The school has expressed a desire to one day have a new sound system installed in the venue. The main audio requirements are for the sound reinforcement needs of the stage during school assemblies, school plays and other kind of events.
Sound requirements include, sound coverage for the entire length of the room, source audio playback from CD, DVD, and computer audio output. Microphone sources include, podium mic, vocal mic for performers onstage, instrument mic for acoustic guitar pickup for musical interludes during school plays. and DI box for signal from a digital piano.
Speaker gear considered for installation would be full range speakers providing front of house sound to audience, subwoofer(s) for low end support for music playback, speakers mounted above stage for sound effects/music playback for actors, and portable stage monitors for musicians and vocalists performing onstage and in front of stage on floor.
Here is a challenge for all of you sound engineers/technicians/installers. By looking at the pictures, I invite you to consider the design of a sound system for the venue using all the requirements listed above. I am very curious to see what other designers would use for gear in the venue.
For anyone who takes the challenge, I invite you to contact me by email to discuss your design. You may contact me at: rgbehro@hotmail.com
Here are the pictures of the venue:
Ron, we have a nearly IDENTICAL stage/gym setup at the school where I teach K-8 General music and orchestra in Knoxville, TN. Our Stage is luckily on the LONG WALL rather than being at the far end of the Gym. This allows for two storage lofts - one on either side of the stage. But one thing I really dislike is having a boxed in stage. The students really struggle to hear themselves in that boxed in styled stage. Audience members who are too far R or L cannot see the performers. And I prefer very wide steps going across a stage, as well as handicap accessibility. Those items don't relate to audio intelligibility or sound design, but I'm just venting at this point :-) I am taking night classes in audio production engineering because our sound system is in such disarray and the power amps have not worked in at least 3 years. They overheat and the system dies every 2-5 minutes. We are getting a new sound system and I am thrilled. I'm hoping to get a Behringer X32, MY QUESTION TO YOU - Should we get POWERED SPEAKERS OR PASSIVE? How many WIRELESS MICROPHONES is reasonable for a K-8 School with a VERY SMALL (currently non-existent) theatre program? We have EARTHWORKS condenser mics with amazing adjustable gooseneck stands in our brand new Cathedral, and I would LOVE to have something like these Earthworks microphones to mic the choral performances. We could also use something like that to mic our 35 member orchestra. Any advice is GREATLY APPRECIATED
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