AV Case Study: Glenunga International High School
A school gymnasium tamed by good audio design.
28 March 2025
Text:/ Graeme Hague
Glenunga International High School is in Adelaide, South Australia, and it proudly has a strong emphasis on – as the name suggests – creating a harmonious, internationally minded learning environment incorporating 21st century skills. All combined, the students represent over 90 different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. No surprise, keeping up with modern technology and education methods is important, and that includes equipping the school’s gymnasiums with appropriate AV gear … ah, fit for purpose.
It’s that ‘fit for purpose’ tag which is not so straightforward these days because school gyms have long been decidedly multi-purpose now. Sure, that’s always been the case, but in the (distant) past no one complained about a couple of column speakers screwed on either side of the stage proscenium, a dented Tandy Electronics microphone, and an archaic amplifier gathering dust in the corner. Today, even the label ‘gymnasium’ is a misnomer for a critical space hosting a wide range of events such as artistic performances that are often multimedia productions, concerts, as well as the day-to-day assemblies and, of course, sports. Clear audio is essential and can’t be compromised.
GYM. WILL FIX IT
However, we’re still talking about a school gymnasium, right? Some things don’t change even for the 21st century. Meaning a large, open area with a high ceiling, long flat walls and a wooden floor that thumps, creaks and squeaks with every footstep. The management of GIHS decided that the larger of its two gyms needed a serious audio upgrade to replace a system that wasn’t meeting requirements anymore, and turned to Diversified to arrive at a solution.
Matt Dixon of Diversified explains, “The gymnasium presented a mostly typical list of challenges when it comes to acoustics for these types of spaces – loud reverberation and high levels of ambient noise when you have a lot of people in the space. The school has installed some acoustics treatments but is holding off on doing more until it makes a decision about purchasing some retractable bleacher-style seating – something that could significantly impact those acoustics.”
MOUNT UP
The school’s governing board was given several options and chose what it believed to be the most fit for purpose, rather than trimming the budget too hard. This allowed Diversified to propose a design using Adamson IS Series point source loudspeakers that gave them good coverage and, more important in the circumstances, tightly controlled image placement to steer the audio away from those pesky reverberant surfaces. The Adamson loudspeakers are powered by Lab.gruppen D Series amplifiers with onboard DSP for dialling in delay times and tonal adjustments.
The building structure itself did have some benefits, mostly in the exposed ceiling providing steel beams and plenty of cable tracks and solid mounting points – and at the same time these caused issues. Oliver Taylor from Diversified tells us, “It was often a problem to find speaker mounting points that gave us clear dispersion. There was always something in the way. So in the end, loudspeaker locations weren’t so simple.”
TREADING CAREFULLY
The Diversified crew only had a window of opportunity during school holidays to install everything. Unfortunately, the gymnasium floor wasn’t going to handle the weight of a scissor lift and scaffolding was used instead. This added time with the unwieldy scaffolding being constantly shifted, especially when cabling was being positioned. Oh well, it is a gymnasium – you’re supposed to break into a sweat.
The design is focused on an area beneath a display screen where a temporary stage is usually built, or if that’s not needed, the lectern is placed on the floor.
THE DESIGN
A total of six Adamson IS10P two-way loudspeakers were used – three hung vertically above the ‘stage’ to cover the first half of the gym, augmented by two Adamson IS119 subs in a cardioid arrangement in a centre cluster to minimise spill. The other three IS10P units are hung horizontal, spaced across the width of the room, at a midpoint down the gymnasium.
With everything in place, Adamson BlueprintAV software figured out some final fine-tuning tweaks. The Lab.gruppen D amps take care of delay settings and essential room EQ when the audio requirements are relatively simple. However, the school deploys an in-house digital console for larger productions and a Biamp Tesira brain allows easy switching between the two configurations. Interestingly, the gymnasium had some issues with adequate 240V power and the Lab.gruppen’s Breaker Emulation Limiter (BEL) was a handy feature to deal with this, but the problems have since been addressed.
ELITE PERFORMERS
The sound reinforcement throughout the gym is outstanding and certainly next-level compared to the previous install. Whether it’s a basketball game with its various noisy competitors and supporters, or a student assembly, the Adamson system is delivering crisp and clear audio.
Lukas Schmidt-Duncan, the school’s Senior ICT System’s Manager, sums it up nicely, “The school identified a need to replace the sound system in a space where we host multiple community events and assemblies, some with over 2000 attendees. We engaged Diversified based on its world class reputation for providing high quality AV solutions. Throughout the process, including the initial meeting, concept designs and revisions of the systems, we discussed how to best cater to the school’s needs. We landed on a system that performed flawlessly, regardless of the event type. The team handling the installation process of the system were professional and kept the school informed of progress and of anything unforeseen. Since the system was commissioned in July 2024, the school has hosted multiple events in the space including with presenters and live bands. We have received positive feedback about the audio from staff, students and members of the wider community. The new audio system has enabled us to confidently run our events to a high audio standard and increase our event capacity overall.”
AUDIO VERSUS GYM
Glenunga International High School, in keeping with its excellent reputation, has certainly ensured that it will continue to provide the students and staff with the best technology and equipment, not to mention that crucial learning environment. Thanks to Adamson loudspeakers and Lab.gruppen amps Diversified could source premium products to overcome the obstacles presented by a familiar adversary – the dreaded school gymnasium.
CMI (Adamson): cmi.com.au
Australis Music (Lab.gruppen): australismusic.com.au
Diversified: onediversified.com/contact-us
Matt Dixon: Account Executive
Oliver Taylor: Service Field Engineer
EQUIPMENT LIST
6x Adamson IS10P POINT SRC 2WAY 10 LM Loudspeakers
6x Adamson IS10P Vertical Bracket
3x Labgruppen D404L Amplifiers
2x Adamson IS119 Subs Loudspeakers
1x IS119 Sub Support Frame
1x Labgruppen D804L Amplifier
RESPONSES