While acting as a “hotspot” for students, faculty, staff and alumni, Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall did not boast the same quality of an SR system. The 120×80-foot space (with 30-foot-high ceilings) now sees a Turbosound Aspect loudspeaker system, installed by L&M Sound (Staten Island, N.Y.; www.lmsound.com) According to L&M’s Loud Mannarino, “I started the relationship with Columbia University’s Lerner Hall by providing rental gear. They would rent our equipment for events and activities in Lerner Hall—for everything from culture shows to meetings, concerts and other activities.”
In 2005, Ricciutti approached the University’s senior administration to plead his case for an audio upgrade. “I asked that we try to look at the technology changes and improvements that have occurred since the hall’s opening in 1999. If we start with a clean slate, we don’t have to worry about anything but the sound. We had the luxury of seven years of hindsight and experience to design and install the audio system we needed.
“Everyone else had specified a line array,” he continues. “The hall is long and narrow, and I thought it needed an LCR system for proper imaging. The Aspect system can run full-range with or without subwoofers, making them suitable for a truly multipurpose space like Lerner Hall.”
Mannarino’s LCR design included a center cluster of four TA-500 loudspeakers hung in a two-over-two formation. There is independent control of the top and bottom two cabinets in the center cluster to compensate for the acoustical changes in the hall when the balcony wall is open or closed.
Left and right were one each of the TA-500s. Four TSB-118 subwoofers are stored in a recessed area behind the proscenium. The subwoofers’ placement matches the flown-left and -right loudspeakers when pulled out onto the stage. The under-balcony and front-fills were replaced with three TCS-30 loudspeakers.
There are eight configuration choices for the sound system. Mannarino programmed the dbx DriveRack system with scenarios so the student-run facility could operate the system with ease.
For additional information, visit www.turbosound.com.
