The show must go on — at least eventually — and many savvy theater operators took advantage of the pandemic closures to upgrade their venues. With that in mind, we present three recent installation/upgrade projects. Each took a different approach, proving there are numerous solutions to any audio challenge — large or small — for any performance space.
Steinmetz Hall, Orlando, FL
After ten years in the making, Orlando finally has a world-class concert venue in the 1,700-seat Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Metropolitan Interactive, Inc. worked closely with Sound Associates, Inc. to supply AV systems design, engineering and installation for Steinmetz Hall — already acclaimed as the newest destination for top caliber national and international artists.
“Steinmetz Hall boasts an N1 sound rating with an ambient noise level of 18 dB, making it one of the quietest concert halls in the world,” says Rich Gold, senior engineer at Metinteractive. The hall is entirely encased in a concrete frame. Between the hall and frame are hundreds of steel and rubber isolation pads that deaden vibration and noise from outside.
Retractable sound banners can adjust the acoustics to suit the performance and the room’s multi-form design can transform the space into a symphony concert hall, a more intimate recital hall or a traditional proscenium stage.
With the acoustics playing a leading role in the hall, “the P.A. system had to be flexible enough to account for the multiple room layouts,” Gold points out. The consultants spec’d d&b audiotechnik speakers and a DiGiCo SD-12 96 mixing console for the venue.
The main system has an LCR configuration, with three flown stacks each with seven d&b V12 and two d&b V8 line arrays. Depending on show requirements, the stage left/right hangs can be raised up and out of sight, while the center stack can be lowered and removed if not needed. d&b E8 and E12 speakers handle fill for upper seating, while additional E8s supply front fill as needed. d&b VSUBs provide LF punch and can be located beneath the stage or in front of the proscenium.
Stage monitoring fed from an Avid Profile console consists of d&b M4 and M6 wedges, along with d&b V7Ps and V10Ps and VSUBS as side fills, with d&b D20 and D80 amplification. The mic assortment includes hardwired models from Crown, DPA, Earthworks, E-V, Mitek, Sennheiser and Shure; while wireless mics are Shure Axient Digital.
The video system, the lobby’s signage and background music and paging, and backstage monitoring and paging all run from a QSC Q-SYS Core 110f processor.
Steinmetz Hall
- Capacity: 1,700
- Key Components: d&b audiotechnik V-Series
- Designer: Metropolitan Interactive and Acme Professional
- Integrator: Sound Associates, Inc.
Marion Palace Theatre, Marion, OH
Constructed in 1928, the Marion Palace Theatre was designed to give audiences the impression of attending a show at a “Palace in Old Spain.” Today, the 1,500-seat venue is a multi-purpose facility that hosts a mix of concerts, theater productions, films, and special events.
After being acquired by the non-profit Palace Cultural Arts Association, the theater underwent a comprehensive restoration, including structural improvements and updates to the backstage and front-of-house areas. But a major performance upgrade came with the replacement of its 1980s-era sound system with an Adamson rig earlier this year.
The new system is has three Adamson IS7 arrays in an LCR configuration, with two IS219 subs placed on the floor to either side of the orchestra pit, and eight Adamson Point 8 providing under-balcony fill. “We basically did a vocal tuning for the center cluster and a more ‘musical’ tuning for the left and right arrays,” says Tom George, senior design Engineer at Clair Global Integration’s Cleveland office.
System tuning was done within the Lab.gruppen amplifiers driving the system (multiple D 120 amps for the LCR elements and a D 200 for the subs). However, visiting engineers can put their own stamp on the sound via a pair of Lake LM44 processors at FOH and the venue’s pre-existing Yamaha GL5 console. The system was also reconfigured with Dante. “We go into the LM44s and then to the amplifiers (over Dante), and we have an interface there for visiting operators to drop in a visiting console,” George adds.
The size and weight of the speakers was a plus. “The IS7 has a compact footprint and having a large enough array to cover the room and fit within the physical parameters was a big part of the choice,” George notes. “They’re also about the same weight as what we took down — the center cluster was actually lighter. So we could reuse much of the existing rigging.” Additionally, a 70-Volt under-balcony speaker system was replaced with a low-impedance system.
Patrons wanted to hear — but not see — a difference. Here, Adamson’s ability to provide custom color matches (to blend with the Palace’s “courtyard” walls to either side of the stage, and make the center cluster virtually disappear into the red velvet proscenium drapes) was critical to the project.
The new Adamson system lets Marion Palace continue to fulfill the role it’s had in the community for almost a century. “The sound almost feels like it’s coming from the walls, rather than from the speakers,” says the theater’s acting technical director Brian Jester. “Sonically, the system complements the visual aesthetic of the theater.”
- Marion Palace Theatre
- Capacity: 1,500
- Key Components: Adamson IS-Series and Point Series
- Designer: Tom George
- Integrator: Clair Global Integration
Riverlinks Theatre, Shepparton, Australia
Located two hours north of Melbourne, Riverlinks Theatre hosts events ranging from touring bands to exhibitions and banquets with a balcony above a retractable seating system that holds 825 theatregoers or 450 banquet guests. The venue had an aging sound system and was ready for an upgrade and during the pandemic, ample time was available to make changes.
After a shootout of three different systems, integrator Light & Sound Solutions came out on top with a system based around L-Acoustics’ Kiva II variable curvature line array. “Kiva II is designed for our kind of venue,” says Riverlinks’ Peter O’Keefe. “It ticked every box without trying. It wasn’t being pushed beyond its limits; it wasn’t being shoehorned to make it work. The other systems arguably sounded just as good when cranked up, but Kiva II was exceptional at low volumes — retaining a beautiful full-range clarity.”
Daniel Thomas, director at Light & Sound, knew a Kiva II array with six or more boxes and two or three subwoofers weighed well under 550 pounds, which was the preferred weight limitation for the venue. The system consists of eight Kiva II’s per side flown next to three SB15m subwoofers in cardioid mode to minimize low-frequency spill onto the stage. Under the stage are a pair of KS21 subwoofers, which were not part of the original tender shootout.
“Light & Sound brought 21-inch subs to the shootout, even though this was not part of the brief or budget,” recalls O’Keefe. Everyone adored the extra octave of bandwidth the 21-inch boxes provided and subsequently upgraded the stage infrastructure to house them. The system is driven by five LA4X amplified controllers with presets for the three room modes: tiered seating, flat floor and flat floor with balcony, easily ensuring even coverage, both tonally and in terms of SPL for the venue’s various applications, without the need to rehang or adjust the array trim.
Riverlinks Theatre
- Capacity: 825
- Key Components: L-Acoustics Kiva II
- Integrator: Light & Sound Solutions
