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Live Inputs in Show Cue Systems' SCS with SoundMan-ServerClick here to read Mike Daniels' post on his very successful run of the Australian play Farmer will Swap Combine Harvester for Wife, written by Hugh O'Brien. |
Chester Zoo has great success with SoundMan-ServerThe Islands Sound: Revealing Chester Zoo's Technical Secrets |
Electrosonic Provides AV System with SoundMan-Server to North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' New Nature Research CenterClick here to read the Daily Planet's article on this installation. The Nature Research Center (NRC) wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences dazzled visitors at its recent opening with its array of unique interactive exhibits and experiences featuring audio-visual systems by Electrosonic. The Raleigh-based museum is the largest of its kind in the southeast. Its new, 80,000-square-foot Nature Research Center offers state-of-the-art labs, research opportunities, interactive exhibits and live presentations designed to make science a tangible and fun experience that helps visitors understand the practical applications of science in their everyday lives. Small Design Firm was charged with designing the interactives; Batwin & Robin Productions was the content producer. Electrosonic's design consulting team was involved throughout the project from the concept to the grand opening. "We represented the client's interests making sure that the approach, the systems' look and feel, and the integration all came together as planned," says Yiannis Cabolis, Electrosonic design consultant. "Over the course of five years on the job, there were many changes in the AV world, and the systems themselves evolved. We interfaced with manufacturers and strategic partners to get a good picture of what we could expect to see by installation time." Cabolis also worked closely with exhibit designer Andrew Merriell & Associates and lead designer Rebecca Shreckengast. During the course of the extensive build, the most challenging aspect for Electrosonic proved to be the SECU Daily Planet, a globe-shaped structure cantilevered onto the building and spanning the three-story wing. The Daily Planet is an immersive multimedia theater with a 40x40-foot high-definition screen, which offers a massive visual canvas to visitors on all three floors. In its Ambient mode, it presents spectacular scenes from nature through a variety of pre-recorded video content and random imagery. In its Presentation mode, it serves as a backdrop to scientists making daily live presentations on topics as diverse as excavating dinosaur fossils, tracking baboons in Kenya or exploring beyond the solar system. Electrosonic supplied a 32 input, 32 output, 64 playback channel Richmond Sound Design SoundMan-Server CobraNet-enabled server, which uses CobraNet-enabled speakers for DSP and delivery, to handle audio. Electrosonic also supplied six Christie WU12K-M series 3-chip DLP digital projectors for maximum brightness and resolution on the Daily Planet's 40x40-foot HD screen. Four of the projectors provide the blend for the bottom and middle of the screen and two for the upper portion. Four Barco DL3 moving digital light engines paint images on the bands of the screens located between the three floors. All of the projectors operate in Ambient and Presentation modes; Batwin & Robin Productions created the Ambient content. Four Delta high-resolution uncompressed media servers from 7thSense Design, which were specifically configured for the project, feed the projectors, TV/radio outputs and preview/confidence monitors. The media servers also handle all warping, blending and color balancing. Electrosonic also provided streaming computers to the equipment room and the operator's control kiosk in the Daily Planet. These computers and a laptop input from the speaker's podium are routed through live inputs of the Delta servers to the Daily Planet's main screen in a pre-determined Presentation mode window. The window features one to three occurrences of the same information tiled with a common background to the big screen. In addition to meeting the AV needs of the Daily Planet theater, Electrosonic furnished AV solutions for 55 innovative experiential media exhibits in the NRC wing, including 'magic tables' for specimen identification via RF tags; visitor-veterinary lab observations; a salt-water tank with touch-activated information; and a weather prediction station with live international links. Among the principal equipment supplied by Electrosonic for these exhibits were projectiondesign and High End Systems projectors; I-Tech touchscreens; Medialon Manager show control; Innovox, Renkus-Heinz and JBL speakers; QSC and Stewart Audio amps; and Richmond Sound Design and Peavey audio processing. David Weiner Design was the lighting designer for the NRC. At Electrosonic, Gary Barnes was the project manager, Carl Hartzler the project engineer, Yiannis Cabolis the design consultant and Les Hill the sales person. About Electrosonic
Electrosonic is an international audio-visual company that creates tailored,
state-of-the-art solutions for a wide range of markets including theme parks,
museums, video conferencing and control rooms. Since its founding in 1964,
Electrosonic has built a strong reputation for working on complex projects,
both large and small, and has developed lasting partnerships with customers and
suppliers. Beyond complete integrated systems, Electrosonic provides a
comprehensive scope of services including technical design, projector lamp
sales, maintenance and operational support.
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San Diego Air & Space Museum powered by SoundMan-Server - podcast with Bennet Liles of Sound & Video Contractor Magazine & Dan Jamele of MediaMation Inc.Bennet Liles: "Oh boy, even elephants sneezes! I'd like to see some of the control code labeling for this stuff. But the sound system for this has to be pretty sophisticated too. How was the sound system for this configured? For this type of show you probably have sound coming from lots of different places." Dan Jamele: "Right, it's not that big of a theater; we had a very low ceiling height to deal with. So we've got basically a 5.1 surround system. We're using all JBL Cinema components on this and Crown amplifiers. I think we have the CDi series in there with the DSP built into the amplifier, which is a really nice thing, and we really enjoyed the fact that since they're both owned by Harman company now, there's presets already in there for all of the JBL Cinema speakers. So we set up three across the front behind the screen with two subwoofers and the surround and four surround speakers in the theater itself. And in a room that size, it has plenty of power. For the processing, we use SoundMan-Server, which is made by Richmond Sound, which is basically a software program that emulates a lot of the more expensive DSP processor as far as the capabilities within it but it gives us full control and gives us full playback from all the audio right off the hard disk. So we're able to take full 40 AK 24-bit sound files and play them back directly; we don't have to worry about having any kind of AC3 encoded audio that degrades the sound." [Timestamp: 7:15] - From Sound & Video Contractor Online, 2010 November 11 Bennet Liles: "Yeah, one of the basic requirements of any success is what theater professors always refer to as the audience's suspension of disbelief and how well this works is a function of how well all the elements of the production come together to reinforce each other and synchronization is a real key to all that. How do you go about making sure everything happens at the right time and in the right order?" Dan Jamele: "Well, in this theater, as in most of the theaters that we install, we integrate all of the audio/video and control systems into our one VidShow controller unit; we also use the Richmond Sound SoundMan-Server to playback the audio tracks as well as routing and EQ and all of that fun stuff. That particular system requires a SMPTE signal in order to drive it to keep it in sync, so what we actually do is as we're playing the movie, we lock directly into the movie for all of the motion effects and everything else that we have to play as far as the motion files and special effects. The movie has a SMPTE audio track on it that we loop through right into the rack back into the Richmond Sound system, so when we command the Richmond Sound system to load a file and start playing it, it locks it right in almost instantaneously. It has a great SMPTE lock and that takes regular audio input. We don't need a special SMPTE converter or anything and away it goes - everything stays in perfect sync throughout the entire movie." [Timestamp: 5:36] |
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"Airborne Experience (September 1944)" museum powered by SoundMan-ServerOosterbeek, Netherlands (2009 October 4) -- The Airborne Museum "Hartenstein" has reopened after an extensive renovation including our SoundMan-Server Virtual Sound System Core Audio Engine software. The Commissioner of the Queen and the commanders of the British and Polish paratroopers officially opened the museum on Sunday, September 20, 2009. The entire museum was renovated and extended with the addition of "The Airborne Experience (September 1944)." This exhibit, which leads the visitor from the para-landings, through the streets of Holland, to the "Bridge too Far," the Battle of Arnhem, is unique in Europe. Concept designers Tinker Imagineers were asked to bring the battle back to life in the newly constructed 900 square meter basement. Entering this subterranean extension of the museum you are immersed in the war events of September 1944. Historical guns, impressive sets, overwhelming video images, sound and lighting together make this a journey that appeals to all senses. Set builders Kloosterboer built the impressive setting which brings many realistic visual effects to life. Commissioned by Tinker, Rapenburg Plaza of Amsterdam provided the lighting design, media-control, all lighting, audio-visual and Show Control equipment and also handled the entire installation and programming. Close collaboration between Rapenburg Plaza, the museum, Tinker, Kloosterboer and media content company Tungsten has succeeded in an impressive total experience. Rapenburg Plaza used RSD's SoundMan-Server for the 24 track audio control and playback system and an e:cue lighting and show control system for other media elements. This combination of systems is a proven, easy to program, easy to edit, and extremely reliable solution.
Bart Wermuth, the e:cue programmer and AV specialist responsible for this
project said, "It was great to work with the combination of the RSD
SoundMan-Server and the e:cue System. While I was programming the lights, Sierk
was programming the SoundMan-Server with his Medialon set. When we both
were ready, I could easily implement the SoundMan-Server control commands in
the overall e:cue programmer file. Especially because we had not a lot of
programming time at all, this was a great way of working. The complex audio
soundscape and all the audio effects were no challenge for the
SoundMan-Server!"
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From the December 2008 Lighting & Sound International magazine article "Fright Nights at Thorpe Park" (pdf format)Pinpoint co-ordination of sound and lighting is made possible using the new SoundMan-Server, a audio engine from Richmond Sound Design, installed for the first time within the dank and grisly rooms of Se7en. 'It's a fantastic piece of software,' says Lascaut, 'and we are really excited to be bringing it to Thorpe Park.' SoundMan-Server is an audio routing, playback and processing software designed for multi-zone audio control in theme parks, museums and live theatre. It can run off any PC and is completely scaleable in the number of inputs and outputs it can handle. Se7en, for example, uses 24 inputs, 24 outputs and 48 playbacks, yet has the capacity for more than 1000 if needed. The software accepts MIDI show control messages from the buttons around the attraction - such as the flickering corridor lights and electrical crackling sound effects triggered on entering Se7en - and then sends the relevant commands to lighting and sound equipment to ensure perfect coordination. The SoundMan-Server also runs a Hog 3PC (also supplied by A.C. Entertainment Technologies) which triggers the eight cue lists needed to run the attraction. 'I have complete and precise control over every aspect of the lighting and sound with this set-up,' Lascaut explains. 'Timings and delays can be adapted quickly and easily and inserted into the cue list wherever and whenever I need them - even during the show if necessary. This is especially valuable when adjusting the effects to work with the actors in the maze.' 'It can also be used to set sound levels - which vary from subtle to blatant across the attractions - and secure them from tampering by the actors once we have left the site! There is also an over-ride facility which the hosts can use when speaking to the visitors before they enter the maze or for making emergency announcements. SoundMan can also perform seamless loops which, traditionally, are very hard to achieve.' This is the first time Entertainment Control Systems have used the SoundMan-Server and Thorpe Park have been so impressed they have already expressed an interest in rolling it out across other attractions next year. |
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Electrosonic, Richmond Sound Design and the NFL's New England Patriots score a New Fan Venue And Hall Of FameFans of the NFL's New England Patriots are cheering the new Hall at Patriot Place, a unique sports and educational experience showcasing the history of the football franchise and housing its Hall of Fame. The venue, adjacent to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, features a dazzling array of interactive and immersive multimedia exhibits and artifacts whose audio and control systems were engineered, installed and supplied by Electrosonic.. Visitors to the 36,000-square foot Hall at Patriot Place are entertained and educated by a host of interactive exhibits where they discover how plays in the playbook are designed from Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and make the call on an instant replay. In addition, fans are treated to a variety of big-screen video content. All of these attractions make extensive use of interactive and display technology furnished by Electrosonic. "It was fascinating to watch how our Electrosonic team customized the technical systems to meet the creative needs of Cortina Productions which produced and encoded all the interactive and projected-video content," notes project manager Gary Barnes. "The results were incredible. The Hall at Patriot Place is just a phenomenal place." Electrosonic provided a 48-channel Richmond Sound Design SoundMan-Server Audio Engine for audio routing from the equipment room. A scalable audio routing, playback and processing solution, SoundMan emulates and replaces traditional commercial/professional sound systems of all types and sizes. Remotely- and locally-controllable and programmable, it's suitable to any installation requiring the interconnection and overall control of high-quality sound. The Hall is packed with exhibits and attractions designed by Cambridge Seven Associates. They delight fans of all ages. In the Raytheon Theater, named for the Hall's presenting partner, Electrosonic supplied three Christie DS+650 1-chip DLP 6500 lumen projectors which display a 15-minute film on the Patriots' history on a 48-foot wide panoramic movie screen; edge blending is achieved via Christie Twist. The projector roster includes two Roadster S+16K 3-chip DLP 16000 lumen projectors; one DS+8K 3-chip DLP 8500 lumen projector; one DS+6K 3-chip DLP 6500 lumen projector; one DS+305 1-chip DLP 3300 lumen projector; three HD6K 3-chip DLP 6500 lumen projectors; and one HD405 4100 lumen 1080p projector. An Electrosonic ESCAN control software is the venue's master show control system. It talks to three Crestron CP2E systems with Ethernet capabilities to control the projectors, interactive kiosks and every exhibit. Three HP 24-port Ethernet switchers are deployed for the internal network. A large complement of Christie projectors, lenses and mounts also feed projection screens in the third-floor Grand Hall, kiosk attractions on the second and third floors, and the geodesic dome-shaped Snow Game exhibit where one projector displays footage from the team's celebrated gameplay during a heavy snowfall while two other projectors handle snow effects. Six JBL 3-way cinema surround speakers plus five Renkus-Heinz 8-inch wide dispersion speakers and two subwoofers help the team history in the Raytheon Theater come alive. Four EAW programmable steered array speakers and four Renkus-Heinz subs provide audio to the Grand Hall. All interactive audio and video kiosks are equipped with local Innovox custom speakers. A number of exhibits feature Acroname proximity-range sensors with serial control, which trigger audio effects. When visitors leave the elevator on the third floor and enter a tunnel, reminiscent of the tunnel in Gillette Stadium, a sensor triggers an audio track of cheering fans as the Patriots prepare to take the field. Other sensors trigger players. voices in mannequins as they call a play in a huddle, launch snow-removal sounds in Snow Game, and bid the fans farewell as they leave the We Are All Patriots exhibit. For the tunnel audio Electrosonic supplied four JBL 6.5-inch, 2-way ceiling-mounted speakers, two more wall-mounted units, and a pair of 8-inch ceiling-mounted subs. The equipment room is also outfitted with 13 QSC amps; Shure wireless mics are used for presentations in the Raytheon Theater and Patriots. Media Lab classroom. Electrosonic furnished nine Panasonic 58-inch HD plasma displays for the venue's Fan's Room, Super Bowl and Club House exhibits, and Patriots' Media Lab. They run content which is sourced from three Electrosonic MS9200P HD SDI MPEG2 digital players; seven Electrosonic MS9500 HD MPEG2 players; and 10 Electrosonic MS9500GL HD MPEG2 players with genlock. Electrosonic also supplied a wide range of touchscreens for various exhibits. Fourteen AIS Pro 32-inch and one 42-inch LCD touchscreens are deployed in the Fan's Room and Building Blocks and Raytheon exhibits as well as for changing displays and the Patriots Hall of Fame. The kiosks in the Hall of Fame trigger 30-foot high video Magink pylons whose digital displays highlight the careers of each Hall of Famer via video, still images and text information. Five Richardson Electronics 24-inch LCD touchscreens and a pair of Digitpro 19-inch LCD touchscreens are also featured in the venue. The major interactive content is powered via a Dell media server, 21 computer systems and three Dell power graphics systems. Four Panasonic Blu-ray disk players source content for the Fan.s Room, the Cradle of Football exhibit and in the Raytheon Theater and Media Lab for presentations. "The Kraft Group, our client for the Hall at Patriots Place, is one of the finest groups I've ever had the pleasure to work with," reports Gary Barnes. "They had great vision and high expectations. And they dealt with us as if we were members of their family." Tony Petruzziello was Electrosonic's sales person for the project. The company's head of integration engineering, Jim Maddux, did all the ESCAN programming; detail and lead engineer Carl Hartzler was supported by Crestron programmer Ryan Sims and projection engineer Nir Elnekave. Chris Cooper was the installation site supervisor with Phil Shaw, Brian Otis and David Boudreau the installers. About Electrosonic Electrosonic is a worldwide audio-visual company that operates in three ways: as a systems integrator, as a product manufacturer, and as a service provider for AV facilities. Founded in 1964, Electrosonic has always been among the first to apply new technology to create tailored, state-of-the-art solutions that meet the challenges of the professional AV market.
Electrosonic's system integration business has a strong reputation for working
on complex projects, both large and small, and has through its 40 year history
developed lasting partnerships with customers and suppliers. Electrosonic
brings a unique breadth of experience to each project, backed by solid
engineering skills, project management and quality production facilities.
Beyond complete integrated systems, Electrosonic can provide a wide range of
services including consultancy, technical design, maintenance, lamp leasing and
operational support.
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The new Bavarian Film City (Bavaria Filmstadt Geiselgasteig) 'Wild Boys 5' (Die Wilden Kerle 5) pre show uses SoundMan.'Wild Boys 5' is the story of an unusual soccer team battling a similar group of vampires. This series has a considerable teen following in Germany. Bavaria Filmstadt Geiselgasteig now uses the final battle scene as an introduction to their studio tour. Christian Neumann of Chr. Neumann Consulting of Lünen, Germany, created the lighting design and mini show for the entrance incorporating a dramatic soundtrack and lights on the set. SoundMan-Assistant and SoundMan-Server provides all sound, audio matrix, loudspeaker processing and time code generation functions. A JBL cinema 3-way system is at the video screen and two full range systems are on the other side of the hall allowing sounds to fly seamlessly from one end of the room to the other. MIDI Show Control commands run SoundMan-Assistant which provides all sound cues, matrix routing and the MIDI Time Code to syncronize lighting events with the sound. Output equalization built in to SoundMan provides the cross over filters for the loudspeaker systems. An M-Audio Delta1010 is the audio interface and its additional inputs and outputs are used for special events held in the venue. An E-Cue programmer with Multimedia dongle is the master show and lighting controller, containing master show cues and logic for day/night modes. An Automation Direct mini brick PLC (06-series) monitors user interface pushbuttons (Start Intro/Start Video/Stop Show for the main set piece/Start Video/Stop Video for the museum) and communicates with E-Cue via RS232. It also controls the amplifiers and intelligent light system power relays. Two HD video players and a video projector round out the equipment list.
"The cost/efficency ratio for a 8x8x16 matrix/playback/processing system and
the well known interface was an absolute decision maker for me. I dare you to
tell me one other system that can do all that for the price!"
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"SoundMan from Richmond Sound Design coupled with a MotorMix from CM Labs made running sound on Zanesville Community Theatre's recent production of Foxfire a joy. Aside from the normal use of subtle environmental loops to establish the current scene as well as flashbacks, Foxfire required the playback of backing tracks to accompany a live singer. SoundMan performed flawlessly!"- Carleton Underwood, Lighting & Sound Designer |
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"On Zanesville Community Theatre's recent production of J.B. by Archibald MacLeish, SoundMan-Assistant and SoundMan-Server from Richmond Sound Design coupled with a MotorMix from CM Labs tamed this circus easily!""I had pre-programmed the show, roughing in levels before we moved into the theatre. Final adjustments were made during the cue-to-cue a day before tech. My assistant on the project was Steve Hammer. Steve had never worked with SoundMan but picked up the basic programming techniques in a few minutes."" Zanesville Community Theatre's production of J.B. used the original music composed by David Amram and sourced by John Kilgore Sound and Recording. SoundMan allowed Steve to modify the underscoring levels on-the-fly, based on the actor's performance and the size of the house. J.B. also requires the on-stage actors to interact with pre-recorded voices (The Distant Voice) as though the voice is a live on-stage actor. Again, SoundMan performed flawlessly and helped to make the sound design an invisible actor!"- Carleton Underwood, Lighting & Sound Designer |
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