The Portland Symphony Orchestra – widely regarded as one of the top symphony orchestras of its size in the US – has traditionally celebrated the Magic of Christmas with concerts for more than ten years.
For 2019, the event is taking place at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine, with the 82-piece PSO orchestra will be performing over a three-week period. Daniel Willis of AV Technik will use Vue Audio al-4 line arrays for the first time. ‘We have used Dynacord Cobra for this event, we felt that for how detailed the Vue al-4 is, it would be perfect for a large orchestra and vocalists.’
AV Technik system engineer, Nick Pires, used Ease Focus to spec out 12 al-4s per side and ensure the rig was deployed properly. After the first performance, Willis explained: ‘The system has exceeded our expectations for this application. Our client [the PSO] is thrilled. The coverage in the 2,200-seat auditorium including the balcony, was crystal clear to the last row.
‘The PSO were thrilled at how small and unobtrusive the PA is. People see big speakers and panic – especially in a classical setting. The al-4s eliminate that fear to the point where they are almost non-existent visually. It allows folks to listen with their ears instead of their eyes.’
He also explained that the al-4 arrays were super light and easy to implement and that setting up the rig was far from stressful: To drive the al-4s, four V4 engines allowed AV Technik to EQ the arrays in groups of four to best match the seating area and distance from the arrays. Again, this was directed by the Ease Focus work done so no guess work was required when the arrays were flown.
More: www.vueaudio.com
