TULSA, OK – The audio crew at Oral Roberts University's Mabee Center went with a flown solution for both loudspeakers and subwoofers for two Oklahoma beauty pageants staged there recently. The two affiliated pageants, which crowned Miss Oklahoma and Miss Oklahoma's Outstanding Teen, ran concurrently from June 7-11 in the Mabee Center's Johnston Theatre.
"Every inch of floor space was taken up for the staging area. By the time everything was in place, the front seating row was barely three feet from the stage," noted Casey Phariss, Oral Roberts' audio services manager and chief audio engineer. "For this reason, we flew almost the entire sound system, including the subwoofers. While there was no live music, there were many pre-recorded music tracks, so it was critical that music reproduction be first rate-and likewise for the spoken word."
The setup included 20 Aero 38A powered line array elements – 10 units positioned per side – and a central cluster of eight Aero CA-28A powered loudspeaker enclosures. For low frequency support, the crew flew eight LX-218A powered subwoofers – four per side, positioned to the inside of the Aero 38A clusters. An addition four Aero CA-28A cabinets provided front fill, and the crew also deployed eight SML-12A powered monitors. Two Biamp Nexio audio processors handled loudspeaker management tasks.
Phariss credited the D.A.S. gear for audio quality, with the vertical throw and horizontal dispersion needed for "consistent, even coverage throughout the room." He also noted that the self-powered system eliminates the need for amplifier racks and worries about amplifier/loudspeaker mismatches, and that "system cabling is streamlined considerably."
Along with Phariss, the crew included Justen Reddick, Trent Ekblad, Josh Banks and Jonathan Williams.
For more information, please visit www.dasaudio.com.
