Marcellus talks about the array performance and tuning process: “Dave (Gunness) is able to control the speakers in such a way as to reduce the amount of spill out of the stadium while increasing SPL’s inside. This has a very tight control because every cabinet has multiple drivers and each one of those has its own processing point fed by two MediaMatrix XFrame 88’s. Everything associated with the center cluster is redundant. In other words, there are actually two systems that can feed those amps and can be switched over with a single push button in the control room on the fifth level of the stadium. We’re feeding both in parallel, but the outputs go to different banks of EAW MX processors.”

Processing and amplification for the main cluster and effects cluster in a room behind the bleachers.

QSC Audio amplifiers, located in a room beneath the array tower, drive the array loudspeakers (the MSL-4’s are self-powered). Fourteen EAW MX8750 processors are devoted to the array, with an addition unit applied to the MSL-4 arrays. For overall system protection, a dbx 1046 comp/limiter is inserted ahead of the X-Frame 88’s.

Signal from the system control position, located on the press level of the main grandstand, is delivered by a QSC CobraNet Rave 188 (with signal derived from an HP Pro Curve 10/100 Ethernet switch) It also transports QSControl data between the amplifiers and a PC in the control position.

According to Spurgeon and Marcellus, the specifications for this fast-track project allowed only a 1-in gap between the KF900 cabinets. “We designed and built our own attachment method by working with the structural engineer on the tower design. This allowed the speakers to be put together in layers and then taken up in tiers, with six tiers total,” says Marcellus.

An existing Yamaha mixer at the control position routes all of sound effects, recorded music and organ to the MSL-4 arrays, with all source devices from the previous system retained. The announcement microphone is an EV RE20, which feeds a Midas XL 88 mic preamp, which in turn routes to a BSS comp/limiter and then it’s on to MediaMatrix X-Frame.

All source equipment was existing as well. Announcements are made through an Electro-Voice RE20 fed into a Midas XL 88 series microphone preamp, which is then fed to a BSS comp/limiter. The X-Frame has a separate announce input to eliminate delay feedback problems from the RE20. Over 40 QSC amps power the main system and all concourse and special area speakers.

Spurgeon sees concludes with his view of the project and the future of audio in ballparks: “We thought it (the Dodger Stadium system) would be good, but our feelings on completion are that it’s great. Not just in terms of sound levels, but also with re

gard to coverage and quality. When we first got the organ pumping through the system with “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” it was scary. At moderate levels out of the console, we were rattling light fixtures behind home plate, and the first time we cranked it up we set off car alarms in the parking lot.”

“This was one of the first systems we’ve seen installed that was music quality in a big way. Sports is an entertainment attraction not unlike a concert, so you are getting a lot more production elements in a sporting event than ever before and it’s not going to go away.”

E. Victor Brown is a free-lance writer specializing in audio-video applications and can be reached at evict@worldnet.att.net.