Systems Contractor News

Cerritos Center Adds Loudspeaker Systems

The critically acclaimed Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in southern California is on of the most flexible performing arts facilities in the nation. In a matter of hours, pneumatic lifts can completely reconfigure the interior into six different venues: a 1,700-seat, in-the-round venue featuring a revolving center stage; a 1,300-seat theater for opera, Broadway shows or dance productions; a 1,600-seat concert hall with classic proscenium setup; a 1,600-seat cabaret with chairs and tables; a 940-seat classic theater; or the newest configuration--an intimate, 300-seat space for live entertainment.

This new configuration is a 5,000-square-foot venue called the Sierra Room. "When we started developing this new space for live performances, we needed a PA system for it," said Jack Hayback, chief audio/video engineer for the Center. "There are Neutrik Speakon outputs all around the room that terminate at amplifiers already installed in the area, so we wanted a passive system that had to be high-efficiency and provide good sound."

Hayback purchased six Opals and four TA6000s. The system is powered by a pair of QSC EX1250 amplifiers with 275 watts per channel and mixed through a Yamaha DM2000 mixing console. "The result is actually a lot better than I thought it would be," Hayback noted. "It is perfect for the room. The TA6000s have a very clear sound--lots of power, and work very, very well. The Opals are very clear, especially in the low mids. They have a lot of presence, punch and attack, with very low distortion."

Hayback has actually expanded his us of the TA6000 speakers. He also employs them in the larger, main space, which the center staff calls the "large arena configuration," using them to do the same job he uses them for in the Sierra Room: as main front-fill speakers. He feeds them a vocal-only mix just as he does in the smaller Sierra Room, but this time on a larger main arena stage.

The newest venue at the flexible Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts is the Sierra Room, where two arrays of three Bag End Opals each fly above the stage as the mains, and four TA6000s are positioned on the front edge of the stage to serve as front fills.

Bag End Loudspeakers, USA
847 382 4550     www.bagend.com