The historic Warner Theater in Washington, D.C., was recently outfitted with new Butterfly line arrays from Outline.
Located two blocks from the White House, the theater has a rich legacy dating back to its origins in 1923 — first with Vaudeville and later as a cinema theater during Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Restored in 1992, the Warner Theater took on yet another incarnation and became an esteemed live performance venue. The new sound system commensurate quality needed to support the venue’s expanded entertainment roster.
“The sonic performance is stellar, and the narrow profile of the arrays minimizes impact on both lines of sight and frontal lighting needed for theatrical purposes,” says Ishai Ratz, house sound engineer at Warner Theater. “The Outline Butterfly delivers all the performance we need, and then some, but does not overpower the theater visually. That was an important consideration when it came to choosing the right PA for this venue.”
Two left/right hanging arrays of 14 Butterfly modules, along with two CDL1815 cardioid subwoofers, comprise the front of house loudspeaker set. It is complemented by eight arc-delayed Outline LAB15SP self-powered subwoofers mounted beneath the stage that deliver uniform and coherent low frequency coverage.
Six Outline self-powered steerable MiniCOMP.A.S.S. loudspeakers, with proprietary variable horizontal control, serve front and stage lip fill needs.
Tom Bensen, senior vice president and managing director of Outline North America was on hand to commission the system in mid-January of this year.
“At the onset of celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2013, I am pleased to have such an important and respected institution as the Warner Theater join the Outline family,” says Bensen. “As a venue managed by industry leader Live Nation, the quality and caliber of performers that will come through this acclaimed theater will provide the ideal, mutually advantageous platform whereby the artist, the venue, and Outline will each benefit greatly from the experience.”