In the heart of New York City's Times Square, one of the world's largest crossroads of talent, a new jewel has emerged that is destined to become an integral part of the neighborhood's famed history. Exceeding the expectations for sound reinforcement set by the numerous legendary venues in the immediate vicinity, Nokia Theatre features a fully functional, rider-friendly sound system designed and installed by Clair Brothers Systems. Located in the heart of the city's Theatre District, Nokia Theatre can be considered a salient statement on the current state of media consumption. As you approach the outside of the building on the sidewalk, perpetually boiling with humanity at the corner of Broadway and 44th Street, the marquee looms above as an 85-foot-long LED, high-definition screen (manufactured by Mitsubishi) capable of displaying both live and digital video. One of the largest marquees on Broadway, it is also directly connected to the MTV marquee. And what would a cell phone company's marquee be if it weren't capable of texting? Nothing, so it is, therefore, designed to have interactive text messaging capabilities with the fans, and live events will be able to be broadcast from the stage directly to the marquee in real time. Distributed throughout the venue are five media panels that terminate at the marquee, allowing electronic media outlets to plug directly into the marquee to access live footage from inside the theatre.
Heading inside under the marquee at street level, you are greeted with a wall of Nokia cell phones offering everything from music playback to video capture and with styles ranging from the standard flip phone to something resembling a light saber without the beam. Downstairs is one of the most elite concert venues in the country. Somehow, it all makes sense.
The cell phone emphasis doesn't stop at the display but continues into the Nokia Lounge, which will provide a relaxing atmosphere where guests and fans will have the opportunity to charge their wireless phones, get hands-on experience with new Nokia products and services, download mobile content like games, videos and ring tones and enter promotions among other activities.
Although branded with the Nokia name, the facility is operated by AEG, a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. The Nokia/AEG relationship already includes two venues in Los Angeles and a 6,000-seat theatre in Grand Prairie, Tex. Beyond simply operating the New York facility, AEG was involved in the design phase of converting what was a Loews movie theatre into its current incarnation as a concert hall. Some $21 million was spent on the conversion with acoustical treatment being a top consideration. Clair Brothers Systems was brought in to take the design drawings and turn them into a functioning concert sound system. Working with a JBL VerTec line array with enhanced coverage provided by additional JBL fills and subs, Clair Brothers installed, tuned and verified the system.
According to Jim Devenney, senior audio systems designer for Clair Brothers, having a rider-friendly sound system was crucial due to the logistics of loading in equipment and the costs of labor. "The system is all provided in portable racks that allow the system to be flexible and yet comprehensive," he said. "The theatre has all the toys needed to make bringing in outside gear virtually unnecessary."
Some of the technical challenges were attacked early on, Devenny noted. "JBL's Ted Leamy worked with the AEG project staff early on to locate clusters and rigging points as well as equipment quantities," he said. "Crown was also very helpful in getting us through our first I-Tech amplifier install. As far as the space goes, a lot of thought was put into it–in addition to a lot of money to address the acoustics. It has worked very well based on the RT60 measurements. The biggest challenge acoustically was getting even coverage front to back as there is the low ceiling height in front that leads to a raised seating area in the back. The JBL VT4888s really helped in this type of situation as the arrays can be power-shaded to throw to the raised seating area without killing the audience in front."
In addition to the 12 VT4888s, flown six left and right on each side of the stage there are eight JBL ASB6128v subwoofers powered by four Crown I-Tech 8000 amplifiers. Main delays are six VT4887s, while second delays are four SRX712m loudspeakers and the fills are comprised of six AM6212s, all of which are powered by I-Tech4000s. Feed distribution challenges were solved using a BSS Blu80 4×12, and the Blu80 8×8 was used for inserts. Floor monitors are 12 SRX712m speakers, with sidefills being two SRX715s and drum sublows two SRX718s.
Clair Brothers turned to Midas for the Nokia Theatre's console needs, installing a Heritage 3000 H3/48/4/TP at Front of House, while an XL250/48/4/TP is located at the monitor position. A variety of microphones are used, including Sennheiser ME104s, Countryman E6s, Shure SM58s, Radial J48s and AKG C451s. FOH and monitor effects are provided by Yamaha, TC Electronic and Lexicon, with FOH and monitor dynamics courtesy of Drawmer and Summit.
In addition to the sound reinforcement system and the acoustical design, the wiring infrastructure was also well considered. There is even a direct feed from the MTV studios upstairs to the Nokia theatre facility so that concerts and events can be fed up to their broadcast facility or the events taking place on the MTV sound stages can be fed to audiences in the Nokia Theatre.
Randy Phillips, president and CEO of AEG LIVE, praised the design and installation teams in an announcement about the theatre's opening. "Our team of 'industry experts' has created a very special, unique, spectacular theatre and environment that the artists will clearly appreciate and fall in love with. It is truly the perfect marriage of brilliant talent, incredibly clear and balanced acoustics and unparalleled sightlines blended together in a completely consumer friendly and interactive environment at the 'world's best known address.'"
