The pandemic experience has influenced the academic strategies of major universities around the world toward a flexible approach. The international context, combined with an already approved master plan for renovation and the inauguration of a new campus, called for a substantial modernization of the audio infrastructure at Ca’Foscari University Venice, which turned to Eurotecnica Salmaso for the project.
Redesigning the audio system of a university, a constellation of venues and classrooms, is an engineering crux; the variable canals and lagoon greatly elevates the complexity. Constantly shifting openings-closings and regulations have altered design and implementation schedules, even affecting some technology preferences. The Information Technology and Telecommunications Services Area team chose a configuration consisting of Shure MXA310 tabletop microphone arrays combined with processing proportionate to the size and complexity of the classroom: Shure P300IMX for more linear environments, Biamp Tesira Fortè Dan VT4 for more structured ones.
“The signal processing operated by Tesira makes it possible to implement a voice lift solution in the classroom,” comments Alberto Salmaso, Managing Partner of Eurotecnica Salmaso “In practical terms, the audio signal captured by the teacher’s microphone is split and processed differently to be sent to the loudspeakers of separate broadcast zones. In this way, the classroom amplification system intelligently compensates for the teacher’s voice with many benefits for the students.” The voice-lift solution punctually calculates the spread of the sound system so that it compensates for the natural propagation of the voice. This improves the acoustic well-being of those in the room, even limiting reverberation problems pending more specific surface intervention.
“To date, the classrooms are characterized by an unorthodox microphone configuration, combining an MXA310 tabletop array with an MX418 goosneck microphone,” explained Marco Simeoni, Office of Technology Support and Development at Venice University. “This allows us to test both the approach and usability on the part of the lecturer, as well as the quality for streaming and in amplification for students in the classroom. The goal is to define a modular and scalable technology direction that will guide future classroom development with a focus on increasing quality and innovation.”
The configurable pickup patterns of the tabletop microphone array allow the teacher’s voice to be picked up even when facing the blackboard and facilitate the transmission and recording of the audio track, ensuring the usability of the lesson in streaming and on-demand. “The selection of audio technology was determined by compatibility with the videoconferencing and lecture management software, Zoom and Moodle, respectively,” continued Modesto Trincanato director of the Office of Technology Support and Development at Ca’ Foscari. “It also falls under a broader redesign of the audio-visual architecture of the classrooms, which now boasts a new control system, tracking camera, laser projectors and touch screens.”
The new Science Campus on Turin Street deserves a specific design note. The buildings trace the university’s spirit of innovation and research with a combination of glass and concrete, resulting in a fascinating architectural complex with challenging acoustics. “With this project we have given a strong impetus to a new technological strategy for the University. The selected solutions ensure that we can effectively expand, modify and upgrade the system architecture today and in the future, enabling us to be able to ensure consistently high-performing and future-proof teaching over the years.” Trincanato concluded.
