Powersoft’s Dante-compatible Quattrocanali DSP+D amplifiers are central to a comprehensive sound system upgrade completed recently at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
American Family Field is home to baseball team the Milwaukee Brewers, who have played home matches at the 41,900-seat ballpark since 2001. The stadium, formerly known as Miller Park, is also a major local concert venue, having in recent years hosted shows by artists including Pink, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel and Kenny Chesney.
The Powersoft amplifiers used offer four channels of output at 1,200W, 2,400W, 4,800W and 9,600W of power, respectively – forming an integral part of a loudspeaker, amplifier and control-system upgrade overseen by technology solutions provider Diversified.
Diversified’s brief for American Family Field, explained Jeff Dykhouse, senior design engineer, sports and live events, was to replace an “ageing, voice-focused” sound system with a “modern, high-performance system offering high-resolution, full-range music and voice to every seat in the venue”.
Audio consultancy WJHW handled the design for the new PA system, with Diversified suggesting “some substitutions and improvements” that led to the final layout, added Dykhouse, who served as the engineer of record for the project.
For the new sound system, Diversified specified 67 Quattrocanali amplifiers – two 1204 DSP+D, one 2404 DSP+D, 24 of the 4804 DSP+D and 40 of the 8804 DSP+D model – to power speakers from Fulcrum Acoustic (FH, GX and CX series) and Community (R.15 and R.35), as well as a DiGiCo Quantum 225, all managed by a QSC Q-SYS DSP.
The Quattrocanalis are installed in three amplifier rooms, located near the stadium’s first base, home plate and third base seating zones. The amplifiers were set up using Powersoft’s ArmoníaPlus software and are controlled using the Powersoft plug-in for Q-SYS. Diversified also used ArmoníaPlus to configure and tune the entire seating bowl system.
According to Dykhouse, Diversified chose Quattrocanali DSP+D amplifiers for their high power and digital connectivity – all Powersoft DSP+D models are able to receive audio-over-IP steams via Dante/AES67 – as well as their quick start-up in the event of power failure.
He also highlighted the support offered by the Powersoft US team during the install, in particular that provided by senior sales engineer Rick Woida, who helped the Diversified team configure the new system. “Rick Woida from Powersoft USA engaged Powersoft’s software team to make changes to the Q-SYS plug-in that were needed for the visual user interface deployed at the venue,” said Dykhouse. “We couldn’t be happier with how helpful they were.”
Woida in turn is full of praise for Diversified’s work in Milwaukee: “We are thrilled to have joined forces with Diversified on this transformative project, which showcased both companies’ dedication to audio excellence on a grand stage,” he said. “Together with Diversified we hit all the right notes, and the result speaks for itself.”
“The team at American Family Field and Powersoft were a joy to work with and we look forward to opportunities to work with them again,” said Dykhouse.
