New York based SIA Acoustics prides itself on creating spaces that work well for both audiences and performers.
That ethic was employed to great effect during the 2010 season of Mad. Sq. Music and one that comes naturally to SIA consultant and system designer, Adam Shulman.
“When someone asks why you’re recommending a piece of gear or a certain workflow, it’s important to be able to have actual field experience to bolster credibility and to make the right decisions.”
“For this reason our team includes designers, engineers, technicians, architects, and performers,” explains Shulman.
For the Madison Square Park project Shulman’s job involved wearing a variety of hats; as de facto project manager and designer of the Tannoy-centric FOH and monitor system, and, often, as the house mix engineer.
Free concerts in the park feature a handpicked line-up of national touring acts ranging in style from jazz, soul and R&B, to folk, bluegrass and pop. 2010’s offerings include the likes of jazz pianist Mose Allison, Grammy nominated singer Ruthie Foster, The Wailin’ Jennies and James Carter.
Prior to its revitalization in 2001 as a result of the efforts of members of the Campaign for the New Madison Square Park and the city, Madison Square Park was neglected and crime-ridden.
Now overseen by the Madison Square Park Conservancy, the park – situated on 6.2 acres between 23rd and 26th streets and Fifth and Madison – offers cultural activities that include Mad. Sq. Reads, Mad. Sq. Art and Mad. Sq. Kids, which offers various children programs and family art workshops. It has become a thriving community oasis for Manhattan’s Flatiron District and a major destination for visitors to the city attracted to its growing reputation as an important venue for contemporary art, music and literature.
In the three years since SIA became involved, the summer series’ infrastructure has increasingly become more integrated. Always, Shulman says, balancing aesthetics and functionality is a key concern.
The custom-designed stage – developed initially for the 2009 season – was designed by SIA and engineered by McLaren Engineering, and incorporates a cantilever roof structure with Milos Truss and an open rear and sides.
Supported entirely by in-ground anchors, the structure can support up to 2,400 lbs of suspended equipment and withstand wind gusts up to 60 MPH without the use of guy wires or counterweights.
In tandem with a suite of Tannoy VQNET and VNET loudspeakers the open stage and the system present a compact footprint, allowing audiences to experience the shows without overpowering the surrounding park, or obstructing views of the city’s streetscape and skyline.
This is where VQ Series (or indeed the self-powered, networkable VQNET variant as specified in this case) offers a critical advantage over line array systems. That is, its ability to deliver comparable SPLs, with greater broadband coverage control, but with far fewer boxes – minimizing the visual impact thanks to the compact point-source modular approach.
First opened as a public park in 1847 and named for former US President, James Madison, the site was once occupied by the nation’s first baseball club, The New York Knickerbockers, and is rumored to be the birthplace of baseball.
It also hosted the nation’s first community Christmas tree in 1912 and, beginning in 1876, played an important role in the history of the Statue of Liberty; temporarily displaying he arm and torch of Manhattan’s favorite lady in an effort to raise funds for the construction of the statue and its base.
