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FEATURE | |
Back to Facility Manager
Contents |
As home theater systems become more common and drivers nod their head to the beat coming out of their automobile’s digital sound system, expectation levels of people attending live events have increased. From large sports arenas and intimate performance halls to meeting facilities and places of worship, facility managers look toward streamlined audio systems that make their audience question if what they hear is live or a recording. “There is nothing more important (with sound) than intelligibility and that it sounds natural,” says Steven Shull, principle of Acoustic Dimension in Dallas. "Just because someone is in a stadium with 67,000 people, the individual fan still wants the music to sound just like it does on his CD system. “If you go to a Broadway musical, chances are you have a CD of the music. You want the sound from the stage to sound just like it does at home.” But budgets and available personnel usually dictate what a facility can implement. “Typically (our clients) wants the highest technology but also something that is simple to use. It’s like they want a high performance race car that drives like a mini van,” says Ian Wolfe, vice president of Acoustical Design Group in Mission, Kansas. "This can present significant challenges for us designers. We continually provide designs that incorporate significant technology yet have simple, easy to use controls.” Digital sound that runs through the same cable as most computer systems is the way to ensure a quality product. While the technology is not new, lower costs are now making it affordable for established venues as well as those still on the drawing board. And it is a technology that can be used effectively by those who are not technically savvy. “We’ve designed systems to accommodate the operator who is not comfortable using a computer but we’re finding that more and more of the people running these facilities are pretty technologically literate,” says Tim Lindstrom, senior consultant for Pelton Marsh Kinsella in Dallas. “It’s more of an adjustment.”
The Technology The innovations of sound technology lie in the integration of digital and internet protocols that manage networks in a unified and simplified system as opposed to an analogue system. The new technology is called digital sound processing, or DSP. “The boundaries of digital are still not completely known and it is certainly being deployed throughout the industry, but it is still not the norm,” says Francois Morrison, principal and general manager of Trizart-Alliance in Montreal. “It is being gradually implemented everywhere that it makes sense, but we are still in a growth stage.” Previously, the installation of fiber optic cable to carry sound waves was a “someday”project for venue managers but now it is a must have. The technology has evolved in such a way that alleviates rolls and rolls and layers and layers of old copper wiring. Instead, sound can be carried and controlled by the same Category 5 or Category 6 cable that wires the facility’s information technology (IT) network. “The CAT 5 arrangement allows for easy splitting of microphone signals for front-of-house mixing, stage monitor mixing and recording, ”Wolfe says. “Also,it allows a portable mixing console to easily connect or disconnect from the building wiring with only one CAT 5 cable. This replaces large multi-pin connectors or dozens of individual microphone cables.” The systems are easily interfaced and easily controlled from a common platform. The capabilities include using digital and IT protocols to manage the networks in a unified and simplified system.
Digital sound processing through different computer platforms allows facilities to do numerous things through software eliminating actual hardware, Shull says. “It will shuttle an audio or video system through to a bunch of different users,” he says. "A video graphics guy can work on a file at one location and an audio guy can work on a file at another location at the same time.” Shull’s company is currently working to upgrade the audio and visual system at Dodger Stadium where the evidence of the old system versus the new system was very clear. “It was like an archeological dig," Shull says of the many layers of copper wiring uncovered during the transformation. "It was kind of fun when electricians were coming up out of the cable ways with wires they hadn’t seen in 20 years.”
Making It Fit Many large arenas or stadiums that host touring entertainment and concerts may not need to invest in a state-of-the-art sound system because the performers have their own portable audio systems that only need to be plugged in. Instead, such facilities can invest more wisely, in accommodations to get the tour in easily as well as creating adjustable seating arrangements. “Most touring acts are portable and they have specialized systems,” Levac says. "It doesn’t make sense for sporting venues, for example, to make the investment. They might put in a PA for entertainment during the game, but it won’t produce the quality (of the digital sound systems).” Cost may be an additional prohibitive factor. According to Wolfe, a basic system for a single meeting room could cost as little as $10,000 but a larger project for an NBA arena or NFL stadium could be as much as $2 million. However, there are some sports facilities that want to give their fans more for their buck than the game. Some teams and facilities view themselves as an overall entertainment provider and believe that having a quality sound system to blast their music and other audio is worth the expense. Pelton Marsh Kinsella recently worked with the designers of the Charlotte Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, who wanted to create the best-sounding arena in the NBA. In addition to including speaker clusters that would not have been as cost effective a few years ago, attention was given to the seating arrangement. “We were able to make a model and create a demonstration that allowed you to hear how sound would come out if you sat in a particular seat,” Lindstrom says. "It was a convincing factor for them.” It was so convincing, Lindstrom says, that the arena officials decided to sacrifice better sound in the concourse, club and restaurants in order to make it work within their budget. However, Lindstrom says that the wiring was implemented to allow arena officials to upgrade down the road.
“The best spot is a convention center with various meeting rooms because you can run signals anywhere,” Morrison says. The newer systems allow the user to split the sound into independent zones if a room is divided. Some systems are so smart they recognize the room split and automatically create the zones once the partitions hit the walls, Morrison says. Additionally, software can be programmed to meet repeat clients’ needs. Different configurations can be stored into the system or on to software. “That’s the kind of thing that makes a building a success,” Shull says. In addition to sound quality and easy use, the unified platforms can be programmed to monitor security needs. The system can note when a piece of equipment malfunctions or is pulled out of the system. It can also key a camera to record what is going on in a specific room.
The Sound Guy “The traditional sound guy has a tremendous amount of education to stay up with as far as technology is concerned,” Shull says. “Sound is still sound and acoustics are still acoustics, but it’s so friendly to use.” Morrison says that some venues may choose to invest in and hire someone to operate and maintain a system while others may contract it out to temporary help. “The human relations model is different from one facility to another,” he says. While traditional sound techs may be somewhat skeptical of the newer systems, sound consultants say once they get the hang of it, they discover the many ways they are able to manipulate and improve the sound quality. “Most of the operators will learn the flexibility of the newer systems and go hog wild,” Lindstrom says." It's more of an adjustment for them than a difficulty.” “Once you learn to use [the new systems] there is more opportunity to mix instead of twisting a lot of knobs,” Shull says." We can do so many things these days because it’s easier to manipulate.” In addition, a traditional sound technician may not be necessary for every event. Program directors, educators, seminar leaders can easily learn how to use the system and program it for their specific need.
The Future No longer are the days when event goers are willing to accept the fuzzy, buzzing noise that came out of speakers stacked around a stage. With event tickets priced upwards of $100, they want to be ensured that what they hear live is similar to the recordings they have at home. And while the physics of sound cannot be changed, technicians continue to become better at predicting how things in a room will work with sound. “Sound is so much a part of our lives,” Shull says. "People would rather hear it amplified well than hear it at all. Now we’re able to make it sound more natural.” Kelly Pedone is a freelance writer in Houston, Tx.. |
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© 2002-2004 International Association of Assembly Managers 635 Fritz Dr. Coppell, TX 75019 USA Phone: 972/906-7441 Fax: 972/906-7418 |
The
new systems replace a pipe that contained several cables making
infrastructure costs less. In the traditional system, it would run to one
control room with “wads and wads” of wire in a four-inch conduit and now
only requires a one inch or three-quarter-inch conduit to house a CAT 6 or
fiber optic cable.
What
you are seeing now is the same kind of cabling and wiring system you see in
your office,” says Robert Levac, senior consultant with Trizart-Alliance.
“It works well with older facilities because most have an IT network in
place and that allows you to send sound and audio out without having to
rewire. That’s a big advantage when renovating an existing facility.” 
Convention
centers and educational facilities are also prime locations for the
integrated sound system. The technology is simple enough for a teacher to
set a program specific for his or her needs alone without the assistance of
a technician. In addition, the single system can accommodate multiple rooms
at the same time. Instead of having to redo audio needs in various rooms on
an individual basis, the system can pass signals through various rooms at
the same time. 