East Lansing, MI – WPS | Washington Professional Systems, a national audiovisual technology integrator, recently completed a series of large-scale audio system enhancements at Michigan State University’s Spartan Stadium. The audio renovations are part of a $4.1 million capital improvement plan by the university to adapt to changing code requirements and maintain a first-rate experience for fans.
WPS was selected by Michigan State to demolish the aging audio system, and engineer, program, and integrate a new, distributed audio system at Spartan Stadium. The system, designed by Jack Covert’s team at Anthony James Partners, provides coverage for the bowl seating and concourse areas of the stadium and includes a series of Fulcrum Acoustic AHS steerable arrays, US221 subwoofers, and AH65 coaxial horn loudspeakers powered by amplifiers from Powersoft and QSC. Signal processing is handled by QSC Q-SYS Core 110F and Core 8 Flex DSPs with touch panel integration for system control and monitoring. The “head end” system is connected via a Dante network and allows for interoperability between equipment with near zero latency.
WPS also replaced the entire audio cabling with all-new fiber optic cabling infrastructure and installed an ancillary analog audio system that interfaces with the existing fire alarm system for egress announcements during emergencies. The main audio system is designed to mute entirely during an emergency and immediately switch to the ancillary system for emergency broadcasts.
WPS tested, tuned, and commissioned the newly integrated audio system ahead of Michigan State’s first 2022 home game at Spartan Stadium against the Western Michigan University Broncos on September 2nd, where the Spartans would go on to win 35-13.
Spartan Stadium, nicknamed “The Woodshed” was constructed in 1923 at a cost of $160,000 (over $2.5 million in 2022 dollars) and a seating capacity of 14,000. Over the next nine decades, the stadium received significant upgrades, including changes to the playing surface, modern video scoreboards, stadium-wide lighting, and a five-fold increase in the seating capacity to 75,000. While the stadium is home to the Michigan State Spartan’s football team, the university occasionally leases the venue for concerts and sporting events, including a hockey game between Michigan State and Michigan that held a world record for the largest ice hockey crowd in history.
Jack Covert, Senior Design Engineer for Anthony James Partners stated that the new audio system at Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium is “one of the best sounding systems in all of college football.” Keith Neubert, Executive Director of Engineered Services for WPS, agrees, “the system clarity, even at the highest outputs, is currently unmatched and we’ve been able to eliminate any hint of feedback from the input sources. Our team and partners have delivered a first-class audio experience that fans will enjoy for many years.”
About WPS
WPS | Washington Professional Systems is a family-owned and operated commercial audio-video technology integrator. For over 35 years, WPS has specialized in the design, engineering, and integration of sound reinforcement, studio recording, conferencing systems, classroom and training facilities, command & control, and broadcast video systems for some of the world’s most recognizable organizations. Our dedicated team brings a depth of knowledge and experience necessary to achieve and exceed project goals, while building the next generation of world-class venues.
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