The Dr. Jim Vaszauskas Center for the Performing Arts, a free-standing 142,000 square-foot facility used for live music and theater events by the Mansfield Independent School District (ISD) in suburban Fort Worth, was recently equipped with a new sound reinforcement system headed by the largest Electro-Voice X2 line array deployment to date — driven by Dynacord IPX Series amplifiers — in a design by CRUX Technology & Security Solutions (Fort Worth).
The venue also functions as a professional development center, with a conference/banquet area, breakout rooms and computer labs, creating a profit center for the school district while serving students, staff and community. During the pandemic, the facility began experiencing end-of-life issues with some of its high-end technology.
CRUX recommended the X2 line arrays in combination with the IPX series amplifiers. In addition, DSP, time delays, optimization, and system control were programmed into the amplifiers via Dynacord SONICUE Sound System Software. The physical installation was executed by another established area company, Electro Acoustics.
One key element of the upgrade was reinforcing the performing arts center’s ability to generate revenue for the school district by hosting national touring productions with its in-house sound system. This requirement is met by the new system, which provides a level of all-around performance and control that represents a marked improvement.
“We specified the Electro-Voice and Dynacord products very deliberately on this project,” notes Mason Brooks, senior AV consultant at CRUX. “Since legacy product end-of-life and supply chain issues were driving forces on the project, we did not have the luxury of allowing alternates. These brands represent Grade A technology, and the X2 delivers a significant audio upgrade with a smaller footprint, and with less impact on sightlines. Bosch (EV and Dynacord’s parent company) was also one of the few manufacturers that could actually deliver the product in our required time frame.”
The new system’s 67 full-range cabinets plus 10 subwoofers make the 5,500-seat auditorium’s system worthy of hosting major touring concert events. In addition, both the left and right sides of the semicircular room can be walled off to create smaller dedicated spaces, each with its own sound system and seating for 640.
The main auditorium PA consists of twin 13-box X2-212 arrays, each with 11 X2-212 90-degree
boxes above two 120-degree models to help ensure full coverage across the front. The low end is supplied by a center hang of 10 X12-125F dual-15-inch subwoofers deliveringcontrolled cardioid output. To ensure full coverage, three delay arrays of seven X2-212/120 enclosures are evenly spaced to cover the back of the room.
Audio for the two side rooms is provided by independent 10-box line arrays, utilizing the 90-degree dispersion X2-212 to achieve full coverage in those narrower spaces. These side room hangs were optimized via SONICUE to deliver sufficient low end without requiring additional subwoofers.
The entire PA system is powered by IPX20:4 Dante-enabled amplifiers housing significant DSP power and are part of the SONICUE ecosystem. SONICUE was thus used to implement key system design elements, including loudspeaker optimization, room EQ, time delay and subwoofer directionality. Additionally, IPX amps employ Eco-Rail technology to reduce power consumption by up to a stated 50 percent, which was a selling point for the school district.
IPX amplifiers also incorporate proprietary Ghost Power technology designed to help ensure the amplifer and processing will instantaneosly recover from mains power glitches. It eliminates reboot issues that might occur during a short-term outage or a transition to a secondary power source by ensuring the amplifiers have sufficient power in reserve to maintain DSP through generator startup. This is done without the need for an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) system or non-network components.
“The Dynacord IPX amps were important to ensure the reliability of the system,” Brooks says. “The arts center is in a location that’s known for having occasional power outages, and the facility is used as a reunification point for Mansfield schools in case of emergency. The Dynacord amps solve that problem beautifully. The Ghost Power technology acts as a power backup until the building’s backup generators kick in. So as soon as the power returns, sound is happening without waiting for the amps to reboot. It’s a huge upgrade that addresses the critical needs of mass notification and evacuation.”
In replacing dated system infrastructure with a modern Dante network, finding an appropriate location for the new amplifiers presented a challenge. But with only 16 amps needed, the existing catwalk in the main auditorium could handle the equipment racks without additional structural support.
“In upgrading the facility, our flexibility was limited in terms of conduit runs,” explains Ryan Walker, senior account manager at Electro Acoustics. “Fortunately, the catwalk made a pretty good midway point. We have about 300 feet of CAT cable to bring the Dante network up to the amps. From there, we had manageable runs of about 300 to 400 feet of copper out to the various speaker positions. So really, the Dynacord product design was a big part of the solution.”
Walker also notes that installation of the line arrays straightforward: “We were fortunate that the auditorium had a motorized hoist system in place for the massive self-powered system we were replacing. The positive pin-locking system on the EV arrays made it easy to stack the speakers and build the arrays in place. EV’s hardware design is outstanding, so the reinstallation was ten times faster than most typical line array systems.”
The system design for the Mansfield ISD’s Center for the Performing Arts represents a success story during the pandemic, with Bosch’s resources helping to enable a fast-tracked project from concept to completion in under six months. “While there are several companies that can provide the technology this project demanded, the Bosch ecosystem of Electro-Voice line arrays and Dynacord electronics provides a synergy of technology, sound quality and value that does a tremendous job of meeting all the customer’s needs,” Brooks concludes. “Everyone involved is thrilled with the result.”
