AX Series Leads Sonic Rejuvenation At Stadium Theatre
The Grand Hall of the historic Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, Rhode Island recently received a new sound reinforcement system headlined by a selection of the latest EAW components, including AX Series full-range loudspeakers, EAW Commercial CAZ Series power amplifiers and an MX8750 digital signal processor. Also new is a Mackie Onyx 4880 house mixing console.
After being shuttered for more than 20 years, the all-volunteer Stadium Theatre Foundation began raising funds to restore the venue to its original 1926 grandeur, and today, the completely renovated facility hosts more than 90 events a year, ranging from full-scale concerts to theatrical productions to lectures and nearly everything in between. Earlier this year, the foundation sought a professional-caliber sound reinforcement system for the Grand Hall, a shoebox-shaped room with approximately 1,100 seats split between the main floor, balcony and side boxes.
The system development and installation team included Stadium Theatre Tech Director Dan Peloquin, Providence-based sound/production company ATR/Treehouse, Mary Cook, Scott Jordan and Joe Fustolo of the EAW Application Support Group (ASG), as well as reps of the theatre and foundation. All worked together to develop and install a suitable new sound reinforcement system for the venue.
ATR/Treehouse of Providence installed the system, which includes left and right clusters offering a stereo image and a single center loudspeaker providing voice/spoken word reinforcement. The clusters, flown above the main floor with a custom rigging solution provided by Polar Focus, are both topped by single AX396 full-range loudspeakers (with 90-degree by 60-degree coverage pattern). Additional low end extension is provided by two AX122 dual 12-inch-loaded subwoofers that feature a trapezoidal cabinet matching that of the full-range loudspeakers.
The center loudspeaker, tucked as tightly against the apex of the stage proscenium as possible, is also an AX396. To give it an even lower profile, it was mounted horizontally. In addition, four EAW UB12S compact loudspeakers were also specified to provide frontfill to the first few seating rows.
“The goal is vocal intelligibility to the highest degree possible, but with an ability to ‘stomp’ the system for more full-range, dynamic musical applications when needed,” says Cook. “Sometimes you want and need more than 100 dB in the house, so the design took this into account.”
All loudspeakers are driven by EAW Commercial power amplifiers that were rack-mounted in a remote upper floor room adjacent to the stage area. Seven model CAZ2500 amps are dedicated to the house loudspeakers (bi-amp mode) and subwoofers (bridged mono). A single CAZ1400, in bridge mono mode as well, powers the four front-fill loudspeakers.
An EAW MX8750 digital signal processor joins the amps in the rack. Four output channels of the eight-channel unit are dedicated to left and right full-range loudspeakers (two channels each), and two more channels provide mono-summed output to the center loudspeaker. Another mono-sum output feeds the subwoofers.
A Mackie Onyx 4880 console, centrally located on the main floor at the house mix position was selected for a variety of reasons, with ease of use and plenty of channels topping the list. The Mackie board also offered the desired balance of pro caliber performance and features, and a price that fit the budget requirements for the project.
Given the extreme differences in expertise on the part of its users from night to night, the console also had to be operator friendly while still meeting rider expectations. “In general, this system is very easy to operate,” notes Peloquin, “and the Mackie console is just right, simple yet sounding great.”
“It’s such a balanced system, with no hot or dead spots. That’s what impresses the people coming here the most,” he concludes. “Frankly, we believe it has made us the premiere facility in the region, the jewel of the state because of our success at addressing the missing link of sound quality.”