The balance between the quality of the equipment, the adequacy of the space and the precision of the design, is the recipe to achieve an audio installation that meets all customer expectations.
By Alejandra García Vélez
Auditoriums and conference rooms depend on good audio quality to ensure the successful development of the events that take place in these spaces. Precisely, the three guests for this article explained what are the factors that must be taken into account to ensure a good installation.
Oscar Barrientos, manager of technical services for Latin America at MeyerSound, is the first to explain that among the elements that must be analyzed, the desired sound pressure level, the coverage area and the location area of the audience stand out.
In the same way, it is necessary to analyze the position where the speakers should be installed. In case there is no predetermined location, one can be proposed, according to which it can give a better level of dispersion and result for the spectators, he explains, in addition, it is necessary to take into account the selection of the "hanging" points for the speakers and keep in mind the position of the speaker, the distribution of the wiring, pipes and gutters.
Juan Diego Henao, streaming and telepresence engineer of the company Segmento Activo, complements the answer by stating that in the site study that is always carried out to decide the feasibility of a space for an installation, factors such as the materials of the place (walls, floors, chairs, windows) and the dimensions of the living room (height, length, width).
In the same way, noise levels play an important role, both ambient and electromagnetic noise generated by high voltage equipment, the level of interference, in which the issue of land synchronization and cleaning of the frequency spectrum comes into play. Also, at a technical level, the most important thing lies in the evaluation of the levels of absorption, reflection, echo and reverberation time.
To what is stated in the previous paragraphs, the opinion of José Martínez, sales director for Latin America of Revolabs, who considers important factors such as the type of microphone to be used, the quality of the audio, security, flexibility and versatility of the system, as well as the installation costs and the possibility of the system to make integrations in the future.
The equipment plays a fundamental role in audio installations, and depending on their quality, approach and specific characteristics can modify the bases of the installation to be carried out.
For Barrientos, the devices chosen must be those that, according to the criteria analyzed during the design, meet the level of sound pressure and desired coverage. Then, he points out, you can add aspects such as aesthetics, size of the speakers and weight that are important to corroborate the weight capacity of the charging point.
The process
Already at the time of installation do not forget details such as the weight of the speakers, the hardware for hanging, the length of the electrical wiring, electrical switches, load center and ducts to perform the installation according to the standards that govern in the country and the project.
Henao, delves a little deeper into the installation process by highlighting the next steps to be developed prior to the final assembly of the system. First of all, it points out that the equipment must be previously tested individually in the laboratory, also verify the design, as well as ensure that the civil and environmental conditions of the place meet the minimum technical requirements for the correct functioning of the system.
As a final recommendation, it points to the realization of an implementation schedule, starting with civil works, going through the installation of equipment and ending with the configuration and tuning of the entire project.
Nor should we forget that among the most common difficulties when making an assembly is the issue of the position of the speakers, especially for the amount of visual resources that these spaces usually have. "The solution in this case is to provide viable options according to the site, without losing the objective of offering the best intelligibility for attendees. The key to success is in the options," says Barrientos.
Evolution
The invited experts also shared their knowledge regarding the latest technological developments that can be applied in this type of space. Barrientos mentions column-type speakers, in which the directionality and inclination of sound can be manipulated by electronic means.
For his part, Martínez highlighted the role that wireless microphones play today, offering greater flexibility for installations. He also highlighted the availability of products that process audio in high definition to achieve greater sound quality.
The evolution in terms of technology is also reflected in the type of solutions that users are looking for, which varies according to the level of demand generated by installations of this type.
In that sense, Barrientos explains that, although there are many enclosures with systems that can be updated and redesigned to better meet their objective, the demand for spaces with better sound quality, and better intelligibility, is also growing. "New technologies give us the opportunity to meet these requirements," he says.
Martinez agrees with his assessments, pointing out that there are two very attractive markets in the region, on the one hand the replacement market, which has a high level of growth, and on the other hand, the new projects that show a moderate level of demand but with good prospects for the future.
From Henao's point of view, the demand for audio systems for conference rooms in Latin America is strengthened mainly by the needs of the education, corporate and state sectors.
In practice
To better illustrate the parameters presented regarding the installation of audio systems for auditoriums, the invited experts also shared some practical examples of their work.
Barrientos, for example, spoke about a lecture classroom project at a university. The client's request focused on achieving the best possible sound, with the equipment in a not so visible location.
To achieve this, the best location of a reinforcement system within the enclosure was sought, likewise, the position of the speakers was limited by the fact of having screens, and boards that occupied most of the surface behind the position of the speakers.
"We carried out some tests in the classroom to determine the most appropriate positions according to the possible positions, in the same way we used a pair of speakers, of those suggested by our design department, to experiment on the site which offered better results," explains Barrientos.
Finally, it is worth highlighting a reflection of one of the experts, Henao, on this subject: "To adapt a conference room with a good sound system it is not enough to have the best equipment on the market, it is really necessary to analyze and implement in the best way the civil and sound-technical conditions".
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