Dynacord’s MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine is at the heart of the new digital audio system at Adams Park stadium, home of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club. The club opted for Landways to design and install this new system, which also includes high-performance solutions for Wi-Fi and security, to help realize owner Rob Couhig’s ambitious vision for a great match-day experience.
Designed using optical fiber and a new low-power infrastructure, the system’s nine MXE5s support control and distribution of high-quality digital audio streams to a series of amplifiers located at the edge of the network, all feeding more than 250 new loudspeakers to serve every seat and public space in the stadium. This approach was taken to combat the challenges of audibility, speech clarity, music quality and volume found in so many stadia.?It enables the delivery of specified levels of speech and music quality, depending on the needs of different areas of the stadium – all of which were precisely configured to give guaranteed levels of performance.
The MXE5s serve as a communications hub for all IP-based peripherals and provide comprehensive supervision of all system-wide commands. In addition to this, the 24 x 24 crosspoint performance audio matrices offer both routing and mixing functionalities. A Bosch Praesensa system handles emergency messages. These can be pre-recorded messages from the system controller digital message storage, or live announcements from two Praesensa emergency call stations. The audio from Praesensa is fed into the MXE5 matrices via OMNEO IP architecture. During an emergency, Praesensa messages are always ready to broadcast at the highest priority and the entertainment audio is automatically muted.
The MXE5s handle all of the signal routing and loudspeaker processing while 28 TPC-1 touch-panel controllers, located in the function suites, bars, and corporate hospitality boxes, allow staff and guests to set their own volume levels and choose from different input sources, such as the match day presenter, or a local Dante-enabled Bluetooth interface. Featuring a high-definition 5.7” display, the TPC-1 touch panel controller is configurable in SONICUE Sound System Software, allowing custom images, texts and controls to be added. The MXE5 and TPC-1 were all programmed effortlessly with SONICUE using the powerful system logic editor, allowing the system designer to create advanced system tasks.
Business paging is handled by two custom touchscreen PC call stations located in the match control room and the pitch-side press box. Each PC call station communicates with the MXE5 devices over the network using the OCA communications protocol architecture. The audio signal from an Electro-Voice PolarChoice microphone is distributed via Dante. Dante is also used to transport audio from the MXE5 outputs to the Landways-equipped amplifiers and loudspeakers.
“I am delighted that Landways’ digital infrastructure is now fully in place and available for everyone inside Adams Park to enjoy,? said Rob Couhig, Chairman of Wycombe Wanderers. “Through our partnership with Landways, we are making a long-term investment in digital technology to improve the match-day experience, reduce costs and help our business continue to thrive. It is great that the same underlying energy-efficient infrastructure that delivers our incredibly fast Wi-Fi can also be used to deliver high-quality stadium audio and new safety systems, at the same time as being ready to handle data growth and new digital services in the future.?
“Landways’ project at Adams Park highlights just how powerful the MXE5 Matrix Mix Engine is,” noted Richard Leadbitter, sales manager at Dynacord. “This was a complex and innovative stadium sound solution, and MXE5 was exactly the right choice to turn the concept into a reality. The combination with TPC-1 means simple and intuitive control is at the fingertips of stadium staff for every event the venue hosts.”
“We are extremely proud to work with Wycombe Wanderers and play our part in the digital transformation of Adams Park,? adds Chris Smedley, Chief Executive of Landways. “We would particularly like to thank the Couhig family, the club’s staff and the Wycombe Wanderers Trust who have been a pleasure to work with throughout this very challenging period for us all. We are delighted that the club’s fans are now back at Adams Park and we look forward to making sure these new systems deliver to them for years to come.?
