{"id":4200,"date":"2025-10-30T20:43:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T20:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/systems\/?p=4200"},"modified":"2025-10-30T20:43:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T20:43:20","slug":"citizen-spotlight-john-walsh-brings-av-magic-to-bates-motel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/systems\/es\/2025\/10\/30\/citizen-spotlight-john-walsh-brings-av-magic-to-bates-motel\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizen Spotlight: John Walsh Brings AV Magic to Bates Motel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When most people think of haunted attractions, they picture fog machines, strobe lights, and costumed actors leaping from the shadows. For John Walsh, the scares run deeper: farm dust and backhoes near his fiber lines are what keep him up at night. In this interview conducted by Hope Roth, we explore how he uses his AV expertise and Q-SYS to bring immersive storytelling to life at Bates Motel &amp; Haunted Attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walsh, who works with Delco Solutions, comes from an IT background. \u201cI started doing IT networking and I&#8217;ve always been in the AV world,\u201d he explains. \u201cI&#8217;ve kind of just faded out of the IT segment directly and went into AV. And now they kind of mix match. So it&#8217;s interesting because I&#8217;m kind of bringing back my old techniques and skills into some of the stuff that we do today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That IT background has proven invaluable, with switch configuration and subnetting skills now surfacing in nearly every project. Walsh stays in deep demand for his skills for \u201ckeeping different VLANs segmented across Dante or AV over IP video.\u201d There\u2019s nothing more terrifying than a call at 5pm on a Friday night saying that a network segment went down!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Q-SYS Communities Closer Look<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we dive in deeper on how Bates Motel runs, check out the Communities exclusive video on this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Q-SYS Communities Closer Look: Bates Motel Haunted Attractions\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SKADGE9RcPM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Building the Sound of Fear<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Walsh first approached Bates Motel owners Randy and Anne Bates about upgrading their systems, he had a clear vision. \u201cI went to them and said it was time to implement a real paging and background system,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWe had been using paging horns, which don\u2019t work for background music. After visiting Universal\u2019s Halloween Horror Nights and other theme parks, I realized background music was a key ingredient in improving the customer experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The solution was Q-SYS, which Walsh has worked with since 2017. \u201cIt all kind of runs off one platform and it\u2019s managed by one piece of software,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was very easy to implement. As you play with the software, you keep learning and doing new things and finding one way to do it 17,000 different directions each time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The results are immediate and visceral. \u201cYou hit a button and instantly the light show starts with a music cue,\u201d Walsh describes. \u201cIt\u2019s cool.\u201d From the moment they step out of their cars, customers are pulled into the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walsh recalls one moment that drove home just how essential background music had become. \u201cA couple of years ago, before I had automated all the commands, I forgot to hit play,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was eerily quiet out there. You\u2019re standing there thinking, wait, what\u2019s wrong, what\u2019s going on? And then it hits you \u2014 the background music isn\u2019t on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expanding the Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With fiber now run to the Haunted Hayride entrance, Walsh is already planning the next evolution. \u201cThe idea would be to add surround panning speakers, like a dragon roar moving left to right,\u201d he says. \u201cWe could trigger fire effects at the castle entrance and progress into scenes further along the hayride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Walsh, the technology is never just about hardware. It is about storytelling. \u201cHaving a passion for both AV and the haunt industry makes it easy and fun,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s creative to implement this in different ways for different scenarios.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Challenges in the Field<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, running AV on a working farm comes with unique challenges. Walsh laughs about the \u201cfarm dust\u201d that coats equipment. \u201cIt\u2019s a thick coating of dirt basically and it\u2019s tough to get off,\u201d he admits. \u201cKnock on wood, this equipment has been in place for a few years now and it runs, it keeps going. It\u2019s pretty robust for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heat is another concern. With multiple MDF and IDF closets, only one of which is air-conditioned, Walsh relies on fans and regular cleanings. \u201cWe\u2019ll go around and clean the equipment once in a while. I try to do it every month,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, Walsh is focused on surviving the season. \u201cSleep,\u201d he jokes when asked about his off-season projects. But even in the busiest weeks, he is already thinking about what is next, from refining automation to adding new effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As he puts it, \u201cMy life is the movie <em>Groundhog Day<\/em>. I just wake up like I feel like I just shaved seven days in a row, five times each day. It\u2019s crazy. But we\u2019re already planning the dates for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re grateful to John Walsh for taking the time to give Communities a deeper dive into the tech behind the terror. And if you find yourself near Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, don\u2019t miss the chance to experience Bates Motel Haunted Attractions firsthand.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When most people think of haunted attractions, they picture fog machines, strobe lights, and costumed actors leaping from the shadows. For John Walsh, the scares run deeper: farm dust and backhoes near his fiber lines are what keep him up at night. In this interview conducted by Hope Roth, we explore how he uses his &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/systems\/es\/2025\/10\/30\/citizen-spotlight-john-walsh-brings-av-magic-to-bates-motel\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-4200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-qsc-communities-for-developers"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Citizen Spotlight: John Walsh Brings AV Magic to Bates Motel - Q-SYS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/systems\/es\/2025\/10\/30\/citizen-spotlight-john-walsh-brings-av-magic-to-bates-motel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Citizen Spotlight: John Walsh Brings AV Magic to Bates Motel - Q-SYS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When most people think of haunted attractions, they picture fog machines, strobe lights, and costumed actors leaping from the shadows. 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