WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND: When Carroll Community College in Westminster, Maryland built the new Robert A. and Phyllis B. Scott Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, the school's administrators made some smart decisions. One was working closely with acoustical consulting firm Miller, Beam & Paganelli, and Maryland-based installer Design & Integration, Inc., to provide a multi-functional sound system that would sound great, be easy to use and last for years. The 600-seat theater, which has become the focal point in a $500,000 a/v installation at the school's Fine Arts & Life Fitness building, hosts a variety of events, from instrumental music performances to spoken-word assemblies. "This is a brand new theater and we wanted to make sure we had top-notch results," said Alan Schuman, Carroll Community College's executive VP of administration.
 

Acoustical consultants, Miller, Beam and & Paganelli select Sennheiser evolution
wireless systems for multi-faceted Robert A. and Phyllis B. Scott Center
for the Fine and Performing Arts at Carroll Community College,
Westminster, Maryland.

At the heart of the basic left-center-right system is a 40-channel Mackie mixing console that offers multiple mix locations, allowing users to operate the system from a main control room, or from a location in the main house seating area. High ceilings and a tall proscenium arch created acoustical and aesthetic challenges in the space. Speakers had to be mounted so as not to detract from the architecture, while delivering good sound quality to every seat. EAW KF650 and KF695 series speakers hang from custom rigging mounts, designed to extend in front of the theater's proscenium. Eight JBL Control 26s cover the extensive under-balcony area.
 

Control room at the Robert A. and Phyllis B. Scott Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Carroll Community College,
Westminster, Maryland."

Four Sennheiser Evolution 300 series wireless systems help deliver clear, crisp sound to every seat in the house, regardless of the type of performance. Systems designer engineer, Eric Willis, of MB&P said he selected the Evolution series for a number of reasons, including the microphones' rugged housing and self-noise reduction. "In addition to the sound quality," Willis says, "the Evolution mics offer a number of features that provide added flexibility and make them easy to use." For instance, the user-programmable display panel on each system allows the user to label each receiver with the performer's name, while the interface makes it easy to adjust the frequency capabilities, with a choice of 1,280 frequencies. Willis was able to show personnel, such as the school librarian, how to set up the system for performances in which the school would not have a trained sound engineer present. "It takes about two minutes for me to explain to someone how to adjust wireless frequencies. It's a very simple user interface for a very complicated system," he says.

The new auditorium is outfitted with two Evolution 300 EW 335 cardioid dynamic microphone systems, and two EW 312 omni-directional lavalier microphone systems, along with Sennheiser's ASP/NT1 antenna splitter. "We were able to go with the omni-directional lavalier mics," Willis says, "because we had such good pattern control from the main speakers, and because we had created a sub mix capability for stage wedge monitoring."

Willis says the Sennheiser microphones were an easy choice once he had determined his client's needs. "The college had this beautiful multi-functional space and once we ascertained their needs, the evolution wireless was the mic system I felt most comfortable with. It gives them both great audio quality and peace of mind that users will be heard and not intimidated by the system."

It wasn't the first time MB&P had joined forces with Design & Integration, Inc. The companies teamed up on projects such as the new theater facility at Washington, D.C.'s, American University, the George Washington University Health and Wellness Center, and St. Leo the Great Catholic Church.

Schuman says the cooperation between the consultant and installer helped the project run smoothly. "The trick is to have solid communication between your consultants, installers, and users. If you're staying in touch throughout the process, surprises become minimized and everyone becomes happy with the results. That's what happened here."

Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is the acknowledged world leader in microphone technology, RF-wireless and infrared sound transmission, headphone transducer technology, and most recently, in the development of active noise-cancellation. Sennheiser Electronic Corporation is the U.S. wholly-owned subsidiary, with headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut.