The Vine Theater at Del Lago Resort & Casino

The Vine Theater, a premier 1,600-seat live performance venue located within the Del Lago Resort and Casino, is home to touring bands, comedians, and more. They chose 1 SOUND point sources over the more popular line array design option for their updated audio system.

For the visible PA main left and right Anthem Productions installed two Contour CT212s mounted on either side with their dedicated wall bracket. The Contour CT212s are significant to the design because they are constant directivity, horn-loaded loudspeakers that have a max SPL of 145 dB with 3-way crossover resulting in a pronounced and powerful, controlled sound, that is capable of high SPL and a longer throw. Four CSUB610s were placed in front of the stage and five SUB2112s were flown by truss providing impactful lower frequency needed for the venue. “The SUB2112s in the theater go down deeper than other subwoofers I’ve mixed on. They reach out and grab you!” stated Mike Richards, FOH Engineer at The Vine.

For the mezzanine, two more CT212s are flown per side. Contour CT28s are mounted for the third balcony level coverage from the truss as well as the catwalk. For the under balcony fills, ten of 1 SOUND’s brand-new Level L38 loudspeakers were flush-mounted to the ceiling. The Level L38s are truly ideal as under-balcony audio support because of their full range, progressive dispersion pattern, and small form factor.

The Vine marks the first theater to have 1 SOUND’s new cardioid concert monitor, the CM38. The CM38s stand only 8 inches off the floor and have a progressive horn design which focuses the energy farther by progressively narrowing the dispersion, giving these monitors more control. “The isolation of these monitors is amazing. Point them where you want and that is the only place you hear it,” explained Richards. “The best pro audio wedge used to dictate the volume of my show. With this new floor monitor CM38, now, there is no stage volume. This wedge is a game changer in the entire industry. Everyone who has come in and seen them has been blown away.”

Tom Knauss, Principal Consultant at NV5 Consultants Inc. was brought in to review The Vine’s system and provide immediate recommendations as “the existing system had reached a point where many components were beyond repair, and overall sound quality was suffering,” explained Knauss. Within NV5’s review of “three rider-friendly proposals generally based on the replacement of the existing line array system.” there was one other proposal based upon the success of recent theater upgrade projects incorporating 1 SOUND’s point sources. NV5 advised Del Lago of the potential for considering an alternate design approach with point sources considering the challenges that come with the width, height, and deeper balconies of their theater.

“A properly designed and implemented point source system can significantly decrease the quantity of loudspeaker devices without degrading performance. Properly implemented, a point source approach can lead to decreased system costs, diminished aesthetic impact, and more importantly, a dramatically improved sound experience to the audience,” said Knauss.

In taking a risk, and stepping away from a commonly done line-array approach, Del Lago requested an on-site demonstration of the solution from 1 SOUND. A highly successful demonstration was provided within five days of their request. “The Vine’s physical dimensions presented unusual challenges as it’s nearly 100-feet tall and only 100 deep. Our approach with Tom was to design with point sources instead of a line array because of the width and depth of the space,” explained Lou Mannarino, Designer of 1 SOUND.

Using just a left and right stack of a Contour CT212 and SUB2112, the demonstration system immediately outperformed the existing system. Theater management was so impressed that they decided to implement this demo system over their existing system as their temporary PA.

“I was immediately blown away by what I was hearing out of what little speakers were in the room,” explained Richards, “We were able to use that simple demo system as the actual PA because it was indeed covering, including the balconies! I explained to management, just imagine what it’s going to be like when we install the full system and there is even coverage everywhere.”

The Vine is an example of taking a risk on an uncommon idea and the success outperforming expectations. The expertise, passion, and attention-to-detail provided by all parties led to this theater hitting above industry-standard spec in audio coverage and now positioning itself as head-of-its-class among the 1500-2000 seat touring theaters in the USA.

“I’ve had several touring engineers on the system. Keanu Reeves’ band, was just in and their FOH engineer loved it! He can’t wait to return with his other band. Another engineer said, ‘The equipment on my console has never sounded this good!’. The comments have gone as far as someone saying, ‘I’m realising the adjustments I have been making on my mixes to accommodate line arrays.’.” explained Richards.

“The standard comment when a touring FOH engineer comes in, is: ‘Is that all the PA I have?’ Because all you see is two boxes mounted on the wall. When they leave, they always ask ‘Do you have any information on this?’ I have only impressed people. I’m so happy with this system.”

1 SOUND loudspeakers each have a unique design-origin story. The Vine is a space where 1 SOUND’s Contour, Level, and Cardioid Monitor proved to be the optimal fit because of their specifically designed behaviors and functionality.

“We wanted new technology that would cover our room and give us the SPL we needed for our concerts. 1 SOUND fit that bill perfectly. The clarity and coverage provided by the system is astounding! We now have even coverage with + or – 2 dB in every seat of the house. Which is huge. It means we are even above industry standard specs!”

Since its completion, Del Lago felt this design was so successful that they hosted a ‘1 SOUND Premiere Party’ to showcase the system and their investment to their patrons and local business/venue owners. They’ve commented, that since, they have seen a direct impact on alcohol sales. The Vine’s commitment to delivering an unparalleled live sound experience is evident and is seeming to set a new benchmark for live performance venues across the country.