d sound systems&b allow the Arcade Theater to delve into musicals

To provide perfect coverage, Yi7P Y series speakers have been installed on both sides of the stage., with a wider point source Yi10P in the center. And to complete this infrastructure, the 27S-SUB passive cardioid sub has been implemented, which keeps the energy off the stage..

El Arcade Theater, headquarters of the Florida Repertory Theater company, It's in Fort Myers. (Florida) and rose from the darkness 1990. In this place different comedy and drama programs were staged but due to the equipment they had they had problems putting on musicals..

“For mainstream comedy and theater, the room is so direct that we don't need sound reinforcement except for sound effects and music played in the background of scenes and dialogue. But there is more and more demand for musicals, something our old sound system couldn't handle anymore.", comments John Kiselica, chief electrician and sound designer of the theater.

The project was a challenge for BCI, since the place has gone through many changes in the course of its existence, leaving a mark on the physical structure. “The public may not see it but, when starting to work inside the building, we find all those vestiges of previous works, that can be difficult to solve”, explica Kiselica.

Beyond the architectural peculiarities of the gallery, Michael Fraioli, vice president of audiovisual sales at BCI, explains how the solution was deployed. “We designed an L/C/R system. It is small and simple and covers the public area perfectly.. The theater is a vaudeville venue from the beginning of the 20th century with a capacity of almost 400 seating and includes an amphitheater, but it is small and only used for technical purposes”.

Placing all the supports for rigging was complicated in this building of historical interest. Yi7P speakers from the Y series of d have been installed on the left and right.&b, with a wider point source Yi10P in the center. Correctly located and aligned, offer perfect coverage to +/- 1 dB throughout the seating area and reaches below the amphitheater.

For musicals they needed full range audio. “In our previous system we had a sub, but it was only a sub in name. It wasn't powerful enough at all, had to be amplified to the limit of destruction so that it would emit some kind of noise, hence, for practical purposes, “It couldn’t be used.”, continua Sorrel.

Comment that is highlighted by Fraioli. “Not only did it make the PA system sound bad, but too many low frequencies were also arriving (LF) to the stage. We select the 27S-SUB of d&b to complement the Y Series. It's a passive cardioid sub that keeps the energy off the stage.

We were also able to hide them in pre-existing cavities located in the high areas of the architecture., one on each side at the same level as the Yi7P ruffled tops. The different temporal position was minimal enough for the tops and sub-bass to behave as a single source producing a very pleasant and coherent acoustic field in all listening areas of the audience.. The entire system is very efficient, That's why only two d 10D installation amplifiers were needed.&b”.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

All this infrastructure could be seen in the performance of the musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. “Our musical director and I have been fascinated by everything that can be obtained from this system. The sound quality and coverage are much better than I had imagined”.

There were ten actors on stage, who carried lavalier microphones, and a small music band, to the left of the gym set. A classic approach was applied in the audio design: the orchestra in the main L/R arrangements and the actors' voices in the central cluster.

“The public was aware that the performers were wearing microphones, but it wasn't obvious either, and with a couple of additional frontfills to soften the image, It was easy to forget because it was very natural to locate the voices of the singers in the space of the performance.”, says the theater's sound designer.