Powell River Rec Centre
Instruction Manual
Introduction
In February 2020, Sound Solutions installed a new sound system into the Powell River Rec Centre. Subsequently, all zones and rooms within the rec centre can now act as a unified sound system for paging, as well as the the option to have independent sound systems for microphone and music sources within each room. The sound system consists of the following zones.
- Pool
- Dogwood Room (fitness room)
- Weight Room
- Poolside Room (spin room)
- Arena
- Rink
- Hallways/change rooms
We will break the sound system down into zones, with a description of the system, as well as a description of the two touch screens. One screen will be located at the front desk, and the other in the skate shop.
Main QSC Digital Signal Processor (DSP system)
The main processing system for the Powell River sound system is located in the Arena rack in the sound booth. The system consists of a digital signal processor unit, and two Dlink gigabit switches that send the audio signals to and from the sound system rack in the front office area, and the control signals to and from the touch screen.
The front desk rack houses two QSC I/O-8 Flex units, which are input and output expanders to the main QSC system in the arena rack. The front desk rack also contains two Dlink gigabit switches that route the audio and control signals.
Finally, there is a touch screen at the front desk, and a smaller one at the skate shop that control the sound system functions and volume levels. The touch screen at the front desk controls paging throughout the building, as well as master volume levels and background music source selection.
The touch screen at the skate shop controls the paging and background music selection for the arena and rink, and turns the various speaker zones off in the arena and rink. Located at the ceiling in the skate shop are two Dlink gigabit switches that route the audio and control signals between the arena rack and the rack at the reception desk.
Front Desk Touch Screen
The front desk touch screen has several pages, which are selected on the home screen. There are five icons to choose from:
- Paging
- Pool
- Room Linkin
- Dogwood/Poolside/Weight Rooms
- Lobby/Change rooms
Paging Screen
There are three main zones for the paging mic to call into:
- Lobby/hallways/fitness rooms
- Pool
- Arena/Rink
Each of these three zones can be selected individually, although we recommend leaving the sound system in the ‘all call’ mode, which will send a page everywhere in the case of an emergency. Each selected paging zone will light up in a light blue color, the non-selected zones will remain dark blue. To page, pick up the TOA paging mic next to the touch screen, and depress the ‘talk’ button on the microphone.
The paging mic volume level is pre-set, and should not normally need adjusting. The paging mic will automatically override all other music or microphone sources in any of the zones that will be paged into, then the music in those zones will resume within 3 seconds of the paging being completed.
Note that there is a ‘lock’ button on the side of the paging mic which will lock the paging mic into an ‘on’ mode. Make sure that this ‘lock’ tab is not enabled.
Pool Page
The pool page has two volume controls on it, as well as a music selection set of buttons for background music.
The master volume slider on the far left adjusts the maximum volume level heard within the pool area. Generally speaking, this slider should be kept at the maximum volume setting as the overall volume levels of the paging mic are set at the pool mixer unit in the guard room. The pool sound rack in the guard room also has a cable box installed in it, so usually the pool music will be set at the pool rack by the staff. If, however, that cable box is defective, you can also select one of the two cable boxes in the reception rack to be heard in the pool by selecting them on the reception touch screen. The music volume slider controls the level that the music is played in the pool area. Note that if one of the reception rack music sources is selected, the mixer in the guard room will not affect the rack music sources, and the volume level needs to be adjusted on the reception desk touch screen.
The two indicators to the right of the music volume control indicate which speakers are turned on in the pool area. The on/off functions are selected at the guard room sound system rack by the two switches located there.
Weight Room/Dogwood Room/Poolside Room
The music selection and overall volume level for these three rooms are located on the Weight/Fitness/Spin room page.
Each room can select any of the labeled music sources, and the master volume control sets the overall volume level of the music in each area. In the Poolside Room and the Dogwood Room, the ‘master’ volume control on the Factor plate controls if background music is heard in these rooms. That allows the staff to play background music before a class, but can then turn down the background music on the Factor plate without having to go to the front desk. Note that if the master volume levels are set low on the touch screen, very low volume sound will be heard in each room.
The weight room does not have a Factor plate installed in it, so the music source and volume for the weight room can only be controlled at the front desk.
Lobby/Change rooms
Similar to the weight room/Dogwood room page, the Lobby/Change room page allows selection of the background music source, and the master volume that is set for the lobby and the change rooms.
Background Music Selection
Each zone has a total of 4 background music selection buttons to choose from, plus an ‘off’ position. The two cable boxes are located in the front desk rack, which are labeled Cable Box 1 (the top one in the reception sound rack), Cable Box 2 (the bottom one in the reception sound rack, the Arena MP3 input, which are the input jacks located in the rack in the sound booth in the arena, and the Front Desk MP3 player input, which is not yet connected.
Room Linking Page
There will be special events where the staff will want some of the normally independent zones to be linked together, such as a large hockey tournament, or a swim meet. The Room Linking page allows these zones to be tied together as one large zone.
If the Arena and Rink button is pushed, the sound from the rink and the arena will be heard in both areas. Similarly, you can link the lobby and the arena together, in case the arena music and announcements are to be heard in the lobby area. The same applies for the pool announcements and music that are to be heard in the lobby in the case of a swim meet.
Once the special function is over, be sure to come back and disable the room linking buttons.
Skate Shop Touch Screen
A smaller touch screen is located in a box at the skate shop counter. This touch screen controls the Factor input plate below the touch screen as well as the paging mic located there, and the cable box in the shelving unit.
The home page has a volume control slider that goes horizontally across the bottom of the touch screen. This is the master volume level of the Factor input plate located below the touchscreen. Above the volume control slider are two buttons that select whether the sound from the Factor plate gets sent to the arena, the rink, or both. Normally, the master volume slider is left at the maximum position as shown, and only the buttons indicating where the signal is sent to are used. Any background music source (normally the skate shop cable box), as well as the paging mic signal is sent to the arena, rink, or both zones. When either button is red in color, the signal is not being sent to that zone. If the button is green in color, the music and paging mic are sent into that zone.
Note that if there is a function that is occurring in either the arena or the rink, the skate shop feed to be turned to ‘off’ in that zone, so that the cable box will not interfere with functions.
There is a small Yorkville speaker located above the window in the skate shop. It is connected directly to the cable box in the skate shop, to monitor the music channel that the cable box is sent to. The Yorkville speaker will play the cable box music as long as the speaker and the cable box are turned on. That allows you to change cable box channels without music being heard in the arena or rink, but to monitor it via the speaker prior to sending the music out to the rink or arena.
Arena touch screen page
When you press the ‘arena’ button, the following page will display:
The arena master volume and music selection are the same as the other zones located at the front desk rack. Note that this music selection is separate from the skate shop music source, so unless the cable box in the skate shop is defective, the music selection on this page will generally be left in the ‘off’ position.
The buttons to the right of the music volume control allow you to tun the ice surface speakers on separately from the bleacher speakers, and the subwoofer also can be turned on and off as desired.
Generally speaking, all of the speakers will be turned on at all times, although if there is a single figure skater on the ice in the arena, they will realize better sound quality if the bleacher speakers are turned off.
Rink touch screen page
The rink touch screen page is similar to that of the arena, allowing the various music sources to be played through the arena as desired. The rink also has a speaker and subwoofer on/off set of buttons to control the speakers hanging above centre ice.
Arena and Rink Sound System Racks/Factor Plates
The arena and rink sound systems have their sound system rack located in the media room above the arena.
Guard Room Sound System – Pool
The guard room has a sound system rack bolted to the wall that controls the various functions of the pool. It contains a cable box on a shelf at the top of the rack.
Below it is a Rolls mixer that controls the volume levels of the guard room paging mic (clipped onto the rack on the left side of the rack), the Special Projects headset microphone, and the CD/MP3/Bluetooth player.
Each control on the Rolls mixer is clearly marked, and other than the paging mic, the volume levels generally do not need to be set more than the 12:00 position for good volume out on the pool deck. The tone and bass and treble controls on the Rolls mixer should be kept at the 12:00 position.
CD Player Instructions
Please find the important instruction pages on how to use all functions of the Tascam CD-200BT CD/MP3/Bluetooth receiver. The Tascam pages cover all aspects of using the unit, but there’s a few important points to note:
1) The CD tray will accept all CDs as well as MP3 files burned to a CD. We have not had problems playing burned CDs or MP3s on the Tascam unit, but note of course that if the CD is badly scratched, the player may not read the discs properly.
2) For Tascam units exposed to a chlorine environment, whether located in a guard room, on a pool deck, or in a room away from the pool, the chlorine particles will attack the CD player and the function buttons. A typical life of a CD player in a commercial environment is 3-4 years, however if the ventilation is not good in the natatorium, we’ve had these CD players last as short as 18 months before the buttons stop working, or the laser fails due to chlorine buildup.
3) Bluetooth operation- it is very important to turn your phone or tablet volume to 100% when playing music. If your phone volume is down below the 50% mark, you may not hear any sound through your sound system even though the phone or tablet is properly paired to the CD-200BT unit.
4) Once one person is paired to the CD-200BT Bluetooth receiver, other people cannot access the system. In order for the next person to pair to the Bluetooth unit, the first person has to disconnect their device from the Bluetooth receiver, or be out of range of the unit, in order for it to disconnect. Note that the Tascam CD-200 BT has a better range than most Bluetooth receivers, so the first user of the Bluetooth receiver may still be paired while in the building, even though they have stopped using the Bluetooth receiver. To unpair, you can also power down the CD-200BT, then turn it back on again. This will disconnect the first user from the Bluetooth receiver.
5) The ‘AUX’ function will not light up on the CD player until a 3.5mm cable is plugged into the CD player. Then, pressing ‘source’ and ‘select’ simultaneously will switch between ‘CD’, ‘BT’ and ‘AUX’. Unless you are using an MP3 player that has no Bluetooth function in it, we recommend always using the Bluetooth function on the CD-200BT to save wear and tear on the 3.5mm jack and cable.
FCC STATEMENT This device complies with part 74, Subpart H of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1)This device may not cause harmful interference and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation Notice : The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. IMPORTANT NOTE: To comply with the FCC RF exposure compliance requirements, no change to the antenna or the device is permitted. Any change to the antenna or the device could result in the device exceeding the RF exposure requirements and void user’s authority to operate the device.
Factor Mic/Music input plates
Your new Factor RVC PRO mic and music input plates are equipped with a Bluetooth receiver to allow staff and patrons to connect their Bluetooth equipped devices wirelessly to the sound system. The Factor plates are always ‘live’, so regardless of the mixer settings in the sound booth, the Factor plates can be used at any time.
The mic input accepts a standard XLR (3 pin) microphone connector, and a ¼ phone mic plug can also be plugged into the same dual-purpose jack. A volume control located directly above the mic jack controls the audio level of any microphone plugged into the mic jack.
There are two RCA connectors and a 3.5mm jack at the bottom of the Factor plate which a wired line level music source can be plugged into. A speaker connection from an amplifier or powered speaker should NEVER be plugged into either Factor plate, as significant damage to the sound system will result.
The middle ‘line’ volume control serves two purposes – it controls the volume level of both the music input jacks, in addition to the volume level of the Bluetooth receiver. The Bluetooth receiver is located under the Factor plate in the penalty box, and on the left outside of the metal box that the Factor plate is mounted to in the sound booth.
Note that both Bluetooth receivers have an AC adapter that is plugged into an AC outlet at each location. If this AC adapter is unplugged, the Bluetooth function will cease to function, although the Factor plate itself will function normally.
The Bluetooth receivers are used as follows:
The ID of each Bluetooth receiver is indicated on the inside door of the Factor plate.
Go into your settings menu of your phone, and navigate to the Bluetooth area. Look for ‘new devices’. One or the other Belkin Bluetooth ID will display, depending upon whether whether you are located in the penalty box or in the sound booth. Pair to either of the Belkin units.
IMPORTANT! Make sure the volume on your phone or tablet is set to maximum. If your volume is set low (under the ½ way point), little or no sound will be audible from the arena sound system.
Play the music on your phone or tablet.
Use the middle volume control on the Factor plate to control the volume level of the arena sound system.
Note that as with any Bluetooth device, only one person can be paired to a Bluetooth receiver at one time. Should two people want to connect to the Bluetooth system in the arena, the first person connected will need to turn off their Bluetooth function, or disconnect from the Bluetooth receiver in the settings menu. The Bluetooth receivers have an effective range of about 10-15m, so once a person paired to the Bluetooth receiver walks out of the arena, then the Bluetooth unit will automatically disconnect when this user is out of range of the receiver.
Note that there is no password protection for the Bluetooth receiver, so anyone within range can pair to the Bluetooth receivers in the arena. If a user is already paired to the receiver, a second individual cannot access the Bluetooth function as described in (6) above. To prevent unauthorized people from accessing the Bluetooth receiver, simply turn the middle volume control on the Factor plate to 0, and lock the door of the plate. Anyone can then still pair to the Bluetooth receiver, but with the Factor volume control set to 0, audio will NOT be heard in the arena.
The four keys supplied with the Factor plates will lock and unlock either of the Factor plates.
The ‘mute’ button shuts down the audio originating from the Factor plate. This means that if that button is pushed and the red LED lights up, no sound will come from that Factor plate. Push the ‘mute’ button again to activate the Factor plate.
The ‘priority’ button is not connected, and serves no function at the Nelson arena.
It is strongly recommended that the Bluetooth receiver is used instead of the wired audio connection. If someone wants to use an IPod or similar non-Bluetooth audio device, we further recommend that the dual RCA connectors are used instead of the single 3.5mm jack on the Factor plate. The only reason for this is that the RCA connectors are a much more durable connector than the 3.5mm jack.
Should a Factor plate become defective for any reason, call us at Sound Solutions and we will supply a replacement. The Factor plate can easily be exchanged by removing the four screws holding it in place, disconnecting the CAT5 cables on the back of it, and unplugging the 3.5 mm plug going to the Bluetooth receiver. Note the orientation of the two CAT5 connectors on the Factor plate in the sound booth. Reversal of the two connections will result in neither Factor plate working, even though the LEDs will light up. (No damage will result to the sound system if the CAT5 connectors are accidentally reversed).
Maintenance
Generally, the sound system will not need maintenance. All amplifiers and other units are designed to be left on 24/7 with the exception of any CD players, which should be turned off when not in use to save wear on the laser assembly.
QSC system
Critical to the proper operation of the facility’s sound system is that the QSC units communicate with one another via the dual network that has been installed between the arena rack and the reception front desk rack. If communication between these systems fails, then the touch screens will not display anything, and you likely will lose sound from one or more zones.
It is imperative that the network cabling to the front of the racks and in the skate shop are not unplugged or disturbed. The cabling and network switches have been specifically programmed for each device, and cannot be unplugged and plugged in at random. The networks within the racks cannot access the internet, so a laptop or other network device should not be plugged into these network switches.
In the case of a power failure, the network switches and the QSC units should automatically come back on line, although it may take up to 5 minutes after a power outage for the Dlink network switches to reboot and start working again.
In the rare instance of an overnight power failure where the switches or touch screens do not work properly, or display a service screen, do not touch any of the touch screen buttons that are shown, but call us instead at (604) 514-1751 and we will walk you through rebooting the system.