New Jersey’s Plainfield Public Schools recently opened a US$4m renovation of the Plainfield High School auditorium including a new eSports gaming arena and black box theatre. Design and installation of Electro-Voice sound reinforcement systems for each venue fell to the PureTek Group.
‘The auditorium was completely refurbished to serve as a hub for school performances, community events and assemblies,’ says PureTek Group President, Dan Litvin. ‘We outfitted the auditorium, which seats 1,525 people, with left-right Electro-Voice EVA line arrays to cover the main seating area and EVC loudspeakers for balcony fill.’
Each EVA line array comprises three EVA-2082S/906, two EVA-2082S/1220 loudspeaker elements and two EVA-2151D subwoofers. EVA is a true line array that offers the benefits of concert-type line arrays without their cost and complexity. Each full-range EVA element features two 8-inch woofers and four 1.25-inch compression drivers mounted to two Hydra planar wave generators.
A wide range of coverage patterns are available for precise configuration and coverage. EVA’s efficient crossover and driver design minimises power and DSP requirements, offering significant system cost and space savings. EVA’s hidden internal rigging design contributes to their sleek appearance while also making them incredibly easy to install.
The under-balcony seating area is covered by eight EVC-1122-95B compact loudspeakers, mounted along the lip of the balcony with black EVC-UB2 brackets. The system in the auditorium is powered by seven Dynacord DSP amplifiers – three C3600FDi (2x 1.8kW) and four C2800FDi (2x 1.4kW).
The black box theatre is new to Plainfield High School’s fine arts programme. Here, the PureTek team wall-mounted two EVC-1122-95B loudspeakers to the right and left of the stage, powered by a single Dynacord C1300FDi amplifier powers. The space, which existed prior to the renovation, is now equipped for dramatic arts education, professional development, experimental theatre, or for use as a smaller performance space.
‘When we began the project, the black box theatre room had zero technology,’ Litvin says. ‘Now, it is a room with unlimited possibilities for the fine arts program, the school district and the community. The EVC loudspeakers are an integral part of the room’s success.’
The last addition to the fine arts program was the creation of an eSports arena. Since the early 2000s, eSports has developed into a competitive gaming platform that allows students to compete against other high schools via a streaming platform. The new eSports arena is equipped with three Evid-P6.2 pendant ceiling speakers and Evid-S12.1 compact subwoofers powered by a four-channel Dynacord V600:4 600W amplifier.
Puretek also created a network that streams the competitions from the eSports arena onto a large screen in the auditorium, allowing fans to watch in the larger space. Microphones placed in the auditorium relays the crowd’s response to the eSports arena over the pendant speakers, further energizing the atmosphere in that space.
Behind every successful installation is a great team effort. ‘We have worked with Gary Karlsrud at Electro-Voice for a long and have completed several school installs with their gear to great success,’ Litvin says. ‘Plainfield wanted the best of the best, and we knew EV would get the job done. The EV team also did a great job with measurement, making sure everything worked in each space. The pre-ordering engineering was amazingly helpful. Lastly, we know EV stands by their projects, so we were confident they would have our backs to ensure Plainfield was happy with the result.’
