046 REPORT
NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM
Company: Meyer Sound Location: New Orleans, USA
At the National WWII Museum in downtown New Orleans, the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center now relies on the Meyer Sound CAL column array loudspeaker to tackle the acoustic challenges in its massive vaulted pavilion. Using CAL’s beam-steering technology, New Orleans-based JBA Consulting Engineers has created a system that delivers highly intelligible music and speech while tailoring coverage for the audience size at an event. The US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center is a 36,000 sq ft angular edifice dominated by a five-storey, steel and glass atrium that houses six wartime aircraft suspended in frozen flight, includ- ing a B-17 Flying Fortress. Despite the acoustical hazards posed by surfaces of glass and concrete, the CAL loudspeakers allow the museum to direct exceptional audio clarity to the audience for almost daily programs of lectures, video screen- ings, and musical entertainment. “We were originally sceptical about having decent sound in the space, largely based on prior experience in another pavilion using older technology,” admitted Paul Parrie, Associate Vice President of Operations for the museum. “But we are amazed at how well the Meyer Sound CAL system works here, and we are very pleased with it.” Precise, uniform coverage of the 700-person capacity audience area is provided by two CAL 64 loudspeakers, aided by two UPJunior VariO loudspeakers for near- stage fill. While low end for music and video playback programming is supplied by dual 600-HP subwoofers. The CAL loudspeakers are programmed with two
presets: one uses dual split beams on both sides for larger audiences, while the other uses a single beam at a steeper angle for smaller audiences. “The wall opposite the stage is five stories of solid glass, and because the room is asymmetrical, the throw is much shorter on one side than the other,” continued Rob Pourciau, Senior Project Consultant for JBA. “We needed loudspeakers that could tailor precise coverage for the space, then change coverage depending on audience size, while providing both high speech intelligibility and superb music quality. CAL is the only system that could do it all and still keep the architects happy with its unobtrusive appearance.” In addition, two Meyer Sound UM-100P stage monitors provide foldback, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system featuring one Galileo 408 processor is used for optimisation and drive. The pavilion’s event audio system also includes a Yamaha LS9-32 digital mixing console, Clear-Com intercom, and eight Shure ULX wireless systems, which include Beta 58 handheld microphones and beltpacks with Countryman lavalieres. The sound and lighting systems were designed by JBA Consulting Engineers, while New Orleans-based Soundworks handled system integration. Opening its door back in 2000, the National WWII Museum features interactive exhibits, artefacts of all sizes, and special programs that together reveal how the war was fought, how it was won, and what the results mean for today’s society.
www.meyersound.com
CIVIC THEATRE
Company: L-Acoustics Location: New Orleans, USA
Following an extensive nine-month, US$10.5 million renovation project, the Civic Theatre, the oldest surviving theatre building in New Orleans, has officially reopened its doors after sitting dormant for more than three decades. To bring the 107-year-old, 15,000 sq ft performance venue up to today’s production standards, Solomon Group, a new L-Acoustics Certified Provider for the install and rental markets, specified and integrated a Kiva-Kilo loudspeaker system into the space. According to Solomon Group Partner Stephen Fink, the new house sound system features 11 L-Acoustics Kiva enclosures flown beneath three L-Acoustics Kilo low-frequency extension cabinets per side, all custom-finished in white to match the room’s bright Beaux Arts-style interior. Ground-stacked below each array are two L-Acoustics SB18 subwoofers topped with a single coaxial L-Acoustics 8XT enclosure for fill. The entire system is powered and processed by four L-Acoustics amplified controllers, three LA8’s and one LA4. “L-Acoustics’ Kiva-Kilo was one of the very few systems that could accommodate the Civic’s rigging weight limits yet still provide the broad vertical splay that the room’s geometry required,” said Stephen. “Beyond that, the stunning presence of these compact white arrays on either side of the stage perfectly complements the visual aesthetic of the venue. They almost look like part of the architecture, as if they were made specifically for the space. Kiva-Kilo was the best fit for the Civic physically, sonically and financially.”
www.l-acoustics.com
www.mondodr.com
Image courtesy of Jeff Strout
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