Mary MacKillop College (Leongatha) is a co-educational secondary Catholic school in the tradition of Mary of the Cross MacKillop, located in South Gippsland. Having helped provide AV solutions for the college over several years, when the school were looking at installing an AV system in their gymnasium, they contacted DIB Australia to find the best solution for the space.
When dealing with a space which has multiple functions, making sure all requirements are met requires great attention to detail. In this space, the gym is used for sports activities (ie. basketball), as well as for music, presentations or school assembly. To gain maximum use of the space, design was made with the orientation of the installation to run across the width of the gym. By having a specific band location for musicians within the gym, an AV solution had to be found for this space as well as the projection component that was required for presentations. To give excellent audio during presentations, a Sennheiser lapel mic (EW 322 G3 ME4) and a Sennheiser handheld wireless mircophone (EW 345 G3 MME845) were recommended and installed.
For the band location, two floor boxes were installed to house data connections, and a selection of Sennheiser and Rode mircophones were provided to give specific audio pickup for various instruments (Sennheiser E902 & Sennheiser E904 & Rode NT5). A floor box located at front of stage contained connections for microphone, HDMI and a 3.5mm audio jack. This allows the system to be used independently of the portable mixer desk, such as when conducting a presentation.
As with all DIB installations, an emphasis was placed on designing and creating easy-to-use AV systems which are also installed to the highest standard, both functionally and aesthetically. In this case, both the projection and band location areas needed to be controlled from the AV rack located on the side of the gym on which the projectors would be mounted. To help manage the potential complexity of the AV system for users and to make it easy to operate, an Extron 7″ TLP Pro 720M control panel was chosen to provide a simplified interface for staff to use.
Screenshot of customised, easy-to-use Extron TLP Pro 720M control panel
Considering a key component of the AV installation would relate to music, the placement of ceiling speakers were important to get a balanced audio playback when students are playing music. To gain an excellent and even sound reproduction throughout the gym, DIB installed a combination of Soundtube HP890 and dB Technologies Arena 12 Pro speakers, both of which are designed to perform for this type of space, producing great clarity and an even sound distribution throughout the gym.
dB Technologies Arena 12 Pro speakers
To produce a superior bright image, two Epson Z series (Z9900W) projectors were used, which both produce a super-bright 9,200 ANSI lumens. These were placed in white protection/security cages to prevent theft or damage from ball sports played in the gym. Shooting across the gym, these bright images landed on two large Grandview 180” motorised projection screens (16:10), which retract away nicely when not in use.
Epson Z9900W projector with protective security cage
At the heart of the system an Extron DMP128 Digital Matrix Processor and the Extron IN1608 Vision/Presentation switch were used. A Behringer X32 Compact Digital Mixer was chosen as the desired AV equipment for mixing music from the band location.
Behringer X32 Compact digital Mixer
AV Rack, with Extron DMP1287 Digital Matrix Processor and Extron IN1608 switcher
The team at DIB Australia have worked hard to design and install a unique, easy-to-use AV system at Mary Mackillop College (Leongatha) that provides an excellent standard of audio and visual playback, suiting the multiple user groups and creating state-of-the-art functionality that is required in a modern-day gym.
For assistance with your custom audio visual requirements, contact a DIB Audio Visual Solutions Consultant today Phone (03) 9457-4800 or contact us