Avionics News May 2022 - 64

ALTO AVIATION CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Continued from page 53
Hamilton said. " If it's a Part 135 charter aircraft, the
end result will be different than if it's a company or VIP
aircraft. The end use will help drive the system's final
design. "
No matter what the end goal of the audio system is, prior
to the MRO putting the finishing touches on the interior,
ALTO Aviation sends representatives from its audio
systems engineering team to the completion site to do a
final analysis of the cabin's overall acoustics and fine-tune
the system for optimum performance.
Hearing is believing
As you can imagine, they take this final step seriously.
It's the final chance to make sure what they deliver will
meet the customer's most demanding expectations.
" We have microphones at each seat location, advanced
digital signal processing capabilities, proprietary
algorithms and software, specific soundtracks, and
specialized tests, " Scarlata said. " All that gives us the
capability to create an audio map of the interior space
so we can adjust everything to optimize the sound
environment.
" Multiple subwoofers can be a real challenge because
they will tend to cancel each other out at higher volume.
We had one installation with eight woofers. That was a real
test, but we got it to sound fantastic.
" We have some very demanding customers - and they
are our best customers - who want to play it loud without
any distortion. They insist on much higher performance
than the typical cabin audio system can deliver. One of
our new technologies to meet their expectations is our VIP
Cabin Optimization system.
" Normally, we work to optimize every seat location, but
with this technology, we can fine-tune it to a specific part
of the cabin - where the VIP usually sits. You use the cabin
control app on your phone to centralize the sound so it is
perfectly focused on that location. It becomes the best seat
in the house. "
While creating a true surround sound setting for
any cabin seat is difficult, it's historically been nearly
impossible for side-facing divan seats. Not anymore.
ALTO Aviation recently introduced its new ALTO
Soundstage, the company's most advanced 3D immersive
ALTO Sound system.
While the company's major focus is ensuring that the
64 avionics news * may 2022
cabin audio is spot on, it's also a leader in providing costeffective
solutions for other cabin component upgrade needs.
" One of the biggest issues we see with cabin upgrades
are the CMS switches and controllers, " Hamilton said.
" Many of them are old, and you can't get parts to fix them.
Our Cadence Switch Panels are designed to be direct
replacements for these legacy units. We offer a variety of
designs and styles to make it easy for the MROs. In many
cases, they don't even have to modify the woodwork. The
Cadence unit just drops in. "
The future is sounding good
While the love of great sound won't change, no doubt
the way it's delivered into future cabins will. ALTO
Aviation's research and development team is already
working on what those solutions will sound like.
" As part of ALTO's research efforts, we are constantly
looking into new ideas and technologies for the aircraft
cabin, " Scarlata said. " Currently, we have several research
efforts going on. Some are new ways of delivering audio to
the cabin, new speaker technologies, better performance,
lighter and smaller audio distribution ideas, signal
processing improvements, and novel ways of placing and
delivering audio.
" Other ideas involve integrating the passenger
experience with health and wellness features, making
better user interfaces, and improving our cabin control
components for easier installation and better features.
We are also aware of the unique needs and requirements
for new flight technologies such as eVTOL, supersonic,
and even space vehicles and are researching products to
serve these future platforms. We are excited to offer more
products and continue being a trusted partner for our
clients as we look with excitement into the future. "
While the company is already working on the next 25
years' worth of solutions, it is also taking measurable steps
today to help ensure that future is in good stead. It has
initiated a number of green sustainability protocols at its
two facilities and actively supports a variety of wildlife
and environmental preservation initiatives.
" The aviation industry is embracing sustainability in
many forms, and it's very important for us to be part of
those efforts, " Hamilton said. " We don't have to travel far
from our facility in Massachusetts and we're in beautiful
country where the only sounds you hear are nature. You can't
reproduce those sounds; you can only preserve them. " q
To learn more about ALTO Aviation, visit altoaviation.com.
http://www.altoaviation.com
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