Spouse and Child-Approved Whole Home Audio for the Family

Once upon a time, audio was fairly simple. You turned on the radio, tuned a station, and adjusted the volume. Or perhaps you put a record on the turntable, pressed a button, and the arm lowered to play the music. While those simple pleasures can still be had, it seems like the digital age has brought more complexity to the listening experience. Now, it’s Pandora or Tidal? TuneIn for radio? How do I get the speakers in the living room to play?

Granted, we have far more capable audio systems today. And if you have a Control4 whole-house audio setup, you have a world of sound at your beck and call. However, the trouble is that some whole-home sound systems can be a little complicated to use. We know of a few people who would rather listen on a Bluetooth speaker (gasp!) because the fancy whole-home system is just a bit too hard to fathom.

Control4, the smart home company, set out to change all that. With the latest Control4 OS 3, they reimagined how a whole-house audio system should operate – in other words, they designed it for actual humans! Read on to see just how easy a house-wide audio system in your Charlotte, NC abode can be with Contro4.

Our goal at The Integrated Home is to make your life simpler, more fun, and of course safe. When it comes to audio, Charlotte homeowners want quality and ease of use. Your best option is to go to an expert—not the supermarket. When you buy a speaker off the shelf, you won’t get the benefits of enjoying music in every room, expanded music library, and of course custom design. When you work with our team, we show you all the details and benefits of using whole house music. In this blog we highlight the perks of a professional system. Stick around after the jump for more.

SEE ALSO: An Expert’s Guide to Outdoor Video

1. Hide Everything

Buy a basic speaker from a store, take it home and then you have to figure out where it goes. First, you locate an outlet to plug in the speaker but if you don’t have a table or a shelf you have to re-arrange your furniture. Then there are those ugly wires. You saw an ad online for this cool, hip speaker but it doesn’t look the same in your bedroom. When it comes time to have friends over for a party, you discover you can’t play the same song in every room at the same time to provide the music at the same level throughout the house. All of these issues are confronted with a whole house system.

One of the best features of a professionally designed system is the ability to make your speakers disappear. We can install invisible speakers in the walls, or place them in the ceiling so they save space and get those wires out of the way. Either style will eliminate clutter and enhance your home design.

2. Control Your Music Anytime, Anywhere

Most individuals make convenience a top priority when it comes to music—that's why digital music sales have skyrocketed over the past decade. However, our team will work with you to connect all of your music sources whether your library is entirely digital, you're a die-hard vinyl collector, or simply can't let go of that coveted CD collection. The beauty of using an integrated music system is that you can easily switch music sources using a mobile device or touch screen. Stream internet radio, like Spotify and Pandora, then switch over to your iTunes account or turntable. All you have to do is select the source, playlist or artist, the room, and then press play using your smartphone, tablet, or smart touch screen.

We have talked a lot about how to provide whole house audio for music lovers, but what about those who produce and write music? Musicians and music producers need top-of-the-line whole house audio products in their studios to create the very best sound. A private space dedicated to creating music needs more than a whole house music system; it also need special acoustic treatments and customized stations for the instruments.

This blog is specifically for professionals in the music business as well as the aspiring artists who need a good start. Whether you want to make music your career or just want a special place to have a jam session with friends, we can help!

SEE ALSO: Why a Whole House Audio System is Worth it

Plan Your Project

Is this space going to be used for practicing performances or recording? Your choice will have a direct impact on the design of your home music studio. The location of the space will also be a factor since the noise isolation requirements will differ. It’s crucial to pick a place that will not make unreasonable demands of the space, like choosing an empty room next to a nursery or your master bedroom where someone might be sleeping. Though improvements can be made, the further away from these types of areas your studio is the less you will have to alter it to cancel out noise.

Here's a common scenario: you've purchased or accessed music in different places, causing your music library to be disjointed and unorganized. With so many different music platforms today, it can be confusing to manage your library and also access it quickly and easily. The good news is that technology has advanced immensely allowing you to gather all your songs together into one easy-to-use system. With a whole house audio system – whether it's by Control4, Sonos, or any other audio company – you can stream free music anytime and anywhere in your Charlotte, NC house, or play your personal collection. We created this guide to help you understand how we can simplify your listening experience at home – and give you some organizing tips as well.

SEE ALSO: Prepare for summer fun with outdoor audio video in your Lake Norman home

Seamlessly Stream Music

Music is so easy to access today because we have free stations on the Internet available to us, like Pandora, Spotify, and local radio channels. There are also high-quality music sources that you can pay for and stream in your home. But what's the difference between them and how do you access them easily? The good news is that if you have a Control4 smart home, the system comes with built-in music services, including TuneIn, Deezer, Pandora, and TIDAL. If you have Sonos, it comes with 43 sources, including SiriusXM, Amazon Music, and Rhapsody. Here's a breakdown of how some of these sources differ.

Pandora: Free

See How Whole Home Audio Can Differentiate Your Design/Build Projects

As design professionals and builders, you’re always looking for ways to differentiate your work. Whether it’s a custom design flourish, a style in which you specialize, or the use of materials and construction techniques, you look to set yourself apart.

Prospective homebuyers and remodelers are highly interested in smart home technology. Yet, many of them may not know about all the potential a smart home system can offer in their home. One way to get people excited about it is with whole-house audio. Everyone can appreciate the luxury of listening to music all over the house – even outdoors – with consummate ease, without needing an audio system in every room. The beauty of it is that with systems like Control4, whole-house audio is just the "killer app" that pushes people to take the plunge– but they get much more with the rest of the solution. Read on to learn how whole house audio is the gateway for integrating smart home features to make your Charlotte, NC projects stand out from the pack.

James Small Aperture Architectural Speakers Deliver a New Level of Sound Quality

As designers and architects, you are acutely aware of how home technology can impact aesthetics. Your clients want the latest smart home features and audio and video systems, but they want them to discreetly integrate into the overall design and décor of the home. 

For years, architectural speakers filled the need for homeowners that preferred their sound heard but not seen. But more discerning homeowners and designers often yearned for an even more integrated look with high-end audio performance. James Loudspeaker is an architectural speaker company that saw the need and developed a new series of speakers with unprecedented design integration and sound quality – the Small Aperture Series.

Read on below to learn more about the Small Aperture line and how you can integrate whole-house audio for your Charlotte, NC projects that dovetail neatly into your designs.

If you’re looking to make an upgrade to your home, your audio equipment is a good place to start. Many advancements are being made in whole house audio, so there is plenty of opportunity to enhance your Charlotte, NC home.

In this blog, we will look at some of the audio technology that is getting attention for its functionality and convenience.

See Also: 3 Whole House Music Scenes for the New Year

Voice Control

Lose the fumbling with remotes and smart devices. Multi-task by controlling your home audio with your voice while you tend to other tasks around the house.

Voice control is growing in popularity and getting smarter every day. It’s a useful feature to manage what music you want playing throughout your home at any moment. Access music from a streaming service like Spotify or Pandora, or from your own library when you sync it with your system.