Westville Music Bowl, formerly the CT Tennis Center on the Yale University campus in New Haven, CT, is the first stadium worldwide to work with the recently announced d&b audiotechnik re-manufactured certified pre-owned (CPO) program in implementing a J-Series loudspeaker system.
In normal times, the venue can seat up to 10,000, but with U.S. CDC guidelines it currently hosts 4,000. The first show to use the rig was a performance by Government Mule, with most of the season events pre-sold out.
The CPO program was born from an initiative to extend the life of rider-friendly loudspeaker systems while conserving natural resources and reducing waste. Remanufacturing is the process of returning a used product to at least its original manufactured performance and quality standards, and the work is performed in Asheville, NC at the d&b main U.S. office as well as the factory in Backnang, Germany.
DNR Laboratories of Watertown, CT installed the system, with company President Donnie Gamsjager noting, “Due to timing of the CPO J-Series becoming available, it was exactly what our client required. Warranty was critical; the CPO J-Series comes with a factory warranty as a used re-purposed system. It was also a huge cost savings over competitors used systems, and even competitors new systems which was vital to the owners’ comfort to use the re-purposed system.
“The Westville Music Bowl has a strong green initiative and uses solar power during the day (2,000 seats were removed for solar panels); all beverage cups are bio-degradable, and the entire facility recycles,” he continues. “All vendors engaged in the venue are asked to follow green initiatives. We wanted a proven system that no one would ever think twice about. J-Series systems are proven to perform consistently day in and day out. Engineers at front of house know what they are going to get every time in every venue with the J-Series.”
Gamsjager adds that another determining factor is the controlled directivity of d&b loudspeakers: “The J-Series is known for keeping the sound forward facing and minimizing artifacts off the sides and rear of the box. The system stands on its own without subwoofers in the air that would have created a huge noise pollution issue and taken up much of the valuable rigging space. The SL-SUBs’ cardioid pattern and output were attractive to the owner to keep the low end inside the venue and out of the neighborhood.
“d&b offers NoizCalc software that helps predict the venue’s noise emissions and provided useful data when applying for zoning and permits from the city. The best part was that the NoizCalc data was spot on when compared to the report from a 3rd party firm that was hired independently to analyze noise pollution under show conditions. The city is thrilled with the control of the sound coming from the venue.”
Specifically, the system incorporates 28 J8/J12 (14 per side) modules, a dozen Y8 for out fill (six per side), eight Ti10P to supply front fill, and eight SL-GSUB to enhance the low end. Amplifiers are 30D installation models for all loudspeaker systems except for the subwoofers , which are driven by D80 amplifiers. A dedicated computer running d&b R1 Control software is used for control of audio distribution of the entire system.
“Competitors to d&b just didn’t have the software suite, engineering support, or ability to prove their system would control noise pollution in this venue,” Gamsjager states. “The system sounds incredible; the venue is incredible, and the J-Series was the reliable solution. The rig is compact, lightweight, and still, to this day outperforms the competitors’ systems in the same footprint. The ability to keep the sightlines clear using minimal PA while maximizing coverage and SPL throughout the venue was a huge win for making every seat location an enhancement to the audience listening experience. Basically, the solution required less J-Series, Y-Series and SL-SUBs to complete a working 10,000-seat arena then any competitor.
The venue’s Production Manager, Tim Burke, adds, “We’ve done five shows over two weekends at Westville, and I have to say I’m thrilled with the performance of this J-Series rig.”
Go here to find out more about the d&b CPO program.
