L'Acoustics brings its sound technology to the legendary Studebaker Theater in Chicago

In celebration of its 125th anniversary, the famous Studebaker Theatre has renewed its sound system with the technology of L'Acoustics to address all kinds of events.

Chicago's Fine Arts Building is a Romanesque treasure in the famous Loop neighborhood of this American city, which houses another famous 'jewel' that takes its name from this historic space of a carriage assembly company: the Studebaker Theatre, with capacity for six hundred seats.

After a first renovation in the year 1917, the theater had many activities during the last century, from an itinerant production space, to a cinema and even a television studio, for those who always used a generic public address system stacked on the ground.

In the current celebration of its 125º anniversary, its managers have carried out a deep renovation of the installation, that has had a large investment, and now has a modern sound system based on the Kara II speakers of L-Acoustics, along with a console DiGiCo Quantum225 FOH and its D2-Rack as part of the project, designed by the consultant Threshold Acoustics and the integrator OSA Integrated Solutions.

"The new owners of the theatre contacted Threshold Acoustics to install a new AV system., including the PA system," explains Brandon Gardner, OSA Integration Director-. Given the scope of the project and the time frame, we work together on a design/build approach to the system".

That effort extended to an entirely new infrastructure for assembly., power and wiring, designed by Schuler Shook, parte de la cual es compatible con el nuevo sistema de megafonía, para dar respuesta a la amplia gama de eventos y actuaciones del teatro.

Al tratarse de un edificio antiguo, resolver el tema de la cobertura fue primordial para que el sonido llegara a todas y cada una de las zonas del teatro, como los palcos. “Había que dar solución a estos espacios y contar con un PA que ofreciera capacidad para conciertos de alto decibelio, así como producciones de TV y otros eventos -recuerda Gardner-. Kara II can do all that and still have a low profile., letting the beauty of this theatre shine".

Mercer M. Aplin, Threshold Acoustics Senior Consultant, adds that "the geometrically diffuse space was really a challenge., as well as the sophisticated production scheduled for the new season of the theater.

"The audio renewal was complex., time was pressing and we were at the mercy of the same supply chain problems experienced by the rest of the professional AV industry.. So we decided to partner with a contractor who could help with the engineering and coordination of the installation of new ducts., as OSA, a company with proven experience in complex renovations".

Threshold opted for an LCR design; which would address all the theatrical requirements of the venue, with the central group adjusted for vocals and the left and right as the main musical arrangements.

The boxes or balconies were the main task, for those using L-Acoustics Soundvision software, se instaló una combinación de altavoces 5XT y X8 para cubrir cada centímetro cuadrado de esos espacios.

"We used two lines under the balcony or lower box, a 5XT line and an X8 line, to obtain low frequency coverage in the mixing position of the main. We used a similar technique with a single line of X8 for the seats in the box and a second mixed position.. The Studebaker Theatre presented us with some real challenges and L-Acoustics offered us real solutions.".

The new system consists of eight Kara II speakers per side, con un colgante central que consta de ocho altavoces Kiva II , mientras que cuatro subwoofers KS21 suspendidos cubren el extremo inferior. Cinco altavoces 5XT se alinean en el borde del escenario como relleno frontal, with five more to reach the areas under the box.

Each of those components has a specific purpose in addressing acoustics.: "These ancient theaters were created before amplification and were designed so that the human voice would be heard everywhere., especially in the corners," says Kevin Scott, technical director of the Studebaker Theatre-. Pushing the amplified sound into space creates a mess of reverberation and reflections.".

That's why, "L-Acoustics speakers were carefully chosen to have accurate audio in the corners., especialmente debajo del balcón. El resultado ha sido tremendo: we can turn on the system at half the volume than before and get twice the clarity and coverage".

Scott adds that Threshold Acoustics carefully recorded the challenges of the room., using pink noise to map your reflective signature. "Our new high-quality Kara II PA, combined with some acoustic treatments, as curtains, it has really made the sound of the Studebaker Theatre stand out. It is a very versatile system, dynamic and multipurpose that works well for loud music, spoken words and more".

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