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K-Array Sound System:
This sound system is used for events involving 200+ attendees. Locations can include: Bouck Ballroom/Gym/Theater and Outdoors.
Examples of events are:
- Open houses
- Culinary extravaganza
- Accepted Students Day
- Scholarship Luncheon
Important notes before setting up system:
Bring fresh batteries: 3 triple A batteries | 4 double A
Once everything is set up, the mix-board power switch must be turned on first, turn down all volume dials, and mute all channels. Then it is safe to power on the base speakers and microphone receiver. When disassembling the system for storage, turn down all volume dials and mute the channels on the mix-board. It is now safe to power off speakers, followed by the mix-board.
Cases located in the ITS storage room of the Bouck Ballroom:
- Gator Softshell
- Gator Hard-shell
- Hard-shell Standing Array Case
- Hard-shell Bass Case
Midas Mix-Board
Case with necessary cables and microphone + equipment.
2 Array Speakers
2 Bass Speakers
Podium & Speaker Placement:
The podium should be positioned in between the blue markers on the far side of the room. The podium is located in the main closet of the Bouck Ballroom.
The bass speakers should be positioned in front of the mic on the podium. This is to reduce/ eliminate reverb.
The speaker array case contains two large metal screws that are used to mount the array speakers on the bass speakers. These are to be applied snugly, but not too tight as they need to be removed later when packing up the sound system.
The standing K-Array speakers will be found face-down in their case and in four separate pieces. There are 2 small lock pins, 2 larger lock pins, 2 small arrays, and 2 large arrays. The lock pins are used to connect 2 speaker arrays at the center.
Large Locking Pin
Push the blue button at the top of the locking pin, and push through each respective hole. The larger pin is used to connect the two arrays, and the smaller to the speaker tilt adjuster.
The bottom half of the array has a metal slot where another pin will also be inserted. There is a grooved dial that is used to tighten the array over the metal screw.
Confirm that the “K” on each speaker is not upside-down. After the speaker arrays are both pointed in the correct direction with the pins securely in place, it is time to move onto the next step.
You will need help mounting them on top of the bass speakers. All 3 “K” logos should be right-side up.
The standing speaker mounted/adjusted correctly on the bass can be seen here.
With the podium and speakers are positioned correctly, you can begin cabling. The podium has a NUC mini PC, monitor, and a wireless keyboard/mouse. The K-Array sound systems should be used with the Midas M32r mixing board.
Podium & Sound System Cabling:
You will notice a female HDMI and AUX cord in the podium. These are used to connect the NUC to the projector and in-house sound system.
The blue network cable will connect the NUC to the internet. The black plug will power the equipment in the podium.
Directly behind the podium there is a black, padded pillar. You will find the male HDMI cable tucked behind the padding.
The green audio port located to the left of the black pillar is not functional.
When facing the wall directly behind the podium, you will find the AUX/network ports and quad power box to the left of the black, padded pillar behind the podium. Plug the blue cat5 cable into a network port and the power plug into the power box.
The AUX to XLR cable is located in the sound locker. It is used with the mini stereo cabling running from the NUC to the “Mic 1” XLR port.
Note: The blue network cable, power cable, HDMI cable, and AUX cable should be pressed together and taped down carefully until they reach the wall behind the podium.
The NUC has a power button located at the top left. Power that on, and make sure the monitor is connected to the NUC and is powered on as well.
The Offspring USB port extender can be used with a clicker and other peripherals.
The wireless keyboard and mouse have a USB transmitter that is left in the NUC. Simply turn the keyboard/mouse on and they can be used to operate the podium computer
The wireless presentation clicker has a remote control USB that slides out of the clicker and can be inserted into the USB hub.
The podium computer is not set to auto-login. Click the username “kiosk” and the password necessary to login to the PC is (0bleskill: (Shift + 9 for open bracket, zero, and “bleskill”. No uppercase letters.)
Note: It is important to login to the computer with the provided credentials before the presentation/event starts. The podium should now be set up correctly, logged in, and with the bass/array speakers positioned in front of the podium on both sides. Ensure the mouse, keyboard, and clicker are working, as well as the necessary PowerPoint for the event. The next step is to finish the cabling for the sound system and mix-board setup.
The necessary cables for the sound system and microphone + equipment are found in the soft-shell Gator case. 3 power strips are necessary for the sound system. 1is used for each array/bass setup and a third ford the mixer.
The bass speaker has a female, blue outlined port that receives the male blue power cable.
This cable is used to connect the bass speaker to the standing speaker.
Both plugs should be inserted as seen in the image. Do not attempt to force them in. They should go in easily with a simple twist and click.
The standing K-Array cables are used to connect the both halves together. Pull back the metal clip and twist/click them into place.
Ensure that the metal tab is pointed away from the back of the array speakers. The cable will look like the image if connected correctly.
There are two XLR cables. They come in two sizes, a 50 ft. and 100 ft. that run from the left/right side bass speakers. The 100 ft. is required to run from the bass speaker located on the far side of the room and it runs along the wall to the mixer.
Insert the male XLR plug into the Ch. 1 port located at the back of the bass speaker as seen in the image.
Note: The XLR cables should be placed on the floor along the wall behind the podium, but should not be placed in front of the fire escape exit, alarm pull switch, and fire extinguisher as this is a safety hazard.
There is a ledge above the door with nails that can be used to place the wiring above the door safely and up the black pillar to the right of the fire alarm pull switch and over the pull switch, door extinguisher, and down the left side of the black pillar by the fire extinguisher. It is not necessary to tape down the entire length of cabling on the floor along the wall, but tape should be applied periodically to ensure the cabling does not move too far away from the back wall.
The XLR will eventually be inserted to the back of the mix-board in OUT 7 Left (Closest speaker) & OUT 8 Right (Far Speaker). Speaker left and right are decided by standing at the opposite side of the room and looking at the speakers.
Setting up the Mixer:
Mix-Board located in the hard case shown.
The top of the bass speaker case can be used as a stand for the mix-board. For reference, the bass case is shown in the both images. Mix-board set on top without bottom part with wheels.
If the case is used as a stand, do not include the bottom part of the case as it has wheels. Separate the top section from the bottom section and place the open part of the case on the floor with the top of the case used to hold the mix-board. As seen in the image above, the section below the red line is not to be used with the rest of the case as a stand.
The back of the mix-board should face away from the back wall/corner so the cables run down the front of the bass’s case.
The mix-board has a power cable that is to be plugged into a power strip.
Note: The mix-board must be turned on before the speakers. Turning on the speakers before the mix-board will result in a loud popping noise that can damage equipment. This popping is caused by the electric current that is not is being managed correctly due to the board being off. Once everything is set up (and the mix-board power switch is turned on first), turn down all volume dials, and mute all channels. Then it is safe to power on the bass speakers and microphone.
Midas Digital Mix-board Diagram:
1) Talkback/Talk Level, Gain, Threshold, Frequency, Dynamics
2) Monitor, Equalizer
3) USB Port, Access, Bus Send
4) Assignment effects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
5) Main Bus: M/C Level, PAN/BAL
6) Fader/Layer
7) Touch Panel
8) Select and Solo controls for each input
9) Description of each input
10) 1-8 input control sliders
11) 9-16 input control sliders
12+13+14) Main volume for all inputs
Note: It may be necessary to adjust the channel’s volume while the mics are in use depending on how loudly the individual is speaking into the mic. When disassembling the system for storage, turn down all volume dials and mute the channels on the mix-board. It is now safe to power off speakers, followed by the mix-board. A second hand is necessary to place the bass speakers into their case and lift the standing K-Array speakers off of the bass.
Turning on the sound cabinet (in-house sound system):
Flip the power switch on.
Power on the stereo receiver by pressing the button marked in the red square.
Press the buttons marked in red squares in the image, so the display reads “1111”.
Flip both switches to the on position.
Turn the Channel Master on for cable.
The DVD/VCR player may be necessary at certain events. It must be on for Cable TV to work.
Note: There are more in-depth directions for turning on the in-house sound system taped on the inside of the sound cabinet door.