Football fans cheering on The Netherlands in Euro 2021 are benefitting from a new matchday experience from the famous Orange Double Deck Bus, thanks to a freshly installed sound system ready to help whip up the atmosphere into a frenzy
HGL from Tilburg equipped the bus with a solution calling on the combined benefits of Electro-Voice and Dynacord. Sound inside the bus is courtesy of six EVU-1082/95 cabinets with low end support from a ZX1-Sub. Meanwhile four MFX-15MC loudspeakers pole-mounted on a pair of Dynacord FX20-PRO subs provide powerful sound reinforcement outdoors. Power for the solution is from a single Dynacord IPX amplifier while SONICUE sound system software and a CMS-1000-3 mixing console are part of the solution to provide perfect mixing and control.
In this video for ISE Digital, Product Manager Bob Rieder showcases the PREVIEW tools used for designing a venue set up that can quickly predict loudspeaker coverage for sound systems. PREVIEW Loudspeaker Software is a full-color 3D interface that helps specifiers, designers and audio engineers find the optimum configuration and best overall loudspeaker positioning to deliver the ultimate performance in any venue.
When the Dallas Cowboys opened AT&T Stadium in
2009, it boasted the world’s largest Electro-Voice sound system in a
permanent installation, including over 240 line-array loudspeakers from
the X-Line family. The design team, spearheaded by Kevin Day of WJHW,
selected EV systems for their audio quality, reliability and depth of
control provided by the IRIS-Net processing and monitoring platform.
After enthusiastic approval from team owner Jerry Jones, Pro Media Audio
Video was enlisted to help coordinate the challenging installation.
Fast-forward to 2019. Noting that the many
touring concert acts coming through the world’s largest domed stadium
simply do not carry enough PA to provide adequate coverage for the upper
seating areas, the audio team decided to take advantage of EV’s
scalability to address the challenge.
“We’re always working to improve the fan
experience for all events, not just on game days,” says Gary French,
Audio Engineer in Charge for the Dallas Cowboys. “Most concert tours
augment their traveling systems with our EV arrays as the delay system
for the upper levels. We decided a little extra coverage would be a big
upgrade for those events.”
The Cowboys’ audio team worked with system
programmer Richard Bratcher, along with original design and installation
partners including Kevin Day of WJHW, head engineer Demetrius Palavos
and COO Ted Leamy of Pro Media Audio Video, and the Electro-Voice
engineering team. Together, they determined that the 14 XLCi127DVX
(compact three-way) delay systems covering the upper level could be
scaled up to produce smoother coverage with improved intelligibility.
Ted Leamy of ProMedia Audio Video reports that
the upgrade went very smoothly. “This project is a great example of
using real-world experience hand-in-hand with predictive computer models
to improve a system,” he says. “By listening to the customer, we find
ways to improve a system that already sounds great. We’re all
extraordinarily pleased at the increased intelligibility we achieved.”
The upgrade includes two added XLC arrays on
each side of the stadium, plus the addition of one more loudspeaker
element to the 14 existing arrays serving the 400 level, for a total of
54 added boxes. The system is also bolstered with 20 additional
Electro-Voice TG series amplifiers, each equipped with RCM-26 remote
control DSP modules. One additional NetMax N8000 digital matrix
controller was also added. The IRIS-Net platform’s proven stability and
scalability was a key factor in the expansion.
“Having used this system for every type of
event, it’s amazing how flexible it is,” adds Gary French. “We’ve had no
real issues with it this whole time, and Electro-Voice is there for us
whenever we decide to tweak something. After 10 years, everything still
looks and sounds new and I’ve been really happy with it. You can’t ask
for more than that.”
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) drew on the combined
strengths of Electro-Voice and Dynacord for an audio solution update in
the Jarvis Hall at its London headquarters. T S Professional Sound+Light
took on the installation project in the protected historic building to
create a system that would be as flexible as the room itself.
Created as a lecture and examination space
when the building was opened in the 1930s, Jarvis Hall has a 284-seat
main hall, which can be expanded to a 400-person capacity with the
inclusion of a breakout room, hidden behind a moving tapestry at the
back of the space. This split design means that any solution being added
to the technical setup needs to flexible enough to cope with multiple
configurations.
“We originally had quite a limited system in
here,” recalls Steve Barrett-White, AV Manager at RIBA. “We had a
two-channel, four-speaker system but because things have grown for RIBA
on the events side, we required full 7.1 surround sound to cater to film
screenings. In addition to this, the orientation in the breakout room
can either face the main stage when it is being used as one large hall
or can be rotated 90 degrees. This led to a design with 13 speakers
across both rooms.”
Over three days, the T S Professional
Sound+Light team installed Electro-Voice EVC-1122s as the main system,
with EVC-1082s as side fills and EVU-2082Bs as centre fills in the main
hall. Low frequency support is via a pair of EVC-1181 subwoofers
installed under the stage. The breakout space features three more
EVC-1082s to allow for the different configurations.
“We took a look at what was already here, and
we just tried to improve on that,” states Keith Upton, Managing Director
at T S Professional Sound+Light. “The speakers had to be larger for a
bigger sound. Thankfully, one of the things about Electro-Voice is that
there is a speaker for every application, so you are never frustrated
when you do a job. It had to be surround, but we were restricted with
where we could install the speakers by the Grade II listed building
status. So, we plotted where the speakers could be installed on custom
brackets and agreed on a design in consultation with Electro-Voice.”
Power and control is via a pair of IPX10:8
amplifiers from Dynacord. These eight-channel installation-dedicated
models eliminated the need for a separate audio matrix. These amplifiers
feature fully integrated high-resolution 96 kHz DSP with Dante and OCA
functionality.
“The amps all have preconfigured settings
which we can select for the different uses of the hall,” adds Gabriel
Thorp, Senior AV Technician at RIBA. “This has opened up the
possibilities for how the space is used, and we can give our clients the
assurance that the sound system can be optimized for their needs.”
Completing the solution is Dynacord’s new
SONICUE sound system software, which provides comprehensive system
monitoring and intuitive control via a “speaker view” GUI. This gives
RIBA’s engineers a real-time visual reference to what is happening with
the sound system, with the ability to monitor impedance, control levels
and mute speakers, when needed.
Reflecting on the upgrade, Barrett-White
concludes: “Electro-Voice and Dynacord came out as the number one choice
for Jarvis Hall because of their flexibility with working with us and
the architects to create the best possible system. The sound was so much
better than anybody else’s; it just fit this space perfectly.”
Electro-Voice has shown its first powered floor monitor, the PXM-12MP, a 12-in powered coaxial floor monitor that is acoustically optimised for a 55 degrees floor angle.
The PXM-12MP features coaxially aligned 12-in LF and 1.75-in HF transducers with a 90 degrees horizontal angle.
The monitor can be installed as fill, delay or mounted on a pole, working as a sound system for short throw applications.
Subwoofers can be connected when extra bass is required, with the PXM-12MP including several x-over settings for ELX200 and EKX subwoofers.
A built-in Class D 700 W amplifier is featured, capable of reaching a maximum sound pressure level of 129dB.
Electro-Voice’s QuickSmart DSP is also included, featuring a backlit LCD panel and a push-button encoder with IIR/FIR settings. Digital three band EQ features are integrated, with different factory presets for a variety of application modes and five individual user presets.
A recessed connection panel is located on the side of the speaker for access when used on a pole, featuring two XLR/TRS combo mic/line inputs, an individual phantom power option, a stereo RCA AUX input for playback of music sources and an XLR THRU input used as part of a distributed sound system.
An XLR MIXOUT output allows the cabinet to be used as a three-channel mixer that can send the mix to another loudspeaker, with the PXM12-MP’s integrated cable management feature reducing clutter.
The monitor is also housed in a 15mm plywood enclosure with an EV-Coat, finished with a powder-coated steel grille.
Built in 2009 and extended in 2018, the main chapel at
Gangryeung Church in the city of Gangryeung-shi, Gangwon-do Province,
South Korea is now equipped with a new Electro-Voice sound system,
thanks to an installation by Muple (Hanam-shi, Kyounggi-do, South Korea)
with assistance from regional Bosch/Electro-Voice product specialist
Lee Hosung.
The new system was specified to bring consistent audio
coverage and clarity to the expanded chapel seating area for regular
services, with enough dynamic headroom and SPL capacity to accommodate
contemporary Christian musical performances – all with a focus on
excellent vocal reproduction.
“After carefully considering the
church’s performance requirements, budget and architecture, it was clear
that models from the EV-Innovation family of installation-dedicated
loudspeakers would be the right choice to precisely cover all parts of
the chapel with consistent sound quality,” says Lee Hosung.
The
main system includes six EVA-2082S/906 dual-element full-range
line-array modules (90°H x 6°V coverage), two EVA-2082S/1220 (120°H x
20°V) and two EVA-1151D 15” subwoofer line-array elements. Each
full-range EVA module features two low-distortion 8” woofers and four
1.25” titanium-diaphragm HF compression drivers mounted to two Hydra
planar wave generators. For additional sonic fine-tuning at Gangryeung
Church, EVA-AM attenuation modules were used to shade array output over
the front part of the chapel.
An ideal choice for house of worship
installations, EVA is a true line array that offers all the benefits of
concert-type line arrays without their cost and complexity. EVA’s
extraordinarily efficient crossover and driver design minimizes the need
for external DSP and allows two full-sized arrays to be powered by a
single amplifier – all adding up to significant cost and space savings.
Ultra-compact
dual-8” EVU loudspeakers are used as fill speakers to cover the under-
and upper-balcony areas and the far sides of the sanctuary. Designed to
complement the other members of the EV-Innovation family, EVU models are
small enough to be discreetly installed in the tightest of spaces in a
vertical or horizontal orientation, helping to ensure complete coverage
across the venue. Controlled coverage is enhanced via a rotatable 90° x
50° Constant-Directivity waveguide coupled to a small-format
high-performance compression driver.
“The new system has plenty of
headroom to accommodate any performance scenario in the chapel, while
providing the focused directivity required to avoid any architectural
obstructions,” adds Lee Hosung. “Even at higher SPLs, the room’s
acoustics have been controlled successfully, so speech intelligibility
is maintained throughout. In addition, the EVA and EVU models are
acoustically and aesthetically matched, for consistency in both tone
color and visual styling. Our partners Muple have a very strong
reputation in the church market, and this installation represents their
commitment to proving an optimal combination of performance and value
for their customers – all with the assurance of quality and reliability
that comes with the EV badge.”
