The Factory installs L-Acoustics system
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The recently-opened 52,000sq.ft venue can hold between 2,350 and 3,400 concertgoers or event attendees in flexible dance floor and fixed-seating configurations that face a huge 60ft-wide stage. But what sets The Factory further apart is the scale of its L-Acoustics PA system, which provides complete coverage for every audience member no matter where they are seated or standing in the large performance hall.
“The Factory is built on the most valuable real estate in the region and there is no wasted or extra space anywhere in the building. So we had to create a sound system that no one could ever say no to,” observes Chip Self, president and CEO of Logic Systems Sound & Lighting, The St. Louis area-based systems design and integration firm that supplied the new L-Acoustics system.
It’s also a system from which no one can say they’ve missed a note or a word with one dozen K2 loudspeaker enclosures atop two Kara II down-fills comprising the left and right main array hangs. These are buttressed by two A Series enclosures per side as in-fill and out-fill, respectively; six eight-inch coaxials used for front-fills; and four A10i Wide speakers for delay.
A powerful subwoofer array comprises 12 KS28 subs set in a purpose-built concrete pit under the stage and deployed using a proprietary filter set that allows the sub array to cover more evenly side to side. A combination of 14 LA8, three LA12X, and four LA4X amplified controllers power the system, which is managed by an L-Acoustics P1 processor and connected via an L-Acoustics LS10 network switch.
Equally impressive is the monitoring system for the stage: one dozen X15 HiQ wedges are surrounded by two A Series systems and two SB28 subs per side, plus two more SB18m subs just for the drummer.
“It’s a big system, and it has to be because it was meant to accomplish several important things,” says Self. “It has to cover every seat in the house no matter how the room is configured for a particular event or concert, and it has to be flexible. We designed it to hang from motorized trolleys, which lets us move the main speaker arrays, as well as the on-stage lighting trusses, to alternate locations or completely out of the way of the touring act’s system - if needed - all at the touch of a button. It’s a totally flexible system that never compromises on quality.”
Brian Carp, COO of The Factory, is an industry veteran, having worked in venue-management roles at the Fox and Boulder theatres in Boulder, Colorado, and House of Blues locations in Dallas and Anaheim, California. To him, the choice of a sound system was “extremely important, even critical” to the success of a venue. “You want to make sure you are as rider-friendly as possible when it comes to lighting and sound. You want to make a great first impression for visiting bands, and you also want to give that same experience to the fans. The L-Acoustics K2 does all of that and more.”
