Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Music Distribution Systems

This is topic Music Distribution Systems in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Marcial Feliciano Ramos (Member # 1989) on 03-23-2019, 07:04 PM:

Hi all,

What are the choices on the market for Music Distribution to the screens?

Thanks

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 03-23-2019, 07:51 PM:

USL/QSC has one.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 03-24-2019, 09:56 AM:

USL had the MDS - 1400 / 2600 system which is out of production per their web-site.
Odyssey Products has the DATR-1 which should be O.K.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-24-2019, 11:12 AM:

Yes, the USL system is no more. I don't recall if there is a last-buy status. Most people no longer put in music systems since Ads are taking up that time.

Component Engineering may still have their system (they are still in business but not doing anything with cinemas).

There are other non-cinema means of music distribution via audio DAs and digital transmission.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 03-24-2019, 12:52 PM:

Showing my ignorance here, but what does a "music distribution system" actually do?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-24-2019, 01:29 PM:

Pretend you have a multiplex. You have a CD changer, iPod, phone, computer, music source of some sort. You feed that into the distribution amp and it feeds the individual theatres. It keeps them all separated (one theatre has no effect on the others) and can balance out amongst different processors (unbalanced versus balanced, different sensitivities, mono versus stereo...and before you question mono...back in film it occurred but if you want to feed a bathroom or lobby, you don't really need stereo).

It distributes the music.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-24-2019, 01:39 PM:

These systems are meant for multiplexes where they use one audio source to feed all screens. Not as easy as it looks as you can get interference, hum, etc. if not done right. Intermission music is not used as much in these places anymore as they are getting hit by BMI and ASCAP for royalties and also the screens are being used for ads in between shows.

I see Steve beat me and with a better explanation.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 03-24-2019, 01:54 PM:

The first question to answer nowadays would be wether one actually wants a central music source for all screens, and wether a dedicated transmission wiring to all screens is desirable, exists or is easy to install. Choices are analog (balanced) or digital.
Many larger multiplexes now probably use digital streaming techniques over their existing TCP/IP networks. Compared to DCP content transfer, 100-200kBit/s for MP3 or AAC even to a large number of auditoriums eats very little network bandwidth.
TCP/IP over existing networks will also allow to distribute many sources in different locations to many targets, and not just auditoriums, but lobby, rest rooms, etc.
You could also have local storage and just central control. In smaller cinemas, I still often see CD/DVD/MP3 players in autoplay mode per auditorium, it powers up with the other gear, and shuts down equally...

Depends on what you want to achieve. Having the same music in all auditoriums may be desirable or not. Sometimes you may need individual music selection in some auditoriums, and a strict analog/digital conventional one-to-many distribution does not allow that. QSCs QSYS also has an answer for that, but you probably won't install a QSYS just for music distribution ;-)

As it stands, CAT5-7 cabling allows for more flexibility. If dedicated CAT wiring is available, you may even use that for old-school analog distribution and also one or two back channels (e.g. for central monitoring).

- Carsten

Posted by Marcial Feliciano Ramos (Member # 1989) on 03-25-2019, 01:07 PM:

quote: Richard Fowler
Odyssey Products has the DATR-1 which should be O.K.

Do I need a main unit (transmitter) and receivers in each auditorium or I just do the same as the USL model?

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 03-25-2019, 01:30 PM:

One transmitter, multiple receivers.

http://www.odyssey-products.com/products/audio_products/distribution_amp_system.html

http://www.odyssey-products.com/resources/DARC1DistributionReceiver.pdf