Is DIY AV for Hotel Ballrooms career ending?

Portable PA
1

I manage 2-4 company off site events per year (sales meetings, training).  The cost of on-site AV services has increased dramatically, and I'm looking for an alternative. I just got a bid with the cost of 2 day hotel AV services having rental costs that are higher than purchasing basic equipment outright.  With respect to those in the industry, the $1200/day AV techs at  hotels have been poor (MIA, dead batteries, laptop output not connected to sound system...)

We move the events around the country and pick different venues.  The largest group is 125 people, we are usually in large hotel ballrooms with crescent round table seating. The presentations are primarily dual projector PowerPoint with presenters on a raised platform.  Aside from a presenters showing a video from their laptop, our needs are simple. We use 2 wireless lavalier mics, and a handheld wireless for audience questions.

I've been researching purchasing a sound system that my team can easily setup, is easy to ship, and has the power and fidelity that the attendees don't complain.  Price is less of a concern, since I'm already paying $10-15K per year to the hotels.

Would 2 Bose L1 II speakers with a TS8 Tone master mixer be a reasonable setup for 125 people?  Should I add 2 more L1 speakers, although it looks like the mixer only connects to 2 L1 speakers unless I use an analog connection from the mixer?  Would the bass unit improve the sound quality for business presentations?  (The primary use of 4 L1 speakers is better sound quality in a large room, but also the potential to move each L1 speaker  to smaller breakout sessions and connect a mic to a single L1 without the mixer.)

What is the maximum cable length from the mixer to farthest speaker?  Does wireless provide any unique capability in a 4 L1 II setup?

Thanks

2

@Taxi Welcome to the group. I can assure you that many wise people will respond with very good advice for you.

I don't know much (about anything) but I'm going to guess that a single L1M2 will be more than adequate for an audience of 125. In fact, I'll hazard a guess that many folks will tell you that an L1 Compact will fill your audio needs. Heck, even an S1 ought to do the job! But, like I said, I don't know much about anything.

As to a mixer - I think that the (now discontinued) T1 will suffice for your needs. A T8S will probably be overkill, so you might want to consider a T4S.

Overall, you'll find that the Bose systems are quick and easy to setup and don't take up much storage space. And they will fill your room with very good quality sound (remember to do your mic gain staging and save the settings - future usage will be a breeze)!

I'll shut up now and let wiser heads give you the advice that you seek!

Good luck.

3

Hi Taxi,

Thank you for joining the Bose Portable PA Community. Welcome.

Taxi posted:

I manage 2-4 company off site events per year (sales meetings, training).  The cost of on-site AV services has increased dramatically, and I'm looking for an alternative. I just got a bid with the cost of 2 day hotel AV services having rental costs that are higher than purchasing basic equipment outright.  With respect to those in the industry, the $1200/day AV techs at  hotels have been poor (MIA, dead batteries, laptop output not connected to sound system...)

Thank you for the background information.



We move the events around the country and pick different venues.  The largest group is 125 people, we are usually in large hotel ballrooms with crescent round table seating. The presentations are primarily dual projector PowerPoint with presenters on a raised platform.  Aside from a presenters showing a video from their laptop, our needs are simple. We use 2 wireless lavalier mics, and a handheld wireless for audience questions.

So far, I hear you have spoken word plus audio from the videos.

Inputs

  1. Wireless Lavalier Microphone
  2. Wireless Lavalier Microphone
  3. Wireless Handheld Microphone
  4. Wired input from a laptop (or projector)
  5. Wired input from a laptop (or projector)

Will you connect the audio from the laptops or the projectors? If you can connect from the laptops, you can use the USB connection for one of them, and the analog input for the other.  Doing that you can use a T4S. 

If all the connections are analog and you want a few extra channels to spare, then use a T8S.

I've been researching purchasing a sound system that my team can easily setup, is easy to ship, and has the power and fidelity that the attendees don't complain.  Price is less of a concern, since I'm already paying $10-15K per year to the hotels.

Would 2 Bose L1 II speakers with a TS8 Tone master mixer be a reasonable setup for 125 people? 

Are the attendees listening attentively or is the presentation more lively with audience participation?

Should I add 2 more L1 speakers, although it looks like the mixer only connects to 2 L1 speakers unless I use an analog connection from the mixer? 

In a room with up to 125 attendees, you can (and should) use only one L1 Model II. The L1 Model II horizontal dispersion is extremely wide and you need only one to cover this many people. Furthermore, if you have two, people near the sides will hear both L1 Model II systems. There will be noticeable echos and degraded intelligibility. I've been to several presentations as an attendee where the presenters used two systems when one would have been better.

Would the bass unit improve the sound quality for business presentations? 

The L1 Model II and L1 Model 1S are integrated systems, and you must use at least one bass module.

(The primary use of 4 L1 speakers is better sound quality in a large room, but also the potential to move each L1 speaker  to smaller breakout sessions and connect a mic to a single L1 without the mixer.)

What is the maximum dimensions of a large room?

How large are the breakout rooms?

What is the maximum cable length from the mixer to farthest speaker? 

Using balanced cables (recommended for the T8S, optional for the T4S), there's no practical limit (hundreds of feet). Using ToneMatch cables or CAT-5 or CAT-6 cables (T4S only) the maximum recommended distance is 50 feet.

Does wireless provide any unique capability in a 4 L1 II setup?

Ease of setup; no cables between the ToneMatch mixer and the L1 Power Stand. However, there's the added complexity of using wireless. It sounds like you're okay with that.

Thanks

Here are some general thoughts.

Large Room Sessions

Unless the large rooms are extremely large, you can use a single L1 Model II off to one side of the presentation table. Use a T8S ToneMatch mixer if you want the most flexibility for connections.  You can have a second L1 Model II in case you end up in a typical grand ballroom and for backup.

Breakout Sessions

For your breakout sessions, depending on the size of the rooms you can use Bose L1 Compact Systems. These can be extremely effective in rooms up to 50-100 people. You can connect a microphone and audio output from a laptop or projector without using a mixer.

The L1 Compacts are extremely portable. The total system weight is 30 pounds included the vertical extensions (no need for speaker stands) and using these; you can leave the system in the main room intact while you run the breakout sessions.  This simplifies things if you want to bring everyone together after the breakout sessions. 

If the breakout sessions are smaller than 50, you can consider using Bose S1 Pro systems. These are even more portable than the L1 Compact, and they have rechargeable batteries making them convenient to move around quickly. You can put them on the floor, on a table top, or on a speaker stand.

What are your thoughts so far?

ST

4

Thanks for your thoughtful response!  The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.  A few more questions:

I'm leaning toward the 8 channel mixer rather than the four, just to give me room for future robustness.  (it is hard to predict when a presenter will decide they need another sound source.)

 

Will a pair of L1 II systems (one on each side of the stage) have worse performance than a single power pole, or can they work together?  I see pictures of them online being used in pairs for ballrooms.  We sometimes are assigned very large irregular shaped rooms in hotels, so I thought two poles would give more flexibility.

We typically have a side table for the moderator and to give microphones to the next speaker.  I thought we would keep the mixer at that location, so I can mute the mic of the "on deck" presenter.  I envision running cables to each of the L1 II, unless I can make a bluetooth/wireless connection between the mixer and speakers.  (We are super safety conscious, so avoiding having to tape down cables would be a huge benefit.)

For the wireless microphones, my assumption is that we will have a receiver for each mic at the moderator table and connect them to the mixer.  Any advice on which "band" to select for wireless microphones?  We change cities, so the online tools to help me select a band are not too useful before I purchase.  I'm hoping to find a microphone system that automatically scans frequencies and selects the best for the venue.  Ease of use and a broad selection of frequencies is more important than the cost or perfection. Do pros carry band specific microphones for each city or is there a universal microphone system available?

I may look at some single pole L1 i speakers for my breakout sessions of 40 or so.  

Any advice you have on things I should consider, how to select cables, accessories for this type of setup would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

5

Hi Taxi,

Taxi posted:

Thanks for your thoughtful response!  The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. 

You are welcome!

A few more questions:

I'm leaning toward the 8 channel mixer rather than the four, just to give me room for future robustness.  (it is hard to predict when a presenter will decide they need another sound source.)

Good thought.



Will a pair of L1 II systems (one on each side of the stage) have worse performance than a single power pole, or can they work together? 

You can run them in pairs, and that's often fine for music. For spoken word, this can cause issues with intelligibility.

I see pictures of them online being used in pairs for ballrooms.  We sometimes are assigned very large irregular shaped rooms in hotels, so I thought two poles would give more flexibility.

You can set up two, especially in irregularly shaped rooms. Do a quick sound check. If you hear objectional echoes, turn one of them off.



We typically have a side table for the moderator and to give microphones to the next speaker.  I thought we would keep the mixer at that location, so I can mute the mic of the "on deck" presenter. 

Sounds good.

I envision running cables to each of the L1 II, unless I can make a bluetooth/wireless connection between the mixer and speakers.  (We are super safety conscious, so avoiding having to tape down cables would be a huge benefit.)

I understand why you want to avoid wires. Don't use Bluetooth. There's too much latency. You will hear yourself talking (bone conduction) and hear your voice coming out of the sound system several milliseconds later. That's very distracting as a presenter.



For the wireless microphones, my assumption is that we will have a receiver for each mic at the moderator table and connect them to the mixer.  Any advice on which "band" to select for wireless microphones?  We change cities, so the online tools to help me select a band are not too useful before I purchase.  I'm hoping to find a microphone system that automatically scans frequencies and selects the best for the venue.  Ease of use and a broad selection of frequencies is more important than the cost or perfection. Do pros carry band specific microphones for each city or is there a universal microphone system available?

I don't have any specific recommendations for wireless systems. Where are you? We may want to get you in touch with a Bose Professional partner who can help with these questions.



I may look at some single pole L1 i speakers for my breakout sessions of 40 or so.  

The L1 Compact serves extremely well for these applications. I've done a lot of public speaking in small rooms with my L1 Compact.



Any advice you have on things I should consider, how to select cables, accessories for this type of setup would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

It sounds like you need some specialized advice to put together a comprehensive approach for your traveling production.  If you send me a private message with your location and contact information, I'll find someone to help.

ST

6

I use L1 Compacts for your room size all the time, 125 people is no bother for a compact, especially if it's just for speaking, background music, video, etc. Super portable, lightweight, and great sound! You may want to consider adding the S1 Pro to your rig for smaller break out rooms, battery powered, great sound, bluetooth built in, I can't say enough good things about the S1 Pro, I have two of these, best $599.00 I've ever spent.

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Thanks Harry.