- Based in Hopkinton, MA, EMC Corporation is a world leader in information management. Among the 300,000 square feet of office space housed in its corporate campus, Building 228 may not outwardly appear any different from its neighbors, but from the viewpoint of Central Communications systems executive VP, Chris Chuilli, it's a true symbol of the power of technology.
- Calling nearby Shrewsbury, MA home, Central Communications is a full-service, design/build systems integration firm that is the sole supplier of audio and AV services to EMC. In systems terms, Chuilli said, EMC's Building 228 is "the site of the biggest boardroom on the property, if not in all of New England."
- Measuring 24 x 24 feet with a conventional ceiling height, the boardroom is home to a pair of 42-inch Sharp LCM-3700 LCD monitors mounted to the left and right of an 84-inch tab-tensioned screen. Deployed symmetrically around the horseshoe-shaped conference table, 18 MX Series microphones from Shure allow conference participants to interact with the proceedings. With all input and source management resources falling under the routing and processing guidance of a Peavey MediaMatrix system, video and audioconferencing is managed by a Tandberg 2500.
- The tricky part of the application was to bring control to the project that would permit random video and audio sources to be accessed while the system operator walked around the room. The client also wanted to view outbound video at the same time, and broadcast incoming videoconferencing signals, too.
- Chuilli and the Central Communications staff solved the control issues with a Crestron STX-1700C 6-inch wireless touchpanel operating hand-in-hand with an Extron matrix switcher. Now, however, with the system operator free to move at will around the room with his touchpanel and open wireless mic, there was a new set of problems to deal with revolving around heightened feedback potential.
- To help ward off the evil ring of feedback, plus maintain harmony with the high-end corporate aesthetics of the environment, Chuilli ultimately settled upon using LT810-72BB ceiling-mounted loudspeakers from Lowell's LT Series. With dispersions of 120 degrees at 2,000 Hz (-6 dB), and a sensitivity of 95 dB on average at a 100 dB peak, the transducers kept a tight lock on pattern control in the room, bringing the feedback potential down to where it was no longer a problem.
- "I needed a high-quality, visually pleasing loudspeaker solution at a low cost, and the LT Series lived up to my expectations perfectly," Chuilli related. "They were easy to install, sound great, and kept the sound where it was needed, thereby keeping feedback in check."
- Central Communications Systems...www.central-inc.com
- Lowell Manufacturing...
- www.lowellmfg.com
