University of Florida graduates to the Q-SYS Platform
The Reitz Union within the University of Florida heralds from humble origins – a simple campaign back in 1922 to raise funds for an on-campus YMCA. Since then, the student union has grown to over 630,000 square feet servicing over 50,000 students. Named after former University President Dr. J. Wayne Reitz, this facility continues to serve as the community center of the campus, providing services and programs to meet the needs of students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Within this expansive space is Grand Ballroom, one of the most versatile areas available in the Union – split into eight 45x45-foot salons with the total area measuring roughly 20,000 square feet. The Grand Ballroom is rented out for a host of events but unfortunately, the audio wasn’t living up to the space’s requirements. “I’ll get straight to it – the audio was bad,” explained Lon Vance, Senior Engineer Audio Visual Systems of the University of Florida. “The old system was simply outdated. This is a student union area, and we needed a solution that was rock solid. QSC was by far the easiest, plus gave us the digital signal processing flexibility necessary for a divisible space.”
이 AV 팀은 256 x 256의 총 네트워크 오디오 채널 용량을 제공하는 Q-SYS Core 510i 통합 프로세서를 선택했습니다. 이는 시판 중인 Q-SYS Core 프로세서에서 가장 대용량 제품 중 하나이며 이처럼 넓은 공간에는 필수입니다. 물론, 이 팀은 그랜드 볼룸의 유연성을 극대화하고자 했으며, 에어 월 설정에 따라 오디오 신호를 분리하거나 병합할 수 있는 Q-SYS를 통한 공간 결합 기능을 활용했습니다. 또한, Q-SYS는 AV 팀에 타사 제어 시스템을 통해 분할 가능한 공간 내 모든 영역에서 원하는 마이크를 손쉽게 선택할 수 있는 기회를 제공합니다.
Accompanying this are three Q-SYS I/O-22 network audio I/O devices. Via dynamic pairing, these compact units are able to float throughout the space and simply plug into a switch without having to take the system off-line or having to redeploy the design – perfect for the Grand Ballroom’s back-to-back schedule. Following the promise of easily achieving best-in-class results, a Q-SYS NS Series Gen 2 pre-configured network switch was chosen to provide an out-of-the-box solution for building standalone AV networks.
The loudspeaker arrangement took some outside-of-the-box thinking, as baffles along the ceiling were the sole anchor points. To work with the environment, the AV team installed seventy-two QSC AcousticDesign surface-mount loudspeakers twenty-six feet in the air. They selected the series due to its clarity and presence within higher fidelity applications, with power being provided by a Q-SYS CX-Q Series network amplifiers.
Next on the list of future audio, visual, and control updates are two student recreation centers. Each are slated to be equipped with their own Cores as well as updated loudspeakers and network touch panels, with even more plans are on the horizon. Though its origins might be humble, the University of Florida Reitz Union continues to make strong moves in building a facility that honors its namesake.
The University of Florida’s mission is to prepare our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit. Recognized as the No. 6 public university by U.S. News & World Report, UF is one of the nation’s largest public universities, and is the only member of the Association of American Universities in Florida. Teaching, research and scholarship, and service span all of the UF’s academic disciplines and represent its commitment to be a premier university that the state, nation and world look to for leadership. For more information, visit www.ufl.edu.
Additional Images:
