New York-based systems integrator Advance Sound Company was recently engaged by Sewanhaka Central High School District (SCHSD) in Long Island to upgrade five auditoria across five campuses, installing EM Acoustics EMS Series reinforcement systems in three.
‘We’ve always been very focused on audio, and it remains at the core of what we do,’ confirms Matthew DePace at Advance Sound Company. ‘The Sewanhaka Central High School District project required a reliable and intelligible audio solution, and this is where EM Acoustics came in.’
After meeting with the district and spending time with music staff, students and teachers at each school, Advance Sound proposed a new approach, a complete move away from the off-the-shelf systems the schools had previously been considering. ‘The goal was to deliver consistent audio coverage and intelligibility to every seat in the auditorium, while ensuring the system was genuinely easy to operate for staff and students,’ DePace says.
The auditoria at New Hyde Park Memorial High School, H Frank Carey High School and Elmont Memorial High School are identical in size and layout, which enabled Advanced Sound to design a common solution. Initially designed around constant-curve line-array systems, the spaces had suffered from uneven audio coverage.
‘One of our design principles is to take a more distributed approach to sound design,’ says Advence Sound’s Thomas DePace. ‘By deploying delay loudspeakers, we could change the entire feel of the space. The variety of models within the EMS Series allowed us to design a distributed system that would grant everyone in the space the same listening experience.’
The system configuration comprises an EMS-159 as a centre, with down fill from an EMS-126. On the left and right are EMS-129 loudspeakers. Rear and delay fills are provided by EMS-101Xs. Amplification is through the client’s own Crown XTi amplifiers, with processing through Symetrix digital signal processors. This was duplicated across all three auditoria.
Ease of operation for a broad range of users was a key requirement, with the system supporting both day-to-day assemblies and more sophisticated, end-of-semester productions. A Crestron touchpanel in all five school auditoriums allows unified control of the audio and video systems, with different modes preconfigured by Advance Sound Company to suit different use cases. Automatic mode for everyday use allows one-touch system operation, including audio input from one or two microphones. Staff can connect their own audio sources via Bluetooth or RCA. A protected manual mode unlocks furhter features and allows integration of the auditorium’s mixing consoles.
Advance Sound also provided training to students on microphone technique and system use, incorporating the system into the schools’ music and drama programmes and ensuring that the high schools gain maximum benefit from the upgrade.
From Advance Sound Company’s perspective, EM Acoustics provided strong support throughout. ‘From an integration standpoint, EM Acoustics are fantastic. The availability of data, such as 2D and 3D modelling, was invaluable and makes our job much easier,’ DePace comments. ‘The bracketry design and centre of gravity considerations in terms of the product engineering also save time during installation. Plus, the short turnaround time on the products was impressive.’
More: www.advancesound.com
More: www.emacoustics.co.uk