Marriott Hotel, Leeds Choose Definition Audio Visual with Cloud

Definition Audio Visual complete a sound system installation at the Marriott Hotel, Trevelyan Square, Leeds to upgrade existing audio-visual equipment in the hotel ballroom. The upgrade carried out by Definition Audio Visual includes localised control and localised input options for the installed audio system in the main ballroom in addition to a central-ised system located in the control room.

Definition Audio Visual is an audio visual company offering more than twenty five years experience in the audio, visual, sound and lighting industries. Based in Leeds the company provides a complete turnkey installation solution for its customers in the North, North East and North West of the UK having also recently completed projects at the Marriot Hotel York and both Carnegie and Headingley Stadiums in Leeds.

The ballroom at the Marriott Hotel is a multi-function event room at the hotel which can be used as a single room or divided into three separate rooms, Ambler 1, Ambler 2 and Ambler 3 with the use of partitions. The division of the room requires the ability to treat the rooms as three separate, one single or any combination of audio zones, both as far as audio control and localised inputs of audio sources and radio microphones are concerned, to maximise the flexibility of the function room for the hotel.

Mark Blackwell of Definition Audio Visual explains, "When the Marriott Hotel, Leeds initially con-tacted us about the audio system for the Ball Room, the existing system provided quite a few limi-tations. The events team at the Marriott Hotel, Leeds asked us to integrate with the legacy system as much as we could but also provide additional flexibility for the audio systems and for the radio microphone systems".

"Initially the only way to adjust volume levels, select audio sources or control radio microphone lev-els was for someone to have to run up to the control room on the next floor. On a day to day basis this was just proving impractical".

"After some consideration", continues Mark, "we decided to install a Cloud DCM-1 in the main control room and utilised separate DCM-1 wall controllers for each zone of the ballroom. This means that when the ballroom is partitioned off into separate zones, utilising the group functions within the DCM-1 (accessed via the wall controllers), we are able to provide control for individual rooms or groups of rooms".

"Lots of companies lean towards using DSP products and sometimes over-complex solutions, whereas the Cloud DCM-1 provides contractors with 'user-friendly' analogue signal paths but with the added flexibility of digital control. The user-interface is simple and this is important for the staff the Marriott hotel, as they need to be able to operate the system without referring to a manual".

"We used Cat5 cabling from the DCM-1mixer to each of the LE-1 wall input plates and DCM-1 vol-ume controls which allowed us to reduce the installation time required as there was no need to run separate audio cables to each wall input plate".

"We connected the hotel's existing Crest amplifiers to newly installed Electrovoice ZX1i loudspeakers and housed a portable Yamaha mixer, CD player and four existing TOA radio micro-phone systems in a portable rack. This is all plugged directly into the installed house system via the Cloud BE-1 wall input plate located in the ballroom. The Cloud LE-1 Wall Input Plate modules provide localised inputs for laptop / mp3 players".

Often the hotel hires the ballroom as a single room for conference events with up to 200 people in attendance but overnight this may be required to be used as three individual delegate zones. The newly installed system allows instant flexibility and for the audio system for the room to be config-ured as the hotel requires.

"We have localised the control of the radio microphone systems via the portable rack in the ball-room and at the same time provided a much more flexible control system, as users are able to ad-just individual volume levels and select audio sources in each zone of the ballroom if required, ra-ther than having to run upstairs", summarised Mark Blackwell.

Equipment List
Legacy
32 x Bose 102 Ceiling Loudspeaker
2 x Citronic Power Amplifiers
2 x Bose 102 System Controllers
2 x Crest Power Amplifiers
4 x TOA Radio Microphone Systems
1 x Teac Single CD Player

New Equipment
1 x Cloud DCM-1 Audio Zone Mixer
3 x Cloud LE-1 Remote Wall Line Input Plate
1 x Cloud BE-1 Remote Wall Balanced Input Plate
4 x Cloud CDR-1 Remote Wall Source / Volume Plate
4 x Electrovoice ZX1i Loudspeaker
1 x Yamaha MG16 PA Audio Mixer
1 x DBX Expander / Gate

About Definition Audio Visual
Definition Audio Visual is an audio visual installation company with over 25 years experience in the audio visual, sound and lighting industry. Offering a turnkey solution to schools, churches, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues through the North, North East and North West of the UK, every installation design is tailored to customer requirements.

For further information visit www.definitionaudiovisual.co.uk