50 Spring Street
Ramsey, NJ 07446, U.S.A.
201-995-2001 Fax: 201-934-1006
www.apogee-sound.com
June 15, 2004 Contact: Barry Grzebik
Director of Engineering
Cell Phone: 707-696-8786
Fax: 707-778-1261
E-mail:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Apogee ALA-9 Line Array Clusters Used for Two Sold Out Appearances of the Dalai Lama Attracting 25,000 to Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum
Ramsey, NJ – Apogee Sound International, manufacturer of state-of-the-art sound reinforcement products for the professional audio industry, announced that 32 Apogee ALA-9 Acoustic Linear Array Loudspeaker Systems were used for a rare and historic visit to Vancouver by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
The morning and early evening appearances by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people drew a total of just over 25,000 people to two separate-admission, same-day events at Vancouver’s 15,713-seat Pacific Coliseum on April 18. In his morning appearance, the Dalai Lama gave a two-hour “Spiritual Teaching” on the nature of compassion entitled "Good Heart - Full Life.” Later that day, exiled South African leader Desmond Tutu introduced a 90-minute “Public Talk” entitled "Universal Responsibility,” which included the Dalai Lama’s views on human rights and environmental conscientiousness. Both events had sold out well in advance.
FM Systems, one of the largest and fastest growing professional audio rental and production companies in Canada, provided the sound reinforcement equipment for the eagerly anticipated event. The company supplied 32 Apogee ALA-9 Line Array loudspeakers, arrayed in four clusters of eight — two main clusters and two side fill clusters — to create a 270-degree cell. FM Systems also provided four Apogee AE-2 loudspeakers for downstage front fill.
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The Apogee ALA-9 loudspeakers were selected by Production Manager Ron Chamberlain of Panther Management, a Vancouver-based project management company responsible for the event’s sound, lighting, and video.
Chamberlain considered line array speakers from other manufacturers, but chose Apogee for several reasons. The Dalai Lama’s people were already familiar with Apogee products, as FM Systems had done a previous event with the Dalai Lama years ago, before the ALA Series was created. At 24-28 feet up, the ALA clusters could be flown higher than conventional clusters, obstructing fewer seats. Chamberlain himself had used Apogee ALA Series Line Array loudspeakers on a tour by the rock group Nickleback, and liked them. And Chamberlain was impressed when FM Systems invited Apogee Director of Engineering Barry Grzebik to participate in the setup and tuning of the system. “That clinched it for me,” Chamberlain said.
“My objective was to turn a hockey rink into a lecture hall,” said Chamberlain. “I wanted the speakers to provide clear sound to every seat, from the floor seats to the nosebleeds, for both of the Dalai Lama’s appearances. I wanted to achieve intelligibility without having the speakers overbearingly loud. The ALA-9s performed brilliantly. My clients told me they thought the sound was fantastic.”
Said Peter Young, president of FM Systems West Coast: “The ALA-9s provide excellent sound at low volume. At the Dalai Lama show, the idea to use delay towers was brought up, but thanks to the ALA-9s performance, delay speakers weren’t necessary. The ALA-9s achieved a near uniform 98dB level from the front of the stage to highest seats in the back of the Pacific Coliseum, almost 250 feet from the stage.”
Said Grzebik: “Technically, this show was about achieving good coverage, and enabling the audience to understand the spoken word. It was challenging, because the Dalai Lama speaks softly, and we were using lavalier mics in a poor acoustic space. The system had much more output capability than was needed but the coverage was right, and we were pleased with that.”
The tri-amped ALA-9 is the largest of Apogee’s Acoustic Linear Array series. It features dual 15" low frequency drivers, dual 10" horn loaded mid frequency drivers and three horn loaded 2" throat compression high frequency drivers. The processor based ALA-9 has an extremely high power
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capability, making it ideally suited for large-scale applications requiring high SPL capability. Apogee’s unique rigging system makes flat-pack or tight-pack assembly quick and easy.
Apogee's processor-based AE-Series is one of the most widely known and respected loudspeaker lines in use today. The AE-2 is a wide-angle, two-way, single-amped system designed for extended horizontal dispersion and high fidelity response. The unique shape of the enclosure produces the wide coverage angle (165 degrees) while minimizing sight-line obstructions. The
AE-2 features dual Apogee 8" permanent magnet cone type drivers, and dual Apogee 1" horn-loaded compression drivers.
FM Systems started using Apogee loudspeakers in 1989, and today owns one of the largest Apogee rental stock in North America. “Apogee loudspeakers have always been our first choice, because of their great sound and their flexibility,” said Young. “For example, this summer we’ll be doing events ranging from ZZ Top to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ annual corporate convention. We have a long history of using Apogee for orchestras, hard rock bands and spoken word events — resulting in great sound and a successful event every time.” For more information on FM Systems, please visit www.fmsystems.net.
For more information on Panther Management, log on to: www.panthermanagement.com
For more information on the Dalai Lama’s visit to Vancouver: www.dalailamavancouver.org
About Apogee Sound International
Apogee Sound International, LLC, is known worldwide for state of the art sound reinforcement products designed for the professional audio industry. Apogee is owned by Bogen Communications, a leading manufacturer and designer of sound reinforcements products in the field of telephone paging, public address, intercommunications, and background music systems for over 70 years.
For more information, contact Apogee Sound International, LLC., 50 Spring Street, Ramsey, NJ 07446, U.S.A. Tel: 800-443-3979. Fax: 800-999-9016; e-mail: : Web site: www.apogee-sound.com.
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