Conquering Distances
Power is as expansive as one might think, with QSC CX Series filling the bill in the form of DataPort-equipped CX502, 602V, 902, 254, 1102, and 1202V models numbering 85 in total.
PL Series amps join the fray as well, with five PL340s combining with a single PL380 and 13 legacy PL 4.0s to complete the count.
The amplifiers are distributed around the stadium in six remote rack rooms associated with the bowl PA.
All signal traveling to the remote locations goes via fiber optics, while in the rack rooms, everything is copper.
Wrapping everything from the audio input to the loudspeakers into its web, QSC Q-Sys integrated system platform was selected for Bryant-Denny to manage audio routing, processing, control, and monitoring.
Built expressly for large-scale applications, Q-Sys relies upon surprisingly few components to carry out big tasks. With the primary elements in this case including 26 I/O frames, 15 mic/line input cards, 13 line out cards, and DataPort cards to interface with the amps, a pair of Q-Sys Core 4000 units lie at the heart of the system, one serving as the main operating device and the other as a backup. Routing and processing are managed within each core, as are all control functions.
“Q-Sys caught my attention for this project based upon its ease of implementation and the great distances it can conquer in terms of providing control and monitoring,” Miller explains. “Ease-of-use is always a concern as well, and the Q-Sys interface lessens the complexity of operating the system even for a complete novice.”
Joining Miller for the system tuning conducted this August just past were QSC’s Brian English and Tripp Matthews. Based in Richmond, VA, Matthews – whose many duties include serving as a training and applications engineer – is a familiar face within the QSC engineered systems team.
Palette Of Functions
According to Matthews, one of the goals during the tuning process was to obtain the same smooth, even coverage across all seats with no late time arrivals.
“Q-Sys helped us achieve that and a lot more by providing an enormous amount of processing power,” he says. “We mindfully tuned the whole system using just 50 percent of the power we had at hand, and we were able to monitor and control everything right down to doing EQ for individual drivers in specific boxes.”