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Jazzing It Up At The Grand Bohemian Hotel When the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando, Fla. decided to improve the sound quality in its live music spaces, the prospect of disrupting daily operations for an acoustical makeover was not looked upon fondly. Of equal importance was the fact that the Klimt Rotunda — home to the hotel’s immensely popular jazz performances — is a stunning venue with ornate tiled flooring, lush furnishings, a massive Boesendorfer grand piano that serves as the focal point of the room, all under a domed roof. The imposition of highly visible speakers or other production equipment in this refined space was not something hotel management was eager to pursue. The task of solving this challenge was placed in the capable hands of William “Chip” Sams; principal consultant of Orlando-based William Sams Acoustics (WSA), Inc. Opened in 2004, the consultancy specializes in acoustics and live sound reinforcement, with many of the firm’s projects being houses of worship and theatrical SR system design. According to Sams, “My original intent was for WSA to design the job and then oversee installation by Design Systems Partners of Orlando, which also handled equipment procurement for the project. Due to some unforeseen scheduling conflicts, however, we ended up managing much of the project ourselves, with support from Jason Kram of AVX (Audio Video Excellence, Inc.) of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., and independent technician Phil Ramsey of Clermont, Fla.” 14 Installations Klimt Rotunda goes wireless for upgraded SR system By Roger<strong>May</strong>cock MAY 2007 A Varied Performance Schedule The musical performances hosted in the hotel’s Klimt Rotunda are all quite intimate in nature. A solo pianist plays each day during the afternoons, while those attending Sunday brunch are treated to duo performances of piano and sax or piano and vocal. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, there are small ensembles consisting of piano, bass and drums — fronted by either a vocalist or a saxophonist. For late night entertainment that runs into the early morning hours, a DJ picks up in the adjacent Bosendorfer Lounge when the band completes its final set. All of this activity gets distributed throughout the Klimt Rotunda, the Bosendorfer Lounge and the Boheme restaurant, though levels may be optimized or a program may be cut off in different zones at various times. While the Klimt Rotunda is the hotel’s main performance space, its diminutive size makes it necessary to “pipe” the musical performances into the two larger adjacent rooms so as to accommodate more people. In addressing the challenge presented to him, Sams noted, “While there is a power outlet under the piano in the rotunda, there is no other conduit, so running cable would have required opening up the floor, which was never seriously considered. We also approached the idea of discreetly matting a few cables through the area, but since people enter and exit on both sides of the rotunda, this too, was deemed unacceptable.” Though they had been decommissioned at some earlier time, there were several existing low cost ceiling speakers around the www.fohonline.com The Klimt Rotunda perimeter of the rotunda that had previously been part of the existing sound system. After surveying the options, Sams elected to install a wireless setup that would enable the piano, bass, drums, sax and vocalists to reach the house mixer in a clean, inconspicuous manner, while replacing the inactive ceiling cans with newer ceiling speakers that were considerably more potent. This approach would circumvent the heavy construction that hotel management sought to avoid. Gearing Up In the Klimt Rotunda, Sams replaced the aging ceiling speakers with six Soundtube CM890i-WH ceiling speakers. To provide suitable low frequency content in the Bosendorfer Lounge, the existing ceiling speakers were augmented with two Tannoy TS12 powered subwoofers. “This arrangement allows us to provide a largely acoustic jazz experience in the rotunda, albeit with solid support for the vocalists, while providing a full mix at somewhat reduced levels in the Lounge,” notes Sams, “and we accomplished this without altering the room’s appearance.” For the wireless setup, Sams (with assistance from piano technician Paul Williams), installed a Helpinstill model 180 piano sensor into the Boesendorfer grand, which feeds a Lectrosonics UH400TM transmitter. “We really needed a wide-band wireless system with no companding to accommodate the piano,” said Sams. “This is what made the Lectrosonics equipment the only serious choice.” William “Chip” Sams Sams also designed and installed a small box near the base of the piano that has two additional Lectrosonics UH400TM transmitters to support the sharp attack transients of the bass and drums. This setup brings the transmitters out to another jack with an illuminated label, so the performers can readily see where to make their connections. The drums are acquired by a single AKG 451 overhead microphone while bass players utilize an EV N/D468 microphone. Existing Sennheiser Evolution series receivers and some transmitters were retained for budgetary reasons, and supplemented with a new SKM165G2 handheld wireless transmitter for vocals, and a Sennheiser SK172G2 bodypack wireless transmitter with a Shure WH98H/C microphone for saxaphones and trumpets. Sitting discreetly off to the side of the rotunda is a custom built, locking, 18-space rack cabinet from MT Cases. This holds an Ashley MX508 mixer, the Lectrosonics VRS receiver modules, Sennheiser receivers and two SPL Dynamaxx dual compressors, along with the transmitters and microphones when they are not in use. To provide the desired audience experience in all three listening spaces, the musical performances require two different mixes. In the Klimt Rotunda, which is quite live, there is need for vocal and limited piano reinforcement to keep up with the drums and bass. In the adjoining rooms that take feeds from the rotunda, all performers are mixed. The bandleaders handle this task manually, based upon preset, recommended settings.
A plate on the underside of the piano is where the wireless connections are made. Getting from Here to There For the new system to be truly effective, it required coordinated operation with the existing BGM (background music) system in order to manage transitions between live and pre-recorded background music. This is when Sams also discovered the BGM system was slated to be upgraded with a server from Prescriptive Music to provide multiple zones of customized BGM. Inspection of the existing BGM facilities revealed serious limitations. “The hotel’s BGM system was quite limited in terms of its zone control,” noted Sams. “Whenever the musicians started playing, they first had to walk to multiple locations to turn the background music off, and then at breaks or the end of the day, they had to retrace their steps to turn the background program back on. It was very inefficient. In order to make sense of all this, I worked with Island Systems of Rockledge, Fla., the original installer and maintenance contractor for the hotel’s BGM system, to install a multi-zone distribution system that could accommodate both the live and programmed music.” The upgraded BGM system includes new dbx Zonepro 1260 and 640 DSP routing processors, a dbx ZC3 scene selector, three dbx ZC1 volume controls and a dbx ZC-FIRE muting interface. The new system provides a mode selector at the edge of the rotunda where the musicians can simply switch between BGM and Live Performance modes. This new arrangement shuts down the background music in the three areas when live music starts, and facilitates easy switching back to BGM on breaks or upon completion of the live entertainment. There is also a break mode setting that places different BGM material in the lounge and restaurant while providing those in the Klimt Rotunda a break from all music. For late night activity, a fourth mode — DJ mode — pipes music to all three rooms. Ready for the Downbeat With the new system having just been completed and placed into service, the Grand Bohemian Hotel’s new SR system stands at the cutting edge for both its capabilities and its ease of operation. “I’ve been extremely encouraged thus far,” notes Sams. “With any system of this complexity, there’s always a learning curve, and I’m certain we’ll be fine-tuning it as we move forward. With that said, the musicians and hotel staff have been trained and everyone seems quite comfortable with the operational aspects of the setup. The musicians are able to easily control the distribution of program to the various areas and switch to the BGM service far more efficiently than before. Everyone is enthusiastic, and when all is said and done, the music sounds better than ever!” Performers in the new Klimt Rotunda performance space www.fohonline.com 1 Ashly MX508 mixer 2 Sennheiser EW345 wireless handheld vocal mic system 2 Sennheiser EM300 receiver, 2 Sennheiser ASP1 antenna splitter 2 Sennheiser EW300IEM 1 Sennheiser AC1 antenna combiner 1 QSC CX1202V power amplifier 1 QSC DSP3 DSP module 1 dbx Zonepro 1260 DSP routing processor 1 dbx ZC3 scene selector 3 dbx ZC1 volume control, qty 3 1 dbx ZC-FIRE muting interface New equipment provided by Design Systems Partners and installed by AVX: 1 Helpinstill model 180 piano sensor 1 Whirlwind DirectJT DI box 1 AKG C451B microphone 1 EV N/D468 microphone, qty 2 Equipment List 1 Shure WH98H/C microphone 1 Sennheiser SKM165G2 handheld wireless transmitter Sennheiser SK172G2 bodypack wireless transmitter 3 Lectrosonics UH400TM plug-on transmitter 3 Lectrosonics ISO9VOLTH battery eliminator adaptor for above 1 Lectrosonics VRM receiver mainframe 3 Lectrosonics VRS receiver module, 1 MT Case custom rack, 18U with lockable front door 1 Middle Atlantic PDLT-815RV-RN power/ light module 2 SPL Dynamaxx dual compressor 1 WSA custom mute panel for mixer 1 WSA custom power and signal distribution assembly for piano 6 Soundtube CM890i-WH ceiling speaker, 2 Tannoy TS12 powered subwoofer 2007 MAY 15 Ad info:http:// foh.hotims.com
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