Installations

You hear many great things when you get the call to work on a brand new installation. When Lee Dennison, project manager at Delta Sound in Surrey, U.K. picked up the phone, though, he did not hear many great things. First, the client let him know the space he’d be working in was in the middle of a 43-acre site, that it was in a shopping center and that the location’s construction called for glass ceilings and marble floors. Oh, and there was no time or inclination to add any kind of aural treatments to the space.

Long before Billy Joel hit the first notes on his piano during the inaugural date at The Show, a new venue at the Agua Caliente Casino, Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Kevin Rummel was walking into a meeting to fine tune the room’s audio, lighting and projection systems.

Music fans around the world would be hard pressed to name a venue that’s had the history that the Whisky a Go Go has had since its opening on West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip in 1964. Indeed, the famed club has hosted a virtual who’s who of rock and roll royalty that starts at The Byrds and The Doors in the 1960s, runs through The Kinks and The Who and continues with such bands as Roxy Music, Nirvana, Soundgarden and The Police.

Those seeking subtlety should drive right through the 702 area code and head east another 1,200 miles or so until the Topeka town limits are in sight. Then again, those looking to be dazzled should pull right up in front of The Mirage and wait for the newly reworked volcano feature to fire.

James Elizondo has been a member and staffer at the Las Vegas International Church for eight years now. Over the years, he has seen four different PAs go up, including the recently completed move from D.A.S. Aero 48s to a hang that includes D.A.S. Aero 28as, Variant 25as and ST 215 subs.

The latest system is quite an upgrade from the first PA he found when originally attending services. “It was homemade from a guy in Reno,” Elizondo starts. “He specialized in car audio and he made something like I’ve never seen before, it was the most gigantic looking contraption of a speaker you’ve ever seen."

Performance Audio’s Craig Hylton admits with a laugh that he has spent more time watching the Utah Jazz in person this season than he has in recent memory. It helps that Hylton is both a basketball fan and that he can call his appearances at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City a work gig. “The team had a rough start,” he says, “but it’s fun to go to the games. I’m still learning what their needs are and how to tune the system.”

Long before Le Poisson Rouge opened its doors this past summer, the building located at 158 Bleecker Street in Manhattan was home to the legendary Village Gate. It was at this club where Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Mingus and Allen Ginsberg performed their magic until it closed down in the late ‘90s.

The Horseshoe Casino is more than just a riverboat with a $70-million theater install, bringing top echelon acts to The Venue.

The Horseshoe Casino has been rocking for years, since it’s been one of the most popular resort and casino destinations in the Chicago area. Yet, it’s only since The Venue opened earlier this year that the Horseshoe has been rocking, rolling, shaking and shimmying.

With a history of more than 100 years, Chicago’s Ravinia is unlike any festival out there.

Most festivals are just shows with a few more acts and a somewhat longer run. But Chicago’s Ravinia is not just another festival. Opening in May and ending in October with multiple acts almost every day, it is really more of an install — kind of semi-temporary, but an install all the same.

David Lawler and Craig Doubet put their touring chops into HOW installs.

Putting a system together for a tour is one thing. All the equipment has to be flexible enough to consistently work in acoustically challenging rooms; it has to go up and down easily and deliver quality audio. This challenge, for some, is daunting, especially with the pressure of thousands of expectant fans who surround the FOH position nightly.

Signature Audio completes major sound renovation at Ball State’s Emens Auditorium

When the phone rang in October, Sam Walton had no idea that the opportunity of a lifetime was just a short conversation away.

Walton is the senior manager of Signature Audio Systems — a professional audio services company out of Wixom, Mich.   In the five years of the company’s existence, he never expected a call that would not only change the face of Signature Audio, but lead to one of the biggest installs of 2007.

Bartlesville Community Center completes extensive audio system revitalization.

While Bartlesville, Okla., may not find itself included in the same sentence as New York or Los Angeles when one discusses performing arts venues, the city’s main cultural facility is at the cutting edge in every sense of the word. This vibrant community of roughly 35,000, some 47 miles due north of Tulsa, is home to the Bartlesville Community Center, a positively stunning complex designed to provide cultural and educational opportunities for the city.