Located inside the Miracle Mile Shops of the Planet Hollywood Resort on the world famous Las Vegas Strip, the Saxe Theater is home to several of this town’s most popular shows.
The Saxe Theater recently upgraded their sound reinforcement capabilities by installing new D.A.S. Audio loudspeakers.
GC Pro was contracted to design and install the Saxe Theater’s new sound system. GC Pro Account Manager Don Hartley, working in conjunction with Jeff Pressler, head of audio for David Saxe Productions, designed a system that consisted of eight Aero 12A powered two-way, mid-high line array modules with additional support from a pair of Convert 12A powered two-way full range loudspeakers.
The Saxe Theater is uniquely laid out with a main area approximately 80 feet by 60 feet. There is also an upper seating area that is oddly shaped, measuring roughly 20 feet wide and stretching back 40 feet. The theater’s ceiling has an average height of 30 feet and the venue has a seating capacity of 420 people.
Because of the combination of the lower and upper level seating areas, it was critically important that the new loudspeaker system provide consistent sound throughout all areas of the room with, of course, a high level of speech intelligibility and strong music reproduction characteristics.
To address these concerns, Hartley and Pressler ultimately deployed the D.A.S. Aero 12A line array elements in a flown left – right configuration, with each side of the main stage area having four enclosures. The two Convert 12A loudspeakers were installed as rear fill for the upper level triangular area, which also resides behind the FOH mix position.
“The self-powered loudspeakers make a terrific solution for this type of venue,” Hartley elaborated. “The Aero 12A loudspeakers provide a very streamlined installation in terms of system cabling while also ensuring that all amplification is optimized for the transducer complement.”
With the D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A, the captive rigging system splay angles range from 0- to 10-degrees and can be adjusted in 0.5-degree increments from 0-degrees to 3-degrees and 1-degree increments from 3-degrees to 10-degrees —allowing a wide range of column curvatures to be created.
“The flyware on the Aero 12A loudspeakers is excellent,” Hartley reports. “The design makes it quick and easy to connect the various enclosures together and to adjust the pins to ensure the proper positioning of each individual enclosure. It’s a very well-designed system with great flexibility.”
“I’ve always been impressed with how informative and easy-to-reach D.A.S. Audio’s customer services team is,” Hartley continues. “I considered it very important that the loudspeaker provider have our backs throughout the entire design and installation process, and D.A.S. came through with flying colors.
“Carlos Henao, D.A.S. Audio’s U.S. Accounts Manager, was extremely helpful. He helped me set up a demonstration system for Jeff Pressler and his FOH engineer, Mariano and, later, came back to do a second demo at the theatre where multiple producers were able to hear how the system would sound. You can’t ask for more than that! ”
The Saxe Theater’s new sound system was deployed and placed into service this past June and since that time the system has been very well received.
“Our new D.A.S. sound system is performing wonderfully,” reports Pressler. “The Aero 12A line array covers the theatre evenly and sounds great in all applications. One show may use only a lapel mic while Vegas! the Show has 20 live pieces.
“This system can handle anything we throw at it. The Convert fill speakers do an equally impressive job in the upstairs area where some guests are 80 feet from the stage. Our new system provides a clean, full sound that really helps our shows deliver the excitement.”
