St Charles arts centre chooses L-Acoustics
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The 138,000sq.ft facility’s main theatre, the 1,200-seat Lindenwood Theatre, can be a challenging acoustical space, with its high interior and ceiling weight load restrictions. The school’s ambitious theatre programme also adds its own specialised requirements. An L-Acoustics Kara sound system recently installed there by St Louis-based Logic Systems addresses both the acoustic and artistic requirements with ease.
According to Logic Systems president Chip Self, the Kara system was both the venue’s choice as well as his recommendation. “We have a long-time relationship with the school as their rental systems vendor, so we’ve been able to show them a number of different systems in the theatre over the years,” he explains. “When they heard the Kara, they knew that was the one they wanted to go with.”
The new system consists of a LCR front array, with nine Kara enclosures topped by three SB18 subs for the left and right hangs, and six Kara topped by a pair of SB18 in the centre, all powered by five LA8 amplified controllers. The PA, which is designed to be a 5.1 system, also has two pairs of self-powered, coaxial 112P speakers as left and right surrounds for the balcony and the main floor areas, while ultra-compact 5XT speakers are used as front fills and are powered by an LA4 amplified controller.
Brian Bird, who is also the adjunct professor of audio technology and sound design for Lindenwood University’s theatre programme, designed the centre’s new system and underscores that Kara addressed a number of highly specific needs. First and foremost, he says, the venue has to serve as both a teaching facility and as a roadhouse for touring artists. “I’ve toured with L-Acoustics in the past, so I knew we wanted that brand here, because it’s rider-ready for touring artists, and because it exposes the students to the kind of world-class, state-of-the-art sound system they’ll encounter when they graduate,” Bird explains.
(Jim Evans)
