of an effort to build a community that included shopping in the area.” He added, “It’s all about making an auditorium as multi-use as possible.”
‘We had a recent project in which the auditorium was part of an effort to
Auditorium Acoustics
build a community that included shop-
The Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), which provides some very comprehensive guidelines for auditorium construction and outfitting, is supported by an array of sponsors that underscores the category’s ubiquity. Led by the National Institute of Building Sciences, they include the Department of Defense (DOD), the US General Services Administration (GSA), the National
ping in the area. It’s all about making auditoriums as multi-use as possible.’ —Mike Hancock were used at each auditorium entrance for digital signage. “It’s a mixed-used environment—something that we’re seeing more and more of,” Pappenfus stated. “The whole idea was to make the entire venue immersive: You’re not in the lobby or the theater; you’re in the space, no matter which part of it you’re standing or sitting in.” Using AV, patrons are in the theater even before they actually enter the theater.
Integrator Input: Trends Mike Hancock, VP of Solutions at integrator Mechdyne, sees large-screen projection beginning to be edged out by LED walls, at least at the upper end of the venue spectrum. In addition, he’s observing more inclusion of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) capability for presenters; with it, they can simply walk onstage and connect wirelessly and seamlessly with the venue’s AV network and services. Hancock said end users are looking for faster return on investment (ROI) and increased revenue from this new generation of auditoriums, even as they seek more functionality. Auditorium clients are achieving those objectives through the increased capabilities of AV systems, even as the cost of those digital systems declines. In addition, broader application of these more-capable technologies provides more use cases and, correspondingly, more revenue. That’s particularly true of networked AV, which lets them connect these venues to enable more applications. Ways to expand usability can take the form of connecting classrooms and lecture auditoriums, or connecting commercial businesses and residential enclaves. “[Clients] want the advantages and flexibility that streaming can provide,” with content going both into and out of auditoriums, Hancock explained. “We had a recent project in which the auditorium was part
AUD IO ANYWHERE YOU NEED IT As integrators, your clients vary from houses of worship and educational facilities, to large venues, broadcast studios, and everything in between. Accessible anywhere you can run a Cat 6 cable, RedNet X2P is the Dante-enabled AoIP utility box which provides two remote controllable mic preamps, a headphone amp, and monitor outputs. Plan for audio networking without restrictions.
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June 2019
Sound & Communications 85