Kalahari Resorts & Conventions is known for its impressive waterparks, family-friendly vacations, and comprehensive meeting and events facilities. Kalahari is also known for effectively tying all these uses together through a unified experience. This is done with curation of custom artwork from African artisans, music sourced from across Africa, and top-of-the-line technology and entertainment.
Conference Technologies Inc. recently completed a full integration of the newest Kalahari resort in Round Rock, Texas. And for many locations on the premises – including the 223,000 sq ft indoor waterpark – the firm relied on Renkus-Heinz to provide impressive and intelligible sound.
“Inside the waterpark you have high ceilings, high volumes of people in the space, and you’re trying to cover an extremely large area,” said Rebecca Fuchs, Senior Design Consultant with Conference Technologies Inc. “The ask here is that you have music and sound that is not just fun but creates an element of emotion and excitement. You need to connect with it. And to do that, you need it to be intelligible. It can’t just be really loud sound coming out of the speaker. It has to be strategic.”
The waterpark leverages cutting edge technology within Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers – many of which make use of the company’s impressive digitally steerable solutions – to overcome what would normally be considered a challenging acoustic location. Digitally steerable beams allow for sound to be positioned precisely where you want it most: on the audience. This is a critical consideration for large locations such as a waterpark, where traditional loudspeakers are apt to bounce sound off reverberant surfaces and result in decreased audio quality.
Renkus-Heinz steerable solutions within the waterpark include: two IC Live F-DUAL-RD arrays, seven ICONYX IC8-RDO arrays, and four ICONYX IC16-RDO arrays. The installation also makes use of two ICL-F-215S-RN subwoofers and eight P3-64 high directivity, high output loudspeakers that use Renkus-Heinz’ Complex Conic technology. All arrays are weather resistant to withstand humidity within the park.
The result? Impressive sound placed precisely where waterpark visitors are located.
“When you turn it on and hear it, you find yourself incredibly impressed by the clarity and quality Renkus-Heinz provides,” Rebecca said. “We’ve integrated a 27-by-36-ft video wall in one area that overlooks the wave pool. The plan is to utilise the great sound in conjunction with a vast library of music videos and custom Kalahari content. The Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers are going to make for a very impressive experience.”
Renkus-Heinz solutions are also integrated in an on-site bowling alley and a family fun centre. The bowling alley has two TX82 two-way, Complex Conic loudspeakers and two TX112S high performance subwoofers. The fun center has 13 ICONYX IC8-RDO arrays providing perfectly positioned audio using digital beam steering.
Renkus-Heinz provided on-site commissioning of the arrays, ensuring precision placement of the digitally steered beams.
“The moment the system commissioning was complete it sounded just absolutely incredible,” Rebecca said. “We talk about how Kalahari wants to create an experience. The reality is a well-crafted experience creates memories. And Renkus-Heinz is providing the sound that will make a lot of memories.”
