Richardson, TX – November 2010… Recognized as one of the leading performing arts facilities serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations is a premiere rental facility for a wide variety of arts and corporate events. In addition to the hundreds of rental events that take place on site, the Eisemann Center has established its own series of shows presented under the Eisemann Center Presentsbrand, which has become an important source of entertainment for the entire family in the North Texas region. The Eisemann Center recently received a grant from the Texas Instruments Foundation to boost performance capabilities and enhance patron amenities and, as part of that program, a new Lectrosonics wireless microphone system was deployed.
Virgil Justice, Assistant Technical Manager at the Eisemann Center, oversees technical operations along with staff scheduling and stage labor for the multitude of projects that take place at the venue. Faced with the necessity of addressing the FCC’s recently enacted regulations for the 700 MHz band, he ultimately selected Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wireless® technology after reviewing several product lines. The Eisemann Center’s new Lectrosonics system consists of ten LMa beltpack transmitters (with M152 lavaliere microphones), four UT handheld transmitters equipped with the VMS supercardioid capsule, and one HM plug-on transmitter. On the receiving side, the system includes two Lectrosonics Venue Series VR Wideband mainframes—each outfitted with five VRS receiver modules. To aid reception, the Eisemann Center also took delivery of a Lectrosonics ALP500 LPDA antenna.
Justice discussed those characteristic of the Lectrosonics system that particularly appealed to him. “I was very impressed with Lectrosonics’ sound quality,” he said. “The fact that there’s no companding gives the system a ‘cabled’ sound quality without the wires. I’ve also been very pleased with the compact nature of the system. Each Venue receiver has the capacity for six VRS receiver modules and, since we presently have five channels in each mainframe, we can easily expand the system another two channels by simply inserting additional modules. The fact that we now have ten channels in two rack spaces is a big plus. The two mainframes plus the antenna system all reside at FOH without taking any appreciable space to speak of.”
“The fact that the Lectrosonics wireless equipment can be monitored and controlled via the company’s VR panel software is another big plus,” Justice continued. “We now have a computer at FOH, so this capability provides us the option of moving the receivers to the stage area if we choose to do so. The prospect of remotely controlling the system via a computer is extremely appealing and useful.”
The Eisemann Center’s new Lectrosonics system was first placed into service this past July for the Spectacular Senior Follies, a local show presented as part of the Eisemann Center Presents series. Justice reports that all ten Lectrosonics LMa beltpack/lavaliere systems were utilized and it all “worked flawlessly for the week long run.” He was equally impressed with Lectrosonics’ customer/technical support services, which helped him get the new equipment up and running.
“Lectrosonics support is top notch,” Justice remarked. “Karl Winkler (Lectrosonics’ Director of Business Development) even helped us get a preliminary frequency coordination plot for all three of our venues. This insured all three rooms could be up and running simultaneously without us having to worry about conflicting radio frequencies. Our new Lectrosonics system resides in the Hill Performance Hall, which is our largest venue.”
With their new system fully operational for the past few months, Justice is very pleased with the decision to deploy Lectrosonics. “We’ve been very happy with our new Lectrosonics system,” he said. “The sound quality is excellent, it’s easy to use, and it occupies very little space. Combined with responsive customer support, I’m confident our decision to go with Lectrosonics was the right choice.”
For additional information about the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations, visit www.eisemanncenter.com.
About Lectrosonics
Well respected within the film, broadcast, and theatre technical communities since 1971, Lectrosonics wireless microphone systems and audio processing products are used daily in mission-critical applications by audio engineers familiar with the company's dedication to quality, customer service, and innovation. Lectrosonics is a US manufacturer based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Visit the company online at www.lectrosonics.com.
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