ALADDIN'S AUDIO UNDERGOES MAJOR UPGRADE

—Vegas Venue Installs Three Yamaha DM Series Consoles,
Expands V-DOSC System—

BUENA PARK, CA (November 7, 2003)—A1 Entertainment Services of Las Vegas (NV) recently completed extensive audio system upgrades at The Aladdin Resort & Casino with the delivery of a Yamaha DM1000 and three DM2000 digital mixing consoles, plus the largest permanently installed V-DOSC P.A. system in the United States.

The 7019-seat Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts (ATPA) is the centerpiece of the updated hotel/casino.

According to Al Siniscal, A1 president and sound designer for the project, the DM1000 has been installed in the Sinbad Lounge, while a single DM2000 has been installed in the 400-seat CenterStage Showroom. The remaining DM2000s and V-DOSC system reside in the 7019-seat Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts (ATPA).

"The ATPA is really the centerpiece of this venue," he explains. "After the Aladdin's original structure was imploded in 1998, the Aladdin Theatre was left standing and underwent a $25 million dollar renovation. The result is a virtual indoor amphitheatre with no obstructions and one of the widest proscenium openings in the country, so the room is now equipped to handle large scale shows—many of which include artists and a full 40-piece orchestra. The new systems have resulted in much more efficient operations and better shows, and have also saved considerable operational costs, load in time and labor."

Gary Kehm (Director of Operations for Entertainment, Aladdin Resort & Casino), Craig Thomesen (Technical Director/Stage Manager/Lead Sound/ FOH mixer) and Tony Alamia (Audio Systems Engineer/monitor engineer) assisted with the upgrade.

Technical Director/ FOH mixer Craig Thomesen with one of the Aladdin's Yamaha DM2000 units.

Systems/monitor engineer Tony Alamia.

"Tony is responsible for the detailed wiring, installation and circuit level maintenance of all the equipment," notes Siniscal. "Craig is the primary person responsible for the technical implementation of the considerable audio improvements. He's not only fully dedicated to new technology, but is also willing to help the staff and all the incoming engineers in utilizing it effectively. The decision to purchase the Yamaha digital consoles and the expanded V-DOSC system was based on the fact that the Aladdin is primarily a 'road house,' as the ATPA features single performances and not just one show running for two years. At least one third of the shows do not carry full production, or they're carrying limited production, so the system has to be flexible to anything that comes in."

Siniscal continues, "The house had the beginnings of a V-DOSC system, and we simply completed it. The DM2000s and DM1000 were selected because they have the familiar PM4000 architecture, plus additional features, like more inputs, onboard processing and recallability. Compact size was also a factor. What really drives the DM2000 is the memory feature; an engineer can bring in a show, set it up, store it and bring any of the four pages to the console surface with the click of one button—along with the nomenclature of each input instantly displayed right above each fader. That's a powerful tool. The standard setup in the ATPA is one DM2000 in the house and one onstage for monitors, except for some of the orchestral shows where monitors are mixed from front-of-house."

"The signal is sent digitally, and we've used up to 72 inputs for larger shows. Usually around 48 inputs to the house will cover most shows, but we have enough extra AD824s so that we could send up to 96 lines if necessary. We're also using all the onboard processing. Only playback gear live in the racks, so that's another convenience feature."

A portion of the Aladdin TPA V-DOSC system.

Installed by head V-DOSC technician Bernie Broderick and assisted by Forrest Rowles, the ATPA now features an 82-cabinet L-ACOUSTICS P.A., the largest permanently installed system in the U.S. The main P.A. includes three line arrays of twelve V-DOSC cabinets and four dV-DOSC arranged in a L-C-R configuration and suspended below the grid (which is 60 feet above the floor). Two additional line arrays of eight SB218 High Power Subwoofers work in the air with the L-R arrays, while two ground stacks of four dV-Subs on each side of the stage work with the center array. Two additional arrays of two Arcs per array are flown in the air for the far house L and far house R coverage, and six dV-DOSC cabinets act as front fill. All enclosures are powered by 48 L-ACOUSTICS LA-48a two-channel power amps, controlled by seven XTA DP226 Speaker Management Systems and four Klark-Teknik KT DN-360 1/3 octave units for guest EQ. Overall, there is a total of 249,600 watts of amplifier power available.

"The system requires five inputs to drive it," Siniscal explains. "Three for L-C-R, one for front fills and one for ADA/dressing rooms. The systems also have seven different zones, and levels to those zones can be fed by using the house Yamaha DM2000 as a distribution system with the omni outs. If guest productions don't have enough outputs, they can give us a stereo feed, which is patched into the DM2000 and dispersed from there."

Since its re-opening, the three performance venues at the Aladdin Resort & Casino have hosted a continuous lineup of world-class concerts, theatrical productions, award shows, boxing and other headline events. Recent performers have included Sting, Prince, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Shakira, Stevie Nicks, ZZ Top, Mary J. Blige, and Journey. Broadway shows, which enjoy one-week runs, have featured the touring companies of Cats, Fosse, Stomp and Beauty and The Beast. Orchestral shows include The Nutcracker, opera diva Charlotte Church, the Kirov Ballet, the Beatles-tribute "Classical Mystery Tour," and "Elvis Live on Screen."

For more information on the DM1000 and DM2000, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Commercial Audio Systems Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com or visit www.yamaha.com/proaudio.