AV Technology - March 2008 - (Page 47)

ACTIVE FIELD CONTROL IN ACTION Since the new auditorium opened its doors last October, the performance is consistent from the front to the back of the room, and it’s a better sounding space, Waltz says. “I was there the day the teachers came over and demonstrated with the choral group on stage. They wouldn’t perform without it now that they have this option,” he says. “Professional orchestras have also been in the auditorium, and they’re amazed with how it sounds.” During the “tuning” phase of the system installation, where different student ensembles tested the acoustics, Dupra says the students could tell the difference. “It was interesting to be a part of it, and it was neat to hear the different sounds,” she says. “The kids’ eyes lit up when they turned on the cathedral sound [setting] and turned on the reverb to their voices.” VIRTUAL VERSATILITY Good acoustics are essential for a high school auditorium, Waltz says. “If you put talented performers on a stage in a room with poor acoustics, the audience will be distracted by the way the performance sounds,” he says. “While a typical audience member may not be able to pinpoint exactly what bothered them, they won’t fully enjoy the performance.” “Without an acoustic enhancement system, the audience is less able to appreciate the talent of the music the students are trying to produce,” says Barbara Rubenstein, music depart- VICTOR HIGH SCHOOL The auditorium at Victor High School, Victor, NY needed the capability to be used for multiple types of musical performances. The Yamaha Active Field Control (AFC) system allows school officials to change the acoustics at the touch of a button to one of four preset acoustical setting. The Orchestra setting enhances spaciousness by simulating a large soundfield, similar to a concert hall. The Chamber selection has the same characteristics as “Orchestra,” but with a smaller room size. A user can select the Chorus set- ting, which is appropriate for a choral performance with a closed stage curtain, and has a richer sound at mid and high frequencies. Finally, the Normal setting compensates for the lack of mid frequencies in the original room acoustics. Reverberation time (RT60) with the system “off” was originally 1.1 seconds, which is considered fairly “dry” or “dead” for most types of live music. With the system “on,” RT60 can be increased to 1.9 seconds, which is more consistent with the acoustics of a concert hall. ment coordinator for the high school. “We had such limited capabilities prior to the installation of this new system, and now, it’s a real pleasure to perform in the auditorium and to be an audience member in the auditorium.” A reverberation enhancement system allows parents, teachers, and faculty to hear students perform in a variety of different acoustical environments that can be suited to the type of music or other performance. The AFC system allows an auditorium to sound like a variety of different venues by employing electro-acoustic technologies. [See the sidebar for more details about AFC. —Ed.] This acoustical versatility is especially important because the auditorium, which is one of four venues on the school campus, needed to be designed for any event from a fourth-grade holiday concert to a high school theatrical production. Acoustics need to be different for performances such as a rock band or a choral ensemble because each type of performance uses the sound space differently, Dupra says. For example, while a rock band would plug in their electric guitars into an amplifier, musicians who are playing a violin aren’t using an amplifier to manipulate the sound. Waltz experienced the difference between a traditional loudspeaker system and the acoustic enhancement system at Yamaha’s demo facility in New York City. He listened to http://www.revolabs.com http://www.revolabs.com http://www.revolabs.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - March 2008

AV Technology - March 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Whose Job Is It Anyway? Education: There’s No Business Like Show Business Government: Technology and the New World Order Buying a Videoconference System They Will Actually Use AV After Hours The Sound of HD Conferencing Assembling the Design Team Concert Hall Acoustics on a High School Budget Audio Architecture Keeping a Watchful Eye Product Spotlight Tech Horizons Product Review New Products AV MO

AV Technology - March 2008

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