{"id":706,"date":"2022-05-04T17:01:03","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T16:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mondodrawards.com\/2022\/?post_type=portfolio&p=706"},"modified":"2022-11-09T09:37:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T09:37:18","slug":"marion-palace-theatre","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/mondodrawards.com\/2023\/portfolio\/marion-palace-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"Marion Palace Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ override_padding=”yes” column_padding=”2″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ width=”1\/1″][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-14946″ type=”carousel” medias=”709,708,707″ carousel_lg=”1″ carousel_md=”1″ carousel_sm=”1″ gutter_size=”0″ carousel_height=”equal” carousel_interval=”3000″ carousel_navspeed=”400″ carousel_loop=”yes” carousel_nav=”yes” carousel_nav_mobile=”yes” carousel_nav_skin=”dark” carousel_dots=”yes” carousel_dots_space=”yes” carousel_dots_mobile=”yes” carousel_dots_inside=”yes” stage_padding=”0″ single_style=”dark” single_overlay_opacity=”1″ single_padding=”2″ single_border=”yes”][vc_column_text]Adamson\u2019s ability to meet Marion Palace\u2019s precise sonic and aesthetic requirements was integral to the choice of the Canadian audio manufacturer\u2019s IS-Series and Point Series loudspeakers for the historic venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very high-quality system, and the company\u2019s ability to deliver was huge,\u201d says Tom George, Senior Design Engineer at Clair Global Integration\u2019s Cleveland office; citing the loudspeaker\u2019s high-quality sound and Adamson\u2019s capacity to provide a solution that blended seamlessly with the Palace\u2019s spectacular d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n

Constructed in 1928, the approximately 1500-seat theatre-style venue is a cornerstone for cultural activity in downtown Marion, Ohio; a decidedly multi-purpose facility that hosts a mix of concerts, theatre productions, films, and special events.<\/p>\n

Designed by Architect John Eberson, the venue was constructed to give audiences the impression of attending a show at a \u2018Palace in Old Spain\u2019. As the Marion Star described it just before the Palace\u2019s grand opening back in the day, \u201cAllow your imagination to carry you to the gentle slope of a moon-lit Spanish hill\u2026 Through the archways spreads the soft light of a harvest moon, and the dim glow casts shadows over the sombre-coloured walls. Overhead, myriads of stars are twinkling in an azure blue sky, and soft, fleecy clouds are drifting gently with the breeze.\u201d
\nOver time, great care has been taken to ensure that the theatre\u2019s setting remains as impactful as it\u2019s ever been. After Marion Palace was acquired by the non-profit Palace Cultural Arts Association, it underwent a comprehensive restoration\/renovation and has since been upgraded via a series of structural improvements and updates to the backstage and front-of-house areas. Naturally, the Palace\u2019s audio systems have evolved as physical changes to the venue were made. But, until the replacement of the venue\u2019s previous 1980\u2019s-era point source loudspeakers with the Adamson rig in January 2022, the systems inhabiting the space didn\u2019t provide optimal coverage, output, or quality.<\/p>\n

The new system is comprised of three arrays of Adamson IS7 in an LCR configuration, with two IS219 subs placed on the floor to either side of the orchestra pit, and eight Adamson Point 8 as under-balcony fill. \u201cWe basically did a vocal tuning for the centre cluster and a more \u2018musical\u2019 tuning for the left and right arrays,\u201d George says.<\/p>\n

System tuning was done within the Lab Gruppen amplifiers driving the system (multiple D 120 amps for the LCR elements and one D 200 for the subs) and is \u201clocked out\u201d in the amps, George continues. However, visiting engineers can put their own stamp on the sound via a pair of Lake LM44 processors at FOH and the venue\u2019s pre-existing Yamaha GL5 console. The system was also reconfigured to be run on Dante. \u201cWe go into the LM44s and then to the amplifiers (over Dante), and we have an interface there for visiting operators to drop in a visiting console,\u201d George adds.<\/p>\n

That provides a welcome degree of flexibility. \u201cIt allows guest engineers, touring artists, anyone who uses the space, to utilize Dante and reroute things easily,\u201d says Acting Technical Director and head of local audio firm JCR Studio & Sound, Brian Jester.<\/p>\n

The size and weight of the loudspeakers were also beneficial. \u201cThe IS7 has such a compact footprint and being able to have a large enough array to cover the room and fit within the physical parameters, was a big part of the choice,\u201d George notes. \u201cWe\u2019re also fortunate because they\u2019re about the same weight as what we took down \u2013 the centre cluster was actually lighter. So, we were able to reuse much of the existing rigging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other longstanding issues were also addressed, among them, the replacement of a 70-Volt system that the under-balcony loudspeakers previously used with a low-impedance system. New cabling was also installed for the roughly 100-foot run from the stage to the balcony FOH mix position.<\/p>\n

The result is an incredible improvement. \u201cFar superior coverage of the venue and far better audio quality overall,\u201d George says. But as much as those involved in the project wanted patrons to hear the difference it was important they didn\u2019t see a difference. Consequently, Adamson\u2019s willingness and ability to provide custom colour matches (to blend with the Palace\u2019s \u2018courtyard\u2019 walls to either side of the stage, and make the centre cluster virtually disappear into the background of the rich, red velvet drapes framing the proscenium) was critical to that effort.<\/p>\n

While selecting RAL numbers to match the colour and texture of thick velvet drapes was a challenge, it\u2019s one Adamson\u2019s Port Perry, Ontario facility is purpose-designed to meet. \u201cWe\u2019re completely vertically integrated,\u201d explains Adamson CEO, Marc Bertrand. \u201cSo, when matching RAL numbers, we\u2019re able to control the end result seamlessly; from the machine shop and woodshop, all the way through wash, powder, and wet spray. Because we\u2019re not outsourcing the job and just waiting for product to come back, we can ensure the coverage is right, the metal is matched up properly, the powder matches the wet spray on the wood, and we can choose other colour elements for the silkscreen to make the match even closer.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re taking a risk if you outsource,\u201d Bertrand continues. \u201cWe know immediately if something\u2019s wrong. It\u2019s about control. We punch our own metal as well, so we\u2019re controlling not only the colour but the whole process.\u201d While other manufacturers do custom colour matching, for Adamson, it\u2019s a common occurrence. \u201cThis was the sixth custom job we\u2019ve done in the past four months, although, I will say none of them were quite as pretty as that red.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdamson matched the curtain colours without overshadowing the architecture of the proscenium, and the two side arrays also blend in very well,\u201d says Kirk Detweiler, Marion Palace\u2019s Executive Director. \u201cWe haven\u2019t had a big show in since the system was put in, but for the movies, it\u2019s sounding great, and we had a four-person vocal group in that sounded awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you can imagine, in any older theatre, the deep balcony, the multi-levels of coverage (present challenges),” Jester explains, “but the system Clair designed does everything it should and more. My only experience with Adamson is with some of their older boxes from the late 1990s\/early 2000s. So, hearing the evolution of their speakers was very encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the new Adamson system allows Marion Palace to continue to fulfil the role it has had in the community for almost a century, and in a way that\u2019s as easy on the eyes as it is on the ears. \u201cThe sound almost feels like it\u2019s coming from the walls, rather than from the speakers,\u201d Jester concludes. \u201cThe way the loudspeakers were placed, tuned, and deployed \u2013 sonically, the system complements the visual aesthetic of theatre.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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