Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Dec 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Mel Lambert
The turn of the last millenium is a time that, even a thousand years later, continues to fascinate many people. Feudal rule and various plagues aside, images of knights and chivalric deeds fire the imagination. It's no wonder that Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament venues now offer trips back to that time in seven cities throughout North America. The evening's spectacle consists of daring knights mounted on stunning Andalusian horses, competing in tournament games and jousting matches. During the exciting 3-hour program, up to 1500 patrons revel in the sights and sounds of a royal tournament while enjoying a four-course meal. Audience involvement is high because challenges are issued on the field of valor, and sections of spectators cheer their knights to victory as they battle for the right to choose a Queen of Love and Beauty.
Designing a comprehensive sound-playback system for such an event in an indoor arena is not without challenges. For the past 15 years, most of the sound-system installations at Medieval Times Inc.'s venues have been handled by Portman's Music Superstore, based in Savannah, Georgia. Under the direction of Frank Andrews, pro-audio department manager and head of contracting services, and working closely with Jim Brawley, principal of James S. Brawley & Associates, Portman's designed sound systems for each of the seven castle properties. Their locations are Buena Park, California; Orlando, Florida; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Lyndhurst, New Jersey; Chicago; Dallas and Toronto.
NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR MEDIEVAL TIMES
“The flagship property is in Buena Park,” Andrews says. “Recently, we were asked to re-evaluate the sound system there, looking at possible upgrades and enhancements. One of the major drawbacks of the original installation at Buena Park was that, as the show grew in technical complexity, audio operators were finding it difficult to provide adequate sound coverage for all of the audience areas. They had a limited number of colors in their crayon box, so we needed to develop a number of zones for more control.”
During the jousting contests, for example, the audience is divided into six color-coded sectors, each of which cheers for its designated knight; and individual playback was needed for each of these sections. The venue's circular audience area surrounds the 100×60-foot arena and measures approximately 15 feet high and 20 feet deep. The venue's existing system was in stereo mode with a single zone for all seats.
As Jim Brawley recalls, “In addition to live announcements and commentary, the venue was using pre-recorded music and sound effects to augment the live action. The existing loudspeakers only used near- and far-throw high-frequency horns to direct the audience coverage. We wanted to revitalize the loudspeaker systems with arrays that used mid-frequency horns to provide more sound level and better coverage to audience sections. We also wanted to look at separate playback for music and effects to offer more creative sound-design options.
“But we recognized that the cost would be in excess of the budgeted $80,000 that was spent on the last [Myrtle Beach] castle. We suggested that we develop a more realistic proposal based on a higher budget of $200,000,” Brawley says. Given the enhanced costs involved, the project needed to be offered for tendered bid.
The specification document developed by Jim Brawley proposed a combination of existing and new equipment. “Since the show never closes,” he realized, “the renovation would need to be completed in just one day to allow the performances to run uninterrupted. To add further complexity to the project, part of this process required complete cleaning and integration of all re-used equipment.”
The proposed sound system consisted of additional portable and wireless microphones (supplied by the owner), a new 8-bus mixing console, permanent audience loudspeakers for the six zones, middle- and rear-effects loudspeakers, signal processors and amplifiers. In contrast to the existing system, which offered just two mix outputs for the entire arena, the new configuration would provide a total of 11 output destinations.
THREE INDEPENDENT ARRAYS
For added flexibility, the new system uses three independent loudspeaker arrays referred to as rings.
Arena Ring
“The arena ring is located directly in front of the audience seating area above the arena floor,” Brawley explains. “It provides primary audience coverage for speech and pre-recorded music.” Two or three loudspeaker clusters, each containing a pair of flown JBL SR4735X/F three-way enclosures, are provided for each of the six color-coded audience sections. Each stacked cluster is suspended from the arena roof, approximately 20 feet above the performance floor and some 5 feet in front of the floor bulkhead (see Figure 1).
“These clusters are arranged as stereo pairs for each section, with far- and near-throw elements,” Brawley points out. “The existing system remained in place and was used until the new cabinets were installed, tuned and ready. After that, the 18-inch drivers in the existing JBL Model SR4738 systems were used as sub-bass loudspeakers.”
Middle Effects Ring
This ring consists of 32 JBL Control 29AV black cabinets suspended from the venue roof approximately 8 feet above the upper floor level (some 16 feet above the arena floor), and laid out to form stereo surround pairs for each set of seating areas within the color-coded zones (see Figure 2). The 29AV full-range, two-way loudspeaker features an 8-inch woofer with Kevlar cone and a 1-inch exit compression driver mounted onto a 110°×85° high-frequency horn that can be oriented vertically or horizontally. Each Control 29AV is shipped with JBL's patented InvisiBall mounting system, which dramatically simplifies installation and rigging.
Rear Effects Ring
The rear array consists of 36 JBL Control 29AV black cabinets mounted on the rear wall behind each of the seating areas, 8 feet above the upper floor level. These systems are arranged in four zones (north, south, east and west) with nine cabinets in each zone. The console's dedicated pair of output groups feed nine channels of existing Yamaha YDG 2030 digital graphic equalization plus three Yamaha D1030 digital delay lines for processing.
On the choice of JBL loudspeakers for the new sound system, Brawley states that the main criteria for the array ring was a three-way enclosure capable of being bi-amplified via a built-in passive mid/HF crossover. “The 15-inch woofer is perfect for the controlled low-frequency response, while the 8-inch mid-range driver and large horn handle the low-mid and mid-bass extremely well. Since we could secure good playback performance from three power-amplifier channels, that configuration was considered more cost-effective. We always look at the economic capabilities of any given layout.
“We also like that the SR4735X/F's baffle holding the mid-bass driver and HF horn can be rotated to provide controlled dispersion in either the horizontal or vertical plane,” Brawley recalls. “We were able to mount the long-throw cabinets horizontally, then rotate individual baffles to couple the mid-bass drivers.” The lower cabinet of each horizontally mounted pair was aimed 50° down to provide coverage to the front seating tiers, while the upper cabinet was aimed 20° down for the rear seating area.
“We needed to provide plenty of playback volume, specifically to allow announcements to be heard over the yelling crowds,” Brawley says. “Because of these other parameters, the SR4735X/F was uniquely qualified for the Buena Park project.”
Selection of the JBL Control 29AVs for the middle and rear effects ring was based on playback quality. “Even though these systems have only just been introduced,” Brawley continues, “they have a reputation for fidelity and performance. They are compact and light, and come with mounting hardware.”
A FLEXIBLE MIXING SYSTEM
With all the speakers in place, it is easy to achieve even coverage through the space. The Soundcraft K2 analog mixing console features 24 input channels, routing to eight groups, plus a mono output and a dedicated auxiliary send (see Table 1).
A series of BSS Model FDS-336 Minidrive units provide digital crossovers, equalization and I/O reassignment to each of the stereo three-way loudspeaker channels covering the six audience sectors. A pair of these FDS-336s (2-in/6-out) handles signal processing for the stereo middle effects rings and sub-bass channels, while an array of existing processors and delay lines accommodates the rear effects ring signals.
Input sources to the mixing console include fixed and wireless microphones, plus three 360 Systems Instant Replay digital playback units that provide random access to pre-recorded libraries of music, sound effects and announcements. The facility uses four Shure UHF wireless systems with WCM16 headsets, antenna distribution and amplified antennas.
The various BSS Minidrives feature 24-bit/96 kHz DSP and are controlled by SIA Software's SmaartLive analysis program, allowing the system contractor to integrate measurement and processing during the tuning process. For program archiving and storage, the Windows-based application allows data to be downloaded and reloaded from a PC. “Once all the systems were installed and tested, we ran SmaartLive and adjusted parameters to optimize performance,” says Brawley. To ensure consistent playback, no user-tuning adjustments are available on-site.
POWER AMPLIFICATION
A bank of 26 Crown K2 amplifiers power the arena and middle effects speakers, while 11 existing QSC MX1500 amps have been reused for sub-bass and the rear effects ring. “The K2s have to operate in a pretty dirty environment,” Brawley explains. “There is a lot of dust kicked up by horses in the arena, so we needed amplifiers without fans. The K2 is hermetically sealed, so we have no problems. And the K2 is very efficient; we can run three 2-channel units on a single 20A circuit.” The K2 is rated at 500 watts per channel into 8-ohm loads.
A mixture of Canare L-4E5AT, West Penn and Alden star-quad microphone cable was specified for wiring the console mixer to various receptacles throughout the arena. West Penn 291 and 227, respectively, were specified for line-level and loudspeaker cabling. “Since we were adding new components to an existing sound system,” says Brawley, “we had the electrical contractor install the loudspeaker cabling.” All other microphone-level and inter-rack cabling snakes were pre-assembled by Rapco International.
Four 19-inch equipment racks were required, housing the new and existing power amplifiers plus signal processors and related hardware. AC power for all rack-mounted equipment is controlled from one master switch. “We specified rear doors,” Brawley says, “plus blank and vented panels as necessary so that no space was left open in the front of the rack.”
OVERNIGHT CAMELOT
The biggest challenge facing the system designers, Andrews and Brawley agree, was installing the new system while the venue was in operation — getting the new configuration up and running during a Saturday-Sunday changeover. “We needed to flip the system in one day so that the venue could be back online with minimal interruption,” says Brawley. “We pre-rigged the loudspeaker cabinets, added the cabling and checked out the components in advance of the changeover.” On that Sunday morning, the sound crew brought in the new Soundcraft console and hooked up the pre-fabricated input and output cabling to the BSS Minidrive units. Brawley recalls: “We powered up the amplifiers and tuned the system using SmaartLive. The show was up and running in plenty of time for the first of the two Sunday night shows.” The changeover was handled entirely by just five people!
“The key to success for this project was preparation,” Jim Brawley considers. “Since the playback sources were not changing, we could pre-wire connectors for the new Soundcraft K2 console. Our major upgrade was providing 11, rather than two, outputs from the sound system for enhanced creative flexibility.”
Brawley says that the crew started work at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday and was ready for a run-through at 3:00 p.m. the same day, two hours before the early-evening show. “The results with the new system are outstanding,” he says. “The three-way flown system is a major improvement. We now have much more gain before feedback, making it easier to get the actors' live voices to project over the pre-recorded music tracks from the Control 29AV cabinets. And we have more projected coverage across the entire audience area.”
Other members of the technical crew included Thom Erbentrout, technical director of the Buena Park property and leader of the on-site installation crew, and Tony Alcina, general manager. Ken Kim, president of Medieval Times Inc., provided creative input. There are tentative plans for two new Medial Medieval Castles, using sound systems based on the design at Buena Park.
“Everybody at Medieval Times is extremely happy with the results,” says Frank Andrews. “Music playback quality is dramatically better, and the positioning and the feel of the overall mix is wonderful. With the added effects rings, it sounds like you are listening in your living room; it doesn't sound like a large arena. The combination of the arena ring and two effects rings means that sound is everywhere, not just in front of you. And with a total of six audience zones, the operator can place sound anywhere it is required.”
Mel Lambert founded Media&Marketing more than a dozen years ago to provide communications and consulting services for pro-audio firms and facilities. More details from www.mel-lambert.com.
The Holy Grail of Sound
The trapezoidal SR4735X/F cabinet houses a JBL 2226H 15-inch VGC LF driver, a JBL M209-8A 8-inch MF driver and a JBL 2426H 1-inch exit HF compression driver. Overall dispersion is 70° by 50°. The 32 cabinets are operated in bi-amplified mode. For added flexibility in horizontal or vertical arrays and directivity in both planes, the SR4735X/F's mid/high horn unit can be rotated 90°, 180° or 270°.
The unit's "/F" designation represents the ability to fly or suspend the speaker system. As such, it includes six ATM Flyware L-track flying points-two each on the top, bottom and rear. To allow for easy rigging for the desired down-angle, the SR4735X/F uses a 6-position L-track on the top and bottom points, plus a 3-position L-track on the rear points.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Alden
Circle 186 on Reader
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ATM Flyware
www.atmflyware.com
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BSS Audio
www.bss.co.uk
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Canare
www.canare.com
Circle 189 on Reader
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Crown International
www.crownaudio.com
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JBL Professional
www.jblpro.com
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QSC Audio
www.qscaudio.com
Circle 192 on Reader
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Rapco International
www.rapco.com
Circle 193 on Reader
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SIA Software
www.siasoft.com
Circle 194 on Reader
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Shure
www.shure.com
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Soundcraft
www.soundcraft.com
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360 Systems
www.360systems.com
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West Penn
Wire/CDT
www.westpenn-cdt.com
Circle 198 on Reader
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Yamaha
www.yamaha.com
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