In order to allow lessons to be streamed via the Internet at the University of Torino in Italy, integrator Leading Technologies srl (LTech) recently designed a technical AV infrastructure for more than 30 classrooms (and main assembly hall) in the Law & Political Science faculty.
At the heart of the network is a complete Harman BSS Audio Soundweb London system, which allows for seamless management of the classroom’s audio and video control.
The facilities include six lecture rooms, each containing approximately 150 seats, 28 classrooms — and a grand assembly hall with 300 seats, which is also occasionally used to stage small concerts.
LTech chose to place the system on a BSS Audio Soundweb London network, with its proprietary BLU link digital audio bus, to provide a powerful and rock solid backbone.
“Our real achievement was the integration of the Soundweb London audio signals with video and our support for the design and programming of these systems. It was vitally important to have audio, video and web control all from a single brand of product,” explained Mauro Lavazza, Project Manager for LTech.
Playback is all through JBL loudspeakers. In the main hall eight JBL Control 29AV-1’s, chosen for their extremely flat, high-fidelity performance, extended bandwidth and well-controlled defined coverage, are driven by Crown XLS 1000 amplifiers, while two compact JBL Control 1 Pro loudspeakers, powered by Crown MA135 mixer amps, act as monitors for the speaker’s table.
In each of the six classrooms are four JBL Control 28 driven by a Crown XLS 1000 and two JBL Control 1 Pro operating with a Crown 135MA amplifier, as monitor speakers.
Finally, in each of the 28 small classrooms either two or four JBL Control 25’s can be found — in all cases powered by a Crown XLS 1000 amplifier — with a pair of JBL Control 1 Pro, powered by a Crown 135MA, serving as monitors.
Equalization of the large lecture hall and six classrooms has been carried out digitally in the Soundweb London processors, which also handle the automatic mixing of all signals and delay lines.
The six 150-seat classrooms share video and audio signals with the main hall through a central node with a video matrix, and by a Soundweb London BLU link ring consisting of six BSS Audio BLU-100 and six BLU-800 processors, with two BSS Audio BLU-BIB (8-input expander) and BLU-BOB (8-channel output expander) increasing the I/O capability.
The Soundweb London BLU-800 in the main hall shares audio with a Soundcraft Compact 16 via a CobraNet card so that all mic inputs normally handled automatically by the Soundweb London processor can be mixed in manual mode (plus analogue inputs during live concert performance).
In the smaller rooms, mic EQ is handled from a series of Soundcraft EPM-6 mixers. These have been specified throughout the 28 classrooms to handle mic mixing and computer signals.
“This has been a successful integration which fully meets the client’s requirements,” concludes Lavazza. “They were particularly enthusiastic about the performance of the Soundweb London processors that make up the heart of the system, for their flexibility and ease of programming.
“Without having any previous experience of this platform they have immediately created complete autonomy in the management and maintenance of their audio systems.”