OSA International (Chicago, Nashville, Las Vegas) recently deployed Martin Audio CDD loudspeakers in support of the Tasting Tour at the Lagunitas Brewery in Chicago’s Douglas Park neighborhood in North Lawndale.
The Chicago brewery tour is a popular attraction, with OSA recently called in to replace the original sound system for the walking tour. According to OSA project manager Brandon Gardner, “The guided tour is on a catwalk — there are several levels to the facility, with the brewery and bottling plant on the ground floor and the catwalk above. The tour has four zones where the tour guide stops and explains the process for brewing, fermenting, bottling and canning the beer.
He adds that originally, the system consisted of powered loudspeakers that tended to clip, which caused complaints from visitors not being able to hear what the tour guide was saying, especially when groups were more than 100 people.
“So, a major concern was getting clarity from the front where the tour guide stands all the way to the back of the crowd,” he explains. “Plus we had to control the sound going off the catwalk so that the tour would not disturb the people working below in the brewery and bottling facilities.”
For an upgrade, Gardner opted for compact Martin Audio CDD10 10-inch coaxial, differential dispersion loudspeakers, one in each zone with two in the bottling and canning area to compensate for the additional noise coming from the floor. The loudspeakers were mounted horizontally with the drivers rotated to achieve optimum coverage in that zone as well. A BSS digital controller was added at each zone so tour guides could adjust the volume locally.
“The CDD speakers offer exceptional clarity especially in the high frequency range because of the coaxial drivers and differential dispersion technology,” Gardner states. “Plus they offer the most consistent performance I’ve heard. That, and the form factor is well suited to a variety of mounting solutions.
“Our client is very happy with the CDD’s performance — he is excited about the speakers. Everyone on the tour can now hear clearly and there have been no noise complaints from below the catwalk. It’s win-win for everyone.”
