The Great American Music Hall (GAMH), a 700-capacity venue in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco that’s recently hosted a 15-show residency celebrating the 70th birthday of John Zorn, a special 4-night run with Julian Casablancas, rock band The Voidz, and shows by Ry Cooder with Taj Mahal and Napalm Death, has been equipped with a new sound reinforcement system utilizing d&b audiotechnik XSL loudspeakers in a project by Sound Image, a Clair Global company.
“At the time of the purchase, some of the folks involved with the decision had been out on tour and the better shows were always on d&b rigs,” states Elijah Dowd, audio engineer, Great American Music Hall. “The company had just launched the XSL system which was the perfect size for the music hall.”
Sound Image design consultant and account executive Jake Hendricksen adds, “XSL was the perfect choice for a venue like this. With the tight stage and reverberant space, we needed all the pattern-control we could get. Weight is also a concern in a historic building like GAMH. The main structural members are 100-plus-years-old hand-hewn redwood timbers spanned with structural steel. We needed to engineer and certify new rigging points that met strict California requirements. The performance-to-size ratio with XSL is unlike any other product on the market. A high-performance directional line array system weighing in at under 90 pounds per box is a game changer.”
XSL is designed for permanent installations while incorporating the performance features of the company’s SL-Series, including broadband directivity control and extended low frequency response as well as extensive rigging.
“When d&b came into the hall, we followed their advice and used ArrayCalc to build a couple of ArrayProcessing slots, a few to avoid the balcony at different levels for shows where the balcony is closed and a couple with different level settings for the main floor,” Dowd notes. ArrayProcessing is a d&b technology designed to enabls further optimization of an array’s tonal balance and level consistency over the vertical coverage area, or even level avoidance for cases like this situation so as not to further excite the room than required.
The new system includes 12 XSLi8 and four XSLi12 loudspeakers, 8 per side as L/R for the mains, four SL-SUB subwoofers, dual 10S point source loudspeakers and two more for delay balcony fill, four 44S loudspeakers for front fill, all powered by 10D, 30D and D80 amplifiers. Six M4 and two M2 wedges are available for stage monitoring, driven by 30D amplifiers.
GAMH general manager and booker Fred Barnes says responses to the new system from artists and audience have been enthusiastic: “The number of patrons who have raved about the new system this year has confirmed that we made the right choice. We have one of the most diverse calendars in the city, where anything from legendary thrash metal bands to extremely quiet classical ensembles can be playing from night to night and the versatility of this system to deliver crystal clear sound, extreme power, heavy bass and anything required of it consistently has been incredible.
“The patrons obviously rave about the sound in the venue itself, but the artists and touring crews have been equally thrilled with the monitor system and decreased stage volume from the new arrays and subs. Many bands and artists have told us that it was the best sounding venue on their tour for them, and ultimately there is nothing better to hear than that; it is what we are striving for every day, to try and deliver the best possible sound experience for the audience and the best possible playing experience for the performer.”
