Michigan’s Berman Center equipped with Renkus-Heinz systems

The Berman Center for the Performing Arts, a newly-built 600-seat theatre in Michigan has had a sound system featuring Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers installed.

The theatre, situated within a Jewish Community Centre, is designed for flexibility, with movable walls that close to form two adjacent ballrooms, or open to create a single large theatre. "It’s very much a multi-use facility," explained Bob Sullivan of Advanced Lighting and Sound, the contractors on the project. "The system had to be adaptable to several different room configurations, and sound good across a wide range of program material."

"It’s a rather wide room, and that was a concern from an audio perspective," added Tim Hamilton of Acoustics By Design, the consultants behind the audio and video design. "But the client specified that the speakers have low visual impact. So the challenge was to provide adequate coverage using a minimal number of speakers."

The main sound system is comprised of left and right arrays of two Renkus-Heinz ST4R three-way tri-amped loudspeakers. CFX212M two-way systems at the rear of the hall act as delays or provide separate coverage, depending on the configuration. Crown amplification powers the CFX units and a Yamaha M7CL console takes care of FOH duties, with DSP handled by a Yamaha DME 24N processor.

Dealing with the venue’s low ceiling was another challenge for the team. Hamilton continued: "It was a bit tricky configuring the arrays to deliver a true stereo image from where we had to position them, but the ST4’s coverage and pattern control made it easier to accomplish."

"When they (the client) first saw the size of the system, there was some concern over whether it would be loud enough, and whether it would cover the whole room. Once we turned it on, it was clear that it was more than enough, and everyone was quite pleased."

Sullivan concluded: "The speakers sound great in the room; coverage is smooth and consistent across the entire area. It’s a very well thought out solution."

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