WSDG designs the sound of the new Assembly performance center

Impact Concerts, responsible for this artistic and musical space in Kingston (EU), has had the acoustic consultant WSDG to design a sound system with the latest systems from manufacturers in the sector.

Former headquarters of the Catholic school St. Joseph’s, now converted into Assembly, a new space for live events in the North American city of Kingston, is the latest initiative from event promoters Drew Frankel y Peter Himberger, of Impact Concerts, part of a series of projects designed to inject new energy into the arts and music culture of the Hudson Valley.

To launch this space, Impact Concerts partnered with local real estate developer CB Developers, who purchased and renovated the space with the idea of ​​creating a thriving center for small and medium-sized events that would serve as a community gathering point for live music, danza, theater and film screenings.

To ensure that Assembly could boast sound quality in line with these objectives, its founders hired the acoustic consulting and multimedia systems engineering company WSDG.

Impact Concerts has been curating concerts and live events in the Hudson Valley and Catskills area since 2017. The Assembly concept has been the result of the void existing in the area of ​​a space for events with ability to 450 personas.

“The Hudson Valley has needed a place like this for a long time,” explains Frankel.. The pandemic closed many of the older mid-sized theaters and, as a result, There have been very few that can host events of this size with the quality that we believe they deserve. Con Assembly, “We really wanted to dream big and push the limits of what a space this size can do.”.

As Himberger adds, “Impact hosts a wide variety of events that encapsulate artistic culture in the Hudson Valley, from concerts and comedy to live theater, movie screenings and community events. The opportunity arose to conceive a space that could accommodate all of them and, at the same time, raise the bar for what a room like this could achieve in the future”.

The WSDG design team - formed by its founder, John Storyk; the partners Joshua Morris y Jonathan Bickoff, and the project manager, Adam Paiva– was responsible for developing a comprehensive acoustic treatment plan for the interior of the premises that would optimize it as a space for performances and events.

As Morris points out, “Assembly is a great example of how this area has been investing in the revitalizing your performing arts community with high quality event spaces. These projects are very close to our hearts, in which we can really participate not only as consultants but also as patrons, “So it makes it extra special for us to offer what we know as acoustic designers.”.

This process has contemplated the detailed acoustic measurement of the space and the development of an appropriate treatment package and, at the same time, that fit the historic interior aesthetic of the space and respected the budget. Improvements to existing windows were also designed to control noise transmission to the outside., towards neighboring neighbors.

“When we saw the place for the first time, it looked amazing, but we knew that it would suffer from some of the acoustic problems typical of a historic assembly hall in 110 years old - Paiva remembers -. The goal was to maintain that aesthetic, but it sounded like a modern rock music venue & high caliber roll. We worked closely with the design team to carefully select an acoustic treatment plan that would enhance the aesthetics and historic feel for deliver a world-class sound experience”.

In addition to acoustic treatments, WSDG also partnered with DNR Laboratories to design and install a next-generation line array system of the Y series of d&B audiotechnik con V-GSub, the same high quality system used in Levon Helm's barn, in neighboring Woodstock (New York).

The system also includes scene monitoring consisting of wedges d&b Max2 and a battery powered subwoofer C7. All sound equipment works with a couple of systems Allen & Heath dLive of 48 entries.

“At the heart of the operation are a pair of Allen consoles & Heath dLive, with dedicated stage racks for FOH and monitors - points out Donnie Gamsjager, from DNR Laboratories-. A three-way splitter with transformer 56 custom made channels, designed specifically for this project by Entertainment Manufacturing Group, ensures that true touring quality practices are maintained”.

The system is supported by a complete infrastructure based on Dante and Cat6a, with robust custom IO boards, placed in strategic places on the stage, the house and work areas.

“Although our setup runs on a Dante-based digital network perfect for touring, We have a tested analog backup to ensure trouble-free operation, even in case of network problems”, adds Gamsjager.

Assembly's inaugural concerts have been a reliable demonstration of the capacity of the new venue, with very favorable reviews from both attendees and artists.