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MacArthur Park Sounds Lovely In The Dark
Nothing provides a better focus for an urban population than a free summer concert series, a fact that is being beautifully illustrated by MacArthur Park's historic Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts. Located just west of downtown Los Angeles, the park's outdoor bandshell is hosting a lineup of widely eclectic entertainment--from international and roots music concerts to dance performances to children's productions--five evenings a week as the sun sets and stars come out. To properly accommodate sound reinforcement duties for a highly diverse roster of acts, LA Sound Company, in conjunction with Brian Riordan of Levels Audio, has elected to use Crown I-Tech and XTi Series power amplifiers driving a fully JBL loudspeaker setup.
"We have had good experience in the past with Crown I-Tech and XTi systems," confides LA Sound Co. Owner Richard Ralke, "so they were a natural choice for us to use at Levitt Pavilion. Aside from sounding excellent, which is our number one criterion, the Crowns are easy to program, incorporate a lot of powerful DSP, and are very efficient with low power consumption. The I-Tech Series, in particular, is also extremely versatile in handling a wide range of speaker impedances and outputs."
Because of scheduling changes, the pavilion's sound system was specified, designed and assembled in just three weeks. To streamline system adjustment, all Crown power amplifiers are networked via Ethernet using Harman Pro's HiQnet communications and control protocol.
"We can set up crossover filter parameters and delay from a PC and load them into each amplifier," explains Ralke. "In fact, JBL supplied us with new systems settings for the loudspeakers, which we used to reprogram each amplifier; it only took us a couple of minutes. We also had to ensure that the entire PA system could be taken down in just 45 minutes, since the owners strike the venue at the end of each evening performance. We designed the custom amp racks with multi-pin connectors so that the system can be rolled out, powered, and ready to go in a very short time."
Levitt Pavilion's sound system currently comprises four JBL VerTec VT4887A line array cabinets flown per side powered by four Crown I-T4000 amplifiers, two JBL ASB6128V subs stacked per side powered by a pair of Crown I-T6000s, plus eight JBL SRX712M stage monitor cabinets driven by a rack full of eight Crown XTi 4000s. "We are very happy with the coverage, sound quality and output of the Crown-powered rig," says Ralke.
MacArthur Park's summer concert season at Levitt Pavilion runs from August 8 through September 16 with a full season of 30 nightly concerts. The park's vintage bandstand and acoustic shell were built 50 years ago, but recently underwent a $2m renovation and modernization to accommodate this year's concert itinerary, which is produced by The Friends of the Levitt Pavilion - MacArthur Park, a non-profit organization.
Immortalized in 1968 by Richard Harris' recording of Jimmy Webb's epic tune, which was further popularized by Donna Summer a decade later, MacArthur Park is one of the oldest and most significant parks in LA and boasts a colorful history as the centerpiece of the Westlake district. In recent years, the combined efforts of neighborhood groups, community entities, and public agencies have created significant change in the park via improvements to return it to its former beauty. Today, the park is once again a destination for recreation, relaxation and entertainment, making it one of the most used areas in Los Angeles.
14th September 2007
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