The Fine Arts Theater at Seminole State College on Florida’s Sanford/Lake Mary campus—the centerpiece of the school’s theater and music programs—has received a sonic upgrade highlighted by a new Bose Professional RoomMatch line array.
Designed and installed by AV systems integrator Sound Stage fo Florida to meet the requirements of the room’s raked seating array, the single center cluster consists of three RoomMatch modules—RM12020, RM9020 and RM7020—topped by an RMS215 subwoofer. The array and sub are powered by a Bose PowerMatch PM8500 amplifier and utilizes a Bose ControlSpace DSP control processor for loudspeaker management.
Bill Fletcher, co-owner of Sound Stage, utilized Bose Modeler software to analyze the theater’s acoustical parameters and choose the right RoomMatch components for the space. “We weren’t able to apply any acoustical treatments to the theater walls, because the theater department wanted the room to have a certain amount of liveliness to the sound for music and speech projection,” he explains. “So we needed a sound system that could keep the energy highly focused on the seating area and off the walls, and that’s what RoomMatch excels at.”
Kenneth Moore, lead media production specialist at the college, adds, “Last fall, Seminole State College hosted the American Choral Directors Association Florida Chapter’s annual event, and the entertainment for the opening night was the Grammy-winning vocal group Take 6. The Bose system performed magnificently. It was so rich and clear that I could only wish that I had ‘synesthesia’ and had the ability to ‘see’ the smooth jazz, gospel, rock and R&B music as they performed it through the Bose RoomMatch system. What a thrill!”
And as far as the installation process went,” he continues, “from the first day that we met with Sound Stage until the project was finished, they were not only professional but trustworthy, which made the design and installation process first rate.”
Fletcher points out the vertical and horizontal pattern control of the RoomMatch modules means that the sound falls off outside of the seating area. “You literally walk three steps away from the seats and it’s gone,” he says. “What this means for the school is that its theater’s audio is on a par with that of much larger theaters. Their students experience the kind of sound they’d hear in larger performing arts centers. That really helps enhance the educational experience, and that’s what it’s really all about.”