When the Wharf at Orange Beach, Alabama decided to transform their shopping, dining, and marina resort destination into a true outdoor attraction and experience that would be unique and draw more tourism, PTE Productions was brought in to make the transformation. Renowned for their capabilities in creating outdoor experiences in the region and having worked with all the major theme parks including Disney, PTE was well suited for this project.
The result is The Wharf’s latest addition, “Spectra” a multi-sensory light show that is a must see experience. The spectacular installation combines one million lumens of light with 35,000 Watts of sound and special effects encompassing a 400-foot-long performance stage complete with illuminated 40-foot palm trees.
The design required full 360-degree x-y positioning of audio in the performance area which is a 130-foot wide by 380-foot long outdoor section of street. Using EAW loudspeakers, PTE created an 8.1 surround system to deliver breathtaking special effects like jet fighter fly-bys at realistic volumes while remaining astonishingly articulate for Voice Overs and live MCs.
To achieve this, PTE installed 20 MK2399-WP loudspeakers, 4 SB2001-WP subwoofers, 6 UX8800 signal processors along with Powersoft K3 and Powersoft MQ power amps. Asked about the complexity of the installation, PTE remarked that only the subwoofers needed to be EQ’d for the environment with some time delay to align them with the tops. The MK2399s sounded perfect right out of the box through the use of the UX8800s for proper implementation of Focusing, an EAW Core Technology.
The sweet sounds and beautiful lights thrill guests as well as the clients, who are pleased with the exceptional increase in foot traffic, retail sales and property values since “Spectra” was installed.
