Council Chamber Audio in Oakland: Biamp TesiraFORTÉ DAN CI DSP with Custom Canvas Operator Control

Replacing the processing behind a council chamber's microphones

The council chambers at Oakland City Hall ran on existing microphone systems and DSPs, one set in the chamber and one in the KTOP control room. The City had bought a new Televic microphone system and needed it connected to a new processor. It also needed a way for operators to control each microphone individually, and it wanted to own the finished DSP programming. This municipal AV project put a Biamp Tesira DSP at the center of that answer, and the sections below explain why. For the chamber's video wall and delegate-system side, see our earlier City of Oakland case study.

What made it hard

Four things shaped the job. The Televic microphone equipment was owner-furnished, so we were integrating gear the City had already selected. The new cable had to reach the dais through existing conduits: four shielded CAT cables for the microphone system feeds, plus a separate pull to the public podium for the Shure wireless transceiver. The Tesira DSP and the Televic Plixus controller both had to live in the KTOP control room rack. And because the City takes ownership of the DSP programming at closeout, the file had to be organized for whoever opens it next, not only for us.

How we designed it

The processing core is one Biamp TesiraFORTÉ DAN CI in the KTOP control room rack, next to the Televic Plixus. We configured the Plixus to send individual microphone outputs over Dante, so the DSP receives each delegate microphone as its own channel instead of one mixed feed. That is what makes per-microphone control possible downstream.

The public podium runs on a separate Shure system: a two-channel access point transceiver connected by the cable pulled to the podium, two handheld transmitters and a networked charging station, set up to work alongside the Televic system.

For operators, we used Biamp Canvas to design and program an operator screen with individual microphone control. It runs on a network-connected computer or laptop the City furnishes, so nobody needs to work inside the DSP configuration software to mute or adjust a microphone. That design and programming work is part of our AV control and DSP programming services, backed by our AV design and engineering team. The overall signal path is a standard commercial audio system pattern: delegate microphones in, one processor, operator control on top.

Why a Biamp Tesira DSP, and how the alternatives compare

Biamp does not make the Televic delegate system or the Shure wireless. What it supplies here is the processing and control layer between them. These are the four other ways to build that layer, and how each fits this chamber, weighed against what Biamp itself says the Biamp TesiraFORTÉ DAN CI is for.

Alternative 1: an analog-only mixer or processor

Biamp describes the DAN CI as offering "32 x 32 channels of digital audio networking via the Dante protocol," alongside 12 mic/line inputs with echo cancellation and 8 outputs. Because the Plixus can present individual microphone outputs over Dante, the DSP takes each one from the network. An analog-only unit would need every microphone converted back to analog or run as a separate feed from the control room rack, which adds cable, conversion points and more to trace when something fails. The DAN CI keeps its analog inputs for anything that is not on the network.

Alternative 2: a larger, modular DSP

Biamp says the DAN CI is "best suited for small- to medium-sized rooms that require high-quality audio solutions using AEC, voice lift, and mix-minus." A larger modular platform buys expandable I/O that this scope did not call for. One fixed I/O unit with Dante does what the chamber needs and leaves the City with a single box to maintain. Larger Tesira models, such as the TesiraFORTÉ X series, add capacity for bigger systems, and you can see the range in our conferencing audio processors.

Alternative 3: a DSP plus a separate control system for operators

The other common approach is to pair a DSP with a control processor and touch panel. That means another piece of hardware, another program to write and another thing to support. Biamp's Canvas data sheet says the "function and appearance of the graphic control interface can be tailored to the exact needs of the user," and that access to controls and pages can be restricted with passwords. For an operator who needs individual microphone control and nothing else, that covers the requirement without a second control platform. Biamp also notes Canvas can run alongside hardware control panels and third-party control, so the City can add them later.

Alternative 4: no dedicated DSP

Leaving processing to the delegate system's own outputs is the thinnest plan. The processing Biamp lists for the Tesira platform, signal routing and mixing, equalization, filtering, dynamics and delay, plus control, monitoring and diagnostic tools, would have no home. A dedicated Tesira DSP also gives the City a programming file it owns and can hand to any qualified programmer, which is what the Oakland scope specifies.

Equipment by function

Network and control

Biamp's data sheet lists two Gigabit Ethernet ports on the DAN CI, one for Dante digital audio and one for Tesira control, and describes it as an AES67-enabled Dante endpoint with IEEE 802.1X port authentication. The Canvas operator screen reaches the DSP from a City-furnished, network-connected computer, so the City's own network carries operator control. If your IT team requires authenticated ports, raise the 802.1X support at the start of design.

Handover and support

Under the scope of work, the DSP programming is City property and is handed over at closeout, and a one-hour training session is included. Our AV maintenance and managed support plans and the support help desk are the routes for changes and service afterward. Chamber audio drifts out of spec when nobody is watching it, and a microphone system that runs a public meeting is not the place to find that out live.