Following a US$1.2m renovation, the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton, Washington, sits among the US Northwest’s best live performance venues. In addition to upgraded amenities and an exterior facelift, the former audio system has been replaced with an installation centred on 20 Meyer Sound Leopard line array loudspeakers.
‘Last year marked 75 years since the Admiral opened as a movie house, and our 20th year as a performing arts centre,’ says Admiral Theatre Foundation Executive Director Brian Johnson. ‘The Meyer Sound Leopard system has become the crown jewel of that project. The response has been overwhelmingly positive from visiting artists and patrons alike.’
The summer of 2017 marked more than three years of fundraising and project planning, culminating in a benefit concert featuring Vince Gill and The Time Jumpers, with a temporary Leopard system in place. ‘That instantly sealed the deal,’ Johnson recalls. ‘All the right people were there, including our board members and major donors. They were blown away by what they heard, and at that point there was really no going back. The Meyer Sound Leopard system surpassed all expectations.’
As permanently deployed, the system comprises two arrays of ten each Leopard line array loudspeakers, each flown underneath a single 900-LFC low frequency control element. Four additional 900-LFC elements are ground stacked, two per side, with four UPM-1P loudspeakers deployed for front fill. A Galileo Galaxy 816 processor provides system drive and optimisation.
Morgan Sound of Lynwood, Washington supplied and installed the system, with Stephen Weeks serving as sales facilitator and project manager.
‘The transient response and intelligibility are just amazing, as is the phase coherence between boxes,’ says Saylor, who mixes the majority of nationally-touring acts featured at the Admiral . ‘I’m still giddy mixing on the system. It’s that exciting. And all of the touring engineers who have come in since we’ve had the Leopards have been very pleased with the results.
‘The difference also has been noted by the patrons, he continues. ‘People routinely approach our staff after performances and say it’s the best sounding show they’ve ever heard. I think that has a lot to do with the Leopards.’
The audio renovation from Morgan Sound also included a new Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console at FOH and an Avid Venue SC48 at monitors, with provision for swapping positions if desired by the visiting act. A prominent fixture of the regional production industry for nearly 40 years, Morgan Sound has expanded beyond its roots as a highly regarded sound rental provider to become a leading, full-service integrator of audio, video and lighting systems throughout the Pacific Northwest.
