PRESONUS STUDIOLIVE CONSOLE IN 200 LEVEL CONTROL ROOM QSC AMP RACK JBL CONTROL 28-1 FILLS
Multiple bids were submitted , all based around the venue ’ s desire to replace but not redesign its system , and all included basically the same loudspeaker components : a suite of JBL boxes , this time with ample low frequency support – specifically eight JBL ASB- 4128 Dual 18-in . subs .
Baroudi and Grant reviewed the bids and offered their input to Gary Turrell , the arena ’ s director of operations , and Special Projects Manager Justin Fidler . “ Mind you , the products were consistent through the bids , so in a way , there wasn ’ t much of a choice except who we wanted and the best price ,” Baroudi says .
“ The idea was to take all the existing points and lines that were in the building and replace what was at either end ,” Schroeyens takes over . In addition to the JBL loudspeakers , that included the integration of QSC ’ s CXD Series amplifiers and two Q-Sys Core 510is . “ It ’ s a massive step up from where they were ,” Schroeyens reinforces .
The key for Baroudi and his team was ensuring they had everything required for a first-class fan experience for anything outside of concerts while remaining on budget . Anything beyond that could be sourced through The PA Shop on an as-needed basis for live music , theatrical productions , and the like .
They also opted for a wired communications systems comprised of Clear-Com RS- 701 belt packs and CC-300 and 400 headsets connected via Digiflex XLR cables and a new Listen Technologies assistive listening system .
“ They knew exactly what they wanted in terms of technology ,” Schroeyens says . “ They did not want to redesign the system . They wanted to keep the layout , but wanted better fidelity and better overall quality , which is not uncommon in our experience .”
Like many similar , multi-purpose venues , Budweiser Gardens can be configured in a variety of ways depending on the requirements of a given event . Maximum capacity depends on the event and setup . For example : capacity is 10,200 for in-the-round concerts ; 9,000 for an end stage layout ; just over 9,000 for hockey games ; and up to 3,200 in the compact RBC Theatre configuration .
Twelve JBL AM5212-66 and 12 AM5212- 64 two-way , full range loudspeakers are flown along the north and south sides of the arena to cover the upper bowl , with eight JBL AM5212-95s in the corners . “ Basically , they ’ re placed to provide even coverage ,” Deline says . “ Obviously we did alter some of the hang angles from the previous speakers and changed the focuses of a few of them , but the interesting part of this is really the subwoofers , because we went from a venue with absolutely none to having eight dual 18-in . subs . We flew those just below grid height [ approximately 65 ft .] and went with dual omni clusters .” Each cluster is hung to either side of the central score clock – a little off centre and roughly one third of the way into the 200 x 85-ft . ice surface – and driven by four QSC CXD4.5Q power amplifiers .
Additionally , five CXD4.3Qs power the bowl system ’ s mid / high boxes : eight JBL AC26 / 26s to cover the standing-room-only gallery running the length of the arena ’ s west side and eight AC2212 / 00s flown as ice fills . The latter , Baroudi explains , are for hockey , basketball , skating , and any shows requiring direct coverage on the rink itself .
JBL Control 28-1s were also deployed – 58 in total : 20 in seating areas near the restaurant on the east side of the arena ; two in accessibility seating areas ; and 38 for the venue ’ s private luxury suites . The pre-existing concourse loudspeakers were also JBLs and , since most remained in excellent condition , only a few needed to be replaced .
The choice of loudspeakers was driven by the venue ’ s previous experience with JBL , as well as their observations of tours deploying their own JBL systems . “ That was universal ,” says Baroudi . “ My bosses and I have all heard the loudspeakers in other venues and on lots of the rock shows that come in here and they sound really good .”
The remaining amplifiers – one CXD4.5Q and three CXD4.3 Qs – drive the 70-volt systems covering the concourse , hallways , and suites .
Morrison says the combination of new amplifiers and Q-Sys processing provides more power and better sound quality for the
existing 70-volt systems . “ And these amps ,” he adds , “ you don ’ t have to [ physically ] switch anything to make them run 70 volts – they switch over as soon as you draw signal lines to the 70-volt system . They ’ re really intuitive .” On the other hand , Murray says the physical wiring took some serious intuition and concentration to sort out .
With a background in production , engineering , and mixing , Murray ’ s primary gig is as head engineer at Charterhouse Studios . He was originally pulled into the install as another set of hands to handle what was obviously a big job , but more importantly as someone whose problem solving , engineering , and production chops lent themselves well to the project .
“ Aaron ’ s an incredible audio engineer ,” Schroeyens says . “ Arenas are concrete and steel and ice and when you ’ re working with lots of hard surfaces in a venue , you want to have someone with Aaron ’ s background . Even more importantly , he ’ s a very positive guy , a hard worker , and he wants things to be done properly .”
Those problem-solving skills were put to good use early on . “ There was a giant wall , like a patch terminal panel , with all the amp and speaker lines for the arena . They were labeled , but nothing signified what [ those labels meant in relation to the arena layout ].” Murray took on creating a master legend and tracking down the wiring infrastructure , which ultimately led to the team discovering that some loudspeakers from the original spec just weren ’ t there .
“ So we figured we ’ d have to run some new lines , but once we started digging around in the high steel , we found those lines wrapped and run ,” Schroeyens shares . They also found the lines for the subs that had been removed from the previous system spec at the 11 th hour .
No one , including Baroudi and Grant , knew why the boxes were missing , but they got on with it using new hardware and extending the existing wiring as necessary .
All of the systems are tied into the two QSC Q-Sys Core 510i DSP processors and controlled via the venue ’ s new PreSonus
40 PROFESSIONAL SOUND