VUE al-4s Help Provide The Magic of Christmas in Portland, Maine

For over ten years, the Portland Symphony Orchestra has celebrated the Magic of Christmas with concerts that have entertained audiences throughout the Holliday season. The Portland Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1923 and is widely regarded as one of the top symphony orchestras of its size in the country.

For the 2019 Holiday Season, The Magic of Christmas is taking place at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine, and the 82 piece orchestra will be performing over a three week period. In the past, Daniel Willis of AV Technik reports having used Dynacord Cobra and Meyer fill speakers mounted in the auditorium. When asked why he switched to VUE Audio al-4 line arrays, he states, "We have always used Dynacord Cobra for this event -- we felt that for how detailed the Vue al-4 is, it would be perfect for a large orchestra and vocalists."

AV Technik's system engineer, Nick Pires, utilized Ease Focus to spec out 12 al-4s per side and ensure the rig was deployed properly. After the first performance, Willis says, "The system has exceeded our expectations for this application...Sound: Killer...Our client (PSO) is thrilled. The coverage in the 2,200-seat auditorium, including the balcony, was crystal clear to the last row."

Willis goes on to explain how their client (PSO) were also very happy at the compact size of the al-4 arrays. "PSO were thrilled at how small and unobtrusive the PA is. People see big speakers and panic -- especially in a classical setting. The al-4s eliminate that fear to the point where they are almost non-existent visually. It allows folks to listen with their ears instead of their eyes." He also says that the al-4 arrays were super light and easy to implement, and that setting up the rig was far from stressful.

To drive the al-4s, four V4 engines allowed AV Technik to EQ the arrays in groups of four to best match the seating area and distance from the arrays. Again, this was directed by the Ease Focus work done so no guess work was required when the arrays were flown.

The Magic of Christmas concerts wrap up on December 22. For those in the Portland, Maine area, this is a great concert and a great way to experience the acoustic linearity al-4 line arrays in a classical performance.