Q: In a typical conference room with an 8 1/2-foot distance from floor to ceiling tile and another 10 feet from ceiling to deck (structural ceiling/I-beam/joist), what is the best method for suspending a projector mount above the ceiling if the projector weighs six pounds?

— Bill Francis, owner, Francis Audio/Visual, Syracuse, NY

A: The best method for installing a projector in an existing suspended ceiling with a 10-foot deck height is to use a Chief CMA440 Suspended Ceiling Kit. First, reinforce the tile grid and Suspended Ceiling Kit to existing ceiling grid supports with cable clamps. Then, after positioning the projector mount for absolute center to screen, just cut the existing tile for a finished look.

— Roly Jan, sales manager, systems integration, Total AV Systems, Silver Spring, MD

<<<

Fine music highlights the menu at Jackie's 
- by Gregory A. DeTogne

If Elvis was alive today, he would no doubt have the boys keep an eye on the Cadillac while he and Priscilla (or Linda, Anita, Ginger, Dixie, Sherry, etc.) occupied a private corner at Jackie's, a hip and fun-loving new restaurant-cum-nightspot just outside the capital beltway in Silver Springs , MD.

The visit would be inevitable, for in the greater cosmic order of things, Elvis and Jackie are kindred spirits, sharing a true passion for Southern-style victuals as well as music. Sure-fire starters at the Presley table would have to include Jackie's popular "Elvis Burgers" (mini-hamburgers topped with pimento cheese). Dinner would likely be meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans, or maybe skillet-fried chicken. Providing that touch of home The King often misses on the road, the funky ambiance of the dining room's shag carpet, heart-shaped throw pillows, and bouncy, colorful lighting would nicely complement the evening, as would the music, which is piped in via a sophisticated and versatile sound system designed and built by Total Audio Visual Systems, a full-service systems integration firm also based in Silver Springs.

Sadly, The King will never get to savor the food and music at Jackie's, but fortunately we can. The brainchild of Jackie Greenbaum and ex-husband Patrick Higgins, Jackie's is a one-time body shop that has been transformed into one of D.C.'s most distinctive gathering places. Retaining its bare brick walls, high ceiling, and exposed duct work, the restaurant houses a bar, lounge, and its main dining area below street level. Pink leatherette seats mix freely with mod print upholstery, while across the rear wall, an open kitchen allows diners and cooks to greet each other face-to-face. Young and old alike are comfortable here, returning in droves to feast on "nostalgia plate" specials and a decidedly good-time vibe.

"The menu is indeed awesome," notes Total Audio Visual Systems' Roly Jan, who regularly entertains clients here. "But an equal part of the room's drawing power is the systems quality. Jackie has a hearty appetite for fine music and superb sound, so both definitely play principal roles in her formula for success."

Divided into six zones, Jackie's is served by source program material currently including computer-generated tunes as well as CDs. Built with expansion in mind to accommodate a DJ and live music in the future, the audio system is collectively drawn from a gear list dominated by components supplied by Chester, PA-based Inter-M Americas (IMA). Roly Jan and Richard Shaeer, IMA's independent sales rep for the region, share design credits for the rig, which combines the pure presence of audiophile quality with simplicity of control and operation.

In the main dining room, a dozen coaxial, eight-inch SA 802 ceiling speakers from AMK operating at eight ohms receive power from a pair of L-800 two-channel amplifiers from Inter-M. Matrix control for this space--as well as all other zones--is entrusted to an Inter-M PX-0288 8x8 matrix mixer. Allowing local audio sources to be routed in any combination to up to eight zones using local or remote control, the PX-0288 is capable of receiving up to eight local music sources at a time, while local and remote paging capabilities are provided with priority override. In the main dining area (as well as all other zones again), wall-mounted PS-88 remote program selectors also from Inter-M interface with the PX-0288 matrix controller, offering quick, easy, fingertip access to any available source as well as priorities via an LED display.

Equalization was only required in the dining room area and gallery. Here, DSP-based, two-channel GEQ-2231 units once again plucked from the Inter-M catalog each serve up 31 bands of graphic EQ dedicated to each space individually, while additionally offering limiting, a 24-bit A/D converter, and 64 Hz sampling frequency.

"EQ was needed in the dining room and the gallery because of the high ceilings and bare brick walls," Jan confides. "They are raw, reverberant spaces, where, without some processing, you could easily turn off the sound system one night, then come in the next morning and still hear it playing. The GEQ-2231s gave us DSP performance at an affordable price, plus analog-style controls, which helped us maintain our quest for keeping things simple to use."

The rig was initially tuned by Jan and the Total Audio Visual Systems crew. After their first pass, Richard Shaeer came in and offered his fine-tuning services to even better effect. "It worked out very well all the way around," Jan is happy to report now that the design has established a track record of performing flawlessly for between 16 and 18 hours each day. "We built a turnkey package using almost one supplier, and it really came full circle for us. The system is straightforward, powerful, and reliable, plus it provides the superior sound demanded of the task. From this point on, there's not much to say except enjoy, and bon appetite.."

As seen in "Systems Contractor News"

<<<

Systems fun for all occasions is on the menu at Jackie's
- by Gregory A. DeTogne

Challenge: To entice patrons into one of the D.C. area's hottest eateries with an AV bill of fare that adds more fun to dining and rocks out after-hours, all within a less-than-hospitable acoustical environment.

Solution: Implement a design blending the best of commercial and professional audio components that brings versatility and controlled performance to the space, as well as a unique projection system and two-sided screen.

As it's been popularly said, if you remember the '70s, you probably weren't there. On the other hand, if you go back in time before the Watts riots and Charles Manson, it gets easier to recall the '60s, and that's when the more innocent moments of the decade gave us Dippity-Do hairstyles, girls dancing in go-go cages, and the colorful, free-form world of psychedelia.

Located just outside the Washington D.C. beltway in Silver Spring, MD, Jackie's is a hot new restaurant paying homage to just that era with a hip, funked-up atmosphere that shamelessly and successfully celebrates the intrinsic goodness of shag carpet, heart-shaped throw pillows, pink leatherette, mod-print upholstery, and bouncy, colorful lighting.

A one-time warehouse and garage built in the 1920s, Jackie's is the latest creative expression of real estate developer Jackie Greenbaum and ex-husband/restaurateur Patrick Higgins. Retaining its bare brick walls, high ceiling, and exposed ductwork, the restaurant houses a bar, lounge, and its main dining area below street level. In the dining room, an "exhibition" kitchen spans the rear wall, its open space offering diners full view of food preparations overseen by celebrated D.C. chef Ann Cashion. Young and old eat here regularly, feasting on "nostalgia plate" specials and a decidedly good-time vibe.

A big part of the fun at Jackie's is music. AV plays a large role too, adding color and artistic imagery to a double-sided screen separating the bar from the dining area.

"Jackie is very much into music and art," relates Roly Jan of Total Audio Visual Systems, a systems integration firm also based in Silver Spring that implemented a versatile AV blueprint crisscrossing every inch of Jackie's floor space. "Quality music and AV is a vital part of her draw. Music cranks up the fun during dinner hours, then, after 10 P.M. , takes a turn toward nightclub levels, letting people get up and dance if they want. AV really is part of the decor. It's used to further Jackie's aura of '60s coolness, and create other textures. This is a happening location, definitely not the kind of place where you'd find 20-30 video monitors tuned to sports stations."

In accordance with a comprehensive AV plan, Jackie's is divided into six dedicated zones of audio: the bar, dining room, a gallery, restroom/hallway areas, a private dining room, and Jackie's office. Served by source program material including computer-generated tunes as well as CDs, the zones were constructed with expansion in mind to accommodate a DJ and even live music in the future. Gear within the audio system is collectively drawn from a list of components dominated by Chester, PA-based Inter-M Americas (IMA). Working with input from Roly Jan and Jackie herself, Richard Shaeer, IMA's independent sales rep for the region, penned the audio design, which combines the pure presence of high-end sonic quality with simple control functions and day-in, day-out commercial reliability.

Taking a distributed approach to the task at hand, Shaeer's blueprint deployed a total of 36 coaxial, eight-inch SA 802/SA 872 ceiling speakers from AMK Innovations operating at eight ohms within all six zones, each of which receive power from seven L-800 two-channel amplifiers from Inter-M. Matrix control within each zone is managed by an Inter-M PX-0288 8x8 matrix mixer. Permitting local audio sources to be routed in any combination to up to eight zones using local or remote control, the PX-0288 is capable of receiving up to eight local music sources at a time, while local and remote paging capabilities are provided with priority override.

Wall-mounted PS-88 remote program selectors also from Inter-M in each zone interface with the PX-0288 matrix control, offering quick, easy, fingertip access to any available source as well as priorities via an LED display.

"Ease-of-use is as important within this application as reliability," Roly Jan says. "Waiters and waitresses--as well as the patrons themselves in the private dining room--need to have quick and easy control over the system. The PS-88 remotes from Inter-M provide just that in an intuitive package that anyone can operate without much thought. From our perspective, they're a plus because they're quick to install, look good in each room, and aren't budget-breakers when it comes to cost."

To combat the acoustical ill effects presented by the harsh, reflective brick surfaces and high ceilings in the main dining area and gallery, equalization was introduced using Inter-M DSP-based, two-channel GEQ-2231 units serving up 31 bands of graphic EQ dedicated to each space individually, while additionally offering limiting, a 24-bit A/D converter, and 64 Hz sampling frequency.

"These are raw reverberant spaces," Jan says of the dining room and gallery. "With the GEQ-2231s, however, we were able to tame each via DSP performance managed with analog-style controls, a feature which went a long way to promote our goal of keeping things simple to use."

Because the house audio rig uses a high-density distributed design run at low impedance instead of 70 volts, designer Richard Shaeer felt it was imperative to provide equalization to optimize its fidelity.

"I included the GEQ units to both improve the general quality of sound and give us consistent coverage through the restaurant," he explains, providing insight into the philosophy guiding his choices. "Since there are several speakers in each zone, I needed something that would allow us to correct some of the natural lobing that occurs in the low/mid frequencies. The GEQs provided that tool, and also let us to optimally fine-tune the whole environment, then lock out our settings. Now, wherever you go, the sound is the same. There are no hotspots or places where you can't hear."

With its own sound reinforcement coming from the house audio system, AV presentation at Jackie's relies upon a Sony VPLCX70 XGA projector. Dishing up 2000 ANSI lumens of brightness, the ultra-compact unit was hidden within the rafters of the bar area and aimed at a 10-foot wide gauze-like material separating the bar and dining room. With source material coming from a laptop providing DVD playback as well as still images of art and photos, the projector displays images which, thanks to the transparency of the loose, open, gauzy screen, can be seen in the bar and dining room, as well as by passers-by outside though the main front window.

"That's Jackie all right," Jan says, commenting on the conceptual ideas behind the AV design. "Creatively simple, yet brilliant. The AV display can be a moving kaleidoscope of form and color, but it didn't cost a lot. The double-sided nature of the 'screen' makes it accessible to far more people than a traditional design would. It definitely catches the eye, and lures people in from the sidewalk to see what's going on. Jackie is an expert at exploiting fun, she knows it's contagious. Like everything else in the restaurant, AV is a part of it all."

Commissioned late last year, the AV systems at Jackie's have been running flawlessly for 16 to 18 hours each day since. Not wanting to miss out on the fun himself, Jan takes clients there regularly to show off his handiwork and nosh on Jackie's legendary "Elvis Burgers"--tiny hamburgers topped with pimento cheese.

"The menu is great," Jan adds. "And the ambience jumps with energy and excitement. In the broader scheme of things, Jackie's represents the best of all worlds. There's good food, great music, innovative AV, and an almost limitless room to expand on a a systems level. For those with a hearty appetite for these things and more, dinner at Jackie's is anything but light and less filling."

SAVING THE MONEY: HOW THEY DID IT

Launching a restaurant like Jackie's takes time, and money...lots of money. Like most start-up entrepreneurs, owner Jackie Greenbaum hemorrhaged cash getting her culinary dream off the ground. As a result, when it came time to develop her restaurant's AV build, funds were starting to run short, but she refused to compromise on quality.

"Music, sonic integrity, and AV presentation are an important part of Jackie's formula for success," says Richard Shaeer, designer of the restaurant's audio blueprint. "But just like virtually any project, the budget played a major role in what could or couldn't be accomplished in terms of meeting desired goals. We knew that Jackie had high expectations when it came to quality. It may have taken some head-scratching, but ultimately we got it for her at a price she could afford."

Casting about to bring maximal bang-for-the-buck to Jackie's, Shaeer and AV contractor Roly Jan researched the market and found that the best way to beat their budgetary demon was to take a systems approach fulfilled by as few suppliers as possible.

With Shaeer's help, Jan, who had been searching to devise an affordable and versatile systems package plan that would work in wide-ranging applications anyway, ultimately found what he was looking for within the Inter-M catalog.

"Much of our work comes from the government and Fortune 500-1000 companies," Jan says, describing his client list. "Customers from both of these markets come to us seeking turnkey designs. Therefore, rather than having to go out and piecemeal a system together using components from a variety of manufacturers, we've found it saves time and money if we provide the bulk--if not all--of the components comprising a system from one source."

Inter-M, a company gaining favor throughout the Americas for its broad product lines supporting everything from hardcore commercial endeavors to applications requiring sophisticated DSP processing, stepped up to the plate at Jackie's with virtually everything but the loudspeakers and projection system, which came from AMK Innovations and Sony respectively.

Following on the heels of demonstrations of competitive offerings taking a decidedly mutliple-vendor approach, the Inter-M-based system currently in use was selected for its performance and sound quality, not to mention its price tag.

"For the money, the performance couldn't be beat," Jan says. "By essentially relying on one supplier for almost everything, we obtained the high-end technology needed, and provided a lot of gear for less money. There was no other way we could have practically met Jackie's expectations. After she heard the demo, she knew she was getting a deal she couldn't refuse--the whole job came in at right around $19,000. She was pleased and excited at a time she could have easily been trying to rationalize the letdown of getting less than she wanted. We gained from the experience too, as the design has indeed gone on to serve as a profitable and practical paradigm for other distributed applications where quality counts, and dollars need to be saved."

As seen in "ProAV" Magazine

<<<

The new sound and video systems at Jackie's restaurant help entertain patrons inside and out.

Challenge: Design a cost-effective AV system to complement the ambience of a 60s-themed restaurant in an inhospitable acoustical environment.

Solution: Create an AV design that blends commercial audio components and equalization with a unique projection system and a two-sided screen.

by Gregory A. DeTogne

A one-time warehouse and garage built in the 1920s, Jackie's restaurant is the latest creative expression of real estate developer Jackie Greenbaum and ex-husband/restaurateur Patrick Higgins. Retaining the original facility's bare brick walls, high ceiling, and exposed ductwork, the 60s-themed restaurant houses a bar, a lounge, and a main dining area below street level. In the dining room, an "exhibition" kitchen spans the rear wall to offer diners a full view of food preparations. A big part of the fun at Jackie's is its AV experience, which adds color and artistic imagery to a transparent, double-sided screen that separates the bar from the dining area and can also be seen from the outside of the restaurant.

"Jackie is very much into music and art," says Roly Jan, sales manager of Silver Spring, MD-based systems integration firm Total Audio Visual Systems, which implemented a versatile AV blueprint for the restaurant. "Quality music and AV is a vital part of the draw. Music cranks up the fun during dinner hours, then, after 10 p.m., it takes a turn toward nightclub levels, letting people get up and dance. AV is really part of the decor. It's used to further the restaurant's aura of '60s coolness, and create other textures. This is a happening location, definitely not the kind of place where you'd find 30 video monitors tuned to sports stations."

In accordance with Total Audio Visual Systems' comprehensive AV plan, Jackie's is divided into six dedicated audio zones: the bar, dining room, gallery, restroom/hallway areas, private dining room, and Greenbaum's office. Served by source program material including computer-generated tunes as well as CDs, the zones were constructed with expansion in mind to accommodate a DJ and live music in the future. 

Richard Shaeer, principal of Pikesville, MD-based Shaeer Media Solutions, Inter-M America's independent sales rep for the region, worked with input from both Jan and Greenbaum to devise the audio design, which combines high-end sonic quality with simple control functions and commercial reliability. Taking a distributed approach to the project, Shaeer's blueprint deployed 36 AMK Innovations coaxial, 8-inch SA 802/SA 872 ceiling speakers operating at 8 ohms within all six zones of the restaurant's 1,800-square-foot space. Each SA 802/SA 872 speaker receives power from seven Inter-M L-800 two-channel amplifiers. 

While typical commercial sound systems operate multiple loudspeakers in a 70 V constant voltage system, Shaeer chose to run the speakers at 8 ohms in order to optimize sound quality (see sidebar). "Especially at low frequencies, you get better sound quality using an 8-ohm system because there is no transformer in the circuit," he says. 

An Inter-M PX-0288 8x8 matrix mixer manages matrix control within each zone, enabling local audio sources to be routed in any combination to up to eight zones using local or remote control. The PX-0288 can receive up to eight local music sources at a time, while local and remote paging capabilities are provided with priority override. Wall-mounted Inter-M PS-88 remote program selectors in each zone interface with the PX-0288 matrix control for quick access to any available source as well as priorities via an LED display.

"Ease-of-use is as important within this application as reliability," Jan says. "Waiters and waitresses as well as the patrons in the private dining room need to have quick and easy control over the system. The PS-88 remotes from Inter-M provide an intuitive package that anyone can operate without much thought. From our perspective, they're a plus because they're quick to install, look good in each room, and aren't budget-breakers when it comes to cost."

To combat the poor acoustical effects presented by the harsh, reflective brick surfaces and high ceilings in the main dining area and gallery, equalization was introduced using Inter-M DSP-based, two-channel GEQ-2231 units. The GEQ-2231 devices deliver 31 bands of graphic EQ dedicated to each space individually, while additionally offering limiting, a 24-bit A/D converter, and 64 kHz sampling frequency. "These are raw reverberant spaces," Jan says. "With the GEQ-2231s, however, we were able to tame each via DSP performance managed with analog-style controls, a feature which went a long way to promote our goal of keeping things simple to use."

Because the house audio rig uses a high-density, distributed design run at low impedance, Shaeer felt it was imperative to provide equalization to optimize its fidelity. His approach was an iterative process involving critical listening to source material, adjusting equalization, and then listening again. While painstaking and time-consuming, the result was a virtually seamless audio environment throughout the restaurant.

"I included the GEQ units to both improve the general quality of sound and give us consistent coverage through the restaurant," he says. "Because there are multiple speakers in each zone with overlapping coverage, I needed something that would allow us to correct some of the natural phasing and comb filtering that occurs in the low/mid frequencies. The GEQs provided that tool, and also let us optimally fine-tune the whole environment and then lockout our settings. Now, wherever you go, the sound is the same. There are no hotspots or places where you can't hear." 

With its own sound reinforcement coming from the house audio system, video presentation at Jackie's relies upon a Sony VPL-CX70 XGA-resolution projector that provides 2,000 ANSI lumens of brightness. The compact unit was hidden within the rafters of the bar area and aimed at a 10-foot-wide screen - similar to a theatrical scrim - separating the bar from the dining room. With source material coming from a laptop providing DVD playback as well as still images of art and photos, the projector displays images that can be seen in the bar and dining room as well as by people outside through the main front window, thanks to the transparency of the screen."

The video display can be a moving kaleidoscope of form and color, but it didn't cost a lot," Jan says. "The double-sided nature of the screen makes it accessible to far more people than a traditional design would. It definitely catches the eye, and lures people in from the sidewalk to see what's going on."

Commissioned late last year, the restaurant's new audio and video systems, which came in at about $19,000, have been very successful. "The ambience jumps with energy and excitement," Jan says. "There's good food, great music, innovative AV, and an almost limitless room to expand on a systems level."

<<<

Extremely reliable, multifunctional, or nearly indestructible, these products have been selected by AV pros as the "best value" audio products in the industry.

by Roger Maycock

In certain AV applications, you expect to pay a lot for a product, such as when you're in the market for a large mixing console or outdoor LED signage. In fact, the more you pay, the more you convince yourself you've bought the very best, right? On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, there are those times when "you get what you pay for" holds true and you realize that some products only last about as long as the RT60 in a large church.  Because expensive isn't always more, and cheap doesn't always mean less, it's often hard for end users to identify true AV "values".  But somewhere in between the two extremes lie those rare products that achieve a competitive price point while differentiating themselves from other makes and models with superior quality.  Once you find them, they quickly become staples in your AV arsenal.  the trick is: How do you identify these treasures?

For answers in the audio space, we sought the advice of some large systems integrators and AV consultants, industry professionals with a proven track record who work in the trenches. The products highlighted here have passed the acid test of real world installations.  some products are new; others are not. some are expensive; others are affordable.  Despite their differences, all of these products have at least one thing in common, they all harness cutting edge technology to delivery a price/performance balance that translates into real audio value.

Inter-M PX-0288

The PX-0288 audio matrix mixer enables users to route up to eight local audio sources in any combination to eight zones using either local or remote control.  Built for multi-zone systems like those found in hotels, airports, casinos, hospitals, conference centers and restaurants, the device receives ancillary support from a pair of dedicated remote controls and a remote microphone station.  the PX-0288 supports RS422 protocol for remote operation, provides remote mic station and paging mic level control, has auto fire alarm broadcasting capability, and includes a front panel monitor speaker for monitoring any of its eight inputs.

Roly Jan, sales manager and engineer for Silver Spring, MD based Total Audio Visual Systems, has deployed the PX-0288 regularly during the past year.  A systems integration company that services the government, Fortune 1000 companies and educational institutions, Total Audio Visual Systems provides AV systems provides AV systems for boardrooms, conference facilities, plus command & control centers.

According to Jan, the PX-0288 is great choice for projects where audio needs to be routed to different destinations because it's so easy to configure.  "With balanced I/O, local and remote paging capabilities with priority override, and built-in phantom power for the paging mic, this mixer is a compelling product for the AV professional, " he says.  "We've used it in government command and control centers as well as public information centers, auditoriums, restaurants, and hotels."

For all the features and functionality this unit offers, Jan cites price as one of its most attractive qualities.   "We're using this product quite regularly because our installers are very comfortable with the piece, " he says.  "This mixer is easy to set up and install.  It's rugged and well built, and it has proven itself to be very reliable.  In my book, that represents real value."

BSS Soundweb by Albert Leccese, vice president of engineering for Colorado Springs, CO based Audio Analysts

dbx DriveRack 260 by Mike Evans, vice president and systems consultant for Alpha Sound & Lighting Co's Alabama Facility

JBL JRX115i by Jerry Lamp, sales manager for Olympia, WA based CCI Solutions

Polycom Vortex EF2280 by Vito Randazzo, president and CEO of JVN Systems, Deer Park, NY

Shure DFR22 Audio Processor by Jim Mueller, president of Detroit based Sound Planning Communications

TOA 900 Series by Ed Logsdon, vice president of engineering for D.L. Adams Associates, Denver, CO

Yamaha PM5D by R. Gwin Edwards, president of Ruston, LA based American Audio 

<<<