Mississippi Aquarium Offers Immersive Experience with QSC

Q-Sys ecosystem systems have been installed, with the Core 510i processor as the core of the project. Besides, CXD-Q amplifiers and AcousticDesign speakers have been incorporated.

Opened in Gulfport, in August 2020, the Mississippi Aquarium (Mississippi Aquarium) tells the story of the aquatic resources of the river that gives it its name, from the Delta to the coast, offering an entertainment experience, while playing an active role in research and conservation efforts.

The complex of 24.384 square meters incorporates both indoor and outdoor habitats with more than 200 species of animals and 50 of native plants. As construction progressed, The aquarium began the search for the AV system that best adapted to the requirements of the facilities and chose the Q-Sys ecosystem, which includes amplifiers and speakers LLC.

The integrator ESB Group has been responsible for designing the system and has done so around the Q-SYS Core 510i processor, that manages audio and control throughout the facility. Besides, Improved multitrack player (via Q-SYS Feature License) to show up 32 simultaneous audio tracks of display content, as well as the background music, that goes to any of the areas of the aquarium. The ESB Group also integrated wireless microphones with which presenters can walk around and be heard in each area.

To deliver immersive audio to the various exhibits, Aquarium has paired QSC CXD-Q series network amplifiers with a mix of hanging speakers, QSC AcousticDesign series ceiling and surface mount.

CXD-Q amplifiers are designed to integrate with Q-SYS and offer advanced control and telemetry without the need for complicated programming. AcousticDesign series speakers maintain similar features across all form factors, ensuring no audio transitions are heard when visitors move between zones.

With the help of the Q-SYS UCI deployment function license, the integrator created a user control interface (UCI) for AV support team, providing access to zone-specific volume and track controls, along with signal meters for the venue amplifiers. This provides a bird's eye view into the system and requires no programming.

“Q-SYS is very intuitive to design, from a DSP and control perspective”, explains Drew Breland, ESB Group Design Engineer. “And since it is software based, Features and functionality can be added in the future, which will help foster the great experience the aquarium offers”.