Harman Audio System Highlights Major Sound Upgrade at Historic Lerner Theatre

In a major overhaul of the 87-year-old Lerner Theatre in Elkhart, Indiana, audio integrator Vista AV recently completed a sound upgrade featuring components from Harman's AKG, Crown, JBL, and Soundcraft brands. The renovation added 6,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, seating capacity, and an expanded moveable stage.

The main theater area is outfitted with 20 JBL VERTEC VT4887ADP-DA compact powered line array elements outfitted with JBL DrivePack technology Crown-designed amplifier modules, as well as four SRX712M and six VRX915M stage monitors powered by Crown amplifiers. The existing theatre system was also supplemented with two JBL SRX718 powered subwoofers and three JBL AC18/26 compact loudspeakers. A host of AKG microphones including the D5, D40, P5, and P6 have also been added to the upgraded house system, while a Soundcraft Vi4 digital console was installed to handle both front of house and monitor mixing.

"This was a challenging installation because we were dealing with an existing historic structure that was not at all accommodating to modern technology," stated Cyril Oake, project manager for Vista AV.

"Using the built-in Crown amplifier modules with the VT4887ADP-DA speakers allowed for fast rigging of the arrays and combination of the DP module and the JBL speakers not only provided a clean professional look for the install, but sonically met the needs of the facility," added David Glass, systems designer for Vista AV.

The multipurpose room at Lerner Theatre includes 36 Control 26CT small-format ceiling speakers powered by Crown CTs 4200 series amplifiers as well as a dedicated AKG WMS450 wireless microphone system.

"Quite a few of the other digital consoles have a long learning curve to get to know even the simplest of functions. With the Vi4's Vistonics control interface, anyone who is familiar with an analog console can make adjustments. For a venue like the Lerner Theater this is a must because of the variety of acts that will be coming and going all the time. Sometimes even the simplest of things makes a difference. The smaller footprint of the Vi4 takes up less room in the auditorium so less seating area needs to be given up for the production location," stated Glass.