ST. LOUIS, Missouri –
Opened in 1995, the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis is no stranger to bringing
new attractions to town. Owned by the St. Louis Regional Sports Authority and
operated by the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, the facility is
part of the city’s convention center complex and seats up to 68,000 people. Its
new HARMAN Professional audio system, featuring BSS Audio, Crown and JBL VERTEC® loudspeakers, is part of the continuous program to improve
the experience of attendees at a variety of sporting events, as well as large conventions,
religious gatherings, and much more.
The Edward Jones Dome project is the largest installation of powered VERTEC equipment in the world. At the heart of it are 12 arrays that each contain 12 JBL VERTEC VT4889A fullsize line array elements with DrivePack® DPDA input modules. In addition, there are two arrays of nine and two arrays of 12 JBL VERTEC VT4887A compact line array loudspeakers with DPDA modules that cover the field. All arrays utilize a top and bottom short frame and are suspended by a custom Polar Focus rigging system that allows every array to be operable for service. The installation also features four BSS Audio BLU-800 devices, two of which are used in the control room to create new networks. Of the remaining two, one feeds all bowl loudspeakers and the other all of the under deck and back of the house fill speakers.
Rounding out the
installation are 25 Crown amplifiers. The South Amp Room, which powers
underdeck and back-of-house loudspeakers is equipped with 10 DriveCore™ Install
(DCi) 4|1250N amplifiers. The North Amp Room, which powers underdeck and
back-of-house loudspeakers as well as an overflow press area, has 11 DCi 4|1250N
amplifiers. There are three DCi 2|300N amplifiers in the main control room
which power various booth monitors and elevators, and one Crown DCi 4I1250N
amplifier, also in the Main Control Room, which is available as an auxiliary
amp for various speaker needs on and around the field.
“For this project we
worked very closely with HARMAN to identify an audio solution that would
address all of the goals the owners had to improve audio performance throughout
the facility in an efficient, cost-effective manner,” said Paul Murdick, who
heads the technology solutions division of TSI Global, a St. Louis-area full-service
systems integrator. “With this installation we wanted to take advantage of the
acoustical upgrades, which we were confident would make the audio sound better
than it did before. Also, with the Sports Authority’s plans to diversify the
kinds of events it hosts, it was the perfect time to upgrade the entire system
rather than do a quick fix.”
Lee Buckalew, systems
designer for TSI Global, explained that he found the fact that the amplifiers
were network-enabled to be particularly beneficial. “It was our first time
using them, and we found them to be amazingly stable,” he said. “Their
networking and error-reporting capabilities are impressive.”
Throughout the project,
TSI worked closely with consultants Ross & Baruzzini, Inc, as well as John
Powell, vice president of sales for JBL, Doug Nelson, accounts manager with
Network Sales and Marketing, and Aaron Kunz, HARMAN territory sales manager. Brad
Ricks and George Georgallis from HARMAN assisted with system tuning and Emilian
Wojtowycz, also of HARMAN, offered pre-tuning assistance. Polar Focus provided
engineering input, creating a system that provided solutions for ease of
service while simplifying the seismic restraint needs, all while increasing the
seismic protection offered.
Together, the team
worked to address challenges unique to the Edward Jones Dome, including the
shape of the dome, which made solid, even coverage for both lower and upper
seats a potential problem.
In order to expedite
tuning of the massive PA the team utilized JBL HiQnet Performance Manager™ and
the system is now remotely configured and managed on a day-to-day basis using
HARMAN HiQnet Audio Architect™. “We were able to minimize our time from start
to finish on this project using both HARMAN software platforms,” added
Buckalew.
“From start to finish,
HARMAN was overwhelmingly supportive,” says Murdick. “As a project that began
more than two years ago when the owners spoke to us about fixing a center
cluster of loudspeakers and getting more field coverage with the audio system,
HARMAN really demonstrated its commitment to working with systems integrators
over the course of a relatively long-term installation.”
HARMAN (www.harman.com)
designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and
enterprise automation solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional
markets. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®,
Lexicon®, Mark Levinson ® and Revel®, the Company is admired by audiophiles,
musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million
automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment
systems. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 16,600 people across the
Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.6 billion for the 12 months
ended September 30, 2014.
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