Suggestions for Mains and Sub in Gym

[JGrandt]

I am looking to install some permanent main speakers (and maybe a sub) for in our school gymnasium for use during sporting events and a family service we think might be moving into the gym in the next 3-6 months. I'd like some ideas for some quality, yet budget friendly, mains and a sub as well as an amp to go with them.

Attached to this post is a photo of where they would go. They would be mounted under the scoreboard and to the right of the air intake to the left of the stage.

[Brad Weber]

Originally Posted by JGrandt

I am looking to install some permanent main speakers (and maybe a sub) for in our school gymnasium for use during sporting events and a family service we think might be moving into the gym in the next 3-6 months. I'd like some ideas for some quality, yet budget friendly, mains and a sub as well as an amp to go with them.

Attached to this post is a photo of where they would go. They would be mounted under the scoreboard and to the right of the air intake to the left of the stage.

Before deciding what speakers or where they would be located it might be worth assessing a few other things like...

• What kind of sports events? Where is the audience during those events? Where is the announcer located? Would the audio be for just general PA announcements or also music?
• What is your family service like? What would be the requirements of or goals for the sound system during those services? Where would any microphones be located? Where would the congregation be seated? What instruments would be involved?
• What is the room like? What are the overall dimensions? What related conduit and power exists or is being provided? Is there any acoustical treatment or are you considering addressing the acoustics?
• What is the rest of the sound system? Who will be installing the speakers and the rest of the sound system? What is the budget?

That may seem like getting into a great detail but it is really just the basics that should be considered when developing a speaker system approach. You have to know what you are trying to do and identify any relevant limitations and conditions before you can start effectively assessing potential solutions.

[cmchamp]

Doh! Brad's #3 addressed acoustical issues.
Sometimes acoustical correction can offset some of the need for premium quality speakers.

[JGrandt]

Originally Posted by Brad Weber

[list][*]What kind of sports events? Where is the audience during those events? Where is the announcer located? Would the audio be for just general PA announcements or also music?

I attached a photo of a panorama of the gym to give you a better idea of the layout. The announcer is located at a desk on the right side where the vertical doors are. The audio is both Music and PA.

Originally Posted by Brad Weber

[list][*]What is your family service like? What would be the requirements of or goals for the sound system during those services? Where would any microphones be located? Where would the congregation be seated? What instruments would be involved?

It's hard to describe the service so here is a link to a video of it. The system would handle music, singing, and the speakers. Mics would be on a stage in front of where the giant white wall is. the platform is only about 1 foot off the ground. There are no instruments (for now). It's all pre-recorded music.

Originally Posted by Brad Weber

[list][*]What is the room like? What are the overall dimensions? What related conduit and power exists or is being provided? Is there any acoustical treatment or are you considering addressing the acoustics?

YOu can see fromt he attached photo the layout of the room. It's 24' tall. 48' wide (not including the bleachers), and 74' long.

Originally Posted by Brad Weber

[list][*]What is the rest of the sound system? Who will be installing the speakers and the rest of the sound system? What is the budget?

The rest of the sound system would be an amp to drive the speakers, a rack mounted mixer to mix audio through (for the FamilyService I already have a 16 channel Mackie that will be used), and a feedback suppressor.

Budget is TBD. I could stomach around $3000 or so for the speakers, amp, mixer, and feedback suppressor.

[Brad Weber]

Originally Posted by JGrandt

I attached a photo of a panorama of the gym to give you a better idea of the layout. The announcer is located at a desk on the right side where the vertical doors are. The audio is both Music and PA.

It also looks like the bleachers for athletic events are all on the one side wall while the stage for the Family Service would be on an end wall. That would typically suggest an approach other than two speakers on the end wall.

Originally Posted by JGrandt

It's hard to describe the service so here is a link to a video of it. The system would handle music, singing, and the speakers. Mics would be on a stage in front of where the giant white wall is. the platform is only about 1 foot off the ground. There are no instruments (for now). It's all pre-recorded music.

With wireless lav and handheld transmitters on people moving around, gain before feedback may be a concern if you have the speakers located on the wall behind the stage.

Originally Posted by JGrandt

The rest of the sound system would be an amp to drive the speakers, a rack mounted mixer to mix audio through (for the FamilyService I already have a 16 channel Mackie that will be used), and a feedback suppressor.

Budget is TBD. I could stomach around $3000 or so for the speakers, amp, mixer, and feedback suppressor.

If this is to be an installed system then you may also need to consider at least one input for the announcer's mic, an announcer's mic, a music source for athletic events or connections for a portable source, a way to connect the Mackie mixer into the system, an equipment rack, cable, hardware to mount the speakers, possibly conduit or even power (do you have power where the rack would be located?) and so on. All of those ancillary items may require a good portion of your budget and you could easily spend a third of your budget or more on such items. Add in a simple rack mounted mixer and some basic system processing and that does not leave much budget for the speakers. Probably enough if you were just dealing with the bleachers for athletic events or only trying to serve a a portion of the space for the Family Services, but definitely a challenge to support both.

There is a current thread on another forum where someone was asked to install a system in a very similar situation of a gym with a stage on one end and bleachers on one side. That space is larger, 70' or so to the bleachers, 110' from the stage to the opposite end wall and a 28' ceiling, but they're struggling with a $3,000 budget on top of the around $4,000 worth of speakers and mixer they already purchased. Not saying that you can't do something for $3,000 but just using this as an example of how your budget might limit what can be done.

As far as what I'd recommend, because of the multiple uses and different listener area configurations, I might look at a system, or even two systems, where you could cover the whole floor for Family Services and just the bleachers for athletic events, with a simple two position switch or two pushbuttons to select which 'mode' is active. Getting the speakers closer to the listeners and mounted higher and aimed down at the listeners would reduce the interactions with the room, minimize the level required from the speakers and potentially allow greater gain before feedback and better intelligibility. So would using speakers with appropriate pattern control. However, a system like that which can reproduce full range music is probably going to be outside your budget.

What it may come down to is do you:

• Work the $3,000 you have now to try to address everything knowing that the results may be limited?
• Figure out what might be a more effective solution and then try to come up with any additional funding that requires?
• Determine what would be an effective solution and then assess what portions of that could be accommodated within your current budget and get you by until more funding becomes available?
• Address the athletic events now and if the Family Services move into the space, use any remaining funds as well as any additional funds available then to address that?

[JGrandt]

Originally Posted by Brad Weber

If this is to be an installed system then you may also need to consider at least one input for the announcer's mic, an announcer's mic, a music source for athletic events or connections for a portable source, a way to connect the Mackie mixer into the system, an equipment rack, cable, hardware to mount the speakers, possibly conduit or even power (do you have power where the rack would be located?) and so on. All of those ancillary items may require a good portion of your budget and you could easily spend a third of your budget or more on such items. Add in a simple rack mounted mixer and some basic system processing and that does not leave much budget for the speakers.

Actually almost all of that already exists in there. YOu can see from the picture the equipment rack where some A/V equipment is already stored and the speakers we currently use are sitting on the platform that extends out fromt he wall (our former stage that was walled in to create a staff room). So, most of my budget is solely for the speakers and amp.