Tag: College

Technomad Loudspeakers Bring Audio Clarity to Sports Events at Middle Tennessee State University

BOSTON, May 28, 2008-Technomad Associates, LLC today announced that Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tenn., has selected Technomad outdoor weatherproof loudspeakers to provide high-quality voice and music for live sports coverage in its new 2,500 seat stadium. The loudspeakers are the crown jewel of the PA system used for soccer games and track and field events, with only two Technomad Berlin loudspeakers required to cover the entire stadium with a smooth, intelligible audio pattern.

Two Technomad Berlin weatherproof loudspeakers provide live event coverage for 2,500 seats in new soccer and track & field stadium

The stadium, home to the MTSU Blue Raiders teams that play in the Division One Sun Belt Conference, is the newest venue within the university’s Murphy Center Complex, which comprises all the athletic venues on campus. According to Josh Hoevelmann, Electronic Equipment Engineer for MTSU Murphy Center, the Technomad Berlin loudspeakers rival the larger PA systems used for the football and baseball stadiums on campus.

Everyone I talk to on campus is surprised at the audio quality and power output we’re achieving from just two loudspeakers, said Hoevelmann. The output is extremely clear even at mid-field, and it’s not overbearing in the stands. The Berlins provide a full range sound with mids and lower levels as opposed to some of our other systems that produce mostly highs in the output.

Hoevelmann and his team built the PA rack and installed the loudspeakers, which were custom-ordered from Technomad in blue to match the team colors that are visible throughout the stadium. The loudspeakers were installed on the opposite corners of the press box exterior to ensure that those at the farthest corners of the field could clearly hear the audio, particularly during track and field events when the attendance can far exceed the official seating. In addition to providing even coverage throughout the stadium, the smooth audio pattern eliminates bleeding into nearby residential neighborhoods an ongoing challenge for the university.

There is residential housing across the street from the complex, and the original design called for installing the loudspeakers in the scoreboard, which faces the neighborhood, said Hoevelmann. We decided to move the installation to the press box, which in theory would still bleed into the neighborhoods, but the Technomads have maintained a good balance of being intelligible to everyone inside the stadium and not killing nearby residents with bleed-over. There have been zero complaints from neighbors unlike in past years.

The loudspeakers sit outside all year unprotected from the elements, which according to Hoevelmann include intense rain and hail in the fall and winter, and high heat in the summer. The weatherproof construction is only one aspect of the design that he and his team have found favorable. The loudspeakers are unconventionally mounted on the press box: Instead of using the supplied mounting brackets, the installation team took advantage of fly points on the Berlins and chained them to a fence sitting atop the press box.

The press box construction did not allow us to use the brackets, but the loudspeakers offer many fly points in the design to use eye bolts for unconventional installations, said Hoevelmann. The design made it very easy to hang the loudspeakers and chain them to the press box fence for a secure installation. The bonus is the blue color choice as installed; they match perfectly to the blue colors in the stadium. The assistant athletic director didn’t event notice them during the initial walkthrough because they blend in so well with the press box.

‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ and Technomad

Donated system plays role in Hughes family storyline for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

On November 7, Patricia and Patrick John Hughes family of Louisville, Kentucky, received word that Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover team would renovate their house into a safer and more accessible home for their blind disabled son, Patrick Henry, age 19. The storyline also includes the renovation of a practice field where Patrick marches in the University of Louisville School of Music Marching and Pep Band, maneuvering his wheelchair through the formations with assistance from his father. Technomad Associates, a manufacturer of weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers and PA systems, did the installation of a Turnkey PA System at the University. On November 13, the renovated field was revealed to the Hughes family.

Technomad delivered the system for installation by Super Home Systems of Louisville in the week following the Hughes family receiving the news. According to Phil Deddens, President of Super Home Systems, the system was easily set up in one day, requiring only simple cable runs and electrical connections. The University of Louisville’s practice field is the size and shape of a football field. Deddens and his team installed the Two Technomad Noho C loudspeakers on a new light pole at the 50 yard line, each at opposite 45 degree angles to optimize audio coverage on the field.

The Technomad Noho C loudspeakers are installed nearby the tower where the band director gives his commands, allowing his voice to project out onto the practice field and reach the 220-plus members as they are playing and practicing their formations. The PA rack, featuring an amplifier and six-channel mixer, is housed in this tower, close enough to allow a 20-foot microphone cable to easily reach the mixer input. The Turnkey PA system includes a microphone for the band director, loudspeakers brackets, and cables to connect all the components.

In addition to the PA system installation, the field renovations included six new 50-foot light poles, two storage buildings, a covered pavilion for viewing band practices, and a new archway at the entrance that includes the words “Inspired by Patrick Henry Hughes.” Super Home Systems was also involved in the home renovations, including a new stereo system, surround sound, phone, and TV writing, and security system installation.

This article originally appeared in the March 2008 edition of Entertainment Engineering

The College Of San Mateo Overhauls Its Athletic Facilities’ Audio Systems

Below is an excerpt from a feature story in the March issue of Systems Contractor News.

The San Mateo Community College District, College of San Mateo, Skyline College, and the Canada College recently updated the sound systems for several of their sports facilities. Some of the prior systems were around 30 years old or just non-existent, in the case of several outdoor fields.

For all the systems installed, Technomad Vienna and Noho loudspeakers were used. “We found out about Technomad from Lloyd McKinney Associates, and they brought us some to test out,” said Jim Petromilli (Director of Instructional Technology at San Mateo Community College District). “We were impressed with the sound quality and how rugged they were. We worked with them to design a first installation and had nothing but accolades about the sound quality, so we just moved forward and have been very pleased with them.”

REFERENCE LINK

http://systemscontractor.com/articles/publish/article_1961.shtml

Henderson State University Installs Technomad

Henderson State University in Arkansas has installed eight Technomad weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, home of the Henderson State Reddies, a Division II football team. The new loudspeakers, first used at the September 20 home opener, replaced antiquated horn system and improved voice and music intelligibility at the 10,000-seat stadium.

The university purchased six Technomad Berlin 15/H Install loudspeakers and two Technomad Paris 616 loudspeakers. It also purchased two PA racks filled with new mixers, amplifiers, signal processors and other equipment. Four of the Berlin 15/H Install loudspeakers are installed on the press box above the home bleachers, with the other two on poles next to the visitor bleachers. The Paris 616 loudspeakers are installed lengthwise on the ceiling of the press box overhang to provide a direct audio source to the expensive alumni seats underneath. Henderson State University purchased all the equipment and products through Troxell Communications.

The Technomad Berlin and Paris loudspeakers blend exceptionally well, to the point that it sounds like one enormous loudspeaker covering the entire stadium, said Jim Wilhelm, multimedia specialist for Henderson State University. We positioned the four Berlins on the press box so the middle two are pointing straight ahead and the far left and right loudspeakers are at a 45-degree angle. I wanted to ensure that those seated in the far upper corners are hearing the same quality as those at dead center. And, while the Berlins are still audible from under the press box, the Paris loudspeakers provide a more personal audio source for the alumni who pay for those seats.

This story initially appeared in the February 18 issue of Sound & Communications.

Technomad Loudspeakers Installed in Multiple Sports Venues Across San Mateo Community College District

Three campuses standardize on Technomad loudspeakers for indoor gymnasiums and outdoor stadiums

BOSTON, April 29, 2008 – Technomad Associates, LLC today announced that San Mateo Community College District in California has standardized on Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers on its three Bay Area campuses. Skyline College in San Bruno; Canada College in Redwood City; and the College of San Mateo are home to multiple indoor and outdoor venues now using Technomad Vienna 16 and Noho C loudspeakers for live sports and event coverage, with additional venues to follow as the district moves closer to completing a multi-year, multi-venue upgrade project that covers everything from field surfaces to bleachers to PA systems.

This is an ongoing project with one facility upgrade after another, and we have found the Technomad loudspeakers to be highly versatile with excellent audio quality both indoors and outdoors, said Jim Petromilli, Director of Instructional Technology at the San Mateo Community College District. Outdoors, the weatherproof design is ideal for our three campuses, all of which have very distinct microclimates that can include high heat, heavy rains, and rust from bay moisture. We have also found that the Technomad Vienna loudspeakers perform exceptionally well in our gymnasium at Skyline College for basketball, graduations and other events, and we are planning a similar installation in a second gymnasium.

The outdoor Technomad installations as integrated by Petromilli and his team include: five Noho C loudspeakers for Bulldog Stadium, the football stadium at College of San Mateo, with a sixth Noho C assigned to a nearby track and field area; nine Noho C loudspeakers for three baseball diamonds; two soccer fields, each with two Noho C loudspeakers; and three Vienna 16 loudspeakers for a new softball field that opens this spring.

Lloyd F. McKinney Associates of Hayward, California, procured the loudspeakers from Technomad for all venues, citing the weatherproof design as ideal to handle the different weather elements of the three campuses. The company also led the systems integration project for the gymnasium at Skyline College, home of the Skyline College Trojans, due to the height and complexity of the loudspeaker installations and system wiring. Twelve Technomad Vienna 16 loudspeakers were mounted onto concrete beams or steel structures in the gymnasium, with quad amps to drive selected speaker banks depending on the event. Each side of the gym features five Vienna 16 loudspeakers, with every other one facing the opposite direction to maximize coverage. The final two Vienna 16 loudspeakers were installed on a steel structure above the main basketball hoop, aiming down toward the center of the auditorium.

According to Rick McKinney, Vice President of Lloyd F. McKinney Associates, Petromilli and his team requested an indoor demo after experiencing the high audio quality of the initial outdoor Technomad installation at Bulldog Stadium, adding that the wide horizontal coverage pattern of the Viennas and Nohos allows the colleges to cover wide bleacher areas without hot spots.

Indoor reverb is always challenging in a gymnasium since you’re dealing with hardwood floors, concrete in bleachers and other acoustical challenges, said McKinney. The Vienna 16 loudspeakers provide plenty of power and voice intelligibility for Skyline College events, with a smooth and even audio dispersion throughout the bleachers. In fact, the two Viennas above the main basketball hoop cover the entire gym quite well on their own, but the additional speaker banks give Skyline College plenty of flexibility to orient the sound system to meet different requirements depending on the event.

According to Petromilli, the Skyline College gymnasium is the crown jewel of the district-wide sports facilities upgrade a complete remodel of an existing facility that adds a video projection system and free Wi-Fi in addition to the new floors, bleachers, and PA system.

The Technomads replaced a poor audio system that produced a massive echo, he said. It was difficult to hear in certain areas and we received many complaints. The Technomads bring a huge improvement in voice intelligibility, and the audio quality has improved our attendance in a very competitive market. The PA system has become part of the events at Skyline College, with music and additional entertainment for attendees to create an enjoyable experience.

The Noho C loudspeakers at Bulldog Stadium replaced aging horn systems that produced highly distorted, unintelligible audio. Three Noho C loudspeakers are installed on a press box facade at the 50-yard line, with two more mounted on light poles at the opposite side of the field.

“We opted for multiple loudspeakers that produce high quality audio at a lower level so we could achieve even distribution through the crowd,” said Petromilli. “This is also very important during track events; with so many events on the field, the participants can clearly hear their events being called. This includes the separate area where shot-put, javelin, and other events are held. And during football season, music is a more integral part of the experience, especially during warm-ups. The Technomads provide a pleasant musical output in addition to clear voice reproduction. We literally have people from visiting teams all over southern California knocking on our press box door complimenting us on our sound system, music, and overall presentation.”