Heartland Business Systems Installs Martin Audio O-Line in Upscale Conferencing Space

The Milwaukee division of corporate integrator Heartland Business Systems (HBS) recently installed a unique problem-solving PA system consisting of a Martin Audio O-Line array and SX112 subwoofers in a sophisticated conference space at Gentian Financial Inc.

Discussing the install, Joel Diaz, Q-Sys programmer for HBS, explains: “We were commissioned to do the Audio/Visual for the building which included 12 zones of audio and two conference areas. The larger space encompasses the luxurious main conference room with a spacious atrium and three offices on the second floor mezzanine facing into the area above it. The conference space is big enough that the company can host get-togethers with clients on special occasions that feature low-key music but still depend on O-Line for audio reinforcement which sounds amazing. So it doubles as PA system for speech and low-key events. The space’s building, originally a schoolhouse call Holstein School, is very unique and high end but it became too small for them to use so they invested in a new wing call Gentian Hall which features classic décor with wooden floors.”

Detailing the multifaceted audio solution for the space, John Wojciechowski, HBS’ engineering services manager AV, points out: “We were facing challenges such as wood floors, solid wood beams with a curved ceiling, drywall, windows and full eight foot glass panels to view down to the lower conference area from the mezzanine. I paired eight Martin Audio O-Line speakers a side and two SX112 with a Martin Audio iK81 high power amplifier. I set the bottom four O-Lines to cover the conference room and the top four O-Lines to cover the mezzanine balcony area. Needless to say, the O-Line covered the room perfectly and the power from just two SX112 subwoofers was plenty to rock the house.”

“I’ve deployed the O-Line in churches before but never in a conference room setting,” he adds. “The client mentioned in our first meeting that he wanted something that would visually flow with the interior and provide full coverage allowing small bands to play through the speakers for special events. That is when the O-Line came to mind––small and subtle footprint, amazing speech capability, consistent and discreet music coverage. In terms of the subs, we ended up with a custom fabricated bracket due to the mounting and location of the SX112 which are mounted on the cross beam and wall beam above the projector facing down to the floor at a 30 degree angle.”

Summing up about the results and the client’s reaction to the system, Wojciechowski concludes, “Speech had to be natural and the music had to sound like it was live. The client did his music test with Dave Matthews, closed his eyes and said, ‘Man, it sounds like they are preforming live in this place.’ He was not only amazed how small the speaker was itself, but also the sound quality of what came out of such a small speaker. Finally, the O-line delivered exactly what I expected, consistent audio coverage with unprecedented accuracy.”