Tag: vernal

City of Sturgis Expands Technomad Loudspeaker Installation for 2012 Motorcycle Rally

Technomad now covers entire downtown area; installer also adds Technomad loudspeakers to area businesses

BOSTON, July 25, 2012 – The City of Sturgis, South Dakota is ready to deliver big sound for the 72^nd annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with significant extensions to its downtown PA system. The expanded system, featuring nearly 50 Technomad advanced audio loudspeakers, will deliver entertainment and public safety information to the expected crowd of nearly 700,000 strong — and at a far greater capacity than in previous years.

The Black Hils Rally is one of the biggest events at Sturgis each year. Technomad Berlin and Noho are installed on surrounding rooftops. Photo credit to BK Bennett.

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$The Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Sturgis, home to one of the world\'s largest annual motorcycle rallies. Technomad loudspeakers are positioned on rooftops around the downtown to deliver high-quality voice and audio. Photo credit to Nicholas Ng.$

$Approximately 700,000 visitors are expected to flood the streets of Sturgis at this year\'s event. KNKL owner Pete Torino has expanded the Technoamd installation to nearly 50 Berlin and Noho models. Photo credit to Jennifer Kirkland.$

The Technomad loudspeakers, which previously covered a four-block radius, now blanket the entire downtown area with intelligible voice and high-quality musical reproduction. Pete Torino, who specifies and installs PA systems, almost exclusively uses Technomad loudspeakers due to their fully weatherproof, MilSpec design and ability to project high-quality audio with broad dispersion over long distances.

Torino uses high-power Technomad Berlin and Noho models on downtown building rooftops, with 12 audio headends incorporating up to six loudspeakers apiece. Torino, who also operates local radio station KNKL-AM The Knuckle (1710AM locally, online at http://www.theknuckle.com), will simulcast KNKL programming over the Technomads throughout the Rally, and use their powerful output to broadcast important information to the large crowds.

“I’ve been the voice of the Rally for the past 12 years,” said Torino. “We continue to work closely with the City Emergency Management team to communicate public safety information for weather and other events. They give me about five minutes notice to make an announcement over the Technomads before they blow the downtown sirens. This keeps the crowds calm since they understand the situation when the emergency team flips the switch.”

The success of the downtown PA system has influenced Torino to specify and install Technomad loudspeakers at other area businesses and locations. This includes two Berlins and four Nohos for the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club — one of the world’s oldest motorcycle clubs — which offers a flat track, half-mile motocross track and challenging hill climbs on 40 acres of ground.

Torino has also installed approximately two-dozen Technomad Vernal loudspeakers in local convenience stores and restaurants, including the Elk Creek Steakhouse and Lounge in nearby Piedmont, South Dakota. The installations cover both indoor and outdoor areas, taking advantage of the Vernal’s compact design, powerful sound output and durable, weatherproof construction.

“The Vernals come in both 8-ohm and 70-volt configurations, and are ideal for businesses that have 70-volt systems already installed,” said Torino. “We replaced a lot of those old, awful-sounding 70-volt horns with Vernals. They provide much better sounding audio. The Vernals also deliver the same power and projection of the larger Technomads in a smaller package.”

Sturgis continues to stake its claim as one of the largest annual motorcycle rallies in the world, with the downtown streets swelling to more than 100 times the year-round local population each August. This year’s Rally will take place from August 6-12 and feature live performances from dozens of major touring acts including Zac Brown Band, Slash and Buckcherry. A full list of Rally-related events can be viewed at http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/events/.

In addition to downtown Sturgis and local businesses, KNKL will be simulcast on KDSJ-AM in nearby Deadwood during the Rally. This delivers the station’s over-the-air signal to five states — while the web stream ensures that listeners around the world can take part in the festivities 24-7 at http://www.theknuckle.com.

ABOUT TECHNOMAD

Technomad 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 nine models ranging in power from 60-watt loudspeakers to 1250-watt subwoofers — most available in Turnkey PA System packages featuring amplifiers, mixers and other signal processing equipment in pre-wired racks. The company also manufactures a variety of audio infrastructure and communications equipment including playback and recording systems, weatherproof power amplifiers and turnkey remote audio systems. Contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 or visit http://www.technomad.com for more information.

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Technomad Powers Audio for Multimedia Artist Doug Aitken’s ‘Song1’ at the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum

Weatherproof loudspeakers and amplifiers provide high-quality audio soundtrack to accompany the massive visual projection designed by WorldStage

BOSTON, June 20, 2012 — WorldStage, the company created by the Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications merger, recently staged a unique and awe-inspiring audiovisual project in cooperation with the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden that brought multimedia artist Doug Aitken’s ambitious “Song1” piece to life — across the Washington, DC museum’s 725-foot wide circular, outdoor façade.

Worldstage required pristine audio to accompany the striking visuals of Song 1 -- and selected Technomad to do the job

Song1 recently closed a two-month run at Hirshhorn, where the spectacle drew up to 3,000 visitors a night to the museum grounds. The non-narrative, multimedia piece centers on the smoky 1950s doo-wop classic “I Only Have Eyes For You” — and the various humans and inanimate objects that seemingly react to the song’s mesmerizing effect.

The massive video projection required exceptional audio quality to create a truly engaging multimedia event worthy of both the museum and Aitken’s artistic vision. WorldStage selected Technomad for the job, strategically placing 20 of the company’s weatherproof loudspeakers to ensure uniform audio patterns over long distances and at close range. The company also specified and installed Technomad PowerChiton waterproof amplifier modules to power the audio projections.

“We specified Technomad because we wanted fully water-proofed, full-range boxes — and wanted to preserve some amount of stereo imaging,” said Joshua Weisberg, president of WorldStage. “Using full-range boxes at specific locations allowed this to happen.”

Weisberg and his team installed the loudspeakers on a perimeter wall that encloses the Hirshhorn Museum property. The coverage area included the streets, sidewalks and surrounding park, as well as the interior museum plaza. WorldStage installed 12 Technomad Berlin loudspeakers — the largest, most powerful Technomad model — around the wall, arranged and zoned to preserve left/right orientation. The company also installed eight Technomad Vernal loudspeakers — the most compact loudspeaker in the Technomad arsenal — where very short-distance projection was required. This included entry areas and the south side of the property.

Weisberg adds that the PowerChiton amplifiers were configured to drive two loudspeakers apiece — using the 1600W PowerChiton4 models for the Berlins and the 500W PowerChiton3 models for the Vernals. PowerChiton amplifiers are compact, IP66-rated modules that allow integrators to co-locate amplification with loudspeakers to simplify installations — while also offering maximum protection from rain and other outdoor elements with its robust and durable design.

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“The piece was up for eight weeks in all kinds of weather, and the equipment did not sustain any degradation,” said Weisberg, whose team also designed and fabricated custom mounts for the loudspeakers to ensure exceptional operation during inclement weather.

Most important to WorldStage, Hirshhorn and Aitken when it came to audio was the quality delivered to the ears in the audience. WorldStage provided and programmed Pandora music servers and simply let the Technomad system handle the “last mile.”

“Sound quality was a very important element of this artwork, as the piece used ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’ as its narrative basis,” said Weisberg. “Doug Aitken was pleased with the performance of the sound system, and we are looking forward to using the equipment on future projects.”

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Technomad and Onyx AudioVisual Upgrade Woodberry Forest School Sound Systems

Integrator chooses all-in-one Technomad Turnkey PA System to reproduce high-quality voice and music indoors at Virginia school

BOSTON, APRIL 2, 2012 — Woodberry Forest School, situated on the banks of the Rapidan River near Charlottesville, Virginia, is an historic boy’s prep school situated on 1200 acres of land that once belonged to General William Madison, the brother of President James Madison. Using Technomad advanced audio solutions, the school has upgraded sound systems in two athletic facilities in alignment with campus-wide building preservation efforts.

Onyx AudioVisual selected Technomad for the campus installation due to sound quality and rugged design, capable of dealing with the heat and moisture associated with indoor pool environments

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$Woodberry Forest is an historic boy\'s prep school situated on 1200 acres of land near by the Rapidan River near Charlottesville, Virginia$

$The Woodberry Forest School\'s Technomad system includes a total of 21 Vernal loudspeakers distributed across two indoor athletic facilities$

Onyx AudioVisual, a Virginia-based IT consulting company with expertise in audio/video, network infrastructure and lighting, designed and integrated the new sound systems. The company chose a Technomad Turnkey PA System to bring multiple loudspeakers and all required signal processing systems together into a single, integrated solution.

The complete system, deployed in a 70-volt configuration to accommodate lengthy cable runs across four zones, reproduces intelligible voice and high-quality music over long distances for athletic meets, games and other activities in both areas. The installations include 11 Technomad Vernal loudspeakers in the pool area and 10 in the Reily Wrestling Room, delivering high-fidelity sound and broad audio dispersion from a compact form factor.

Onyx AudioVisual also chose Technomad for its rugged, weatherproof loudspeaker designs. The project required environmentally tough loudspeakers that could withstand the humidity and moisture associated with indoor pool environments.

Bart Cardea, sales director for Onyx AudioVisual, said his team balanced perfect audio detail inside the pool area and the wrestling room to achieve pristine athletic event sound. The upgrades substantially improve sound quality around the galleries, bleachers, pool and mats to help spectators follow the action during events.

“The sound needed to be excellent quality for sports writers, fans and athletes,” said Cardea. “We needed to preserve the historic integrity of the areas, while delivering state-of-the-art sound technology. We chose Technomad because of their reputation for superior sound, easy setup and environmental durability. They exceeded our specifications for sound while meeting the environmental challenges we faced.”

Cardea added that the Technomad Turnkey PA System design established a new central audio headend from which all cable runs originate. Technomad Turnkey PA Systems include a pre-wired amplifier, six-channel mixer, cables, connectors and open rack space for audio source equipment — all delivered in a compact, durable equipment rack.

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Technomad Makes Loudspeakers with Heat from the Sun

Sustainable process improves quality while significantly reducing costs and carbon footprint

BOSTON, March 12, 2012 – Technomad redefines sustainable AV with a new cleantech partnership that brings solar technology to its already-green plastic loudspeaker manufacturing process. The move slices production costs up to 30 percent while reducing the company’s carbon footprint — and introduces a revolutionary process to the professional audio and AV space.

$LightManufacturing\'s heliostat array reflect reflect sunlight onto a rotating hollow mold, which heats to several hundred degrees in seconds and melts the plastic inside$

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$LightManufacturing\'s heliostat array reflect reflect sunlight onto a rotating hollow mold, which heats to several hundred degrees in seconds and melts the plastic inside$

$Technomad\'s shift in manuacturing strategy minimizes the company’s carbon footprint while slicing production costs up to 30 percent$

$LightManufacturing\'s Solar Rotational Molding process costs less to operate and purchase than the traditional approach — a potentially revolutionary difference in a world used to green but unaffordable projects$

Technomad has long been associated with sustainable manufacturing, producing durable, weatherproof MilSpec loudspeakers using recycled plastic. As a result, Technomad loudspeakers are often specified into AV projects with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements.

Technomad recently teamed up with LightManufacturing LLC, which developed a unique-patent-pending method of molding plastic with solar heat. The company’s unique Solar Rotational Molding (SRM™) systems eliminate greenhouse gasses associated with traditional rotational molding while reducing manufacturing costs — an unusual combination in a world that equates ‘green’ with unaffordable.

LightManufacturing now molds most of Technomad’s popular Vienna and Vernal loudspeakers at its California facility, with larger models to follow.

“Technomad is the first company in the professional audio industry to take advantage of solar thermal energy,” said Rodger von Kries, vice president of Technomad. “We’ve always worked on the cutting edge of green manufacturing, being the first company to use 100 percent recycled plastic to make loudspeaker cabinets. The LightManufacturing partnership brings new advantages by reducing our costs while benefitting the environment.”

LightManufacturing’s SRM process uses heliostats – computer-controlled mirrors – to concentrate heat from the sun onto a mold and melt the plastic inside. The sun’s thermal energy is used directly, avoiding the costs of making electricity with photovoltaic panels. The process delivers higher quality parts at a lower cost than traditional rotational molding, with typical savings of 10 to 30 percent. The nearly silent SRM systems use no natural gas or external AC power, and the hardware costs less than traditional rotational molding systems.

“This partnership shows that the solar molding process can deliver high-quality, reduced-cost parts for manufacturers right out of the gate,” said Mark Severy, a consultant at LightManufacturing. “Technomad came to us with a 15 year history of making world-class products. We met their requirements for outstanding quality, lower cost — and zero carbon emissions.”

ABOUT LIGHT MANUFACTURING

LightManufacturing LLC’s unique process re-invents rotational molding and other plastic molding processes through the use of heliostats and solar thermal energy. The company works with equipment builders, plastic molders, large-scale end-users of plastic components, governments and NGOs to create sustainable and economically-competitive manufacturing solutions. Please call 415-796-6475 or e-mail newclient@lightmanufacturingsystems.com for more information. Website:
LightManufacturing LLC

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Technomad Upgrades Audio Presence at Club Med Sandpiper

Weatherproof loudspeakers power soothing background music and high-energy musical entertainment, with the durability to survive the harsh local climate

BOSTON, January 30, 2012 — Systems integration firm Axxentos of Fort Lauderdale, Florida turned to Technomad upon evaluating the outdoor audio needs of Club Med Sandpiper in nearby Port St. Lucie. The new outdoor audio systems, featuring 14 Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers, comprise part of a property-wide renovation alongside indoor AV upgrades and general construction projects.

Most of the 14 Technomad loudspeakers on the property are installed in a 70-volt configuration to accomodate long cable runs

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$The Berlins handle everything from soothing background music to high-energy club soundtracks by the resort\'s pool$

Club Med Sandpiper’s 400-square-mile resort property exists in southern Florida’s sweltering climate, requiring durable outdoor audio systems that can withstand the year-round heat, humidity and moisture. The resort also required high-quality loudspeakers that could power full-range, high-volume audio over long distances, and reproduce soothing background music at clearly audible levels.

“I’ve learned what gear can survive in harsh environments over the years, and from all the outdoor installations I have done, only one company reliably endures the elements — and that is Technomad,” said Olivier De Kegel, owner and president of Axxentos. “They also produce great sounding audio.”

The external pool system proved the biggest challenge as De Kegel had little guidance from the resort, other than that management wanted a nice-sounding background music system during the afternoon and a louder system in the evenings. He installed two Technomad Berlin loudspeakers, the largest loudspeaker in the company’s range, to take care of both requests with one system. The Berlins accommodate every activity from Bingo to full-blown nightclub-style events.

Axxentos installed a 70-volt infrastructure to accommodate long cable runs from a new central audio headend to various areas, including the bar. Ten Technomad Vernal 70-volt loudspeakers power the bar zone, delivering music and entertainment to guests enjoying daytime activities and the nightlife.

Two Technomad Noho loudspeakers also welcome guests with high-energy music audio at the entrance as they check in, with lower-volume background music playing in between arrivals.

“The resort wanted a system they could easily manipulate at the welcome area to balance loud and soft audio, and the Nohos offer power that is closer to the Berlin but compact enough for installation at the entrance,” said De Kegel.

Elsewhere, Axxentos installed AV systems in new conference rooms, built a mobile DJ unit and renovated a large theater system, merging existing equipment with some new components. But the outdoor audio systems remain the crown jewel of the resort upgrades.

“This was my largest installation to date, with some interesting upgrades and unique challenges,” said De Kegel. “They went from being fully analog to a more digital, centralized model. There won’t be any dull nights with the high-quality audio systems they have, and the durability of the Technomads ensure they won’t have to replace the outdoor systems every two years.”

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