How much wire goes into the audio video system of a world class theatre?

Carl Lukings • May 25, 2020

Even with the proliferation of wireless systems, our entire industry runs on wire.



Miles, or should I say kilometres of wire. But the truth is that we use a lot less than we used to. Back in the 1980’s we didn’t have digital audio snakes or DMX cables for lighting. And every video line was a coax cable or multiple coax bound together. A simple audio snake could be an inch in diameter for just a couple dozen channels. But that was then. We’ve come a long way in the last 30-40 years, but we still run a lot of wire. It’s just different now.


So, how much wire does go into a world class theatre?


For the last six months Horizon Solutions’ crew has been pulling wire into the new Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford, Ontario to support the new Audio and Video systems. There is a lot of wire there.


To be clear this wire does not include the lighting systems, nor does it include the cables that plug from plates into the pieces of equipment. Those are a completely different story.

3G SDI Video Lines 12,527 Meters
Intercom Lines 6,035 Meters
Network Lines for Various AV needs 25,663 Meters
Antenna Wire (COAX) 274 Meters
Speaker Wire (12/4 & 10/2) 7,223 Meters
Speaker Wire 70V Systems 6,583 Meters
Fibre Optic Lines for Video & Audio 6,787 Meters

Over 65 KM of wire!

The infrastructure at the Tom Patterson Theatre will allow the directors and technicians ultimate flexibility in how they use their system. 


If you’re interested in learning more about how Horizon Solutions can help you utilize the latest digital technologies for audio, video and lighting transport and control we can help.


We can help you cut down on the wires you’ve got running throughout your building and help you build a stronger more robust system that can serve you for years to come.



sales@horizonsolutions.net

519-453-3368

Balancing Best Price and Best Service in AV Procurement: Is It Possible?

By Carl Lukings • November 19, 2024
When it comes to procurement for professional audio, lighting, and video services, is it possible to balance the “best price” and “best service”? We think it is! Below are some insights that may help you navigate this challenge. The Challenge of Price-Driven Procurement Many municipalities and organizations are required to purchase from the vendor offering the lowest price. But is this approach always the best? As taxpayers, we want assurance that public money is being spent appropriately, and that there’s no room for favouritism or backdoor deals. The intent is good, but in practice, this system often results in a “bare bones” solution. The theory behind it is to guard against preferential treatment or collusion, ensuring that public funds are used responsibly. However, focusing solely on the lowest price can often result in solutions that are less than ideal.

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By David Brown • July 29, 2020
It certainly has been different times dancing on Zoom for over 2 months. Now we are coming up on a new dance season. Everybody has different levels of confidence in returning to activities and that is perfectly fine. Some kids can not wait to get back in the studio. Some want to continue but would like to do so from home. Of course, depending on class size there may be a rotation where you spend two weeks in the studio and one week at home. Maybe you will dance in the studio like normal (with new physical distancing guidelines) but want to practice at home. With these new situations Rosco has made a kit version of their popular dance floor called the Marley Mat . The floor that is used in the Rosco Marley Mat is a lighter weight version of Adagio floor that we use in our studios. That makes it perfect for dancing at home for all types of dance including ballet, jazz, acro, lyrical and even tap . It will have the same feel and “speed” of the studio floor. Being a lighter weight material allows the floor to be rolled up when not in use and unrolled and used immediately. The Marley Mat kit can be purchased for $ 149.00 (price current as of July 2020) plus shipping and tax. The package comes with a 5’ 3” by 6’ section of black or grey floor, and a roll of tape that would allow you to lay down and tape the floor 5 times. Additional tape can be purchased. You can find and purchase the kit from StageStore at the following link. StageStore is a great supplier in Ontario of theatrical type products. https://www.stagestore.ca/product/rosco-marley-mat-kit/

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Acoustic Treatment - From bath towels to glass wool

By Carl Lukings • April 29, 2020
As a kid we moved around a lot.  My parents liked the change and my father was often looking for a new challenge with his work in IT. One of the things I have always remembered whenever we moved into a new home was how the house felt so hollow with no furniture, justblank walls and floors. It was even more noticeable in an empty bathroom. I remember my brothers and I standing in an empty bathroom hollering at the top of our lungs, listening to the echo. Although I had very little interest in sound or audio at 12 years old, I understood something about acoustics. When the shower curtain and bath towels were hung, the bathroom quickly went from being a cavern to a small room. The principals haven't really changed much over the years. The fact is, some rooms, for numerous reasons, have acoustic characteristics that make them much more reverberant than others. Sometimes it's the hard uncovered surfaces. Or it could be a tin-pan ceiling. More often than not it's the physical dimensions of the room, allowing for some frequencies to reflect for a long period of time before diminishing. One way to determine and quantify the "issue frequencies" is to play a frequency sweep within the space and then record the playback with a microphone in the room. What this does is provide us the ability to "hear" and analyse how the different frequencies are responding in the space. Using a measurement referred to as the RT60 we are able to determine which frequencies and to what extent each frequency is a problem. From there, we're able to take that information and determine how much acoustic treatment is required to bring the RT60 reverberation time down to a reasonable level.
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