The goal of many modern museums is to immerse visitors in a sensory experience, where they are surrounded by A/V, lighting, graphic, and structural elements that work together seamlessly to realize the designer’s vision.

Sophisticated AV helps celebrate music and heritage in Mississippi.

Such is the case at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi. Opened in 2008, the 20,000- square-foot museum traces King’s roots in the Mississippi Delta to international fame as the King of Blues. It blends traditional artifacts from his 60-year career with graphics and interactive media to celebrate his unique legacy and the rich musical history of the Delta.

For museum visitors, the chronological journey through King’s life begins with an introduction to the King of Blues at the museum’s theater, in the form of a high-definition video accompanied by a 5.1-channel surround sound system. The theater also includes a stage with lectern that allows the room to be used for lectures, performances, press events, meetings, and more. Several microphones can be plugged in on the stage, in addition to a laptop computer. A mobile equipment console at the rear of the room features a mixer, DVD/CD players, wireless receiver, and laptop interface.

From the theater, visitors move on to exhibits which chronicle B.B.’s life in The Delta and Memphis, and his rise to a blues icon. The tour concludes in the Guitar Studio interactive exhibit, which features Gibson guitars fitted with LED lights, allowing visitors to play along with B.B. while wearing headphones.

A number of the museum’s exhibits utilize flat-panel displays with hidden Tannoy Di5 speakers. For example, The Delta exhibit features a 65-inch flat-panel display accompanied by a 5.1-channel surround sound system. The exhibit’s speakers are positioned high on the wall against a black background, allowing them to virtually disappear. The effect on visitors is the feeling that they are deep in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.

In addition to the Guitar Studio, there are a number of computer interactive displays located throughout the museum, where the visitor listens to audio through headphones. The computers for these displays are centrally located in the equipment room, with the audio and computer signals transmitted through Cat5 cable.

Of course, at any museum the last thing visitors want to see is an “out of order” sign on a multimedia exhibit. That’s why the team at Bowen Technovation, the project integrator, chose Furman’s PS-PRO II power conditioner/ sequencers and AC-215 power conditioners for the B.B. King Museum. The units protect sensitive components in the museum’s multimedia exhibits, while at the same time enhancing audio and video performance for an optimal visitor experience.

Jeff Norris, project manager for Bowen Technovation, says, “To protect these sensitive components and ensure maximum performance, it was essential that the supplied power be filtered and corrected, and that all equipment be turned on and off in the correct order.”

The 20-A PS-PRO II contains six sequenced rear panel outlets to power up a rack full of equipment in a threestep delayed sequence and power equipment down by reversing the sequence. Five PS-PRO II units are located in the museum’s main equipment room, with one in the secondary equipment room and another in the theater’s mobile console.

In addition, Furman’s AC- 215 power conditioner is being utilized in the Guitar Studio interactive exhibit.

B.B. KING MUSEUM bbkingmuseum.org
BOWEN TECHNOLOGY bowentechnovation.com
FURMAN SOUND furmansound.com
TANNOY tannoy.com

NETWORK IMPACT

To protect sensitive components and ensure maximum performance, it was essential that the supplied power be filtered and corrected, and that all equipment be turned on and off in the correct order.

ROI

The museum serves as a vital resource to the State of Mississippi and the City of Indianola, and as such, it needs to endure.