Formetco Leverages RCF and TT+ AUDIO to Elevate Sports Venue Sound NationwideFounded in 1968, Duluth, Georgia-based Formetco has evolved from a manufacturer of static billboards to become a national leader in outdoor signage and digital displays. The Formetco Sports division, specializing in integrated scoreboard and video display solutions for outdoor and indoor athletic venues, has further solidified its presence in the sports venue market by including audio in its solutions, at the request of customers who preferred to work with one trusted vendor for their full systems. The company is now a top choice for turnkey systems that combine LED video and professional-grade sound, with installs at high school, college and minor league baseball venues from Washington state to Florida. Formetco has a growing partnership with RCF for audio, based upon the depth of the loudspeaker manufacturer's product line, reliable support, and consistent top-tier performance of loudspeakers and amplifiers from RCF's premier TT+ AUDIO brand. Formetco's in-house technical support engineer / sports venue audio systems designer Bobby Norton formerly served the manufacturer as an audio consultant, joining the company full-time as the sports venue business grew. "RCF is my prime vendor because they've consistently proven they're a partner I can rely on," says Norton. "I build my relationships on trust, and with RCF, I know I can pick up the phone and have an answer within minutes, whether it's from RCF USA, the engineering team in Italy, or our rep Quest Marketing. That level of responsiveness makes a huge difference when you're managing complex installs on tight timelines. Their craftsmanship is second to none. You can see it in the way their speakers are built, meticulously, with real attention to detail, and you hear it in the performance. When we've needed support, they've acted fast, stood behind their product, and helped us deliver. That kind of backup is exactly what I need to support our clients with confidence." Formetco has standardized on audio solutions built around the flexibility and performance of TT+ AUDIO GTX systems. Depending on venue size and configuration, a system typically includes GTX 10 line array modules, with the option to scale up to GTX 12 modules for larger stadiums. Low-frequency extension is provided by GTS 29 subwoofers, with amplification and processing duties handled by RCF's XPS series amps. Where systems need to scale down further, Norton says he has his eye on the new GTX 7C compact cardioid line array which is being released along with the new GTS 16C dual front/back speaker cardioid sub. Entire systems are networked and fine-tuned via RCF's RDNet sound system management and control software, ensuring optimal performance. Allen & Heath consoles, typically from the Avantis or dLive series, provide professional-grade audio mixing capabilities and routing. By way of example, at Florida State University, Formetco fitted the Joanne Graf Field softball stadium with a display coupled with a full-range RCF audio system designed for power, clarity and reliability. The main hangs utilize GTX 10 line array modules, paired with install versions of GTS 29 subwoofers for low-end reinforcement. At Alcorn State University's football stadium, Formetco also deployed displays and a robust GTX 12/GTS 29 system to meet the demands of the high-energy gameday environment. Norton reports his client saying that "It sounds like a nightclub at their football stadium." "We're all about clarity, no mud, no harshness. RCF gives us the fidelity and coverage we need, whether we're flying systems on a scoreboard or distributing sound across a gym," Norton notes. "And with RDNet, I can precisely dial in each speaker." Formetco's scalable unified systems approach simplifies the specification, ordering and installation process for its high-performance proprietary LED displays and equally high-performance audio anchored by RCF. "Our customers value that they can come to one place and get everything, from the display to the mix position, and know it'll work seamlessly," says Norton. That philosophy is further evidenced in new standardized high school sports venue video display and TT+ AUDIO GTX packages that Formetco is rolling out nationally. 
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