New York University School of Law’s Vanderbilt Hall recently completed a series of renovations and upgrades including crucial audio improvement through the installation of Renkus-Heinz loudspeaker systems.

The 1950s-era building that sits along the corner of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, and is a landmark of the village while also serving as a main building for those attending the prestigious law school. Key among its improvements is a renovation of the 400-seat Tishman Auditorium that was completed in July 2020.

‘Tishman Auditorium isn’t a typical theatrical stage, but more of a lecture hall,’ says Harry Allison, Director of Design Services at Waveguide LLC, the consulting firm tasked with designing and commissioning the system. ‘And with its age comes a number of acoustical challenges. There’s a gentle slope to the floor and seating areas, and a staggered ceiling that combine to make it a difficult space to provide good sound. The consensus was the school had never been very happy with the audio in the space, yet it was an auditorium that gets used quite a bit. It needed to be fixed.’

The answer, Allison syas, was a combination of Renkus-Heinz solutions – two Iconyx IC16-RN digitally steerable line array loudspeakers and six Varia array modules.

The Iconyx arrays make use of Renkus-Heinz’ digitally steerable technology, allowing venues of all size and type to digitally position sound exactly where required. By programming the arrays digitally, the sound stays off the peculiarities of the room, and is directed entirely toward the audience’s ears. Varia, meanwhile, offers configurable enclosures and innovative hardware that makes it easy to custom-design an array for every application.

‘When you sit in the auditorium now and start up the system, it’s very impressive,’ Allison says. ‘The school is very happy with the new sound of the space.’

Waveguide also designed and provided commissioning for multiple displays in the hall, which means the facility can now be used for more than just lectures. The results, Allison said, are transformative.

‘They plan to show movies in there now, as well,’ Allison adds. ‘With Renkus-Heinz, we can provide intelligibility in speech and still give that immersive effect you want with a video. It’s an incredibly important tool to have: to be able to offer such high-quality sound in any type of location.’

More: www.renkus-heinz.com