It’s understandable — a hybrid office for one company could mean specific groups coming in on scheduled days, specific individuals coming in only for collaborative meetings, some departments working full time in office while others work full time from home, or some other combination of in-person and remote that works for that specific company.

While there is no one-size-fits-all description for the hybrid office, there are technologies that can enable any given configuration of hybrid that a company can conceive of. In an upcoming Commercial Integrator and My TechDecisions webinar on Wednesday, November 17th at 2 pm ET, sponsored by AVI-SPL and Biamp, we’ll virtually walk through a hybrid office, space by space, to take a look at the technology enabling hybrid work in each space.

In a hybrid office any given space can be outfitted with technology to enable collaborative, hybrid work. The ultimate goal is for the technology to not get in the way but instead enable teams to work together whether in the office or remote.

Spaces in the hybrid office and the technology that belongs within them that will be discussed include:

• Boardroom
• Conference Space
• Huddle Spaces
• Lobby
• Auditorium
• Cafeteria
• Training Space
• Open Office

Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of the conferencing, collaboration, audio, video, and IT technology that belongs in each of these spaces in order to provide ultimate versatility in the hybrid environment any company chooses moving forward.

Join us on Wednesday, November 17th at 2 pm ET to finally see what the hybrid office will really look like!

Register here.

The post Visualizing the Hybrid Office – Solutions for Every Space appeared first on My TechDecisions.

To showcase the patent-pending audio technology, Castro and his team partnered with several artists and companies, including Epson and Rabcup, to create a three-movement multimodal audiovisual experience entitled Aurora at Riverside Studios in Riverside, Calif.

Nearly a decade in the making, Aurora was a collaboration between Castro and Professor Joan Sharma of California State University, Fresno, designed to immerse guests in the Earth’s journey through nothingness, birth, recovery, and beyond.

“Our goal with Aurora was to not only showcase ResonX, but deliver an important message about our Earth’s current path that would resonate with individuals of all ages,” says Castron. “We did this through the combination of multiple senses, and it would not have been possible without the support of our partners and artists involved.

The ResonX & Other Technology Solutions

“Specifically for the visual elements, Epson’s projector technology truly brought the project to life with stunning colors and brightness that stood up against ambient light in the room,” he says. “The projectors were also easy to install, and with short-throw capabilities and laser technology, we were able to shoot them in all directions at a short distance for even more accurate projection.”

Focused on challenging the way people experience sound, Castro aimed to deliver a complete multi-sensory experience with Aurora that would captivate and drive an emotional connection to our planet Earth. Castro worked closely with production company Rabcup to bring the visual components together, who enlisted long-standing partner Epson to illuminate the project with its flexible and powerful projection technology.

See Next: Mellow Mushroom Adds New Acoustics In Restaurant Chain

Using Epson Pro L1070UNL and L1075UNL large venue laser projectors with ELPLU03 Short Throw Lenses and Epson PowerLite L735U and L730U laser projectors, along with MadMapper software, Rabcup was able to fine-tune the images to create one continuous visual that flowed across the three walls surrounding guests. By combining intuitive software and mapping tools with impressive imagery that all worked in unison with the ResonX technology, Aurora immersed guests into a visual and audio experience showcasing what the earth was, where it is now and what the future can hold.

The Impact

“Aurora is an impressive infusion of re-imagined audio technology, compelling visual effects and artistic creations that delivers a powerful environmental message,” says Remi Del Mar, senior product manager, Epson America, Inc. “Climate change is a problem that isn’t going away and there’s never been a more important time to collectively become more aware of how we – as individuals, corporations and businesses – are affecting the planet.

“Aligning with the Epson 25 Renewed Corporate Vision and desire to support this direction, we are honored to lend our technology to help Ethan bring his vision to life and tell the story in an impactful and immersive way,” he says.

The post ResonX Audio Technology Delivers Multi-Sensory Experience appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Doubling as both a cinema and live performance venue, the Stardome Observatory needed a versatile sound system to support a wide range of events. Additionally, since a range of staff members and volunteers operate the facility, ease of use was a top priority.

The Tech Decision & Solution at Stardome Observatory

To deliver a premium surround sound experience, Stardome Observatory organizers hired AV Integration company Avid Automation and HARMAN distributor JPRO to equip the planetarium with state-of-the-art JBL loudspeaker systems, network-connected Crown amplifiers, BSS signal processors and a Soundcraft digital mixing console.

JPRO and Avid Automation selected JBL AC18/95 compact two-way loudspeakers for the surround channels, as their enclosure design allowed for installation close to the ceiling. The result is a smooth, natural immersive audio experience throughout the listening area. Additionally, three JBL VTX B18 18-inch subwoofers provide a solid bass foundation for a ground-shaking experience.

Read Next: Mellow Mushroom Adds New Acoustics In Restaurant Chain

“The primary use of the system is to provide an immersive 5.1 cinema experience, but the theatre also doubles as a live performance venue for small bands and events—everything from strings to electronica,” says Darian Sundar, Director, Avid Automation. “So, in addition to offering an accurate cinematic experience, the system needed to be capable of handling larger SPL to accommodate live performances.

“The cardioid sub-array configuration is simply magic and is an integral part of the system design,” he says. “It allows the performance volume of the bass to be focused in the room without spilling into the foyer and office areas.”

Two Crown DriveCore CDi 4|1200BL power amplifiers power the system, with pre-loaded JBL speaker tunings that allow the amplifiers and speakers to work in harmony for the best possible sound. The amplifiers interface with a BSS BLU-806 signal processor via the Dante networked audio protocol, providing flexible signal routing and control, including the ability to interface with the venue’s fire evacuation system.

The Impact

To provide operators with hands-on control over the sound in the theater, Avid Automation and JPRO provided the venue with a Soundcraft Si Performer digital mixer.

A Dante interface card allows the mixer to send output signals to the BSS and Crown backend, while a Soundcraft Mini Stagebox 16 provides additional inputs onstage for larger performances.

Avid Automation collaborated with Stardome organizers to design a custom user interface to make the system easy and intuitive for staff and volunteers to use.

The post New Zealand’s Stardome Observatory: An Immersive Audio Experience appeared first on My TechDecisions.

But it isn’t as cut and dried as simply adding some fabric-based materials on walls, ceilings and floors.

In order to get the best result, you must first understand that there are two types of acoustic room treatments – absorbers and diffusers – that can help alleviate echo and reverberation in studios or theaters.

Absorbers reduce excess sound reflected in a room while diffusers spread out those reflections.

Combining office sound absorption and diffusion solutions results in clearer, more satisfying acoustic experiences because it maintains an amount of reverberant ambience that is key to our ability to form accurate sound images.

The most important factor for room acoustics is finding the best balance of absorption, diffusion, and placement that will improve the unique acoustic properties of a particular space.

Determining what, when and why to use acoustic absorbers and/or diffusers – and where they should be in the space – should play a big role in your design. There are many strategies to consider, but first you’ll need a basic understanding of factors that contribute to the overall sound of a room.

First Reflection Point

The areas from which sound reflects first, after originating from its source, are known as First Reflection Points, which are responsible for the first and worst effects on a room’s acoustics.

Hard flat surfaces strongly reflect “original” sound, and these strong reflections combine with sound from the source to create destructive interferences at the listening position.

In order to develop an acoustical treatment strategy, it’s best to locate the first reflection points in the room.

There are videos available — like the one below — that demonstrate a simple method for locating first reflection points in your room. To summarize:

1. Working with an assistant, sit at at the “best” listening/viewing location, facing the speakers.
2. The assistant should place a handheld mirror against one side wall at the height of the seated person’s ears and move it horizontally along the wall until the seated person can see the center of the speaker closest to that wall in the mirror.
3. Mark the position of the mirror with painter’s tape – that’s the first reflection point for that speaker and wall.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the other side wall of the room. You can also find and mark first reflection points for the “front” wall (the wall you face when listening).

If you choose to add acoustic treatments to the ceiling (and you should consider it – it’s a large flat surface that contributes to the number of strong reflections), you’ll need to find and mark those as well.

Once the first reflection points have been located, you can decide whether to treat them with absorbers, diffusers, or both, depending on desired results.

Sound Absorption, Diffusion… and Phase

When sound reflects off the walls of a room, it reaches the listener later because it’s travelling farther than the direct (original) sound.

Because the reflection is a delayed version of the original sound, it destructively combines with the original sound, interfering with a person’s ability to accurately perceive the direction and composition of the sound.

As sound reflections fill a room, they also generate interference with each other, and the result is poor acoustics: too much echo and reverberation, and bad sound imaging.

Think of it as sloshing water around in a bathtub.

When you introduce energy to the water, that energy propagates in the form of waves, generating peaks, valleys and dead zones as the waves amplify, diminish or cancel each other out.

For many first reflection points in most rooms, the best solution for this is often diffusers, which spread out sound energy, reducing the destructive interferences caused by untreated strong reflections.

While sound absorption panels will also reduce the energy level of reflections, they can be overused. This is a common problem in many critical listening environments.

Diffusers won’t diminish ambience or alter pitch perception the way using too many absorbers can.

However, some diffusers come with a separate set of issues.

One example is “Quadratic Residue” designs, which work by distorting the timing or phase relationships within the reflections, thereby damaging the sound image.

In these instances, the acoustic experience suffers because we rely on the timing, or phase, of sounds to construct accurate sound images in our minds.

Phase Coherence and Accurate Sound Imaging

Because human hearing has evolved as a survival tool, our brains are very sensitive to timing or phase information for the purpose of sound location. “Phase coherence,” or unaltered timing information, is a critical component of hearing sound accurately.

Think of how quickly you respond when you’re surprised by a sudden sharp or loud noise. You instinctively look in the direction from which the sound came as your nervous system primes you either to fight, turn and run or simply not worry. We may take this for granted, but it underscores the amazing nature of our brains.

In the same way that having two eyes enables our brain to construct three-dimensional representations of the world, having two ears also enables us to hear where a sound is originating in the same three-dimensional space.

This is similar to the highly refined echo-location system that bats use to “see” in the dark.

Related: These 5 F’s are the Keys To Better AV Design Solutions

Though the difference may be extremely small, sound emanating from a source off to one side or another will reach our ears at slightly different times because of their physical separation on our heads.

Our brains then interpret those tiny timing differences almost instantaneously to determine the location of the sound source. But if the timing of a sound is somehow not what our brains expect it to be, our ability to construct an accurate sound image is thrown off. In a word, things just don’t “sound right” to our ears.

Curved-surface phase-coherent diffusers smoothly spread out reflections and reduce “hot spots” to better preserve the timing (phase), loudness (amplitude) and tone (harmonics) information in reflections.

Curved diffusers also decrease the need for sound absorption, thereby retaining a level of reverberation that’s agreeable to our ears.

This type of room treatment is not a new discovery – RCA Studios in New York, for example, used this method in the early 1940s.

Phase-coherent diffusion also helps preserve accurate sound imaging/location, providing a wider, “stereophonic” sense of space. Using phase-distorting diffusers, like Quadratic-Residue types, in the first-reflection points results in our brain/ear combo being less able to form an accurate sound image of the audio it’s hearing.

Timing accuracy, or “phase coherence” is essential for both recording and hearing sound accurately.

Treating a Room

WALLS & CORNERS

While the conventional wisdom has been to use absorber panels to treat first reflection points, curved-surface diffusers offer a more effective option in treating these highly problematic spots.

Stereo fields will sound wider, with clearer and more focused details because of the phase-coherence that results from the constant-radius cylindrical shape of the diffuser.

For home theater applications, place a vertical curved diffuser at the first reflection points on the side walls, and possibly the back wall, with a horizontal curved diffuser on the front wall beneath and parallel to the center speaker.

Since the corners of a room further exaggerate sound reflections, place a fabric-wrapped absorber panel on each side of the front corners of the room to reduce side-to-side repeating reflections – also known as “flutter echoes.”

Use two additional fabric-wrapped absorber panels in the corners of the back wall to reduce front-to-back reflections along the length of your room.

Though each room presents its own unique set of acoustical challenges, this combined sound absorption/diffusion design should improve the acoustic quality of nearly any room.

You can also add another curved-surface diffuser on each side wall at a right-angle to the primary seating position. This will eliminate the most annoying “flutter echoes” from the listener’s position.

CEILINGS

Like walls, ceilings are large, flat surfaces that should be acoustically treated in any critical-listening space – rooms will greatly benefit from ceiling absorber panels, typically called “clouds.”

For especially challenging rooms, the wall treatments mentioned above (a combination of sound absorption and diffusion) will typically provide a similar result on the ceiling,

Cloud absorbers are lightweight and easy to install, with good acoustical control of echo and reverberation. For the best effect, place two clouds on the ceiling at the first reflection points, and two above your seating area.

You don’t need to treat every square-foot of your room to have great acoustics. A strategic combination of absorption and diffusion targeting the problem areas – the first reflection points, corners, ceilings, etc. – can transform a poor-sounding room into a fantastic one.

The post Where Your Office Needs Sound Absorption (and Where Other Techniques Work Better!) appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The device carries a competitive price without sacrificing quality, the company says.

Multicast speakers

“Multicast refers to a group communication mechanism where audio data can be transmitted to multiple destinations simultaneously,” the company explains in a press release.

“The InformaCast Enabled Ceiling Speaker is capable of receiving both Singlewire’s InformaCast and multicast messages in varied environments such as schools, SMB, healthcare and nursing care facilities, and more.”

“We’re all seeing the effects of tariffs on the free market and it concerns us because our mandate is to make quality VoIP endpoints with options that meet conservative budgets. As soon as we released the Multicast Ceiling Speaker, we received calls requesting an InformaCast version,” said Phil Lembo, President and CEO of CyberData.

“Luckily for us, we are flexible and nimble when it comes to listening to and responding to what our customers and Distributor/VAR network have been telling us, so this release is a natural for us. We keep hearing that customers need another option. So, very quickly, we’ve developed and delivered that option, without sacrificing the CyberData quality customers have come to expect.”

Additional features of the CyberData InformaCast Enabled ceiling speaker:

• paging prioritization and background music
• support for 10 multicast groups
• web-based configuration and configurable event generation for device health and status monitoring

“These are critical features required by customers such as schools and universities and CyberData was cognizant of these requirements during the development of the device,” the company says.

Read Next: Market for Pro Speakers Expected to Reach Around $2 Billion

The post CyberData’s New Ceiling Speaker is InformaCast Enabled appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The main PA consisted of left and right VUE al-12 line arrays comprised of 14 elements each. Four stacks of two of two medium format al-8 elements were positioned in front of the stage. For the low frequency, a total of 28 VUE hs-221 ACM subwoofers were deployed in 14 stacks across the front of the main stage.

“With this type of music (EDM), it’s all about the bass,” says Sound Image production manager Chris White. “There is a lot of energy below 50Hz and it’s important to keep it tight and impactful across the entire outdoor dance area without falling apart six hours in.”

Because Gold Rush goes well into the early morning hours, it was important that the system adjust along with the size of the crowd. Using the SystemVUE software, the subwoofer’s onboard VUEDrive electronics were programmed to delay output by a few milliseconds from the center subs outward. The delayed arc configuration ensured ideal coverage as the crowd expanded from hundreds to thousands throughout the course of the event.

“I generally don’t comment on PA systems. I’ve heard them all and then some,” says stage manager Josh Mierly. “But the al-12 really stands out in terms of sound quality and ease of use. Their reputation is clearly well deserved and I predict we’ll see VUE rigs like this popping up on many more tours in the future.”

The post VUE and Sound Image Team Up at Gold Rush Music Festival  appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Marty Huntoon is a member of the systems design team at integrator All Pro, who implemented the original lighting design in the early years of Medieval Times. During a conversation with a prior colleague from the original project, Huntoon learned Medieval Times was looking to upgrade its lighting systems in the Atlanta castle.

National sales manager Jon Giles and systems design manager Chris Kusek developed a proposal for an all-new lighting design for the Medieval Times Atlanta venue, but while studying the opportunities at the Atlanta castle, they discovered that an upgraded audio system would complete the audience experience.

All Pro designed an audio solution that would only require one-quarter of the speakers of the existing audio system, yet provide better sound quality and more coverage throughout the space. The All Pro team set up a demonstration, in conjunction with Danley.

‘Show Ready’ Systems With Installation in Progress

More than 80 speakers in the arena were replaced with 13 Danley SH-95 speakers, with 10 TH212 subwoofers rounding out the low end of the system.

Because of the 600MHz frequency ban, All Pro upgraded Medieval Times’ wireless microphone systems in tandem with a new Danley audio system. New QXLD Shure wireless microphones now provide inputs to the system.

Medieval Times Atlanta presented several unique challenges, with All Pro installers working around near-daily performances in the venue.

This limited the crew to only working off hours, while providing a “show-ready” environment at the end of each day and maintaining maximum efficiency onsite.

The sand in the ring of the venue also provided its own challenges for mounting and installing equipment from a shifting surface that required technicians to adjust quickly while keeping the equipment out of the sand.

The Impact

Medieval Times Atlanta management was pleased with All Pro’s consultative approach and the new audio and lighting system made a significant difference on the audience experience.

“I can clearly hear the music and speech now, and it sounds so much better than before,” one of the staff members said.

After attending the first show at Medieval Times with the new audio and lighting system, a couple who are regular customers said, “This is our 10th or 11th show now, and it’s never sounded so good.”

William Phillips, general manager for Medieval Times Atlanta said “We are satisfied with the work of All Pro. Your company is fantastic, professional, and fast. After speaking with David Dodson, sound and lighting manager, he said that All Pro’s team is some of the best he has had the pleasure of working. David and I speak highly of All Pro’s team and would welcome them back anytime.”

“By all accounts, the sound at the castle is a big improvement over what we had,” said Medieval Times corporate CFO Keven Ralphs.

Read Next: What Are The Differences Between CFL Lighting and LED Lighting?

After finishing the Atlanta AV upgrade, All Pro was invited to design an LED lighting upgrade for the Chicago Medieval Times castle. Huntoon provided a fixture demonstration and factory tour for the staff at Medieval Times at Phillips Lighting in Dallas, located near their headquarters.

Chicago Castle LED upgrades were completed with a “wow!” result from the Chicago staff. Other Medieval Times locations are now in the works.

Equipment Highlights

• Danley speakers
• Shure body-pack microphones
• QSC amplifiers
• Yamaha digital mixing console

The post Installation at Medieval Times Atlanta Flexes Around Show Times appeared first on My TechDecisions.