YAMAHA DIGITAL DESKS DELIVERED
TO WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

BUENA PARK, CA (October 24, 2003)—Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, the Walt Disney Concert Hall was created to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated and visually stunning concert halls in the world. The Disney complex includes two outdoor amphitheaters plus a space for pre-concert events, and was made possible through the vision and generosity of Lillian Disney, the Disney family, individuals and corporations.

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the 2,265-seat, 293,000-square foot Walt Disney Concert Hall is the centerpiece of the Disney complex and the new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The 2,265-seat, 293,000-square foot Walt Disney Concert Hall is the centerpiece of the complex, as well as the new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The unique interior features a curved wooden ceiling and staggered seating, and was designed to retain the acoustical characteristics and intimacy of traditional concert halls. Audience members surround the orchestra platform, while a pipe organ occupies a central position between the seating sections in rear of the stage. Other design touches include Douglas Fir walls and ceilings, a 36-foot-high rear window and skylights.

ProSound, with offices in Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, supplied, engineered and installed the performance sound, video and communications (PSVC) systems, with Larry Spurgeon heading up the project for ProSound and Scott Marcellus providing systems engineering.

Two separate sound reinforcement systems were designed to address the auditorium’s architectural challenges: a concealed announce system and a removable sound system for contemporary programs. A third sound reinforcement system covers the Pre-Concert Area.

ProSound installed a pair of 96-channel Yamaha PM1D Large-format mixing consoles for the front-of-house and stage monitor positions. Each digital audio engine and companion I/O modules (with redundant power supplies) reside in patch racks located on stage left, and connects to its respective remote control surface via a single 68-pin cable plus two Ethernet interconnects. The FOH PM1D’s control surface is located in a custom-designed sound control room, while the monitor console’s control surface and accompanying equipment are housed in portable flight cases.

“The console’s local interface electronics and a computer (for remote control of wireless mics, mic preamps, amp control and DSP network control) are located in a fixed swing rack located in the Sound Control Room,” explains Engineering Harmonics’ David Clark, who supervised the PSVC installation. “The computer’s keyboard, monitor and mouse are located with the main console, remoted via a KVM unit.”

ProSound supplied, engineered and installed the performance sound, video and communications (PSVC) systems, including a pair of 96-channel Yamaha PM1D Large-format mixing consoles for the front-of-house and stage monitor positions.

The Sound Control Room audio monitors receive an adjustable blend of live sound from two Crown boundary microphones, mounted outside the control room, plus direct feeds from the console, delayed to synchronize to the live sound. The sound control room also includes recording and playback decks mounted in portable racks.

If necessary, the FOH Yamaha PM1D control surface, recorders and other equipment can also be relocated to the “Cockpit,” an audience area directly in front of the mixing booth, with absorbent panels available to eliminate sound reflections off the booth’s glass window.

“Digital audio is an evolving technology, and is proven for live applications,” Clarke explains, regarding the choice of the Yamaha PM1D consoles for the new performance arena. “These are now stable, quality products, fully acceptable with high-end users. Total system recall is an obvious advantage, and would cost around $250,000 in an analog design. The PM1D has proven itself in the market, will be familiar to many visiting engineers, is exceedingly versatile and is sufficiently economical.”

For more information on the PM1D, 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.