Tag: outdoor audio

Bossier City: Summer Heat and Humidity with Technomad and the Airline Vikings

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Pat Divietro sent us an email with photos of his new Technomad PA System:

“We used 4 of your Berlin series to replace a dilapidated 70 volt system that was the butt of jokes for years. The stadium seats 8000 and the new system covers the home side with fidelity, and without killing them, hits the visitors side also.

We used 2 QSC 2.0HV’s to power the boxes with 750 Watts each into 8 Ohms. From the mixer, we run the whole system through a Behringer digital cross-over for eq and limiting. The whole system runs through a Furman AS-120 sequence power center with a key on lock. Simple, self-sufficient, sounds great.

But remember this is Louisiana! Summers 45 days + at 100 degrees F. Fall will rain for 2 1/2 weeks straight. Winters with freezing rain. And ANYTIME of year the humidity hovers about at 95%.

Your stuff is the best.

Pat Divietro
Airline Vikings
Bossier City, LA”

REFERENCE LINKS

» Berlin 15/H Loudspeakers
» Why are Technomads so Weatherproof?
» Turn-Key PA Systems
» Where to Install Small Stadium Speakers
» How Technomads Are Made
» Customer Comments


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The Ultimate Art Installation: Technomad @ the PS1 Contemporary Art Center

New York-The Museum of modern Art and the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, with the help of Technomad loudspeakers, presented New York’s Young Architects Program for the second straight summer.

The Young Architects Program series gives emerging architects, artists and designers the opportunity to build projects conceived for P.S.1’s facility in Long Island City, Queens. The year 2000 debut installation, an architectural landscape for summer relaxation, was created by the esteemed New York-based SHOP design firm.

The site featured a number of ways for revelers to experience a summer oasis within an urban backdrop. Visitors could socialize, sunbathe, wade in pools, and walk through a spray of mist while listening to live musicians and DJs pumping out progressive music through Technomad loudspeakers. Technomad’s flagship Berlin 15 loudspeaker, a high power two-way full-range cabinet, was used along with two Technomad Chicago 15 subwoofers to provide the bulk of the sound for the summer oasis installation.

Technomad was also well represented at the P.S.1 indoor art installations, including the “Volume: Bed of Sound” exhibit. The “Volume: Bed of Sound” consisted virtually exclusively of audio pieces and sound installations and is thought to be the least visual exhibit at P.S.1 to date.

Technomad’s two-way, full-range, coaxial Noho C loudspeaker was used for presentations for “Bed of Sound” by a number of noted artists, including Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakomoto, Muhal Richard and Sonic Youth. The Noho was also incorporated into a historical work by Walter Murch which featured effects tracks from the feature Apocalypse Now.

The Technomad Noho C contains a coaxial 12″ low frequency driver and 1″ compression driver providing unparalleled musicality and voice intelligibility. The Berlin 15 is equipped with a 2″ high frequency compression driver and a 15″ low frequency driver. Like all of the Technomad loudspeakers, the Noho, Berlin and Chicago are fully weatherproof due to their three-layer stainless steel WeatherTech grill, military-specification rotationally molded cabinets and self-draining construction.

P.S.1 was founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss as the Institute of Art and Urban Resources Inc. The center now operates two internationally renowned spaces for contemporary art in Long Island and Tribeca. P.S.1 is widely recognized as a defining force in the alternative space movement. P.S.1 functions as both a living and active meeting space for the general public.


CCS Presentation Systems Installs Technomad Turnkey PA Systems at High School Athletic Stadiums in Mid-Atlantic

BOSTON, June 18, 2008– Technomad Associates, LLC, today announced that CCS Presentation Systems, one of the world’s largest dealers of presentation technology equipment and services with locations throughout the U.S., has finalized three high school athletic installations featuring Technomad Turnkey PA Systems.

Technomad Noho C weatherproof loudspeakers deliver high-quality audio throughout the stadium, from home bleachers to concession stands in the furthest corner

Each Turnkey PA System features two Technomad Noho C weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers for high-quality audio coverage of football games and other athletic events; as well as a complete signal processing rack to produce audio in the press box, including a two-channel amplifier, six-channel mixer, cables, mounting brackets and a dynamic microphone with cable.

The schools include Tucker High School in Henrico County, Virginia, which upgraded to Technomad from antiquated horn systems with poor audio quality. Technomad loudspeakers were also specified for new athletic stadiums at King William High School in Aylett, Virginia; and Our Lady of Good Council High School in Olney, Maryland. The systems at all three schools offer clear voice reproduction and musical output that reaches every corner of each stadium.

According to Gene Wells, Project Manager for the two Virginia projects, he prefers to use Technomad for new athletic stadium projects due to their ability to deliver clear audio to everyone in the stadium. Wells also cites ease of use for athletic departments and weatherproof construction as crucial for high school stadium installations.

Every project is unique, from mounting the loudspeakers to the proper angling to ensure that everyone can clearly understand the audio, said Wells. I am consistently blown away by how two Noho loudspeakers cover an entire stadium. The athletic directors like the system not only because of the sound but also because the loudspeakers maintain a professional appearance on the press box, and the PA systems are easy to operate. As an installer the system is easy to set up and wire, and even in the most unusual installations we are able to position the loudspeakers so the audio reaches everyone. This is due to the very wide dispersion patterns of the Technomad design, which are unlike any other loudspeakers I have seen.

The two Virginia projects differed mainly due to the press box locations. While King William High School has the traditional press box location on the home side, the Tucker High School press box is located in the visitor stands. The challenge for Wells and his team was to ensure that fans in the home stands could hear the audio without overpowering the ears of visiting fans. Wells positioned the loudspeakers straight out angling them slightly to each side to achieve the appropriate balance. The two loudspeakers easily project to the home side, allowing everyone in the 2,800-person capacity venue to hear the live broadcast during games.

The sound quality is amazing, similar to a modern concert venue at maximum volume, said John Carroll, Director of Student Activities at Tucker High School, home of the John Randolph Tucker Tigers. We can easily hear the voice announcing the game clearly through the entire campus. It’s an unbelievable system, especially for a high school, and a million times better than the muffled audio coming out of our old horn system.

At Cavalier Stadium, home of the King William Cavaliers, Wells installed the Nohos on the two press box corners at the top to reach fans on each side. Wells mounted the Noho loudspeakers to fencing pipe atop the press box, using various fly points on the loudspeakers to ensure secure installation. The loudspeakers sit outside in the elements unprotected year round. The mid-Atlantic region regularly deals with a mix of sleet, ice and rain with occasional heavy snows in the winter, and intense heat and rain in the summer.

Cavalier Stadium, which also hosts soccer and track events, will open a concession stand in time for the Fall 2008 football season. The system has been tested to ensure that audio will reach those in line for refreshments, as well as those working inside the concession stand.

Kline Stadium at Our Lady of Good Council High School has a similar setup to Cavalier Stadium inside the stadium. The system, as designed by Lee Bellomy, Account Manager at CCS Presentation Systems in Maryland, distributes audio to two Technomad Noho loudspeakers inside the stadium, and also to a pair of small loudspeakers at the concession stand outside the stadium using a separate amplifier and a fiber connection.

The pattern coverage is fantastic inside the stadium, and what’s amazing is that as loud and clear as the audio is, it never bleeds into the bordering neighborhoods, said Ron Colbert, Technology Director for Our Lady of Good Council High School. I was initially surprised when CCS claimed that two Noho loudspeakers would cover the entire stadium, and CCS offered to remove the system if it didn’t live up to the claim. The Technomads do everything that was promised. The students love it all the varsity teams play here and use the system for warm-up music, and the marching band uses it for announcements during practices. Everything coming out of the system sounds great.

ABOUT CCS PRESENTATION SYSTEMS

Since 1991, CCS Presentation Systems has served customers in the corporate, government and educational sectors. CCS provides full service integration, installation and maintenance of audio and video equipment including interactive whiteboards, projectors, LCD & plasma displays, audio systems, document cameras and more. The company has expanded from a two-person operation to one of the largest A/V integrators in the U.S., with more than 300 employees, sales offices in 11 states and annual sales in excess of $100 million.

ABOUT TECHNOMAD

Technomad Associates, LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries. The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers eight models ranging in power from the 60-watt Vernal 15 to the 1250-Watt OSLO subwoofer. In 2000, Technomad introduces its range of complete Turnkey PA systems that have turned previous complex integration jobs into simple, one-line orders. Please contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 for more information.

REFERENCE LINKS

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