Gardner-Webb University, in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. was founded as a boarding high school in 1903, has grown into a well known regional school with more than 55 major and minor programs and an academic experience that flows from their Christian commitment to intellectual freedom, service and leadership.
To this end, the University, ever committed to the needs of its students, added The Tucker Student Center and had it equipped with HDDS series loudspeakers and HDL arrays from ISP Technologies.
The 110,000 square foot, 30 million dollar facility has already become a popular student destination. It includes common areas, dining options, a movie theater, 3 story climbing wall, the campus book store, as well as faculty and department offices. The architecture features skylight ceilings, glass walls, open staircases, and fresh-air balconies on every level with stunning views of the Lake Hollifield Complex
When the new student center project went out to bid, Preston Hinson, founder and president of A Sound Experience (ASE Service Group), was quick to act. Hinson knew he would be bidding ISP Technologies for both the distributed sound system and the professional sound reinforcement systems needed in various areas of the building.
Of the ISP Technologies patent pending High Definition Distributed System (HDDS), Hinson had this to say, “The HDDS system, featuring the 10-inch driver, that was utilized in a recent 7.2 application exceeds any THX certified system I have heard. The ability to have a high output speaker that can be deployed with only two pulls of Cat6 is an amazing labor and overall cost saver. This will revolutionize the way we design the small format pro audio system. The new HDDS system from ISP is the new contractor go to cabinet. When comparing cost and quality of the HDDS system to a traditional 70v distribution system, in both categories, the ISP HDDS system wins hands down for building distributed audio.”
In the Tucker Student Center, there are 16 HDDS SM650 wall mount loudspeakers featuring a 3 way design with 30 watts RMS, 4 of the all new, high performance HDDS SM 2110’s, a 2-way cabinet with a 10-inch woofer and 220 watts of RMS power, two HDDS CS650 plenum rated 30 watts RMS, and an HDDS RM 22i remote level control with an auxiliary input jack.
At the heart of the system is the HDDS Master Control module which controls loudspeakers across 8 separate zones that are individually adjustable or linkable. All loudspeakers are self powered and only require that a CAT5 or CAT6 cable be connected to provide both signal and power.
ASE also wanted to do something special with a jukebox and called ISP to see if it were possible.
With a custom wire job, ASE was able to use the RM 22i to send the same audio signal to a custom jukebox so it could play the same music that was playing over the main system. A first for both companies with great results.
The ISP Pro Audio gear included seven of the High Definition Line Array HDL 3112’s which are a 3 way Line Array cabinet with 800 Watts RMS, three XMAX 212 double 12 subwoofers with 1000 watts RMS, eight High Definition Monitor (HDM) 210 3-way monitors with dual 10-inch woofers and 900 watts RMS, two HDM 112 3-way monitors with 500 watts RMS, two XMAX 118 single 18 subwoofer, one SA 118 single 18 subwoofer, one SP 118 single 18 passive subwoofer, and one LT1 3-way cabinet. All cabinets are powered and utilize the built in patented ISP DCAT power amp technology.
To round out the high tech project, ASE Service group also installed the Yamaha CL5 Mixer, Rio stage box and the Symetrix Edge frames. The Yamaha CL5 with the Rio Stage box is one of the first to be deployed in the United States. It is a Danta native digital console that offers nearly endless configuration options. It was paired with the Danta enabled Edge system from Symetrix which makes input, output, and single management design limitless.
The grand opening event attracted close to a thousand guests who were all eager to see the new centerpiece of the campus. “…We are excited to see campus life enhanced and transformed by the hard work of so many GWU staff, like president Bonner, and faithful donors, like the Tucker family”, said Joseph Hamby, the building manager for the Tucker Student Center.