theater av flexibility - Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School

 Vol. 58 No. 6
S
June 13, 2012
H
O
W
IS
S
U
E
AV FOR SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS, CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS
K-12 TJ CONCERT HALL
PROVIDES ENVIOUS EXPERIENCE
AUDIO IN THE CLOUDS
USF PERFORMANCE SPACES
ALTER TO ACCOMMODATE
THEATER AV FLEXIBILITY
HENNEPIN THEATRE DISTRICT INNOVATES
14TH ANNUAL
INFOCOMM NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT:
MORE THAN 150 PRODUCT DEBUTS
As you read this, one of the
industry’s biggest, and most
important, events will be unfolding: InfoComm 2012, in Las Vegas.
For those who are able to get to
the show—estimated to be 33,000
attendees from about 100 countries—you know how important
this can be; you’ll find a detailed
show preview beginning on page
88, with our annual InfoComm
New Product Spotlight, featuring more than 150 introductions,
beginning on page 92. For those
who can’t attend, follow the daily
activities on your computer, tablet
or smartphone at http://soundan
dcommunications.com (click on
InfoCommTV). Watch for our twopart show review and New Product
Wrap-Up in August and September.
I have been attending this show
(and its predecessor, NAVA) since
the 1970s (with a few gaps), so
have had the opportunity to see
the shifts from sponsorship by the
original National Audio-Visual Association to the International Communications Industries Association
to today’s InfoComm International
and, above all, development of the
contracting/integration market.
Those have been monumental,
considering that, when I started,
one of the key technologies was
the filmstrip; how “integrated”
was that? Another major change
was the beginning of “multimedia”
(before the computer industry
usurped that term), and creation
of the (now long gone) Association
for Multi-Image. Imagine: At that
time, one of the biggest “thrills”
was for slide presentations to be so
advanced as to be able to simulate
motion! (I never could quite understand why, when motion-picture
cameras were so ubiquitous and
relatively inexpensive, anyone would
need to expend the
time and effort in
this direction....) The
programming capability and reliability
of the equipment were paramount.
(Anyone still have a “pickle?”)
Several generations later, this
is still the case, yet we have a
completely different experience.
Obviously, the world has changed,
and so have the expectations of
the people using the technology.
We report on this in every issue,
where we concentrate on showing
how all of the different types of
venues in the commercial systems
integration space apply AV technology. This month, we feature
three theater applications, all of
which are distinctly different. For
example, it is quite unusual to have
a K-12 facility (Thomas Jefferson
Independent Day School) applying
such extensive audio and video;
typically, we would see such an installation in the higher grades. And
one wouldn’t think that the Twin
Cities area of Minnesota ranks second only to New York City for live
theater per capital population; as a
result, the Hennepin Theatre Trust
has devoted extensive resources to
audio and video. The University of
South Florida School of Music has
created acoustically thought out
rooms that understand the nature
of sound waves, all for musicians
and people who love to hear music;
what more could an integrator
want?
Enjoy this issue, check out InfoCommTV News and have a good
InfoComm!
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Sound & Communications
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PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER QUALITY
TJ Concert Hall Auditorium provides envious experience.
BY DAN DALEY
When the next crop of students at the Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin MO gets to the end
of the private institution’s K-12 range of classes, they will
have received what anyone would agree is a well-rounded
liberal arts education, with studies in English, French
and Latin, as well as music theor y. However, those who
enter into theater arts will have an extra advantage: the
benefit of time spent in and with the new high-tech TJ
Concert Hall auditorium, whose AV systems would make
many performing arts centers envious.
Charles Davis Smith
Ground-Up Construction
The school’s 270 students and 35 full-time teachers
began enjoying the auditorium, which was a ground-up
construction added to the existing school building and
part of the new $15 million Humphreys Arts and Student
Life complex that also includes a librar y, an art galler y,
art studios and conference rooms, at the start of the
mid-year semester in January. Those advantages include
an Electro-Voice PA system with a Yamaha 48-channel
M7CL 48-channel digital console, and Sennheiser, Shure
and Audio-Technica wired and wireless microphones.
Also, the auditorium is the first installation of the newest
iteration of Aviom’s AllFrame digital audio signal transport system.
Video comes from a 7K-lumen Infocus IN5533 DLP
projector illuminating a 220-inch (diagonal) Da-Lite Cosmopolitan Electrol screen controlled by an AMX NI3100
NetLinx master controller. Audio signal is routed around
the auditorium on General Cable Cat6 cabling, and video
makes the rounds between the projector and an array of
sources, including a Sharp BD HP75U Blu-ray player on
General Cable Cat5e cabling using Atlona HDMI extenders and switchers.
It’s an auditorium that can handle music, lectures and
theatricals equally well, with the PA’s Harman BSS London Soundweb programmed to switch between the PA’s
center cluster for speech, the left and right line array
clusters for music and all three for cinema applications.
In short, you can go from The Cat In The Hat to Cat On
A Hot Tin Roof in a matter of a few presets.
Dan Daley is a freelance writer based in Nashville and
New York.
48
The new TJ Concert Hall from the stage.
49
Challenges
But that kind of flexibility didn’t
come without a few challenges. AV systems and acoustical consultants Shen
Milsom & Wilke (www.smwllc.com)
wanted to implement as much digital
technology as possible, as much for
operational ease as for sonic performance, and a critical component for
this strategy was the Aviom AllFrame
Multi-Modular I/O networked audio
system. The system was announced
last year, at the time Shen Milsom was
devising the project’s specifications. It
is an extension of Aviom’s Pro64 digital network system and intended as
a replacement for analog snakes and
I/O boxes, keeping analog cabling
to a minimum, reducing system complexity and labor costs and promising
improved performance and flexibility.
“Instead of soldering, terminating
and testing scores of analog connections, installing conduit and pulling
separate cables for each audio signal,
the AllFrame requires only a single
Cat5e or fiber connection. The unit can
be powered over the Cat5e cable or
from a dedicated DC power line, using
an external power supply,” explained
Jon Baker, President of Audio Acoustics (www.aaius.com), the AV systems
integrator hired for the project and
based in nearby Springfield.
Other attractive features included
the fact that each AllFrame device
supports up to 64 channels of audio
(up to 32x32, 48x16, or 64x1) at sample
rates up to 192kHz on Cat5e cable runs
up to 400 feet between devices with
no loss of fidelity, and with integrated
fiberoptic connectivity, cable runs can
be extended to nearly a mile on multimode fiber, or 10 times that using
single-mode fiber. And because the
system’s Auto Mode supports any combination of serial and parallel wiring
topologies without affecting signal flow
at any point, I/O points can be placed
anywhere an application requires.
Significant
Cabling Reduction
Randy Tritz, a Managing Partner at
Shen Milsom & Wilke and the manager of the firm’s Chicago branch of50
Sound & Client:
Communications
Opticomm
Job#: XXXXXX
Job Name: O p t i c o m m _ S C _ V X S e r i e s _ J u n e _ 2 0 1 2 _ r 1 5
The lobby entrance into the
TJ Concert Hall.
Line arrays are located on stage
left, right and center.
fice, said the new system’s ability to
do the A-D conversions using plug-in
cards for the mic console and at the
termination plates, rather than using
external dongles as the previous system’s design calls for, meant a significant reduction in conduit and cabling,
as well as a welcome simplification of
overall operation, which was desirable
for a K-12 user base. “What you’ll save
on cabling and other infrastructure
with the AllFrame system substantially
offsets its costs,” said Tritz. “Its also
more transparent operationally: The
simpler transport means no ground
loops, routing issues or faults, and
much less training is needed. It’s a
good solution for an educational environment like this one.”
It’s connectivity to the Yamaha console also made it a good choice; the
console is outfitted with three 6416Y2
A-Net interface cards that connect the
console to the Aviom audio network
via a single Cat5e cable. The network
utilizes five F6 modular I/O frames
installed at various points around the
stage, each of which has two C4m mic/
line input cards, which provides four
remote-controllable analog mic- or
line-level inputs, and one C4o output
card installed with four XLR analog
outputs with variable output levels for
eight channels of input and four channels of output. In addition, there is a
6416m mic input module and a 6416o
output module on
stage for 16 additional inputs and outputs.
“The system can do a
lot, but it’s still easy
to manage,” stated
Tritz.
Rober t Carlson,
Thomas Jef ferson’s
Director of Communications and Technology, amplified
that, saying, “The
new concert hall has
fantastic lighting, rigging and house design, so we wanted an AV system that
would work well in that environment.
We have students running the AV system sometimes, so it had to be easy to
learn and it had to work reliably.”
Tornado Delayed Delivery
It looked great on paper. However,
that’s where it had to stay for slightly
longer than anticipated. After a May
2011 tornado outbreak had devastated
parts of Joplin, setting the project back
by several months, it was learned that
the AllFrame would not be ready to ship
in time for the scheduled installation to
make the auditorium ready to open for
the new school year starting in August,
with the delay centered around UL certification and other details.
Tritz acknowledged having reserva-
tions about being first with a brand
new technology platform. “It looked
like it was going to become a nail-biter,” he said, particularly after the time
invested in encouraging the client to
go with a fully digital audio transport
system. Added Jonathan Mills, Audio
Acoustics’ Senior Systems Designer,
“The [AllFrame] was ver y new; it was
literally coming out of Aviom’s R&D
and into the real world with this installation. We knew we would be integrating a ver y new piece of gear, which
comes with its own kinds of challenges. And we’d be doing it after construction delays caused by the tornado. So
when we learned that the new system
wouldn’t be ready when we had scheduled it, we had to look for an alternative solution.”
June 2012
51
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The Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, Joplin MO.
That took the form of using the preceding Aviom Pro64 system, essentially as a fully functional placeholder,
the difference being the termination
points, such as stage boxes, which
would have to be replaced once the
new AllFrame system was ready for
installation with five fully flush panels
custom-made by RCI Custom Products,
the fabricator recommended by Shen
Milsom for the task. Two stage boxes
would be placed on stage left and right,
two in the rear of the auditorium and
another in the orchestra pit. These
would be significantly more efficient
than the rack-based terminations called
for by analog signal transport systems.
The glitch was a serious one in terms
of the project’s schedule, but Audio
Acoustics took it in stride and Aviom
was exceptionally helpful in creating an
interim solution, the integrator reported. “It was a Catch-22, but Aviom sent
their guys down here with the [Pro64]
system to help us,” said Baker. “We’d
have to install it, then de-install it later
and install the newer version. It was
additional work, but we included it because we wanted to see the project get
done properly.” According to Tritz, the
Aviom digital snake could be put into
place and the end points changed out
when the newer system was delivered.
PA Overview
Meanwhile, the rest of the systems
installations went forward. The PA system’s design called for a three-hang
front array consisting of left, right and
center line-array hangs. The left and
right arrays consist of three ElectroVoice EVA-2082S 920 dual-element
90°x20° full-range line-array modules
and one EVA-2082S 906 dual-element
90°x6° full-range line-array module
per hang, powered by Electro-Voice
Q1212 amplifiers; the center cluster
incorporates of a pair of EVF-1122S96
two-inch two-way full-range loudspeakers, powered by an Electro-Voice Q99
amplifier. Tritz described the EV system as, “On a cost-per-watt basis, a
ver y cost-effective solution for a K-12
educational environment.”
According to Baker, the use of fullrange loudspeakers was important to
eliminate the need for subwoofers in
the system, both for space reasons (the
auditorium is compact, seating about
450), and to help hold the line on costs.
“And it sounds great, including in the
lower frequencies, thanks in part to the
excellent acoustics in the auditorium,”
he added.
However, part of that acoustical design also created an installation challenge. By the time the PA was scheduled for installation, the drywall ceiling
had already been put in place, but the
hang points had to be secured to the
architectural roof’s inside aspect. Audio Acoustics’ crews had to work between the two layers but also had to
minimize the size of the holes they cut
through the ceiling, for esthetic and
load reasons.
Mills said the solution was to design
the hanging support systems back at
their offices to scale, pinpointing the
locations for each hang against Shen
June 2012
53
Equipment
2
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AKG PCC-160 boundary mics
AMX NI3100 master NetLinx controller
AMX SP16AXTRUSBA 16-button keypad
Atlas FAP62T 6" ceiling speakers
Atlona AT-HD4V110SR HDMI transmitter/receiver
Atlona AT-HD570 HDMI audio de-embedder
Atlona ATHDSYNC HDMI recorder, writer, hot plug simulator
Atlona AT-HD-V81 HDMI switcher
Atlona AT-PC41A RGBHV switcher w/audio
Atlona ATVHA180ASR extender w/audio over Cat5
Audio-Technica AT4021 condenser mic
Audio-Technica AT4022 condenser omni-directional mic
Audio-Technica PRO45 choir mics
Aviom 6416M digital snake input module
Aviom 6416o digital snake output module
Aviom 6416Y2 digital snake I/F cards
Aviom C4m digital snake box input cards
Aviom C4o digital snake box output cards
Aviom F6 Modular I/O digital snake box frames
Aviom H10 digital snake merger hub
Aviom POA-i digital snake box power injector
Blonder Tongue AM-60-806 RF modulator
Blonder Tongue CEF-750 channel elimination filter (ch 3)
Blonder Tongue OC-8D passive combiner
Blonder Tongue SDS-12 splitter
Bosch LTC 046521 day/night cameras w/5-50mm lens
BSS London BLU-120 audio/digital expanders
BSS London BLU-160 audio/digital signal processor
BSS London BLUCARD-IN input cards
BSS London BLUCARD-OUT output cards
Cisco SLM224P-NA network switch
Clear-Com CC260 dual-ear headset/mics
Clear-Com CC95 single-ear headset/mics
Clear-Com KB702 2-channel wall stations
Clear-Com MS-702 stage intercom master station
Clear-Com RS601 1-channel belt packs
2
1
2
1
1
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8
2
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5
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4
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10
8
3
1
2
2
2
1
10
1
4
18
1
2
1
6
6
6
1
Clear-Com RS-602 2-channel belt packs
Clear-Com WBS 680 wireless ICM base station
Clear-Com WTR 680 wireless beltpacks
Crown CTs4200A power amp
Da-Lite 99292LC Cosmopolitan Electrol screen
Draper 300181 SLX14, scissor lift
Electro-Voice EVA-2082S906BLK speakers (main L-R)
Electro-Voice EVA-SG-BLK speaker brackets, pair
Electro-Voice EVF-1122S 96 BLK speakers (main center)
Electro-Voice HRK-1B rigging kit
Electro-Voice Q1212 power amps (main L-R clusters)
Electro-Voice Q99 power amps (center cluster)
Electro-Voice SM42TB surface-mount speakers
Extron BUC-102 audio converters
Extron MDA 2V EQ, distribution amp
FSR FL-500P floor boxes (FB01 & 02)
FSR TPRO-RXDS 1RU x ¼ Wide Brick receivers
FSR TPRO-TXD VGA + LR to TP transmitter (DT)
FSR TPRO-TXWP-BLK VGA + LR to TP transmitters (WP)
Furman PS-PRO II 8-outlet power conditioner (15A)
Gefen GTV-DD-2-AA digital to analog audio decoder
Horizon 1SKB-1916 portable rack caster base
InFocus IN5533 7000 lumen DLP projector, HDMI
JBL Control 25 speakers (balcony)
Kramer TP-573 RS232 IR over TP transmitter
Kramer TP-574 HDMI RS232 IR over TP receiver
Kramer-Synnex PT571 HDMI over TP transmitters
Kramer-Synnex PT572 HDMI over TP transmitters
LG 22LD350C 22" LCD flat panels
LG 42LD452C 42" flat panels
Lowell LGR4432 44RU equipment racks w/accessories
Middle Atlantic RM-KB-LCD17 rack mount KB/mouse/monitor
Muxlab VideoEase 500302, RF to UTP baluns
Peerless LCFS-100 flat-panel floor stand
Peerless PAGUNVHD heavy-duty projector mount
Peerless PT640 pro universal tilt mounts
Peerless SF630 flat-panel wall mount
Peerless SF640 flat-panel wall mounts
RCI Custom Products custom Aviom panel plates (stage, orchestra pit)
Renkus-Heinz CF121M-2 powered stage monitors
Sennheiser ASP212 dual 2-way BNC passive splitter boxes
Sennheiser EW122G3 bodypack transmitters, ME4 cardioid lav, recv
Sennheiser EW165G3 HH transmitters w/3865 capsule,
rackmount receiver
Sennheiser G3DIRKIT8 splitters for 8 receiver system
Sharp BD-HP75U Blu-ray player
Shure BETA87 cardioid vocal mics
Shure SM-57LC cardioid mics
Shure SM-58LC dynamic vocal mics
TASCAM CD-200i CD player w/iPod dock
Telex HDP-LWN lightweight neckband headphone
Telex HGA1 1/2 wave dipole gain antenna
Telex NL-4S inductive neckloops
Telex SR50 personal receivers w/belt clip
Telex ST300 assisted listening system
Tenergy BC1HU 110-240V battery charging stations
Ultimate JSZS100 mixer stand
Ultimate PRO SB mic stands
Ultimate TOUR-T tripod mic stands
Ultimate ULTIBOOM-TB Boom arms
Yamaha M7CL-48 48-channel digital mixing console
List is edited from information supplied by Audio Acoustics, Inc.
54
Sound & Communications
All Rights Reserved © Stewart Filmscreen 2011
All Rights Reserved © Stewart Filmscreen 2012.
Photo credits: H2 Systems Inc.; tim-mckenna.com
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Milsom’s drawings, and alignthe other systems Baker conceding them with their spots above
ed might sound a bit like overkill
the stage. Plumb lines were then
for an elementary and high school
hung from the roof to assure acauditorium. However, he added,
curacy. “We were working a bit
“It’s a college preparator y school
blind and had to trust our meaand their intent is to provide the
surements when we were up
students with the absolute best in
there,” said Mills. “But it turned
terms of both an education and
out looking great and meeting the
the technology to support it, and
designer’s specifications.”
these systems are examples of
The PA system has some heavy
that.”
artiller y when it comes to processing and mixing. The system
is managed by a BSS London
That thinking extends to the
Soundweb BLU-160 processor and From this location, audio is distributed from various auditorium’s video systems, as
a pair of BLU-120 expander units. points on stage to the mix position.
well. A 220-inch-diagonal Da-Lite
These handle the system delays,
Cosmopolitan Electrol screen is
including for the six JBL Control
the backdrop for the stage, lit by
25 speakers used as balcony fills, as sophisticated configurations to be a 7000-lumens Infocus IN5533 DLP
well as system equalization, which Mills selected and executed easily by the projector projecting from the rear and
said was relatively minimal, again citing school’s staff, with macro settings for mounted on a Draper SLX14 scissor lift
intrinsically good acoustics as well as lectures, music, theater and movies. extending downward from the ceiling.
That extends to the Yamaha 48-chan- Video is operated from a small control
loudspeaker performance.
The Soundweb London also interacts nel M7CL digital console, fitted with room at the rear of the auditorium,
with the AMX NI3100 master NetLinx Aviom’s Pro64 Network Manager soft- where a pair of AMX SP-16-AX-TR-UScontrol system, programmed to allow ware that, along with the high level of BA 16-button keypads are the primary
Large Projection
56
Sound & Communications
interface for the AMX NetLinx controller. Again, programmed macros, such
as system on/off and playback source
choices, allow easy operational interface for minimally trained users.
The design also includes some distributed video, mostly ser ving the
back-of-house area. A pair of Bosch
LTC 046521 day/night cameras is
mounted to cover both the seating area
and the backstage areas, such as the
green room and dressing rooms, and
fed to the control room. In addition,
images from the main screen can be
distributed around the house, backof-house and to adjacent areas in the
building via three LG 22LD350C 22inch displays and four LG 42LF452C
32-inch displays. According to Tritz,
the distributed video system currently
ser ves mainly theatrical applications,
such as allowing stage managers to
see backstage status, cue performers
and raise and lower curtains. But it will
have more functionality in the future as
budgets allow.
The control room is located in the rear
of the auditorium.
“The video system was [also] envisioned to provide image magnification during panel discussions, content
capture for overflow audiences, and
fed to the remainder of the campus,
recording of events, distance learning
and streaming video during events,” he
explained. “Most of the video system
had to be postponed due to budget constraints. However, at our recommendation, the infrastructure remained
largely intact,” including cabling to
other parts of the campus.
It’s the best of both worlds, noted
Jon Baker, after the fully installed audio system was turned on for the first
time in December 2011: having a sophisticated AV system that is intuitive
and predictable to control. “And having it in a teaching environment really
adds to what it can do,” he said. “It’ll
be part of the theater arts teaching
program at the school and when those
students leave here. They’ll know what
it’s like to have worked with a worldclass system.”
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