The Stone Mountain Arts Center is a 200-seat, timber frame music hall nestled in the scenic foothills of the White Mountains in Brownfield, Maine. A labour of love and dream fulfilled for owner/musician Carol Noonan, the centre provides a unique venue for artists to connect with small audiences. Among other notables, Lyle Lovett, Robert Cray and Marty Stuart to Ani DeFranco, Taj Mahal and Mary Chapin Carpenter have all graced the centre’s stage to provide performances that have helped make it a popular destination for musicians and audiences alike.
The centre called on Klondike Sound’s Jason Raboin to design a new sound system to serve its eclectic roster of artists. The project presented a number of interesting acoustical and aesthetic challenges, including managing the centre’s highly reflective wooden surfaces and designing a visually unobtrusive sound system to blend in with its timber frame architecture.
Raboin selected Fulcrum speakers for their clarity, directional control and minimal visual impact. The simple yet powerful system he designed comprises two Fulcrum DX1277 dual 12-inch coaxial loudspeakers whose 75° x 75° dispersion keeps sound off the physical structure. Two Sub118 18 inch direct-radiating subwoofers extend low-frequency support, and eight compact FX1295 12 inch coaxial vocal monitors are used on the stage.
‘With their tailored coverage pattern and musical quality, Fulcrum’s speakers provide the fidelity and punch we need,’ says Production Manager, Patrick O’Donnell. ‘Whether it’s a loud rock show or a nuanced acoustic performance, the system is really transparent.’ Carol Noonan adds, ‘As our arts centre is all about people and connections, we needed a sound system that wouldn’t detract from its warm, welcoming and intimate feel. Fulcrum speakers were a perfect fit.’
‘We recently had Robert Cray – who has played here many times,’ adds Carol Noonan. ‘His band brought a lot of their own gear but as usual, used our house speakers and subwoofers. It was definitely the best sounding show we’ve ever had with him. Nothing was different than before – the same crew and players as always – so it’s gotta be the speakers.’
