Featuring tank and armoured vehicle displays, simulated combat and occasional performances by the Light Cavalry Band, the new visitor attraction stages up to three shows a day in the April to September season. For the audience in the public viewing area, EV's weatherproof SX300 and ZX1 loudspeakers deliver a realistic, almost interactive sound experience.
Simon White, installation manager for CPS, has been involved with this project from the outset and selected EV speakers because "they consistently deliver accurate, reliable and seamless coverage. We needed to install a system robust enough to handle outdoor conditions and still deliver quality sound throughout the indoor display areas, and, because EV has such a versatile range, it was the obvious choice."
The Tank Museum itself is of modern design, with a control tower that looms over the public gallery and tank demonstration arena. After laying over three kilometres of cable, it took CPS six weeks to complete the installation of the 100-volt system. Loudspeakers have been positioned in 12 time-aligned zones, and tied into the main system to facilitate public announcements. The specification includes 14 EV SX 300 P1X and eight EV ZX1 speakers, and the maximum SPL level is set at 114db with an average level of 90db, giving the Museum the necessary volume range to handle the larger shows which use pyrotechnics.
During mock tank battles, the system delivers a realistic ambient backdrop, using the sound effects of machine gun fire, explosions and helicopters. All these are cued from a H/D playback unit in the control tower, where an operator creates a convincing battle environment by firing different effects in different zones. System control, EQ and routing is handled by DSP, using presets for speech only, or combining effects and speech.
The project, which has taken 18 months to come to fruition, has been headed up by CPS sales and marketing manager Richard Colegate. CPS has a long history with Electro-Voice and has provided many of their systems to theatres, schools and clubs on a rental and installation basis.
(Jim Evans)
