Dallas, TX (November 10, 2026) – The historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas completed a major audio upgrade, installing a highly advanced, rider-friendly d&b audiotechnik SL-Series XSL mobile line array system, featuring XSL8 and XLS12 loudspeakers and XSL-SUB subwoofers. With integration provided by local production powerhouse Gemini Light, Sound and Video, the new system rejuvenates the 105-year-old venue, delivering pristine, even coverage across its three seating levels while meeting strict structural preservation limits and modern tour rider demands.
First opened in 1921 as a premier vaudeville house, the Majestic is the sole survivor of downtown Dallas’s famous Elm Street theater district and was the first building in the city to be designated a National Historic Landmark. Today, the city-owned, city-managed 1700-seat venue serves as a busy live entertainment hub hosting national touring rock acts, pop shows, high-profile comedy, and live orchestra-to-film events. However, its previous 14-year-old, undersized audio system struggled to keep pace with modern touring standards.
“Rider friendliness was our absolute top priority,” explains Travis Porter, Senior Technical Director at the Majestic Theatre. “We compiled four years of artist riders into a spreadsheet to see exactly what visiting engineers were requesting. d&b was consistently at the top of that list. Now, when a touring front-of-house engineer walks in and sees our d&b hang, it immediately puts them at ease—all their questions are answered before we even turn the system on.”
The historic architecture of the Majestic, however, presented severe acoustic challenges. Built long before the era of amplified sound, the ornate interior features loge boxes, organ lofts, large structural pillars, and a very tall, short-throw three-level seating layout. In addition, because the theater had no acoustic treatment, controlling acoustic reflections was paramount.
“Our upper balcony seats nearly the 620 patrons—almost matching 700-seat orchestra level,” notes Tim O’Heir, Technical Director at the Majestic. “To reach that height without standard reflections, we couldn’t hang a traditional J-curve array. We had to implement a serious C-curve array to steer the sound directly onto the seats and away from the walls. The d&b XSL system handled this beautifully. Now, the volume and tonality are remarkably consistent from the top of the balcony straight down to the orchestra pit.”
“The cardioid performance and controlled directivity of the XSL system, optimized by the capabilities of ArrayProcessing, has drastically reduced unwanted reflections in the room, so the audience is finally hearing the direct mix, ” adds Porter.
The Majestic opted for a mobile XSL touring package over a permanently integrated install system, which kept more of the historic architecture untouched, and allowed them to roll the gear in and fly it on chain motors in a single day. The entire changeover—including tearing down the old rig, building custom on-site cabling, and tuning—took just three days. Gemini also had to navigate tight weight restrictions on the theater’s ceiling points, which were certified at 1,000 pounds per point.
“The XSL system stood out because the enclosures weigh about 86 pounds each,” says Chad Cain, Audio Department Manager at Gemini. “That lightweight footprint gave us the horsepower we needed to fly a full 12-box array per side without compromising the building’s physical integrity.”
The venue’s Dante networking is handled via a DS10 audio network bridge. Control is further streamlined by d&b’s R1 remote control software running on a touch panel interface, allowing technicians to mute zones instantly when balconies are closed for smaller events. “Going from our old system to this was like driving a 1978 Ford F-150 and then suddenly getting behind the wheel of a 2026 Porsche Carrera. It’s a precision instrument,” says O’Heir.
The results have been met with unanimous praise. Following the first run of performances—which included Joe Jackson, Buddy Guy, Todd Rundgren, and Gary Clark, Jr. —both staff and visiting crews have been astonished by the room’s transformation. “Joe Jackson’s front-of-house engineer was shocked that a system of this caliber and clarity, didn’t cost far more than it did,” adds Porter.
For the Majestic team, the upgrade has secured the theater’s future in a competitive market. “This is a difficult, historic room, but the d&b system has mastered it,” concludes Porter. “I can confidently say there isn’t another room in this city that sounds as good as this theater does now.”
About the System Configuration
The main PA at the Dallas Majestic Theatre features a flown array of 12 d&b XSL line array elements per side, combining 10 x XSL8 and 2 x XSL12 enclosures, optimized with d&b ArrayProcessing. Low-frequency reinforcement is provided by 8 x ground-stacked XSL-SUB subwoofers (4 per side), complemented by 8 x ultra-low-profile 44S point source loudspeakers top-mounted across the stage lip for front fill. Dante feeds the system from their console via a d&b DS10 Audio Network Bridge, and is efficiently powered by four d&b D40 touring amplifier racks.
About d&b audiotechnik.
d&b audiotechnik provides professional audio technology and solutions to accurately transfer passions through high-end quality speech and music reproduction. d&b audiotechnik is internationally regarded as a leading company for sound reinforcement systems in installed and mobile applications, with a reputation for quality of construction, standard of service, system integration principles, and pioneering technological development.
Founded in Germany in 1981, d&b audiotechnik headquarters are located in Backnang, near Stuttgart, where research, development and production take place. With sales offices in major cities around the world, the d&b audiotechnik team numbers more than 800 co-workers. www.dbaudio.com.
