Thunderbird Café and Music Hall Finds Budget-friendly Solution in Rock-ready L-Acoustics A15i Professional Audio System

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – March 2024 – “John Pergal is a musician and avid concertgoer and particularly requested L-Acoustics for the Roxian Theatre,” says Hollowood Sound’s Brad Hollowood. “When discussing an improve for the Thunderbird, the identical model was on the high of his record as soon as once more. John did take into account a number of different producers’ methods; nevertheless, the A15 system completely met all their wants sonically and did so inside finances.”

Pittsburgh’s Thunderbird Café and Music Hall is a longstanding fixture within the metropolis’s distinctive and vibrant Lawrenceville neighborhood. First established in 1890 as a bakery, the constructing was transformed in 1933 right into a tavern referred to as Michalski’s Café, which was granted Pittsburgh’s second liquor license following the shut of Prohibition. Since 2000, the venue has been owned by John and Ami Pergal, who additionally personal the 1,400-seat Roxian Theatre throughout city, which put in an L-Acoustics Kara system 5 years in the past. Today, Thunderbird’s 583-capacity Music Hall is an intimate mainstay on the nationwide touring circuit, and it not too long ago bumped up its audio amenities with a brand new L-Acoustics A Series loudspeaker system designed and put in by McKees Rocks-based Hollowood Sound.

Nathan Shapert, Hollowood Sound’s lead installer, labored carefully with L-Acoustics’ Chris “Sully” Sullivan on a system design that might custom-fit the three-level venue’s distinctive geometry, which included each a balcony and top-tier VIP space. “We tried to maintain sightlines, in addition to a {custom} mural on home proper, in thoughts when designing the system,” Shapert describes. “We have been restricted to a nook concrete stage with solely room for 2 KS21i per facet, so the system options flown subs as properly. A15i made probably the most sense contemplating the quantity of low-frequency response the field offers in addition to output. Even although the venue is underneath 600 capability, it nonetheless required sufficient SPL to fulfill the necessities from touring engineers to supply sufficient headroom in addition to the sonic readability that comes with an L-Acoustics system.”

The venue’s new left and proper predominant arrays are every comprised of two A15i Focus enclosures over a single A15i Wide and topped by a KS21i sub. A middle cluster, used to fill within the balcony, contains a related configuration minus the subwoofer. Four extra KS21i are positioned underneath the stage, and your entire setup is powered by 4 LA4X amplified controllers. Additionally, 4 coaxial X8 enclosures, pushed by an LA2Xi, ship supplementary VIP and bar space protection.

“A Series was designed for rooms just like the Thunderbird,” says Brad Hollowood. “Between our lengthy tenure as a legacy L-Acoustics firm and our consumer’s want to decide on the model, it was a no brainer. The low-mid frequency response with A15i coupled with the KS21i made for a terrific mixture for the area. And the system is so budget-friendly for small-medium in addition to bigger venues you could’t go incorrect. The weight, value, and sound high quality are what makes A Series a win.”

Thunderbird sound engineer Mike Jantho is jazzed with the venue’s new loudspeaker setup. “When I stroll into the room, I’m assured that I’ve the most effective instruments accessible to make a band or performer sound their greatest,” he says. “The similar goes when I’m handing drive strains over to a visitor engineer. ‘The room sounds nice,’ is a remark I’m now listening to again and again. When mixing on the A15 system, the bins don’t sound constrained. Everything is there to tailor an acceptable combine it doesn’t matter what style. And the protection within the room has immensely improved—from the ground to the third balcony to the again bar, the protection is easy. Soundvision actually helped nail that.”

For fellow Thunderbird sound engineer Alex Heard, listening to the room’s transformation from the earlier rig to the brand new one is tremendously satisfying. “The outdated system might be extraordinarily shrill within the higher mid-range, which might make for a really fatiguing listening expertise,” he remembers. “I at all times felt just like the outdated PA was yelling at me, however the A Series arrays have fully eradicated that downside. I can get the readability I want however at a decrease quantity than I used to be ever capable of obtain earlier than. On high of that harshness, we have been at all times pushing towards the highest of the subs’ talents, however now we’ve headroom for days on the low finish. And I now not worry blowing a driver within the subs to get the low finish I need.

“But the largest distinction for me is the even protection once I stroll away from the FOH place. The Thunderbird’s unconventional form and constructing supplies make for a visually gorgeous design, but additionally make the room fairly difficult from a mixing perspective. The room is taller than it’s lengthy and incorporates two balconies of various shapes, which suggests a number of units of fills needed to be employed. In many rooms, I really feel like a number of fill zones are a compromise to an issue that by no means actually feels solved, and that was definitely the case with the outdated system right here. But with the brand new L-Acoustics rig, it simply works—left to proper, entrance to again, high to backside, my combine seems like my combine. It’s fairly wonderful to stroll as much as the highest balcony and have the identical readability and low-end that you simply expertise on the ground.”

As each a venue proprietor and a gigging musician, John Pergal has a singular appreciation of the Thunderbird’s sound from a number of views, and he’s proud to carry L-Acoustics to a different certainly one of his areas. “There have been many explanation why we went with L-Acoustics, such because the rock-solid reliability of their amplified controllers, which have run flawlessly on the Roxian since 2019,” he says. “Plus, their L-Drive safety system units our thoughts comfortable understanding that each one of our drivers have a severe safeguard. We have been on the lookout for a system that might enhance our low-end reinforcement and protection, but keep inside our finances, and the A Series supplied a full-coverage resolution that was the most suitable choice for the room. With the 15-inch drivers within the A15i paired with the 21-inch drivers within the KS21i, we knew they’d not fall quick, and so they haven’t. Plus, the Hollowood workforce is at all times nice to work with. They have the proper mixture of ardour and information, and partnering with them and L-Acoustics once more made this challenge an entire success.”

For extra data on Thunderbird Café and Music Hall, go to www.thunderbirdmusichall.com.
Hollowood Sound may be discovered on-line at www.hollowood.com.

About L-Acoustics
L-Acoustics is famend for growing modern sound methods and applied sciences that elevate the listening expertise. Founded in France in 1984, L-Acoustics at the moment employs 800 workforce members worldwide, with headquarters in Paris, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore. Recognized for pioneering the road supply array, L-Acoustics continues to form the way forward for sound with options such because the L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound expertise, which provides 3D multi-dimensional audio. L-Acoustics additionally offers distinctive concert-grade sound methods and immersive sound areas for residential and architectural environments. In recognition of introducing these groundbreaking inventive applied sciences, L-Acoustics was named certainly one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2020 and 2023.

L-Acoustics sound methods may be heard across the globe in venues just like the Hollywood Bowl and the Philharmonie de Paris, on the world’s top-grossing festivals similar to Coachella and Tomorrowland, worldwide particular occasions just like the World Expo 2020 and World Cup 2022, and on tour with world-class artists similar to Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Arctic Monkeys, and Jacky Cheung, and within the Las Vegas residencies of Katy Perry, Adele, and extra.