Connect Series Installation: Lewis & Clark Library, Montana
Normally, it’s a common courtesy to stay quiet in the library. But thanks to our friends at Montana Pro Audio, there’s a rack of CONNECTSERIES amps ready to turn it up at Montana’s very first library.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at this LEA CONNECTSERIES Install inside the Lewis & Clark Library…
The Spec:
Connect Series Installation: Lewis & Clark Library, Montana
Venue: Lewis & Clark Library
Install Purpose: New system needed for venue remodel with additional meeting spaces and paging requirements.
Product Used: CONNECTSERIES CS354 (Qty. 2), CS704 (Qty. 2)
Total Wattage: 8,400 Watts
The Venue
Connect Series Installation: Lewis & Clark Library, Montana
Lewis & Clark Library situated in Helena, Montana, opened its doors in 1868. While the library has moved location since its founding, it has remained a prominent historical institution in the state. For over 150 years, the facility has been providing library services to the local community. However, looking to service the community in new ways, Lewis & Clark organized a survey of local residents to gauge what other services they would like to see. With the wishes of the community taken on board, the historical institution turned to Montana Pro Audio to provide them with an AV system that would fulfil their needs.
The Integrator
Connect Series Installation: Lewis & Clark Library, Montana
Montana Pro Audio based in Butte, Montana, is a full-service professional sound, lighting, and video company. Their Integration service creates engaging environments through cohesive system designs, industry-leading technologies and intuitive engineering. Their systems include audio, lighting and video capabilities for a wide range of clients and markets.
We got the opportunity to talk shop with Aaron Fisher, Business Development and Production Manager and Ryan Johnston, Director of Integrations. Read the full spotlight here for more about their business, challenges, and motivations.
The Install
Connect Series Installation: Lewis & Clark Library, Montana
The AV integration of Lewis & Clark Library will be completed in two phases. Phase one involved the installation of a building wide, multi-zone paging system, and outfitting of a small AV meeting room. While phase two will involve the installation of a larger meeting space AV system with both 7.1 surround sound capabilities, and standard conference use. In order to bring the space to life and provide the paging system and community rooms with superior sound, Montana Pro Audio installed two of the LEA Professional CONNECT SERIES 354 amps to service the eight paging zones, and two of the CONNECT SERIES 704 amplifiers to service the phase two addition of the 7.1 surround system/conference room system.
For Ryan Johnston, CEO of Montana Pro Audio, one of many challenges of the project facing the team was in delivering consistent, articulate paging throughout a facility with several unique architectural spaces, all open to one another. To address this challenge, the team designed an eight-zone system that was heavily reliant on speaker placement to isolate zones, while still keeping coverage and SPL consistent.
“The small form factor, the sleek, efficient look, and the well thought out design were all factors in our choice to use LEA CONNECT SERIES amplifiers for this job”, commented Johnston. “One of my favorite things about the design of the amps is that there are no controls on the front panel of the amplifier, so I don’t have to worry about anyone changing amplifier settings.”
Another element of LEA Professional’s grounding technology utilized on this project was their free Cloud platform which gives system integrators powerful, reliable, and secure remote monitoring and control capabilities when used with the CONNECT SERIES of IoT-Enabled professional amplifiers.
“This project was different in that it forced us to find a solution that gave us remote connectivity and control of all the system components”, commented Johnston. “The LEA Cloud Connect feature took care of this and then some. It gave us the option for total control, monitoring, and system testing with a simple, well-designed GUI. The setup was easy, and I felt confident in the product right out of the box.”
Not only was the Cloud Platform giving the library client the efficiency they desired, it was also making life for the integrators at Montana Pro Audio easier.
“Montana is such a large state, so a cloud-based amplifier is a huge deal for us,” added Aaron Fisher, Business Development and Production Manager at Montana Pro Audio. “Our company headquarters are in Butte, Montana and many of our clients are in other communities throughout the state, so we could have a multi-hour drive just to turn up the volume on a system. By adding the LEA Cloud to our service contracts, we enhance client satisfaction and streamline our operations.
Another challenge in this project was ensuring the paging system was sympathetic to its environment.
“An important factor for us was ensuring the paging system sounded natural”, explained Fisher. “It couldn’t be a grocery store paging system that had a bite to it, because the facility is going to be a primarily quiet space and we didn’t want the sound system to surprise anybody when an announcement was made. The LEA amplifiers sound extremely nondescript and transparent when you need them to be.”
The Conclusion
Connect Series Installation: Lewis & Clark Library, Montana
Working on this project with the pandemic in the background was no mere feat, but the team at Montana Pro Audio was able to pull this project together with flying colors and we couldn’t be happier to have been a part of it.
“The LEA team is always super responsive and quick to give us answers if I had questions,” commented Fisher. “Beyond the customer and technical support, the LEA Professional social media accounts provide a lot of videos showcasing the products and their little design gems, which has been very helpful, because these features are often overlooked while cruising through an equipment manual.”
When asked whether the team will use LEA Professional on upcoming projects Johnston replied: “I would and will be using these amplifiers again, they performed well beyond my expectations. I do believe that using LEA Professional increases the overall end value of projects.”
We’d like to thank Montana Pro Audio for giving our CONNECTSERIES a chance in this project and we hope that people will benefit from the support provided by our amps in the Lewis and Clark Library for many years to come.
If you have any question or feedback about using our CONNECTSERIES amps in install projects like the LEA Connect Series Installation at Lewis & Clark Library or any other projects, feel free to fill out the form below or reach out to us on our social media channels.
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