A Pliant Technologies CrewCom wireless intercom system was recently implemented at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) School of Visual and Performing Arts to provide complete coverage for communications throughout the department’s entire main building.
“Our main auditorium was built in 1931 and made out of steel and concrete, so we really wanted to make sure we had a solid signal throughout,” says Technical Director Steven Burnside. “We were able to secure a CrewCom demo and we were really impressed, right off the bat. With just one Radio Transceiver (RT), we pretty much covered the entire building. To take the system to its limits, we used four Radio Packs (RPs) and sent people to all four corners of the building, both upstairs and downstairs. We never lost the signal and that says a lot for a 700-seat venue. With the budget I was given and CrewCom’s outstanding performance, it was an easy decision to purchase the system.”
The university worked with Pliant manufacturer’s representative Sigmet Corp. and authorized dealer BMI Supply out of New York to purchase all of the necessary equipment, including one CrewCom Control Unit (CCU) and one CrewCom Radio Transceiver, five CrewCom Radio packs as well as Pliant’s SmartBoom PRO single-ear headsets.
“The CrewCom system with its expanded range allows us to connect two theaters with one system, which we were not able to achieve with our previous wireless intercom,” adds Burnside. “Prior to CrewCom, we were basically rewiring our system every time we swapped spaces, just so we could have the wireless intercom—so this upgrade has been wonderful. It is very intuitive as far as using the packs themselves and I really like that you can just connect the computer to the control unit and make any adjustments.
“I was happy to use Pliant’s SmartBoom because I like a headset that I can turn on and just use the boom as the mic on/off switch,” he concludes. “As the technical director, I usually run our sound board as well and it’s nice to just flip it up to mute. With this headset, I don’t have to search for any buttons.”
