Dynacord Stereo System manual Determine the Acoustic Requirements

preference? Getting this kind of information at the beginning will help to avoid confusion and delays at the installation stage.

Just as important as the human factors are the construction details of the site. How are the walls and ceilings constructed? What kinds of mounting surfaces will be encountered? Is the drop ceiling a lay-in type, or tongue-and-groove? Where must cabling be routed, and how accessible are those spaces? Do partition walls or bearing members extend above the drop ceiling, where they may obstruct cable runs? Is conduit or plenum cable required? All of these factors directly affect the price quote and the actual task of installation.

A key decision early on in evaluating the equipment requirements is what type of infrastructure the system should have. The decision will determine if a mixer amplifier is used for the installation or if the ProAnnounce digital matrix routing system is used. The key questions to ask consist of the following:

1.Are there more than 2 independent audio programs running simultaneously?

2.Are “zone specific” independent remote controls required for volume levels in each zone?

3.Is the ability to remotely switch program sources for a particular zone required in more than one zone?

4.Do voice pages and announcements need to be restricted to certain areas of the building?

5.Is remote off site control of the system a required feature?

6.Are the power requirements for the system greater than 600 watts?

If the answer to any one of these questions is yes there is a good possibility that the ProAnnounce digital matrix infrastructure is required. The additional cost for this system however is not that great. The typical premium for a ProAnnounce routing system is less than $1,200 for most installations over that of a “discrete” system design. In many cases there is no other viable solution to accomplish what the client wants.

Step 2 – Determine the Acoustic Requirements

When the basic infrastructure is established then a system acoustic layout can be done. This would consist of the following basic steps:

•Establishing required coverage areas

•Setting the acoustic volume (SPL) levels desired

•Establishing any esthetic or design requirements for the speakers.

•Estimating background noise levels for each zone.

•Determining the program material content to be run through each zone.

All this is done while taking into account the expectations of the client and the environment in which the system will be run. Is it a loud sports bar or a quiet elegant restaurant? Or is it a large open area of a hotel lobby and ballroom? Any of these needs can sway the final equipment selections.

At this point you need to determine the number of speaker appliances needed for the installation. This can be done using computer design tools such as the free EV Excel speaker calculator when using ceiling speakers or EASE which is a full scale acoustic modeling package.

Step 3 – Conduct a Preliminary Layout and “Walk Through”

The third step is to assemble the system design on paper and review the signal paths, amplifier power requirements and establish the basic functionality of the overall system design. This can be done with the aid of the ProAnnounce designer software if a pro announce based system is being employed. If a simpler system is used then often a basic charting package such as Visio is adequate to lay out the system.

ElectroVoice/Dynacord BGM Guide Page 15