Chicago Symphony Orchestra

onShore, Inc. has just completed its work on the ECHO project, the code name for creation of the Eloise W. Martin Center. This center is part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s $110 million renovation. We thought you might enjoy an informal recap, a journal of sorts, of how the opportunity came about, how it progressed, and get some reactions to the project now that it is completed. As you read on, you will find the specifications we were originally given by the CSO, a handful of email communications between the four contractors chosen for the project, and you will read some comments by our president and founder, Stel Valavanis. about the project, the teams, the challenges, the lessons we learned, and the future of the technology.

Background

Raul Silva, one of onShore’s partners and Director of Design and Multimedia, is the reason we were called to bid on the ECHO project. While working for the Art Institute of Chicago, he was the interface designer and lead Director programmer for three interactive installations, the largest being Cleopatra, now a permanent exhibit as part of the Ancient Art Galleries. That work, plus his impressive success starting his own business producing numerous commercial interactive titles and Shockwave games for mail and web-based distribution brought his name to the attention of the CSO planners.

Raul, Eric Dodson, onShore’s CEO, and Harvey Tillis, Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development attended an orientation meeting in mid-April, 1997, hosted by the CSO. The CSO had asked a total of 17 potential contractors to attend an all day session during which the 600 page, three volume design document produced by ESI, Edwin Schlossberg, Inc., was introduced and reviewed. Contractors were separated by skill groups with each group reviewing details and asking questions together to get as clear a picture as possible before deciding whether to attempt a response to the RFP and meet the tight deadline for submission. We would have about two weeks to read, analyze, and respond to the design doc.

As we sat in our meeting, talking about software design, Eric suddenly realized that the systems integration portion of this project was another area for which onShore was ideally suited. He borrowed Raul’s portable phone, walked into a lobby, and called Stel Valavanis, onShore’s president. Stel was in the field supervising a job. “Drop everything and get over here,” said Eric. “I’m wearing a t-shirt and jeans!” responded Stel. “Everyone there must be in a suit and tie, aren’t they?” “That doesn’t matter, just get here,” replied Eric. So, in came Stel and Nick for the afternoon session.

We walked out more excited than we had ever been about a potential project. This was going to be the big one. Big challenge. Big visibility. Big price tag. Very big deadlines. We would bid on both the software development portion and the systems integration portion of the project. Nine onShore staff members worked for 10 days and nights on our bids. Our response was more than 60 pages long. We stated that onShore felt confident bidding on either software design and development or systems integration and we made a strong case for considering us to do both portions together. In the end, we were awarded systems integration and circuit design for the musical activity boxes.

Weekly Status Report #1

06/20 2:38 PM

Hello everyone.

This is our first weekly status report and we do have several items we can pass along.

We are still awaiting word on which machines the CSO will decide to choose, the Apple or Motorola. We are ready to move at a moments notice.

We met with Chicago Scenic yesterday to go over our timelines and set approximate dates on when we need to receive hardware from them and when they needed to receive equipment from us. We also came up with additional questions which need to be presented to the architects. Specifically where the mounts for the speakers in the first floor will be placed, or made available. Secondly, where the speakers on the Orchestra wall would be mounted.

One of the big issues we came across was the space in the activity booths. It is not going to be large enough to house all the computers. We have sent this information to Matthew of ESI and to David of Chicago Scenic. We hope to hear a decision early next week.

As far as the instrument design goes:

We drew up a preliminary full instrument schematic.

We acquired a 68HC11 development system and samples of necessary support chips. We then began the physical construction of the first prototype hardware.

We also began to design the control software.

In the weeks to come, we plan to continue working on the design of the instruments. We will be meeting with the architects on Wednesday to go over the issues mentioned above.

That is all for now.

Nick Valavanis onShore, Inc. 1407 W. Chicago Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60622 http://www.onshore.com/ mailto:nick@onShore.com

Stel Valavanis:

The systems integration job was very big. However, we have done bigger jobs for clients in the advertising industry and in the financial brokerage industry. We had to put a lot of redundancy into our planning for this job because additional wiring would not be possible later. Dollar-wise, the combined systems integration and MIDI development project was the biggest dollar project we had ever done up to that time.

Not only was this project exciting. It was also dangerous because we had never done anything quite like it before and we told this to the CSO. The circuit design and code we were developing for the activity boxes was a unique challenge for us. I think that including that design as part of what was defined as “systems integration” scared off some of the other potential bidding contractors.

I believe that after the CSO and ESI reviewed specs for the entire job and then studied our credentials they felt comfortable bringing us in because we already had done bigger, more complex systems; we had the dealerships in place, and we had outside vendor resources already established.

Technical Specifications for the CSO Project

1. Engineer all technical systems
2. Coordinate and schedule all Systems Contractor work and other contractors.
3. Review designer’s specifications for all systems elements and confirm availability and appropriateness of all components specified.
4. Submit specification substitutions for approval
5. Produce final systems schematic diagram
6. Produce systems rack elevations
7. Produce cabling and termination schedules
8. Submit diagrams, elevations and schedules for approval
9. Provide systems components
10. Provide mounting hardware and equipment racks for systems equipment
11. Provide systems components for software developers and exhibit fabricator.
12. Set up prototype systems for all systems types for evaluations and for use by software developers
13. Integrate exhibit systems
14. Deliver and install exhibit systems
15. Coordinate on-site electrical work.
16. Coordinate technical installation with other contractors.
17. Test installed equipment
18. Assist software producers in installation of software programs
19. Troubleshoot systems
20. Correct punch list items.
21. Produce systems documentation, manuals, and warranties.
22. Train Exhibit Staff in operations and maintenance of systems
23. Coordinate turn-over of systems to Exhibits Staff.
24. Provide technical support for Exhibit Staff.
25. Provide initial 1 year warranty for all systems components and systems integration
26. Provide on-going service contract support as requested by CSO

The Exhibit Systems include, but is not limited to:

• Interactive computer systems
• computer networks
• computer MIS stations
• computer network file server
• data acquisition and control system
• video playback system
• audio system
• electronic message display system

Journal

07/14 8:31 AM

hello.

i will not be able to attend this week´s meeting, but i can give you a brief update of the status of work at onShore.

i have been in touch with Paul Heggeland of CR and we discussed the changes/additions in the conduit layout. So it seems like we are straight on that issue. Paul told me that they would be “marking” the spots where the conduit will be installed, so the next big step would be for onShore to inspect this before the installation. Paul can give me an update on when that will be happening and i can meet him at the site to cover those issues.

one question that remains is the use of the cable tray. I´m not really sure of its functionality since it looks like we are going to be using conduit on most of the cable runs.

we have been receiving equipment since late last week. this morning we received all the computer systems from Motorola (wow, that was a fast turnaround!) so we will begin testing the hardware within the next few days. we can then provide a complete system to CSSI for their use. we will also begin shipping units to Kandu, hopefully by the end of the week (we are still waiting on the samplecell cards). we can also provide a station for the CSO (holly) for her use.

so things are going to begin rolling at onShore over the next few weeks. we have already diagnosed a defective speaker (which we are in the process of shipping back for replacement).

if any of these issues need immediate attention please feel free to call me at 312-850-5200. thanks nick

07/21 2:57 PM

hello everyone. sorry for getting this out late but i had a little flood at my house on Friday, fun, fun…..

Anyway, we are moving full steam ahead now that we have most of the equipment in-house. We sent out the samplecell card + RAM to Kandu as soon as we received it. It should now be in their hands so they can begin their work.

We are still missing some key components. We will be contacting those vendors throughout the beginning of this week to see if we can get updated ETA. The Tally displays are one of those items. We did, however, get hold of a manual for the displays which we sent to Kandu. We hope this helps.

We are also still waiting on the PCI Ethernet cards for the Resource Terminals. We have an ETA date of August 5th for those. I just received email from James at Kandu who said he will need the cards sooner. So, we will begin looking for a different brand of Ethernet card. Prices should be about the same.

We are planning on sending out the Motorola machines to Kandu, CSSI and CSO this week. Kandu´s first couple of units should go out on Monday, the remainder by mid-week. CSSI can also expect to receive a machine so they can continue building the Resource Terminals.

I just spoke with David at CSSI, and i guess they no longer need the Motorola´s right away. They do, however, need the trackball. We have most of the assembly but are still waiting on the button and the faceplate. We will call the manufacturer right away for an ETA. We will get the trackball to CSSI as soon as we receive it.

The Instrument. Jesse is making great progress. Late last week he “brought to life” the main processor of the Box. He is conducting further tests to make certain the chip is operating properly.

That’s all for now….. Nick

Stel Valavanis:

I think that the CSO expected us to send out the musical activity box circuit design job, but we were very excited to keep it in-house. Our circuit design was more sophisticated than had been anticipated by the CSO–probably because several of our programmers have degrees in music or are active in music themselves. For example, I have personally worked on audio projects for years, have my own band, and have cut several commercial disks. Our lead programmer, Jesse Bouwman, graduated in 1993 from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Music, having studied theory, history, composition and orchestration. I understood the electronics work well enough to discuss it with the CSO and ESI, but it took Jesse’s electronic expertise to come up with a design and make it happen.

We wanted to make the music boxes as realistic as possible; make the duration of tones like a real instrument. And that´s what we did. Actually, the problems were more mechanical than software design-related. For example, we had to install springs under some pads to get the tension right.

The activity boxes are independent MIDI musical instruments; i.e., they could plug into a keyboard and control the keyboard. This instrument is already talking native MIDI. We wrote a program for the microprocessor built into the activity boxes that packages the velocity and note information directly into MIDI packets instead of just sending raw binary analog data when buttons are pressed on the instruments.

onShore is obligated for the next year to keep these boxes working.

Journal

08/01 1:46 PM

The Tally displays and the Optasy Brick 830 have arrived. They were shipped to Kandu yesterday. We also sent a Tally display to CSSI. We are still waiting for the speakers that mount behind the Ear exhibit.

The specifications for the Systems Integration have changed. The server station in each of the booths is no longer needed. We will be purchasing an additional 10 samplecell cards which will be installed in the remaining booth systems. Each booth will now contain 3 stations each of which will have one samplecell card.

There might be one additional change to the systems in the Sound and Silence booth. Kandu is trying to get that information together. The three systems in this booth may require 2 samplecell cards each. Kandu will contact us as soon as they have the information. We will order the extra cards at that time, if necessary.

This week we continued installing and testing the computer systems. We delivered/installed two complete (with ram and samplecell card) systems, one for the CSO and one for ACC.

Contractors….please let us know if you need additional equipment.

We will be adding extra speaker, serial and data cables to all runs.

The ceiling speakers for the 1st floor have become an issue. CRI and CSO feel the weight of the speakers is going to be a problem. The ceiling is going to be drywall. We spoke with our vendor and they say it should not be a problem. We will be receiving the backbox for these speakers early next week. The backbox has a flange around the perimeter. This is where the weight of the speaker is going to be resting. If it is determined that this is not sufficient then accommodations need to be made to install a supporting structure.

Jesse is progressing. He will be ready to provide a demonstration of the instrument for ESI on their visit to us next Tuesday. Nick

Stel Valavanis:

This is an exhibit and it is extremely media-rich. We´ve done bigger networks, but not one as media-rich as this one. This project is inherently different from today´s business networks (where everything is digital) that only produce ads or run accounting systems.

It was unique to integrate the many different data types; moving audio and video signals and serial data back and forth between all the different displays. Typically, in today´s digital environment, we don´t have to run serial signals around. We usually do things over a network.

Journal

SampleCell v. EMU….and the winner is…

Looks like the decision was made to go with the SampleCells Cards. We can now continue working on installing/testing the remaining 12 SampleCell cards. We have 10 cards right now. We will have to order 2 more along with the corresponding RAM.

The BackBoxes for the 1st floor ceiling speakers finally arrived on Wednesday. We met with Meade on Friday on site and went over the installation and placement of the speakers. These should be in place by late Friday afternoon. We are still waiting for the grille for these speakers.

We have asked Meade to begin installing all the data, serial, video and audio cabling. If there is any concern or quesitons regarding any cabling issues please let us know ASAP. Since we are going with the SampleCell cards there should be no extra cabling necessary between the Booth clusters and the equipment room. Meade should be able to complete the cable runs in 7 to 10 days.

The telephone cabling has become a possible addition to our scope of work. I will receive confirmation of this from Sandy Seim on Monday. Since Meade is already on site and pulling cabling, it makes perfect sense to just have them run the telephone cabling at the same time.

Jesse has been delayed in getting the instrument to Kandu. The hold up has been getting the circuit board back from the vendor who is burning the circuit onto it. We received the first batch of boards late Friday. Jesse needs to put all the pieces together and then test the integrity of the boards. We will try to get a completed board out to Kandu as soon as possible. Nick

Stel Valavanis:

We had to design and install a mix of physical media: different types of electronic signals, like audio, running over coaxial cable, serial cable running between LED displays and various computers, video cables and speaker cables. Everything had to be figured out and drawn into a complex diagram. We had to build and install electronics for the activity boxes as well as for mounting those boxes in the booths. We were dealing with hardware and cabling on a very large scale. Currently, MIDI is running around the room and into these booths.

Journal

Onsite install:

Our cabling contractor has installed the backboxes for the 1st floor speakers. In addition they have pulled all the cabling (serial, data, audio and video). The cabling still needs to be terminated but they cannot complete the job until the furniture has been installed. We also have to install some of the hardware like the equipment racks and patch panels before termination can be completed.

The backboxes have been secured to the metal framing of the ceiling. This will provide the extra support CRI and CSO requested.

We have sent a quote to Holly and Sandy regarding the addition of the telephone and extra data cabling that needs to be done. We are awaiting word so we can give Meade the go ahead on this additional work.

Instrument boxes: They did not go out to Kandu yet. Jesse ran into a couple of problems last week. His EPROM programmer failed. We had to warranty replace the unit. The vendor did provide us a new one overnight. The second problem was the circuit boards that we received last Friday. It looks like they are not perfect. We’ll have to do another run. In the meantime, Jesse has gone back to his previous (working) breadboard design in order to provide Kandu a working prototype. I am hoping to FedEx this unit to Kandu on Tuesday.

Equipment: Kandu has returned a failed SampleCell card. We have sent them a replacement along with the additional VRAM chips we just received. We will return the defective card for replacement. We have also found several defective RAM modules. These will also be returned for replacement chips.

We are continuing our tests and installs of the SampleCells and computer hardware.

We are preparing to begin our onsite work on Sept. 8th. At that time we will focus on getting the network equipment installed so Meade can complete their termination of all the cabling.

The following week, Sept. 15th, we are preparing to begin installation of the computer and audio hardware. Nick

Stel Valavanis:

It was very exciting for onShore to do this job within this artistic and creative environment.

The CSO could not have been a better client to work for. They were not only extremely positive and encouraging, they were always generating excitement. They were also extremely competent and never resisted carrying their end of the bargain.

On top of it all, they were always big believers in doing it the right way. On day one, they hired top notch people, ESI, to produce the most detailed functional spec I have ever seen, and they were not afraid to get through a difficult and grueling bidding process. When we suggested ways to cut features to bring our estimates into line with their budget, they scoffed at the ideas. They really wanted it to be world-class, just like the Symphony Center. They would not accept compromises and only sought to make this project at least as good as the specs if not better.

Their attitude was wonderful to deal with. It is as if they considered us one of their family. They are truly deserving of a great deal of respect in this city and around the world.

I must say that to be employed by an entity like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to make musical instruments is very flattering.

Journal

We have been quite busy the past couple of weeks.

Jesse has received the second batch of circuit boards. He is in the process of testing them and making final modifications. All the chips for the final run have been laid out and are ready to be installed. We are ready to receive the final instrument boxes from CSSI.

The data cabling is complete. The cabling has been Pentascanned for Level 5 compliance. The cabling has passed all tests. The LAN is now operational.

We have installed all of the Motorolas (that we have available, the others are out to Kandu, CSO and ACC) into the Booth Clusters. The Speakers in the Booth Clusters are all installed with the exception of the woofers.

The resource terminals should be completed today. This includes the 4 Motorolas, monitors, headphones and trackballs.

The Ear wall is complete. We have cabled the LCD displays and the speakers.

All the ceiling mounted speakers have been installed.

We have ordered and delivered the Darwin 8-Track Audio Hard Disk Recorder to Kandu.

Items left to do:

We need:

to install and cable all the audio equipment in the equipment room. to install the equipment rack and audio gear at the Violin Desk. to install the receptionists computers on both floors. to install the Tally and Alpha displays in the Orchestra Wall. equipment back from ACC(1 station), Kandu(5 stations), CSO(1 station). instrument boxes from CSSI.

Nick

Stel Valavanis:

We were very excited and pleased with the jobs done by our fellow team members on this project: the work that CSSI did creating the physical instruments, all of the graphical elements produced by _____ Communications, and by the work of Kandu. We love the sound rooms.

Kandu did a great job with software design. Theirs was a much different approach than ours. They appear to have viewed the project like game programming for one specific platform. We deal more with the middle layers and operating systems of the variety of machines we find before us. We normally tend to think in terms of enterprise applications. We must reuse our code more often so that it can “talk” to systems that we don´t have control over. Our jobs often require us to modify code as well as pass it on to other people, like IS/IT professionals.

Journal

1. Aside from the 8 spares, all of the boards are built.
2. Many have problems, but using the scope Lee and I are batting 1.0 getting them to work (4/4 this evening). Should have bought this 6 months ago, too bad. There is full documentation for the troubleshooting procedure in cvs.
3. There are final ‘air’ box mounting issues to be resolved. Should be put in the coffin by #4…
4. A calibration program is half complete and should be operational by the weekend.
5. Program changes need to be made to support pressure control on the ‘percussive’ boxes, i.e. block and drum, which is a day’s work and 1 or 2 interchanges with Kandu.
6. There is a tentative monday am meeting with Erik L et al. to discuss calibration/response issues.
7. What else?