At the National WWII Museum in downtown New Orleans, the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center now relies on
the Meyer Sound CAL column array loudspeaker to tackle the acoustic challenges
in its massive vaulted pavilion. Using CAL\’s beam-steering technology, New
Orleans-based JBA Consulting Engineers has created a system that delivers
highly intelligible music and speech while tailoring coverage for the audience
size at an event.
The US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center is a
36,000-square-foot angular edifice dominated by a five-story, steel-and-glass
atrium which houses six wartime aircraft suspended in frozen flight, including
a B-17 Flying Fortress. Despite the acoustical hazards posed by surfaces of
glass and concrete, the CAL loudspeakers allow the museum to direct exceptional
audio clarity to the audience for almost daily programs of lectures, video
screenings, and musical entertainment.
\”We were originally skeptical about having
decent sound in the space, largely based on prior experience in another
pavilion using older technology,\” admits Paul Parrie, associate vice
president of operations for the museum. \”But we are amazed at how well the
Meyer Sound CAL system works here, and we are very pleased with it.\”
Precise, uniform coverage of the 700-person
capacity audience area is provided by two CAL 64 loudspeakers, aided by two
UPJunior VariO loudspeakers for near-stage fill. Low end for music and video
playback programming is supplied by dual 600-HP subwoofers. The CAL
loudspeakers are programmed with two presets: one uses dual split beams on both
sides for larger audiences, while the other uses a single beam at a steeper
angle for smaller audiences.
\”The wall opposite the stage is five stories
of solid glass, and because the room is asymmetrical, the throw is much shorter
on one side than the other,\” notes Rob Pourciau, senior project consultant
for JBA. \”We needed loudspeakers that could tailor precise coverage for
the space, then change coverage depending on audience size, while providing
both high speech intelligibility and superb music quality. CAL is the only
system that could do it all and still keep the architects happy with its
unobtrusive appearance.\”
In addition, two Meyer Sound UM-100P stage monitors
provide foldback, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system featuring one
Galileo 408 processor is used for optimization and drive. The pavilion\’s event
audio system also includes a Yamaha LS9-32 digital mixing console, Clear-Com intercom,
and eight Shure ULX wireless systems which include Beta 58 handhelds and
beltpacks with Countryman lavalieres. All sound and lighting systems were
designed by JBA Consulting Engineers, while New Orleans-based Soundworks
handled system integration.
The US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center was part
of a recent $35 million renovation to the museum. Voorsanger Mathes, LLC was
the architect and Woodward Design + Build was the general contractor. Since its
dedication, the pavilion stage has hosted a broad range of high-profile
speakers, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Atkinson and former vice
president Dick Cheney. Musical entertainment is often provided by the female
vocal group the Victory Belles.
Dedicated in 2000, the National WWII Museum features
interactive exhibits, artifacts of all sizes, and special programs that
together reveal how the war was fought, how it was won, and what it means in
today\’s world.
