“With the IPDs, we can connect a radio mic via a preamp straight into the amplifier,” says Miller.
“We use the input EQ in the amp for the microphone and the output EQ for the speakers – and it works. So when the presenters come along all they have to think about is ‘turn the mic on and off we go.’ For the systems that are 100 volt line, we add some bespoke manufactured transformers to the output of the amplifier.”
The Rainforest Life exhibit features more of a distributed system covering the all-round canopy, where the Tannoy DI6 speakers are well-hidden on the walls above the walkway but positioned right where the action is, and in sufficient numbers for good intelligibility.
The presenter can freely move around with a radio mic to where the animals are, helped by the wireless aerials being housed in strategically placed plastic tubes.
At back of house there’s a custom RG Jones rack, housing a wireless receiver and a single IPD1200 amplifier.
“There is one channel of radio mic connected to a pre-amp going straight into an amplifier,” says Miller. “We built a preset into the amp so if there’s a need for a reset, we can simply recall everything. The system is left on most of the time and it works efficiently.
“The area was interesting to install as it was achieved with the animals in place. There would be a monkey running across the floor or perched just above my head so we had to be very sensitive. We work with the keepers to make sure our work has no impact on the animals,” he says.
Finding a home for the equipment rack is not always easy, says Miller. While the Rainforest Life exhibit rack was at back of house, the Pygmy Hippo exhibit incorporated the rack in a small cupboard within the exhibit.
This drives the distributed DI6 speakers around the walkways, where people stand to hear a presentation on the hippos.
ZSL London Zoo’s lead presenter Olivia Neville says the audio setup works well over the spread-out area.
“The pygmy hippos like their own space, and that’s why we have two paddocks,” she says. “In summer when both hippos are out, the talk is really well-attended so we use the elevated platform to ensure we can see the audience and the animals, but it’s flexible enough that we can walk around and do the talk from anywhere. The sound quality is very natural and not distracting at all.”
Penguin Beach, the penguins’ new habitat, attracts 900 to 1,000 people at peak times, but penguins don’t like loud noise so RG Jones had to keep the levels low but clear.
“We’ve got three zones,” says Miller, “one in the shallow seating area above the pool where we have placed the smaller DI5s on posts behind the audience. At the cabin, which has its own zone we have two discreet DIs, and around the walkways (where the majority of the people are) we have installed six DIs. We’ve taken a lot of care to face the speakers directly towards, and close to the audience. Again the setup is a radio mic running into a preamp and the IPD amplifier.”
Miller has many projects on his docket so he can’t always be at the zoo, but he doesn’t have to be.
“The beauty is I can use my Lake controller and see what they’re all doing – remotely,” he says. “I sit in the PA room and can see 30 amplifiers sitting on my desktop. I can dial into any of them and they flash up if there’s a load fault.”
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