Founded in 1923, the Portland Symphony Orchestra has celebrated the Magic of Christmas with concerts that have entertained audiences throughout the Holiday season for over 10 years.
For the 2019 Holiday Season, The Magic Of Christmas is taking place at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine and the 82 piece orchestra will be performing over a 3 week period. When asked why he switched to VUE Audiotechnik al-4 line arrays, Daniel Willis of AV Technik states, “We felt that for how detailed the VUE al-4 is, it would be perfect for a large orchestra and vocalists.”
AV Technik’s system engineer, Nick Pires, utilized Ease Focus to spec out 12 al-4s per side and ensure the rig was deployed properly. After the first performance, Willis explains, “The system has exceeded our expectations for this application…Sound: Killer…Our client (PSO) is thrilled. The coverage in the 2200 seat auditorium including the balcony, was crystal clear to the last row.”
Willis went on to explain how the client (PSO) was also very happy at the compact size of the al-4 arrays. “PSO were thrilled at how small and unobtrusive the PA is. People see big speakers and panic – especially in a classical setting. The al-4s eliminate that fear to the point where they are almost non-existent visually. It allows folks to listen with their ears instead of their eyes.” He also explained that the al-4 arrays were light and easy to implement and that setting up the rig was far from stressful.
To drive the al-4s, four V4 engines allowed AV Technik to EQ the arrays in groups of 4 to best match the seating area and distance from the arrays. Again, this was directed by the Ease Focus work done so no guess work was required when the arrays were flown.
The Magic of Christmas concerts wrap up on December 22.
