Case Study: Rigged for Space
Sep 24, 2013 2:59 PM
The Rooney family—the same family that owns Empire City Casino today—established the original Dan Rooney’s Cafe & Bar in Pittsburgh in the early 1900’s. This lively Pittsburgh watering hole has been recreated at Empire City Casino to bring the Rooney family spirit, culture, and story to the people of Westchester and the tri-state area. At Dan Rooney’s, patrons enjoy watching sporting events on the house’s 35 flatscreen TVs, experience entertainment such as dueling pianos, and enjoy food and beverages featuring Irish beer and pub fare. This lively, spirited nightspot is even more so with the establishment’s new sound system—drawn from the catalog of Valencia, Spain-based D.A.S. Audio.
Pittsburgh-based Dobil Laboratories audiovisual systems integrator was contracted to modernize the sound system at Dan Rooney’s Irish Pub. Conor W. McCaskey, project manager for Dobil Labs, was tasked with managing all aspects of the project at the veritable establishment. He discussed the nature of the installation and the factors that led him to deploy one D.A.S.LX-212A self-powered band pass sub bass system; four Convert 12A (see below) powered, curved source array enclosures; and two Road 12A powered stage monitors.
“Dan Rooney’s has a well-deserved reputation for being a great place to eat, kick back, and enjoy quality entertainment,” McCaskey says. “Dueling piano players is the main source of live musical entertainment and the pianos sit very close together. The patrons gather all around and this creates a lively, intimate environment. The four D.A.S. Convert 12A’s serve as the main loudspeakers. Because of the space limitations, these are positioned directly overhead the two pianos—suspended from a compact, circular trussing system we had manufactured for the project. Each performer has their own Road 12A stage monitor to ensure they can hear clearly, and for low frequency support, the D.A.S. LX-212A—with two 12in. low frequency transducers—is recessed into the ceiling, so it’s completely hidden. The room has hardwood flooring, so it’s quite lively from an acoustics perspective.”
With all loudspeaker systems being self-powered, McCaskey and his crew were assured the power amplification was ideally matched to the loudspeakers. Similarly, there was no need to find a place to house any power amplifiers and system cabling was considerably streamlined. In addition to these factors however, McCaskey was particularly impressed with the system’s sound quality, SPL performance, and the D.A.S. rigging hardware.
PRODUCT AT WORK: D.A.S. Audio Convert 12A
The Convert 12A is a powered, two-way curved source array unit ideal for use in small to medium live events, as well as permanent installation. The latest in Class D power amplification, digital signal processing, and optimized D.A.S. components have been combined with enclosures designed for rapid deployment, precise coverage, and high acoustic output.
