Located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Cameron Indoor Stadium benefits both the Blue Devils men’s and women’s NCAA basketball teams with intimate seating that includes bleacher-style seats along the court reserved for students. In fact, it’s cultivated such a rich heritage that Sports Illustrated magazine ranks it number four on a list of the world’s most prestigious sporting venues.
Opening in 1940 with a capacity of 7,000, some minor renovations have occurred over the decades, most notably in 1988, when a new electronic scoreboard, new sound system and decorative wood paneling gave Cameron an updated look, with seating capacity increased to 9,314.
Yet the university’s mission remains to steadfastly maintain the venue’s original charm and elegance. Against this backdrop, SPL Integrated Solutions (SPL IS) of Columbia, Maryland, was invited in mid-2007 to submit ideas for a new arena-wide sound reinforcement system to the university’s facilities management and athletic departments as part of another subtle renovation phase.
Justo Gutierrez of SPL IS took the lead in evolving discussions regarding the new system, and as a Duke alumnus, he brought valuable context and insight to the specific requirements of the project. (Justo and Mike Moats of SPL are shown at right.)
Following a site survey, SPL IS offered some preliminary recommendations which were accepted. All parties strongly favored a distributed approach, due in part to a relatively low ceiling height and a strong desire not to impact the arena’s classic look, in addition to the dramatic performance gains that can be realized with proper deployment.
Gutierrez reviewed loudspeaker placement and design issues with Joe Fustolo, head of the EAW Application Support Group (ASG), who analyzed the EASE models and other project documentation, providing some fine-tuning and minor recommendations. SPL IS was also asked to drive the system installation process in tandem with university staff, with the company’s Mike Moats taking the lead role.
The arena is symmetrical, a rectangle largely free of odd angles and “nooks and crannies” that are often the norm in older facilities of this type. Seating follows the rectangular grid, with an upper seating level wrapping all the way around (“deeper” at each end than on the sides), with the bleachers (which can be retracted when desired) on the lower level – again, all the way around.
As with several other successful high-profile sports venue projects, SPL IS chose a combination of EAW AX Series (longer throw) and MK Series (shorter throw) installation loudspeakers. Specifically, AX344 (45-degree by 45-degree dispersion) are mounted equidistantly on structural support beams on a line down each long side of the rectangle, providing full coverage to the bleachers at throw distances of up to 60 feet.
“When we were doing the EASE modeling, it told us that the AX344 is extremely well-behaved in terms of controlled dispersion,” Gutierrez says. “The EASE data provided by EAW also proved to be particularly accurate, which is always a plus, especially for larger-scale loudspeakers going into a reverberant space. And, the predicted behavior proved to be the reality, where literally, you can walk into and out of the edges of coverage right at the point where we thought it would be.”
Each AX344, secured with custom mounting brackets - engineered far beyond structural integrity requirements in addition to matching the aesthetics of the ceiling – is accompanied by a single EAW SB250z compact dual-15-inch-loaded, direct-radiating subwoofer. The subs are simply positioned on top of the mounting brackets, making them almost undetectable to the uninformed eye.
The two long-side upper seating regions are covered by equidistantly mounted sets of EAW MK2394 mounted horizontally to stay well out of sightlines, with their 90-degree by 45-degree dispersion horns rotated to attain the desired coverage. Each set includes two loudspeakers, one coving the top half of the seating area with the other seamlessly transitioning at the halfway point and extending coverage down to the front row.
Meanwhile, each end of the court, both presenting far deeper coverage areas, are accommodated by single, tight loudspeaker groupings flown centrally. Dual AX344’s arrayed side-by-side reach the bleachers, while dual MK2394’s handle the upper seats. This is topped by a single SB250z subwoofer to bolster direct LF energy.
A few more MK2394 loudspeakers are flown individually at carefully selected positions above the floor to serve as “monitors” – offering coverage for performers in halftime shows as well as when the floor is being utilized for applications such as commencements and banquets. EAW provided all loudspeakers painted in a custom off-white color that’s carefully matched to blend in with the ceiling, and the mounting brackets are also coated in this custom color.
At the outset of the Cameron project, SPL IS investigated the potential system performance gains that could be attained with the new EAW UX8800 dual-mode digital processor, based upon a referral by Joe Blacker of EAW sales representative firm Audio Associates. Convinced the differences would be substantial, their selection marks the first-ever stadium/arena system use of this processing technology.
The most important facet of the UX8800 to SPL IS proved to be its Gunness Focusing technology - the sophisticated, custom DSP algorithms that are specifically designed to refine response anomalies to the point where horn-loaded loudspeakers offer performance that’s comparable to direct-radiating studio monitors.
“Gunness Focusing really does make a difference,” states Gutierrez. “Being an early adopter can sometimes prove painful, but it really paid off here. The system required very little EQ. We treaded pretty lightly in the tuning process, because the system already sounded optimized without a lot of additional work.
An in-depth analysis session with EAW Smaart by Gutierrez and Moats, conducted about a month after the new system went online, provided further proof. “It just wasn’t solely a subjecting thing,” says Moats. “We were looking at a curve on Smaart that was extremely well-behaved, so we knew that scientifically, objectively, that this technology optimizes both the loudspeakers – and the transitions between them – to a remarkable degree.
“There’s definitely a market for integrating the UX8800 in sports facilities,” he continues. “When you’re talking about large distributed systems, the ability to streamline the loudspeaker EQ process can really save a lot of time while providing overall better, and more consistent, performance and coverage.” (Mike is shown during the tuning process, below left.)
The Cameron system’s three UX8800 units supply all system processing, rack-mounted in the secure main equipment room located on the main floor level in a far corner of the arena, and joined by two other digital processors that are utilized strictly for routing.
The racks also contain four wireless microphone systems as well as eight Lab.gruppen C Series 4-channel power amplifiers (in a 2U package) that deliver premium sonic quality at 1,000 watts per side, meaning a reduced footprint that’s needed in the compact space.
All system devices outside of the loudspeakers – wireless mics and digital console included - are united and accessible on the system network, putting all of the various control and monitoring packages at the finger tips of the operator.
“It was an interesting and satisfying project,” Gutierrez concludes. “All performance and functionality objectives were surpassed, in no small part due to the fact that everyone involved was absolutely integral to the success of the project.”
The full owner's manual for the EAW UMX.96 digital mixing console is now available on EAW.com. Specifically, it's located in the UMX.96 training and resources section of the site along with a growing stable of reference materials.
Extremely popular Austrian folk music band 
"We're so happy - we've been searching for just such a PA over many years," states Willi Grafeneder, the band's leader. "Every instrument and the vocals are so clear, exact and transparent. It's amazing that these small and lightweight speakers bring such a punchy, fresh, and airy sound. And, this is achieved with no laborious DSP programming and EQing for different environments - just plug and play. The sound - from the front to the back - is always the same, and since we've starting using the system, no audience has argued that sound is either too loud or too low."
The Solar Stage for the upcoming