Dalton High School Football Stadium

A football stadium needs sound that reaches every seat and every sideline, survives the weather, and can be run by a student announcer on a Friday night. At Dalton High School's stadium we designed and installed a complete field audio system from the press box out to the concession stand.

The main coverage comes from FBT Shadow 112 full-range loudspeakers mounted on the light poles: two per pole on either side of the press box facing the field, one on the back of each pole facing the bleachers, one per pole on the team sideline, and two more at the end zone for the track-and-field jump and throw areas. Four FBT Shadow 114 subwoofers on the poles beside the bleachers, driven by a dedicated high-powered amplifier, give the system the weight a game-day crowd expects. All of it runs on direct-burial speaker cable with surge protection at every pole.

In the press box, a rolling equipment rack holds the amplifiers, a Biamp TesiraForte DSP for mixing and equalization, power sequencing and surge protection, an RF Venue antenna distribution system, and an Audix wireless system that runs two handheld and two lapel microphones at once. A push-button announcer microphone and an easy control keypad sit on the press box counter, with a Denon media player, a 3.5mm input, USB and Bluetooth connections for laptops and phones, and a feed from the Musco lighting system for synchronized light-and-sound shows.

The concession building has four speakers with its own wall-mounted rack and multichannel amplifier, the dressing room and restrooms have in-ceiling speakers, and each area has its own volume control. We spent a full day training the staff on the system.