Multi-Zone Output Systems

Output Zones Defined

The term Output Zone refers to an area of a venue or building which has its own separate speaker system. Examples might be stage tower speakers, lobby PA, warehouse, store front, etc. Our audio products allow you to pipe sound to multiple zones simultaneously. Different sound or music sets could be playing in each zone with Sound Mill. You connect each speaker system to your computer via a multi-output soundcard or multiple sound cards. The approach you take to build your multi-zone system will depend on your budget, number of outputs needed, types of cable connections required and sound quality desired. Below are some sample alternatives to creating a multi-output system for use with Sound Mill or Matrix Mic Output Groups. If your sound card appears as a selectable device in the Windows Control Panel -- Sound and Audio Devices -- Audio Sound Playback panel, it should be visible to our programs. If the output ports are not showing up in Windows Sound and Audio Devices, there may be a DirectX driver available as a download on the manufacturer website.

Attention: Hardware examples shown below are NOT ENDORSEMENTS of any manufacturer or any specific product models. See footnote.

High-End Multi-Zone Systems

The big theaters use expensive multi-output sound cards (ex. Delta 1010 - 10-In/10-Out PCI/Rack card - $750USD) to get the absolute best fidelity from their sound system. There are other 10-output cards that range from $200-500USD (ex. Delta 1010LT - 10-In/10-Out PCI - $250USD). Each port on these cards are generally recognized to Windows as Output 1 , Output 2 ... , etc.

Mid-Range Multi-Zone Systems

Not everyone has the deep pocket budget of a Disney production. You can get a 4 output USB or PCI soundcard with very good frequency response (ex. Audiophile 2496 - 4-In/4-Out Audio Card - $125USD). There are many options for under $100USD at many price points (ex. StarTech 7.1 USB Audio External Adapter with 2 outputs - $50USD).

Low Cost Multi-Zone Systems

If you need to build a system for the lowest cost possible and high sound quality is not necessary, you might try this approach. You can get USB External Sound Card Audio Adapters for under $10USD each. Here's a sample listing of USB external sound cards for sale. Plug this Adapter into a USB port on the computer, and use the headphone jack (for output). These audio adapters will appear as Audio card (1), Audio card (2), etc in the Windows Control Panel. Some users have reported sufficient quality sound from these considering the low cost. If needed, get a USB Hub ($5-30USD) to add more USB ports to your computer (see USB Hub tip below).

Things to consider: Quality can vary widely in this price range. Don't buy 10 USB External Sound Card Audio Adapters right away. Buy one and try it out to see if it performs up to the sales claims. Pay attention to the size dimensions of these adapters. Is the body so thick that it will likely block adjacent USB ports on your USB hub? Some adapters come with volume buttons which may be flimsy and fatten the body of the device. But device volume can be better controlled by our software so they is no need for volume buttons. USB 1.1 speed is 12Mbps, while USB 2.0 speed is 480 Mbps. Although both will work on a PC with USB 2.0 ports, select a USB 2.0 adapters device if possible. The microphone inputs on these adapters are not usually sufficient for high quality recording. Maybe buy an extra adapter so if one dies on show night, you can quickly swap it in.

These USB adapters are designed to drive headphones or a single set of small laptop speakers. Since you'll be using the adapter output to drive much larger speakers, your speaker system should have its own power amplifier (ex. a boom box, or other powered speakers). To minimize distortion, run the computer volume at a lower setting and set the physical speaker volume switch at a high setting. Play with both settings to find the optimum mix.

If you buy a USB Hub, get one with a AC power adapter (ex. USB Hub with AC power adapter ). If you are running a lot of zones, the combined sum of the speaker system power requirements may exceed the USB Hub maximum power output.

The Hobbyist Guide to Multi-Zone Systems

If you are a hobbyist, you might want to experiment at home by putting speaker zones in the basement or garage. Or create an amusement attraction for your club or school. Here are some low cost, no cost suggestions. Get a few of the low cost external USB audio adapters mentioned in the Low Cost section above. For speaker systems, try a boombox with a line-in jack or a microphone jack and detachable speakers. Boomboxes have amplifiers to boost the audio signal coming from the computer USB audio adapters. Patch the output of the USB audio adapter to the line-in jack or a microphone jack of the boombox. Detachable speakers are desired because you will need to run speaker wire from the place where the computer is located, to each speaker zone location. Standard computer speakers are a potential option but you will need to get creative with wiring since the audio amplifier is typically located inside one of the speakers. It is clearly cheaper to run 50 feet of speaker wire than 50 feet of shielded stereo patch cable cable. You can often find used boomboxes and computer speakers at nonprofit stores such as Goodwill Stores. You can test to see if the soundcards are piping sound to the expected zones by plugging headphones into the USB audio adapters. Radio Shack has all the patch cables and connectors you might need to patch from the USB audio adapter to the speaker amplifier unit. And have some fun with it or what's the point?

Footnotes:

•  Examples shown are NOT ENDORSEMENTS of a manufacturer or specific product models, but rather just representative samples of device features and prices. There are lots of alternatives. Do some research before you buy. Read online product reviews and customer reviews.
•  Prices are approximate based on date this document was produced.