The Duke Family Performance Hall, a 600-plus seat proscenium theatre on the campus of Davidson College in North Carolina that hosts a range of live events, has been outfitted with an upgraded sound reinforcement system headed by d&b audiotechnik components.
The nall was made possible by a gift from The Duke Endowment, a private foundation that’s been a major benefactor to the college during an association that has endured more than 75 years. “Davidson College has always shown a strong backing when it comes to the arts,” states Brandon Kincaid, Senior Stage Technician, Duke Family Performance Hall. “Not only does Davidson host a strong music, theatre, and dance scene within the student body but we also have multiple programs designed to bring professional touring artists, musicians, regional Broadway productions, and dance companies to campus on a regular basis. This split between these professional and student-based events brought unique challenges to the Hall.
“Back in 2014, I decided we needed to do something about our aging sound system and that started our journey,” he contines. “The COVID pandemic created the opportunity to take our venue ‘offline’ to complete this renovation. Thanks to recommendations of SE Systems [located in Charlotte], the end result is a great combination between d&b A-Series loudspeakers and a DiGiCo SD12 console that has created a venue that feels alive.”
The A-Series is the newest category of loudspeaker within the company’s loudspeaker lineup, referred to as the augmented array. It is designed to serve category between point source and line array configurations through adjustable splay angles to adapt to different coverage needs, the ability to be hung as a vertical or horizontal array, and mid-range directivity control intended to deliver clear vocals.
“The A-Series is a great option for this venue because of its great pattern control and ability for horizontal array,” says Sam Trexler, Project Manager, SE Systems. “We ended up using four A-Series arrays of two boxes each to cover the room from left-right positions. There is an upper set and a lower set. The end result was excellent left-right coverage for all seats in the house. The room is not very deep, but it has two balconies that limit speaker placement options.”
In addition, a center cluster of d&b Y10P boxes were chosen for their pattern control and small size. “We needed to hide the center cluster in front of the subs so as not to add any more lighting obstructions,” Trexler adds.
Meanwhile, d&b T10 loudspeakers handle underbalcony duties as the ceiling height is only nine feet and there is the need to keep the audio off the rear wall and ceiling. Trexler notes that the d&b CPO J-Sub was chosen for its frequency response and ability to be driven to full capacity on a 30D amplifier: “The original plan was to use ground stacked subs left and right on the stage, however this did not give even low frequency coverage for the room due to the balcony overhangs. d&b ArrayCalc was essential in helping us determine that a center hung sub array would be a great option for two reasons; one, it would provide even coverage for the house, and two, it would free up stage real estate. The best part about the CPO-J Sub is that even though were pre-owned they look and function like brand new with a great price point, plus full warranty.”
Trexler notes that the DiGiCo SD12 is “a great fit” for the client, with Kincaid seeking a console that would give the venue future growth options as well as being rider friendly for the traveling shows that frequent the venue. “The SD12 was quite a step up from the previous console they had been using,” he says. ” We paired the SD12 with DiGiCo 4rea4 and SD-rack with 32-bit cards, allowing for great flexibility in how the system can be configured while still enabling it to run at 96 kHz.”
Kincaid adds, “At low volumes the system feels well balanced and delicate,” adds Kincaid. “And, it has zero issues when I push the pedal. The CPO J-subs create a full and substantial low end without being overpowering or out of balance. The room sounds great; we have very even coverage in all seats of the house. The PA system has the ability to provide delicate supplement for acoustic opera all the way through the student led EDM shows. The rider friendly PA system will be a huge plus to drawing shows to this venue. The current show, Unveiled & Unvarnished, sounds better on the new PA with masks than any show ever sounded on the old PA without masks.”
