When the Curran Opera House first opened its doors in 1906, it was a beacon of culture for Boulder, CO, presenting operas, musicals, and the latest “modern” spectacle of silent movies. When the boom of films with spoken dialog arrived in the 1930s, the 850-capacity venue was given both an Art Deco makeover in 1936 and a new name: Boulder Theater. As the artists and acts performing there changed dramatically over the past century, so did the theater’s audio system iterations, each bringing varying improvements in sound quality. Even today, the venue’s original façade remains the way it was some 87 years ago, as both a familiar landmark in the downtown Boulder area, as well as its designation as a Colorado Historic Landmark. The venue became a concert hall in 1981.
A Rider-friendly Solution
Now, a dozen years after its most recent upgrade, Boulder Theater has taken a giant step forward in fidelity, punch and coverage with the installation of a rider-friendly L-Acoustics K3 loudspeaker system, designed and deployed by Clearwing Systems Integration.
Locally based Z2 Entertainment is Colorado’s largest independent live music promotion and entertainment company, formed in 2010 with the merger of two of the city’s iconic venues, Fox Theatre and Boulder Theater. As the sole owner and operator of Boulder Theater, Z2 handles all of the booking for the venue, which hosts nearly 200 productions a year. When the theater’s aging sound system began to reveal its shortcomings, Z2 vice president of production Edward Link III already had one loudspeaker brand in mind as a prime contender for the project.
“Prior to joining Z2, I operated a sound company that deployed numerous different P.A. systems for events and shows, and of all of those, my favorites were the L-Acoustics dV-DOSC and K1,” said Link. “Their warmth and depth is what first struck me years ago. Listening to them, compared to other brands, was similar to the experience of hearing a compact disc versus a vinyl record. I also toured as an FOH engineer and preferred to mix on L-Acoustics rigs whenever possible; when my clients headlined at Red Rocks, I would always spec L-Acoustics. So for me, when the time came to update Boulder Theater’s sound, it was an easy choice.”
Following a comparative listening of several loudspeaker brands’ arrays in the theater, Clearwing ultimately specified a compact, yet powerful L-Acoustics K3 system for the venue. “We did a ‘shoot-out’ in the room and the difference was clear,” said Matt Phillips, system design and sales of Clearwing Systems Integration. “In the end, the customer really appreciated the SPL, size, weight and flexibility of K3, as well as the ability to use Panflex to perfectly cover the room’s unique oval shape. It quickly emerged as the winner.”
The System
Installed earlier this year by Clearwing’s Denver team, the new system features eight K3 flown per side as the main arrays, with four KS28 subs ground-stacked below each hang. Five coaxial X8 enclosures spread out across the stage serve as front-fills, and the entire system is driven by three new LA7.16i and two LA12X amplified controllers, all managed by a single P1 processor.
P1 was essential to the new design, said Phillips, providing loudspeaker system control and tuning from FOH. “In addition to acting as the DSP for the system, P1 also functions as an input switcher between consoles.
“The house console is an Avid Venue S6L 24D, which communicates to the P1 via Milan AVB,” Phillips added. “With AVB signal routing, the venue’s engineers can send mixes practically anywhere — live streams, distributed audio, recording and so on. The AES and analog inputs are available for guest consoles with the mic inputs acting as house music inputs while switching between bands. From the P1, signal travels backstage over AVB to the amplifiers and then out to the system. The fact that the audio is going from the console all the way to the amplifiers over AVB at 96k will keep this system relevant for years to come.”
Along with the ease of AVB interfacing, Link credited the Avid board’s sonics. “The new Avid S6L mixer will give Z2 engineers the tools and flexibility to provide fans with a ‘no compromises’ listening experience. It will be running in 96k fidelity, doubling the clarity of our mixes.”
As another part of the theater upgrade, Clearwing installed 10 d&b audiotechnik M4 stage monitors, two d&b B6 subwoofers for onstage purposes and three d&b 40D amplifiers to power the new stage monitors.
It’s Showtime!
A performance by Al Di Meola on Feb. 3 officially christened the venue’s new sound system, and both the show and rig received ample praise. “The system performed remarkably in terms of sound quality and coverage,” Phillips said. “The clarity and musicality between the previous P.A. and the new one is obvious even to the uneducated ear. The show was mostly acoustic guitar and percussion, and the subs were barely even tapped, yet there was ample LF to fill the room noticeably. Everyone at the venue was extremely pleased.”
Link also cited a positive reaction from artists, their engineers and members of the audience. “Fans that have been coming to the theater for 20-plus years have pulled me aside after shows to thank us for putting in this new system and to tell me how amazing it is,” he said, adding, that “K3 covers the space perfectly and provides a beautiful true stereo image for the whole room. I can hear the pick drag against a guitar string from any seat in the house, and a vocalist’s breath and subtle nuances of voices are all present. EDM and ‘bass science’ music sounds amazing with all frequencies working together in harmony, and the system’s generous headroom allows for more mixes and artistic choices by engineers. In my opinion, the range of the K3, the power of the KS28, and the articulation of the X8 combined are the perfect match for Boulder Theater. Given the space and weight restrictions that we had to work within, there isn’t a better option out there to service our space.”
