Although well-maintained, the equipment was showing definite signs of age, and students were having difficulty finding decent rehearsal space, sometimes literally spilling into the hallways to rehearse for recitals and projects.

Enter the staff at Grand Rapids-based Acoustics by Design, who oversaw a comprehensive renovation dedicated to making the Fine Arts Center great again. The massive project included the addition of new classrooms, acoustical treatments, a new 300-seat recital hall for smaller events, and an entirely new video and sound system built around Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers.

“The staff at the CFAC wanted to be able to host outside events – everything from the symphony to rock concerts,” says Tim Hamilton, Senior A/V Designer, “and while we knew that some of those would bring their own equipment, we still wanted a system that was powerful enough to handle most shows on its own.”

Hamilton’s design centered around a left-center-right array of 10 PN102-LAR RHAON-Empowered line array loudspeakers. The smaller recital hall, designed for rehearsals and music playback, is outfitted with left and right Iconyx IC16-R steerable column arrays, with two PNX212-SUB dual 12-inch subwoofers handling bottom end.