Knoxville, TN – June 2009… On May 8th, 2009, the University of Tennessee conducted its commencement ceremony for graduates of its School of Arts & Sciences. This year’s commencement was particularly noteworthy, as the University conferred the formal degree of a doctorate of humane and musical letters upon Grammy® Award-winning American singer-songwriter, author, actress, and philanthropist Dolly Parton for her dedication to education, young people, life-long learning, and significant service to the state and its people. Held at the University’s Thompson-Boiling Arena, the crowds reached capacity levels for this year’s event and, to ensure the best possible performance in terms of sound reinforcement, a potent sound system consisting of models from the WorxAudio Technologies TrueLine catalog was placed into service.
Knoxville, TN-based Sound Ventures, an audio/ video production services and design firm dedicated to live events and select installations, was contracted to provide sound reinforcement for this year’s commencement ceremony. The Thompson-Boiling Arena, which normally seats 20,000 spectators, was specially configured for a considerably more intimate 12,000 people—specifically the graduates, their families, and select guests. Scott Grimsley, President of Sound Ventures, oversaw the project and discussed the sound reinforcement challenges it presented.
“Being an arena, the seating was divided into the main floor and upper level areas,� explained Grimsley. “This meant we needed a system with solid vertical dispersion in addition to being able to provide broad horizontal coverage. Equally important, speech intelligibility was critical so that the various speakers—Ms. Parton, the University officers, and others—could be clearly understood no matter where one might be seated in the audience. For this type of application, we’ve had excellent results with the WorxAudio TrueLine line array products, so that’s what we decided to use for this project.�
Armed with a clear sense of their mission, the Sound Ventures crew flew two primary line array clusters over the main stage area. Each cluster consisted of 12 self-powered WorxAudio Technologies TrueLine V10 Touring line array elements. The TrueLine V10T-P is a three-way, high efficiency, line array loudspeaker incorporating a large format 3-inch compression driver for the high frequencies, dual 8-inch cone transducers for the mids, and dual 10-inch cone transducers in a vented enclosure for high energy bass.
These two primary array clusters were augmented with a pair of WorxAudio’s TrueLine X5T-P line arrays that were positioned at the left and right extreme edges of the stage and served as audience sidefills for those people seated on the very far sides of the audience area. The WorxAudio Technologies X5T-P is a self-powered loudspeaker system that incorporates five modules, each with a medium format, 1-inch exit compression driver for the high frequencies that is paired with dual 8-inch cone transducers. Hence, each X5T-P loudspeaker system provides a total of five high frequency drivers and ten bass drivers. For on stage monitoring, eight WorxAudio UltraMax M1-P floor monitors were distributed evenly across the stage.
The Sound Ventures crew used both EASE Focus loudspeaker aiming software and SIA’s SMAART acoustic measurement and sound system optimization software to configure the system, which helped ensure maximum performance from the loudspeakers. Equally important, Grimsley commented on the ease of setting up and configuring the WorxAudio equipment. “The TrueLine system has some of the best rigging hardware we’ve seen,� notes Grimsley. Between the optimization software and the rigging hardware, our crew is able to fly this system in no time. The software tells us where the pins should go to achieve the right line array curvature, and the process of connecting the individual elements together goes very quickly.�
Grimsley was equally enthusiastic about the self-powered design of the WorxAudio TrueLine equipment. “Having the power amps integrated right into the back of the enclosures is a huge plus,� explained Grimsley. “This eliminates the need for lugging multiple racks of heavy power amplifiers and it also speeds up the cabling process. We run our multi-cable up with a breakout to power each individual box, send the signal, and we’re done. Further, this system’s truck pack is very efficient and without all those amp racks, we transport less weight, which reduces costs. It’s a win-win situation.�
With the University of Tennessee’s commencement ceremony completed, Grimsley reflected on the event. “We’ve received nothing but compliments for the performance of the sound system,� says Grimsley. “At the end of the day, it really all boils down to the sound quality and WorxAudio equipment delivers. The V10’s have an amazing frequency range. They go quite low, so it’s just amazing what you can get out of the system—even if you’re not using subwoofers. Speech intelligibility was terrific. After Ms. Parton spoke, her production manager said she’s never spoken for 35-40 minutes before, but she found it easy to do so because she could hear clearly, which made her really comfortable up on stage. We love our WorxAudio equipment. The sound is as good as it gets, and the company’s service and support are the best.�
About Sound Ventures
For more information about Sound Ventures, visit the company online at www.soundventureslive.com.
About WorxAudio Technologies
Headquartered in Greensboro, NC, WorxAudio Technologies has been at the forefront of loudspeaker development for the pro touring and contractor markets for the past thirty years. With a comprehensive lineup of more than twenty loudspeaker models that feature integrated rigging hardware for streamlined installation and pack out, WorxAudio products can be found in prestigious facilities worldwide. For additional information, visit the company online at www.worxaudio.com.
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