I am inquiring in regard to a fairly large multi purpose room at a church camp that needs both acoustic treatment and equipment improvements. And sorry, I know there are individual sections for this but I figured creating one post with centralized information on the room would be easiest.... Sorry for the extremely long post
First, details on the room:
Dimensions
* Overall: 80 ft wide, 160 ft long
* Stage takes up approximately the last 20 ft of the room
* There is a room of approximately 20 ft by 20 ft on both sides of the stage
* The ceiling is 22 ft high at the peak and 20 ft high where it meets the walls
* The stage is approximately 3 1/2 ft high
Reflective surfaces
* Walls are covered about 8 ft high on both long walls with thin carpet
* Above that point (and covering the ceiling) on the side walls is insulation with a plastic backing
* The front and back walls (the main audible issues) are plain drywall with a couple steel doors on one end, and steel doors going into the closets
* There are metal support beams every 20-30ft down the length of the room
* The vents (round), lights, and fans are all dropped off the ceiling a couple feet
Current Problems
* Acoustic
** Echos. If I play a loud sharp tapping sound (if anyone has played guitar hero it is the sound lag calibration screen) over the sound system you hear the sound echoing off the front and back walls probably 5 times.
* Electronic
** We need a way to make connections flexible (so people can hook in their own equipment) but easy for someone to fix when they are done and leave it all messed up. People need to be able to hook up laptops, recorders, video game systems, etc.
** Some kind of IR extender is needed to allow for control of the projector. Having a projector 20 ft up sucks when you have to turn it on/off or adjust settings. (Luckily the laser pointer in the remote helps in aiming the IR beam....)
** Currently the equalizers are being used to a very limited extent unless it is a band coming in to practice, record, or perform. Right now they are directly in between the outs on the sound board and the main amp/monitor amp
** All three monitors have blown tweeters (no sound system protection.... big surprise)
** The monitors are currently configured so the L goes to channel 1 of the amp, R goes to channel 2, and C goes to bridge. (considering they originally had problems with short circuits that were fixed I hate to even imagine what is going on inside that amp)
* Other
**Some method of protecting the sound board (primary problem) and other sound equipment that is in the rolling cart is desprately needed. If possible this should not majorly interfere with the operation of the equipment (clear plexiglass shield with an opening somewhere?).... This will be explained further down
* Uses of the room
** Kids playing sports. This may result in basketballs, footballs, volleyballs, frisbees, kickballs, and anything else you can imagine flying through the air towards equipment.
** Independent bands coming in and playing either to practice, perform, or just record
** Sermons/other presentations to groups anywhere from kids to senior citizens
** Video games being projected on the projector/run through the sound system (mostly the college kid group that has just been started)
** Movies
** The annual super bowl party (yes we know how many of the NFL's rules are being broken....)
** Just about anything you can imagine a room of that size being used for..... Inflatable toys (the gigantic bounce houses, obstical courses, etc. are usually rented for the super bowl party)
Current sound equipment
Mixer: Peavey RSM4062
Equalizer: 2x Peavey 431FX - Monitors
Equalizer: Peavey 231FX - Mains
Amp: Peavey 2000 Power Amp - Mains
Amp: Peavey 1500 Power Amp - Monitors
Mains: 2x Peavey SP5G 8 Ohm
Subs: 2x Peavey SP 118X 8 Ohm
Projector: Espon either PLC-XT11 or PLC-XT16
The mains and subs are connected in parallel... (Main left + sub left on one channel, main right + sub right on the other channel) No crossover at all
Echo treatment, etc. is a priority, followed by making the sound system as close to idiot proof as possible, followed by improving the sound system.
Figure on a $5,000-$10,000 budget MAXIMUM (focused primarily on the acoustic treatment) at least initially.
Please keep in mind that the acoustic treatment has to be something that can either be taken down easily or that if permanently installed can take a beating. (Preferably even if it can be taken down easily it should be able to take a fair bit of abuse) People are almost always supervised in the area, but when you have 200-300 kids in a room that can become difficult very easily. On wall coverings, etc. having them retractable at least would be nice.
Also, suggestions on a projector screen would be great.... I forget the dimensions but right now it is just being projected onto a white(ish) wall. They have a scissor lift, scaffolding, etc. to help with installation.
Keep in mind: the goal isn't perfection, it is just a major improvement wanted. Hanging tarps from something similar to clothesline made a significant improvement when they tried it, so I am sure anything actually designed to help will help a lot.
Thank you in advance for any help, and thanks for reading this insanely long post)
Edit: Oh, and there are no catwalks, stage lights (just a few florescents for the stage and HID lighting for the rest of the room), stage curtains, etc. it is just an elevated, carpeted area with a couple stage boxes (6 or 8 XLRs and two 20 amp 120 volt circuits each (regular US 3 prong, not stage pin). There are also outlets running all the way around the stage and all the way around the main room, not that it really matters. There is a large power panel close to the amps with a 200 amp feed (all the outlets on the stage and in the back rooms). Also there is a 100 amp 220V switchbox (electricution waiting to happen) with 2 big fuses (one per 120V leg) and raw wire connectors to tie into.... no padlock.... in the back room. I think it is basically a fused shutoff box meant for permanent wiring.
This camp is not big on locking things
Edit 2:
It is a solid concrete floor, in addition.
First, details on the room:
Dimensions
* Overall: 80 ft wide, 160 ft long
* Stage takes up approximately the last 20 ft of the room
* There is a room of approximately 20 ft by 20 ft on both sides of the stage
* The ceiling is 22 ft high at the peak and 20 ft high where it meets the walls
* The stage is approximately 3 1/2 ft high
Reflective surfaces
* Walls are covered about 8 ft high on both long walls with thin carpet
* Above that point (and covering the ceiling) on the side walls is insulation with a plastic backing
* The front and back walls (the main audible issues) are plain drywall with a couple steel doors on one end, and steel doors going into the closets
* There are metal support beams every 20-30ft down the length of the room
* The vents (round), lights, and fans are all dropped off the ceiling a couple feet
Current Problems
* Acoustic
** Echos. If I play a loud sharp tapping sound (if anyone has played guitar hero it is the sound lag calibration screen) over the sound system you hear the sound echoing off the front and back walls probably 5 times.
* Electronic
** We need a way to make connections flexible (so people can hook in their own equipment) but easy for someone to fix when they are done and leave it all messed up. People need to be able to hook up laptops, recorders, video game systems, etc.
** Some kind of IR extender is needed to allow for control of the projector. Having a projector 20 ft up sucks when you have to turn it on/off or adjust settings. (Luckily the laser pointer in the remote helps in aiming the IR beam....)
** Currently the equalizers are being used to a very limited extent unless it is a band coming in to practice, record, or perform. Right now they are directly in between the outs on the sound board and the main amp/monitor amp
** All three monitors have blown tweeters (no sound system protection.... big surprise)
** The monitors are currently configured so the L goes to channel 1 of the amp, R goes to channel 2, and C goes to bridge. (considering they originally had problems with short circuits that were fixed I hate to even imagine what is going on inside that amp)
* Other
**Some method of protecting the sound board (primary problem) and other sound equipment that is in the rolling cart is desprately needed. If possible this should not majorly interfere with the operation of the equipment (clear plexiglass shield with an opening somewhere?).... This will be explained further down
* Uses of the room
** Kids playing sports. This may result in basketballs, footballs, volleyballs, frisbees, kickballs, and anything else you can imagine flying through the air towards equipment.
** Independent bands coming in and playing either to practice, perform, or just record
** Sermons/other presentations to groups anywhere from kids to senior citizens
** Video games being projected on the projector/run through the sound system (mostly the college kid group that has just been started)
** Movies
** The annual super bowl party (yes we know how many of the NFL's rules are being broken....)
** Just about anything you can imagine a room of that size being used for..... Inflatable toys (the gigantic bounce houses, obstical courses, etc. are usually rented for the super bowl party)
Current sound equipment
Mixer: Peavey RSM4062
Equalizer: 2x Peavey 431FX - Monitors
Equalizer: Peavey 231FX - Mains
Amp: Peavey 2000 Power Amp - Mains
Amp: Peavey 1500 Power Amp - Monitors
Mains: 2x Peavey SP5G 8 Ohm
Subs: 2x Peavey SP 118X 8 Ohm
Projector: Espon either PLC-XT11 or PLC-XT16
The mains and subs are connected in parallel... (Main left + sub left on one channel, main right + sub right on the other channel) No crossover at all
Echo treatment, etc. is a priority, followed by making the sound system as close to idiot proof as possible, followed by improving the sound system.
Figure on a $5,000-$10,000 budget MAXIMUM (focused primarily on the acoustic treatment) at least initially.
Please keep in mind that the acoustic treatment has to be something that can either be taken down easily or that if permanently installed can take a beating. (Preferably even if it can be taken down easily it should be able to take a fair bit of abuse) People are almost always supervised in the area, but when you have 200-300 kids in a room that can become difficult very easily. On wall coverings, etc. having them retractable at least would be nice.
Also, suggestions on a projector screen would be great.... I forget the dimensions but right now it is just being projected onto a white(ish) wall. They have a scissor lift, scaffolding, etc. to help with installation.
Keep in mind: the goal isn't perfection, it is just a major improvement wanted. Hanging tarps from something similar to clothesline made a significant improvement when they tried it, so I am sure anything actually designed to help will help a lot.
Thank you in advance for any help, and thanks for reading this insanely long post)
Edit: Oh, and there are no catwalks, stage lights (just a few florescents for the stage and HID lighting for the rest of the room), stage curtains, etc. it is just an elevated, carpeted area with a couple stage boxes (6 or 8 XLRs and two 20 amp 120 volt circuits each (regular US 3 prong, not stage pin). There are also outlets running all the way around the stage and all the way around the main room, not that it really matters. There is a large power panel close to the amps with a 200 amp feed (all the outlets on the stage and in the back rooms). Also there is a 100 amp 220V switchbox (electricution waiting to happen) with 2 big fuses (one per 120V leg) and raw wire connectors to tie into.... no padlock.... in the back room. I think it is basically a fused shutoff box meant for permanent wiring.
This camp is not big on locking things
Edit 2:
It is a solid concrete floor, in addition.
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