The Factory


ProjectThe FactoryLocationSt. Louis, Missouri, USAManufacturersCHAUVET Professional, USADistributorLogic Systems, USALighting DesignerChip Self, Logic Systems, USAInstallerLogic Systems, USAAcousticianLogic Systems, USASubmitted byCHAUVET Professional and On Stage A.V.

The project utilized logic systems to do the install. The result, says talent buyer Dan Merker, is a venue that delivers on audiences’ expectations, sporting an audio installation built around Midas Heritage D mixing consoles at Front of House and monitorworld, and a sizable L-Acoustic K2 loudspeaker system. “The acoustics in the room are unbelievable,” he says. “For the size of the venue, the K2 rig is fantastic to have. Also, our house system is flown on a track, so if a band is traveling with PA and they want their d&b rig, our PA simply slides back on the tracks and they can fly right in front of it. We won’t have the added expense of taking our rig out and putting another one in. Little elements like that go a long way.”

Located in the heart of St. Louis’ popular dining and entertainment destination “The District,” the new venue is now entertaining fans with a wide variety of shows, following strict safety protocols. Enhancing their experience is a dynamic and flexible lighting rig featuring CHAUVET Professional Maverick, Rogue, and STRIKE fixtures supplied by Logic Systems, which also installed audio, video, and rigging gear and The Factory. A collection of 16 Rogue R3X Wash, 16 Maverick Force S Spot, and six STRIKE 4 fixtures were ultimately selected for the project. The mid-stage and upstage trusses each have 8 Force S Spots, 8 Rogue R2 Wash, and 3 STIKE 4 units.
Self wanted to position our FOH truss off of the show grid so that it’s not in the way of touring systems. Because it’s on roof trusses instead of the show grid, he had to pay careful attention to weight. The Chauvet units were ideally suited for this. Not only are they compact, but they’re also extremely versatile, and they pack a lot of punch.

As a roadhouse, we have visiting bands that sometimes want to use their own gear, but we have limited space to store our house PA and lighting when this happens. To address this issue we had to get a little creative. Self worked with Harrington Hoists to modify an existing trolley motor they build so that it can be operated from a traditional production chain hoist controller, and outfitted them with P14 connections. All four PA hoists, as well as the mid-stage and up-stage lighting trusses are on trolley motors, so they can be trolleyed out of the way of touring production, without having to take them down and store them. Since it was new construction, Self was able to design the rigging steel to have the oversized beams, and extra capacity to allow doing this without compromising capacity for the tour systems.”

There was a huge amount of design intention and attention was put into making the entire audience space a great seat, and lighting was a big part of it. Credit also goes to the project’s team, notably Brian Carp of The Factory and Kris Trgovich from Logic Systems. This was the product of hard work and teamwork. That, plus a lot of forward-looking vision by a group of optimistic people will make things happen every time, even during a pandemic.