At the Louisiana State Employees Retirement System, an easy-to-manage sound reinforcement setup was mandated as part of the design and installation requirements for the organization’s board room and conference facilities.
After evaluating the requirements of the project, Baton Rouge, LA-based Technical Services Group (TSG) deployed an ASPEN processor setup from Lectrosonics.
Technical Services Group is a design/build firm that provides a wide range of contracting services in commercial broadcast radio, television, audio, video, and control systems, including engineering management, installation, design, maintenance, and service.
Scott Richard, system designer for Technical Services Group, explains, “This facility consists of two sections: a boardroom and a conference center that is located immediately behind the boardroom. The boardroom is similar to a courtroom in that there is a dais at the front, a main floor for the attendees/audience, and a lectern located on the main floor to address the board members seated at the dais.
“The meetings that take place in the adjacent conference center are generally closed door sessions. Collectively, the seating capacity of these areas is approximately 200 people. We required an audio management system that could provide for the sound reinforcement requirements of each area—and that system had to be easy to operate, without the benefits of being tied into a larger control system.”
The Lectrosonics ASPEN SPN1624 audio processor provides 16 inputs and 24 outputs. The SPN16i input expander facilitates additional input capacity and features high-resolution, low-noise microphone preamplifiers with true 48 V phantom power for superior audio quality.
The combination of these two Lectrosonics units provides automixing and DSP capabilities with full output matrixing. “The Aspen system effectively manages the two areas separately for speech reinforcement—including feedback suppression, compressors, etc.—and the system operates 24/7 without an operator,” Richard adds.
“In the conference room, we have 29 microphones set up with auto feedback suppression and mix minus one. The speakers’ position at the dais has overhead loudspeakers for monitoring the conversations that take place,” he says. “With the mix minus one capability, each time a person begins speaking, his or her overhead loudspeaker mutes so as not to create any feedback, so the system is constantly switching the active microphones and monitor speakers throughout the meetings.”
Richard reports that Lectrosonics customer and technical support services were an important consideration in the deployment of this system. “I continue to be impressed with Lectrosonics’ support services,” Richard notes. “If I have any questions or concerns, I know I can contact the company and get right to the nuts and bolts of the issue without wasting time. Over the years, the company has been very helpful and it’s not the least bit uncommon for Gordon Moore, vice president of sales, to pitch in and get involved.”