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**** Photo: Grund Audio Design ACX-2 loudspeaker ****
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Community introduces the new Commercial Design Series, a comprehensive family of ceiling, surface mount and pendant loudspeakers designed to meet the needs of installations requiring high performance at a competitive price. Commercial Design models offer a choice of 4.5-inch, 6.5-inch and 8-inch driver sizes, and deliver Community’s legendary sonic quality, exceptional speech intelligibility and proven reliability. The entire Commercial Design family features uniform sound quality throughout the series, providing excellent consistency from model to model.
The Commercial Design Series was designed to complement Community’s Distributed Design family of high-performance ceiling, surface mount and pendant loudspeakers in a combined installation. For this reason, Commercial Design utilizes many of the same technologies as Distributed Design, including real compression drivers and Tru-Phase™ phase plugs for high output and low distortion. Commercial Design ceiling models also incorporate labor-saving installation innovations like Community’s exclusive Drop-Stop™ technology, while the use of compression drivers and proprietary LF transducers results in higher sensitivity and higher maximum output than competitors’ models in a similar price range.
All Commercial Design models feature Euroblock input connectors, Community’s exclusive external loop-through wiring design, weather-treated drivers, and corrosion-resistant dual-layer
powder coated grilles. Commercial Design ceiling models are ETL listed to comply with UL1480, UL2043 and CSA60065, and the pendant model conforms to UL1480 as well. Commercial Design surface mount models have passed compliance testing for MIL-STD-810G and include a low profile multi-angle pan-tilt mounting bracket for precise aiming over a broad pan-tilt range. All Commercial Design models can be painted to match room décor and are equipped with a built-in autoformer for selectable 8 ohm or 70V/100V operation.
The new Commercial Design Series from Community provides an affordable solution to unobtrusively provide even coverage and great sound quality from zone to zone throughout an entire venue.
Poll Sound enhances audio reinforcement with new KARAi, SB18i and KIVA arrays
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Salt Lake City’s 21,000-seat LDS Conference Center, the main meeting hall for conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and summer and Christmas holiday home to the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir, recently expanded its L-ACOUSTICS sound reinforcement system with the addition of new KARAi, SB18i and KIVA arrays. more
Founded in 1832, St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, in Minster, Ohio, built its first building, a log structure, in 1835. The brick church building, built in 1848, has gone through several significant renovations including replacement of the original, single tower with twin Gothic towers in 1874, installation of stained glass windows in 1878 and the addition of seven ceiling murals, painted by Joseph Vittur, in 1866.
St. Augustine’s beautiful interior is highly reverberant which is well suited for its pipe organ and 78-voice choir. However, the church’s acoustics have always been a challenge for voice intelligibility. So, in 2012, St. Augustine’s worked with Steve Merrill of Stage Right Productions to install a new sound reinforcement system based on Community’s Entasys 200 loudspeakers and dSPEC Loudspeaker Processor.
“The old sound system put the sound everywhere,” said Merrill. “The reverb and echoes were terrible and I had to overcome these problems.” Merrill had used Community’s original Entasys Column Line Array on another project and knew that Entasys could project the sound directly to the people and keep it off of St. Augustine’s rounded ceiling and hard floors. But, Merrill was attracted to Community’s newer Entasys 200 family because it offered several versatile models that he could use in different areas of the church.
Merrill chose Entasys 212s for the main church sanctuary and Entasys 203s for the front (chancel) area and the choir loft. “A single pair of Entasys 212s would have covered the entire sanctuary,” he said, “but I put a second pair about half-way back in the church and delayed them with the dSPEC processor. Now, the sound is great everywhere. The intelligibility is excellent and you can even hear breath noises!” Merrill put the Entasys 203s on a 70-volt amplifier and used dSPEC to delay the pair covering the choir loft. “The delay makes the sound system disappear,” he said. “The sound seems to come from the lector, not the loudspeakers.”
Merrill used existing electronics where possible to keep the cost down for the church but he replaced older lavalier microphones with new Audio-Technica head-worn mics and added new Ashly amplifiers to power the Entasys 212s.
Greg Oen, lead technical volunteer at the church said “The (dSPEC) processor is amazing. With the delay and equalization, you don’t even notice the loudspeakers.” Oen continued, “some of the older choir members have asked me ‘what did you do to the sound?’ because they can finally understand the message.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 2013: Exceptional by any standard, the Academies of Discovery and the Da Vinci Academy are pioneering schools in Hall County, just northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The Academies of Discovery is dedicated to multi-cultural and language education, whereas the Da Vinci Academy is dedicated to the arts, technology, and science. The schools occupy opposite sides of the same building and share a common area between them. A/V integration firm dB Audio & Video also of Gainesville recently helped the schools update their educational technologies. The classrooms now possess innovative instructor and student computer displays, and the common area now possesses theatrical, musical, and distributed audio, broadcast video, control/automations, a video wall, and multifunctional tabletop connectivity for various laptop and wireless tablet usage. Each component of the renovation has a specific purpose, yet all function within an integrated whole.
At first glance, each classroom looks like any other classroom. However, a closer inspection reveals a 65-inch Samsung ME65B with touch screen overlay and two “input stations,” one for the student and one at the teacher’s desk. These inputs go to the FSR CB-22 ceiling box with both a Pocket Navigator VGA with audio switching device, as well as a HDMI switcher. From these devices, a user can display laptop content and annotate over, save, and recall any document or video from the school’s server.
The commons area is a unique combination of black-box theater, corporate presentation center, and public transportation hub. Its most obvious attraction is a huge video wall composed of Samsung’s ultra-thin bezel UD55A HDTV monitors. This video wall content is fed from multiple input locations around the wall via the Crestron DM-MD8x8 Digital Media matrix switcher. These inputs include multiple HDMI and VGA with audio inputs, as well as the school’s Safari streaming media systems, a Samsung BD-E5700 Blu-ray player, and a mixed camera feed from a Panasonic TV Studio. All the resources are controlled from a Crestron Pro2 via a TPS-6X dockable wireless touch panel. Audio resources include a Tascam CD-200i CD player and iPod dock, two wired microphone inputs, and two Sennheiser wireless microphone systems. A 64-channel Allen & Heath GLD digital mixer comes on line in theatrical mode.
The commons area audio speaker system consists of a single Danley SH-100B full-range loudspeaker for the main content, two Danley SH-100 loudspeakers for fill, and a single Danley TH-112 subwoofer. The unparalleled performance of the Danley boxes delivers tremendous gain before feedback (a must in black box theater performances), as well as unmatched frequency response and phase coherency. The net effect is increased intelligibility in the vocal range and heart-pounding low end. The speaker system is driven by a complement of Crown amplifiers and Bi-Amp Nexia CS DSP. In the theatrical mode, the commons area uses the Allen & Health GLD-80 digital mixer with full automation and scene recall. The ZED mixer and Genelec monitors are used in the TV production studio with their own mix of all the audio inputs and sources.
The all-LED Elation EAR495 theatrical lighting system provides for numerous scenes of display as well as colors, while delivering the school’s request for low power consumption efficiency. Included in this “green” initiative project are also two Design Spot 250P moving lights for programmed lighting effects, as well as spot light positioning for the talent anywhere on the floor. Two options for controlling these LED lights are from either a simple DMX Operator192 light board or a more involved computer-based CompuLive program.
The school’s full HD broadcast television studio rivals many higher education facilities. Primarily a Panasonic project, this system touts two AG-AC160 studio HDSDI cameras and two AW-HE50SN pan/tilt/zoom cameras with AW-RP50 controller connected via a router to the AWHS50 sub-compact HDSDI live switcher with multi-viewer output. An AJA KI-PRO-Ro provides digital file recording on Apple ProRes 422 format, allowing students to shoot nearly any program, presentation, or theatrical performance, stream it live to the school’s Safari system, and then edit for archival or streaming later. A Clear-Com MS-232 two-channel communications system allows the producer to communicate with the video camera operators and the audio production team. The audio production team uses an Allen & Heath ZED22FX mixing console and two Genelec 8030a studio monitors.
“This has been an incredibly challenging project,” stated Neil Philpott, dB Audio & Video’s Systems Advisor for the entire project. “We spent countless hours discussing the project with Aaron Turpin, Hall County’s technology director, working through construction and infrastructure issues, and determining exactly what functionality would be required to meet the vision of the schools’ and county Administrators’ expectations. All in all, this was a project that raises the bar, not only for dB as a company, but also for the entire state. I believe this is the blueprint for many schools to come.”
ABOUT dB AUDIO AND VIDEO dB Audio and Video is a Gainesville, Georgia-based design/build technologies integrator specializing in audio and acoustics, broadcast and presentation video, digital signage, and control automation for houses of worship, schools, sports arenas, government and military. For more information visit: www.dbaudioandvideo.com
ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology. www.danleysoundlabs.com
SEE DANLEY AT INFOCOMM BOOTH #143 • COME TO HEAR THE OS80 IN DEMO ROOM W203B
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San Diego, CA (May 30, 2013) – Soundcast Systems, developer and manufacturer of high-performance wireless music systems recently announced staff additions, new Bluetooth products and its securing expanded growth capital. The company enters the second phase of its growth strategy today with the hiring of Jacob Tyler, a full-service Brand Communications Agency for the development and refinement of its consumer brand strategy and identity.
With the upcoming launch of Soundcast’s new product line of weather resistant Wireless Bluetooth® Speaker Systems and accessories, Jacob Tyler is tasked with building the full consumer brand and product positioning including naming, logo design, packaging, website design and marketing collateral to begin.
“As part of our strategic growth objectives and entry into new consumer markets and distributions channels worldwide, we feel like we have the right team and partnership with Jacob Tyler to make it happen in an impactful way,” said Mike Weaver, President of Soundcast. He added, “After many interviews with other firms, it was clear that the JT team had the portfolio of work, marketing, brand, and web experience we were seeking.”
Expect to see noticeable changes and improvements with the creative Jacob Tyler team at the helm of Soundcast’s brand development in 2013. Jacob Tyler’s portfolio of esteemed clients include Four Seasons Hotels, AT&T, Sony, American Express, Fox Television Network, The Ritz Carlton, Bing and many others.
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ABOUT SOUNDCAST SYSTEMS – www.soundcastsystems.com
Located in San Diego, California, Soundcast is a market innovator and leader in high-performance wireless audio systems sold globally through multiple markets. Soundcast has one of the most comprehensive patent and intellectual property portfolios of its wireless audio, digital amplification and proprietary high-performance battery technologies in the world.
Soundcast speaker systems feature robust weather-resistant enclosures, hours and hours of play on a single charge and unmatched sound performance that make them the ultimate take everywhere speaker system. Use it anywhere you want to enjoy great music – outdoors, indoors, pool, patio, barbeque, tailgating, boating, beach, or park. With Soundcast Systems, don’t let the music stop where the wires end.
Soundcast Contact: Mike Weaver • 1 (619) 591-0126 ext. 3038 • mweaver@soundcastsystems.com
Press Contact: Roberta Lewis • Tel: 1 (713) 665-8758 • email: roberta@robertalewis.com
ABOUT JACOB TYLER – www.jacobtyler.com
Jacob Tyler is a full-service brand communications agency that creates brands with meaningful and significant value. It does so through its expertise in brand strategy, identity and implementation, which includes web design and development, product design, printed collateral, online marketing, social media, and reputation management. It has been honored by Inc. 5000 as one of America’s fastest growing companies in 2010, was named by the San Diego Business Journal as one of the city’s fastest growing companies, five years in row, and has been the recipient of more than fifty national design and marketing awards.
All rights reserved. All brands and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
**** Photo: Carlos Duran (left) and Pedro Zamora (right), Stage 48 owner ****
Photo credit: Kathleen Stogin
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Following an extensive $2 million renovation that spared it from the wrecking ball, the opulent Paradise Theatre in West Allis, Wisconsin has now been given a new lease on life — as the west campus to Milwaukee’s fast-growing epikos church. As part of the venue’s rebirth, the church hired Grand Rapids, Michigan-based LiveSpace to provide a full AVL package that included an L-ACOUSTICS KIVA/KILO loudspeaker system. more
Covenant Communications relies on Technomad’s all-inclusive, outdoor audio solution for batting cages; installation follows several previous sports audio upgrades
BOSTON, May 28, 2013 — Houston-area systems design and integration firm Covenant Communications has gradually transformed sports audio for the Alvin Independent School District in southern Texas in recent years, installing Technomad advanced audio loudspeakers across baseball and softball fields, a large football stadium and other athletic venues to improve quality and coverage.
Covenant Communications extended those audio benefits to the new batting cages at Manvel High School this spring, injecting fresh energy into the arduous drill of batting practice. The Technomad solution here covers all the bases, bringing together two full-range loudspeakers, an outdoor amplifier and a flexible audio control system. All components are completely weatherproof for protection against the heat, humidity and moisture of the harsh coastal-area climate.
“Technomad is the only choice for us in the weatherproof loudspeaker category, but we weren’t sure how to power a system in this situation,” said Shawn Mullins, President, Covenant Communications. “The batting cages are typically designed as a metal structure with a roof, open sides, a chain link fence and nets to catch the balls. We knew whatever we put out there would be exposed to moisture, severe thunderstorms and occasional hurricane-force winds and rains. We wanted to find something we could bolt down, plug in and leave alone.”
Mullins quickly discovered the Technomad PowerChiton, a series of compact, weatherproof amplifier modules that contractors can install outdoors and close to loudspeakers. The series also now includes the PowerChiton BreakoutBox, a similarly designed module offering accessible microphone and media player connections, audio control and device storage. The solution removes the need for a separate equipment rack and power source, with a single cable providing direct connection to the amplifier module.
“The PowerChiton was the only option we found outside the conventional mindset,” said Mullins. “It blends in well with other electrical equipment boxes; most people don’t even realize it’s there. It also completely eliminated the need for a portable PA system. We didn’t want to force coaches to roll in an equipment rack every time students wanted music.”
And the students are certainly getting music. Two Technomad Noho loudspeakers are positioned to the left and right sides, splitting the distance to the center of the cages. The broad dispersion provides even coverage throughout, immersing batters in the auditory experience.
Mullins used Technomad outdoor yoke mounts to hang the Nohos, citing ease of angling as a major benefit. “The yokes allow us to tilt the loudspeakers to whatever point we need, and it also saves us the time of custom fabricating mounting equipment,” he said. “It’s a simple point-blank hang, reinforced with a safety cable.”
Ultimately, the many Technomad installations across the Alvin School District are representative of an organization that takes pride in its sporting programs. Alvin Memorial Stadium is the showcase of these installations, featuring five Technomad Berlin outdoor loudspeakers – the largest in the company’s portfolio – spreading even coverage of intelligible voice and full-range music across the large venue.
“Sporting programs are very prominent in Texas, and this school district has been aggressive with integrating technology into their venues,” said Mullins. “And the Technomads have performed very well. We have had some of their loudspeakers outside in a hostile weather environment for seven or eight years, and we’ve never had any performance issues.”
ABOUT TECHNOMAD
Technomad LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries. The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers nine models ranging in power from 60-watt loudspeakers to 1250-watt subwoofers — most available in Turnkey PA System packages featuring amplifiers, mixers and other signal processing equipment in pre-wired racks. The company also manufactures a variety of audio infrastructure and communications equipment including playback and recording systems, weatherproof power amplifiers and turnkey remote audio systems. Contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 or visit www.technomad.com for more information.
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NORTHRIDGE, California – Located at Memphis International Airport, the FedEx Express World Hub is the largest and oldest facility in the FedEx Express network, capable of sorting more than 1.5 million packages every day. This “super hub” is so big that it takes up approximately 832 acres—and a recent addition to the package sort facility covers 100,000 square feet of ground and is three levels high. When Memphis systems integrator Technical Support Systems (TSS) got the call to install the new building’s paging and life safety sound system, the company opted for the new HARMAN’s JBL AWC82 full-range all-weather loudspeaker.
Aside from the sheer size of the project, the main challenge TSS faced was that the paging system had to be heard over a noisy environment. It had to overcome an 85dB ambient noise floor in an echo-prone metal building with airplanes and trucks coming in and out, conveyors going all the time and 24-hour a day activity. The system would have to be intelligible at levels over 100dB.
In addition, FedEx management wanted to step up their audio system life safety standards and performance. “The area has had a rash of tornadoes recently and people are more aware of the importance of life safety systems than ever before,” noted Chip Benson of TSS. “Those old-style metal paging horns weren’t going to cut it.”
Benson knew that JBL had recently introduced the AWC82 and that on paper it looked like the ideal solution for its high volume capability, wide coverage pattern and full-range sound. “I had never heard the speaker, but design-wise it looked like exactly what was needed, so I trusted my gut and JBL’s reputation and went with it,” he said. “We were the first to ever take delivery of the AWC82, and delivery was tight—we needed those speakers immediately and they arrived on time.”
TSS installed a total of 100 AWC82 loudspeakers—24 on each of the three levels inside the sort facility and the rest on the outside of the building covering the Hub ramp where the planes arrive. Because of the JBL AWC82’s wide 120-degree coverage pattern, Benson was able to use fewer speakers spaced farther apart compared to previous installations. In addition, Benson and crew hung 20 JBL Control™ 65 P/T pendant speakers in the electrical, mechanical and maintenance shops and installed 40 JBL Control 24CT in-ceiling speakers in a number of offices. The speakers are powered by 13 Crown CTs 2000 amplifiers located in a rack in the head-end in the building’s phone data room.
The speakers and amps are on a 70-volt distributed audio system divided into five zones: sort facility, outside, offices, hub all-call and as Benson calls it, a “bat phone” emergency override. The audio system is tied into the FedEx World Hub’s VoIP phone and paging system, which is linked to all FedEx Hub locations in Memphis. The emergency paging system is connected to FedEx’s meteorology and security departments, which has priority in the event of an emergency.
Another reason the speakers had to deliver better performance is because the paging system is part of the VoIP network. VoIP provides better bandwidth and fidelity than older analog systems and TSS needed speakers that would complement the improved audio quality.
Benson’s gambit in choosing the JBL AWC82 paid off. “Of course, part of me was reluctant to go with the JBLs sight unseen. However, when we first turned on the system we wanted to test their ability to play full-range so we played loud rock music through them. The AWC82 blew away our expectations. In fact, these speakers could be used for foreground fill at a rock concert and I would have no qualms about using them that way.”
HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of audio, lighting and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson®, and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with Harman audio and infotainment systems. Harman has a workforce of about 14,300 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.
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