of JTAUDIOGUY Designs, the upgrade relies heavily on Allen & Heath’s AHM32 digital matrix processor ecosystem to unify audio distribution across a diverse commercial and cultural landscape.
Spanning acres of shops, authentic German restaurants, a wedding chapel, and multiple live performance stages, Old World Village required an audio architecture capable of handling complex routing, remote zone management, and multi-source playback without overwhelming non-technical staff. The heart of the newly minted installation is the Allen & Heath AHM32 32×32 matrix processor, which provides robust audio processing, signal routing, and versatile automation capabilities.
The project addresses longstanding audio challenges at the Southern California landmark, transitioning the property from an aging, fragmented sound setup to a centralized, highly flexible network. By integrating DX88-P expanders, localized touch panels, and custom wireless integration, the new infrastructure successfully services multiple distinct zones—including the main festival hall, outdoor performance stages, dining areas, bars, and patio gardens—while introducing creative interactive elements, such as a historic phone booth tour guide triggered by internal GPIO switches.
Chronology of the Transformation: From Pandemic Pause to Modern Marvel
The revitalization of Old World Village’s soundscape did not happen overnight; it was born out of crisis, patience, and strategic foresight.
The Catalyst: The 2020 Pandemic Shutdown
When global health restrictions forced businesses to close their doors in early 2020, Old World Village faced an unprecedented operational pause. Rather than letting the sprawling property sit entirely dormant, Entertainment Director Tyler Ruebensaal recognized a rare window of opportunity. The village’s legacy audio infrastructure—which had long been pieced together to handle background music and basic stage reinforcement—was showing its age, suffering from reliability issues and limited routing capabilities. Ruebensaal consulted with village management, setting the wheels in motion for a complete technical overhaul.
Phase One: Re-energizing the Outdoor Stage
To bring the vision to life, management enlisted John Trenholm, an industry veteran with more than thirty years of professional audio design and installation experience. Trenholm knew that the property’s phased reopening strategy demanded an immediate focus on outdoor spaces.
"We started with the outdoor stage, because that would be the first area to be used once things started opening up," Trenholm recalls.
Right from the initial deployment, Trenholm leveraged the architectural advantages of modern digital routing. By using the main left and right outputs of the initial hardware to feed the outdoor stage, he concurrently utilized auxiliary outputs to distribute feeds to the indoor main stage, adjacent restaurants, and surrounding public walkways.
Scaling Up and Centralizing Control
As public health restrictions eased and foot traffic returned to Old World Village, the scope of the audio installation expanded rapidly. The incremental addition of new zones—ranging from intimate dining patios to the bustling festival hall and local market areas—revealed that a simple mixer-based setup was no longer sufficient.
"I realized that we needed a matrix processor," Trenholm states.
After evaluating various options on the market, Trenholm selected the Allen & Heath AHM32. Unlike competing products that he found overly complex and cost-prohibitive, the AHM32 offered the ideal sweet spot of 32×32 I/O capability, deep internal signal processing, and flexible control integration. DX88-P expanders were subsequently deployed in the primary restaurant and main stage venues to facilitate remote audio connections, laying the groundwork for a unified, campus-wide audio network.
Supporting Data & Technical Architecture
The technical framework installed at Old World Village showcases how modern commercial audio engineering can solve complex logistical challenges across multi-functional properties.
Hardware Ecosystem and Signal Routing
- Core Processor: Allen & Heath AHM32 Digital Matrix Processor (delivering 32 channels of processing and routing).
- Remote Expanders: DX88-P I/O expanders strategically placed in high-traffic zones like the main stage and restaurant to minimize long cable runs.
- Zone Coverage: The system independently manages and feeds audio to the restaurant, indoor and outdoor bars, open-air patio, community garden, festival hall, and commercial market area (the latter of which features a dedicated sub-processor).
- Wireless Integration: Wireless microphones interface directly with the AHM processor. This clever design choice allows staff to make announcements or host events without needing to power up the complex mixing consoles dedicated to live band performances.
Custom Control and User Interface Design
One of the most critical metrics of success for any commercial installation is how easily everyday employees can operate it. Trenholm utilized Allen & Heath’s proprietary Custom Control Editor to build bespoke touchscreen interfaces tailored specifically to the operational habits of Old World Village staff.
"It’s unbelievable how easy it is to customize everything," Trenholm notes. "I gave them simple buttons to disable all inputs, or to listen to just the small stage, or just the main stage, or both."
Wall-mounted touchscreen panels were installed in convenient communal areas, while staff members were also granted access to the Custom Control app on personal iOS and Android devices connected to the secure venue Wi-Fi network. This mobile accessibility ensures that managers can adjust volume levels or switch audio sources on the fly, whether they are standing in the festival hall or walking through the market.
Interactive Audio: The Antique Phone Booth
Beyond standard background music and stage reinforcement, the installation features a whimsical, interactive attraction that highlights the advanced programming capabilities of the AHM platform.
In a nod to European streetscapes, an antique telephone booth was repurposed into a guided tour station. When a visitor lifts the heavy handset from its cradle, the phone’s internal mechanical contact switch fires a signal into the AHM processor via General Purpose Inputs/Outputs (GPIO). This instantly triggers an internal audio file playback stored within the processor, delivering an engaging voice recording directly to the listener’s ear that explains the history of the surrounding shops and attractions.
Official Responses and Perspectives
The Integrator’s View: John Trenholm (JTAUDIOGUY Designs)
Reflecting on the comprehensive project, Trenholm emphasizes the unique balance between powerful back-end control and intuitive front-end simplicity that the Allen & Heath ecosystem provides.
"I love AHM because it’s so user-friendly—both for me as the installer, and for the end user," Trenholm shares. "I can easily program everything to suit their needs, then give a non-technical user something intuitive to work with. I can handle things like EQ, compression, and limiting on the back end, then give them a simple volume control and source selection that they are used to."
Trenholm also points out the value of dependable manufacturer relationships during complex installations. In an industry where supply chain bottlenecks and unresponsive customer service can stall multi-phase projects, the support he received proved invaluable:
"I’ve dealt with other manufacturers before, and it’s sometimes very difficult to get a hold of someone when I need it. I love Allen & Heath’s support and the personal touch."
Implications for Commercial and Themed Destinations
The successful transformation of Old World Village serves as a compelling case study for themed villages, outdoor shopping centers, historic commercial districts, and multi-venue hospitality complexes worldwide.
Bridging Heritage and Modernity
Themed destinations often struggle to integrate modern technology without disrupting their carefully curated aesthetic atmosphere. By concealing complex digital infrastructure behind localized touch panels, wireless mobile applications, and vintage novelty installations like the telephone booth tour guide, JTAUDIOGUY Designs proved that cutting-edge audio processing can operate invisibly. Visitors experience an immersive acoustic environment—whether listening to live oompah bands, ambient Bavarian folk music, or localized event announcements—without ever seeing the technological machinery powering it.
Scalability and Cost Efficiency
For property managers operating across expansive, multi-building footprints, the temptation is often to overspend on high-end touring gear or overly complicated architectural systems. The deployment of the AHM32 matrix processor alongside DX88-P expanders demonstrates a scalable blueprint. By investing in a centralized brain that can easily expand via network connections, venues can upgrade incrementally—building out one stage, restaurant, or courtyard at a time—without needing to rip and replace their infrastructure as commercial needs evolve.
Ultimately, Huntington Beach’s Old World Village stands ready for its next chapter, harmonizing its rich cultural heritage with crystal-clear, reliable, and effortlessly managed digital audio.
