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Home , Jay Pritzker, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Petrillo Music Shell

Jay Pritzker Pavilion - Audio Systems & Music Pavilions Jonathan Laney – Threshold Acoustics wisdom

The perception of sound is a highly personal experience. It is neither an art nor science, but our own private view through one of the windows of the senses. Dick Heyser, Scientist Jet Propulsion Labs Music Pavilion History

• Chris Jaffe’s paper “sound reinforcement in the music pavilion” presented at the 37 th AES convention in 1969 • Over 100 Years of Alfresco Orchestral Music Performance • Early Expectations Were Not High

Little consideration was given to the acoustical environment characteristics of the space. It was taken for granted that facilities for outdoor alfresco would never approach the acoustical environment of a 2000 seat European style hall or even a larger Renaissance style Italian house. Chris Jaffe Jaffe Acoustics Music Pavilion History

Chautauqua “Tents” and Amphitheater - 1879 • Early Examples of Constructing Facilities for Summer Programs Music Pavilion History

Lewishon Stadium - 1915 - 1921

• Projection Enclosure for Orchestra • Steeply Ramped Seating for Audience Without Cover Music Pavilion History

Tanglewood - 1938 Ravinia - 1940

Conceived to Improve the Environment for Orchestral Concerts • Roofs Placed Over Both the Audience and Orchestra • Shell Enclosure for the Musicians Music Pavilion History

Aspen Pavilion - 1950 Tanglewood - 1959 Meadow Brook Pavilion -1964

Jaffe notes it was not until … • Aspen Pavilion • Shell & Cloud Addition to Tanglewood • Meadowbrook Music Pavilion … Were Standards Raised to be Comparable to an Indoor Experience Music Pavilion History

Success Leads to More Facilities • Minnie Gugenneheimer Shell - 1965 • Saratoga -1966 • Merriweather Post • Blossom Center • Mississippi River Festival

• & Metropolitan Opera • Portable Shell & Sound Reinforcement System • Jaffe Design Used Magnetic Disk Signal Delays and Reverberation Units Music Pavilion History

Success Leads to More Facilities • Minnie Gugenneheimer Shell - 1965 • Saratoga -1966 • Merriweather Post • Blossom Center • Mississippi River Festival

• High Volume to Seat Ratio • Acoustic Coupling Techniques • Sound Reinforcement for the “Lawn” Music Pavilion History

Success Leads to More Facilities • Minnie Gugenneheimer Shell - 1965 • Saratoga -1966 • Merriweather Post - 1967 • Blossom Center - 1968 • Mississippi River Festival - 1969

• High Volume to Seat Ratio • Acoustic Coupling Techniques • Sound Reinforcement for the “Lawn” Music Pavilion History

Success Leads to More Facilities • Minnie Gugenneheimer Shell - 1965 • Saratoga -1966 • Merriweather Post -1967 • Blossom Center - 1968 • Mississippi River Festival -1969

• High Volume to Seat Ratio • Acoustic Coupling Techniques • Sound Reinforcement for the “Lawn” Music Pavilion History

Success Leads to More Facilities • Minnie Gugenneheimer Shell - 1965 • Saratoga -1966 • Merriweather Post -1967 • Blossom Center -1968 • Mississippi River Festival -1969

• High Volume to Seat Ratio • Acoustic Coupling Techniques • Sound Reinforcement for the “Lawn” Music Pavilion History

Enter Rock & Roll • Designed for Symphonic Acoustic Needs • Too Reverberant for non-Orchestral Music • Backline and Big PA – Creates “unintelligible mush” Music Pavilion History

Concord Pavilion - 1975 • Acoustician Chris Jaffe • Architect • First Facility to Consider Acoustic Enhancement • Utilizing Parkin’s Assisted Resonance System Music Pavilion History

40 Years Since Concord … • Venue Renovations & Upgrades • New Facilities …all taking advantage of the experience learned along the way and the advancements in technology

Carlos Moseley Pavilion - 1990 • Update of the Gugennheimer shell • Acoustician - Chris Jaffe • Audio System Designer – David W. Robb • Portable Stage and Sound System • Utilizing Electronic Reflected Energy System (ERES) Music Pavilion History

Vienna Crystal Palace - London Morebisch Festival on the Lake

Advancement in Technology • LARES – Electronic Architecture; David Griesinger & Steve Barbar • Successfully Implemented in Outdoor Venues • Stable, Reliable, and Repeatable Music Pavilion History

• Music Festival -1931 • Open Air Concerts • Downtown Chicago •

history tradition Jay Priztker Pavilion Design Goals

• Reclaim the South Shore railway yards • Continue Chicago’s tradition of music under the stars • Meet the needs of the Grant Park Music Festival musicians • Immerse the Audience in the Sound Field • Create a Flexible Pavilion that Accommodates a Variety of Music

tradition flexibility Pavilion

• No Roof or Side Walls • Maintains the Tradition of “open air” concerts under the stars with views of the skyline • 4000 Fixed Seats • 7000 Lawn Capacity • 625 Feet from the Stage to the Rear of the Lawn • 300 Feet Wide Design Challenges

• Audience Area and Capacity much larger than a Hall • Audience Area Geometry and Stage Width • No Walls or Ceiling for the Audience Area • Weather • Urban Setting • Budget vs Program Expectations Acoustic Enhancement Demo

• Perfect Application for Acoustic Enhancement • Design Team Assumed Sound Reinforcement Only • Budget based on previous Petrillo Sound System Upgrade • LARES demo at • LARES demo for Concert On -Stage Acoustic Environment

Graphics courtesy of TALASKE

Designed for the Performer • Stage end of a world class Concert Hall • Designed to Facilitate Communication Between Musicians • Innovative Riser System • Variable Acoustics Dual Audio Systems

Designed for the Audience • Sound Reinforcement • Acoustic Enhancement Sound Reinforcement System

Graphics courtesy of TALASKE • Clarity • Loudness • Localization Acoustic Enhancement System

Graphics courtesy of TALASKE

• Creates the Reverberant Field from all directions • Provides Lateral and Rear Arriving Reflection Patterns Ability to focus Acoustic Enhancement System

Graphics courtesy of TALASKE

• Immersing the Audience in the Sound Field Ability to focus Acoustic Enhancement System

Graphics courtesy of TALASKE

More than Reverb • Not 2 Dimensional • Provides Directional Information • Adjustable Room Size • Frequency, Time, Level Control of the Signal Ability to focus Acoustic Enhancement System

Graphics courtesy of TALASKE Five LARES Zones • Stage • Seating Overhead • Seating Lateral • Lawn Overhead • Lawn Lateral Sound Reinforcement

° Main Stacks – Left, Center, Right ° Subwoofers – Left, Right ° Distributed Stage Edge Front Fills ° Eight (8) Delay Rings Distributed Approach ° Perimeter

LOUDNESS – CLARITY - LOCALIZATION Sound Reinforcement • Main Stacks – Left, Center, Right

LOUDNESS – CLARITY - LOCALIZATION Sound Reinforcement • Subwoofers – Left, Right

LOUDNESS – CLARITY - LOCALIZATION Sound Reinforcement • Front Fills

LOUDNESS – CLARITY - LOCALIZATION Sound Reinforcement • Eight Delay Rings

LOUDNESS – CLARITY - LOCALIZATION Sound Reinforcement • Eight Delay Rings

LOUDNESS – CLARITY - LOCALIZATION Sound Reinforcement • Perimeter

LOUDNESS – CLARITY - LOCALIZATION Acoustic Enhancement

• Stage • Overhead • Lateral

ENVELOPMENT – REFLECTIONS - REVERBERATION Acoustic Enhancement

• Stage – sense of hall return

ENVELOPMENT – REFLECTIONS - REVERBERATION Acoustic Enhancement

• Overhead – ceiling canopy

ENVELOPMENT – REFLECTIONS - REVERBERATION Acoustic Enhancement

• Lateral – Walls

ENVELOPMENT – REFLECTIONS - REVERBERATION System Operation - Sound Reinforcement

HOUSE MIX POSITION • FOH Engineer • Close Sectional Micing – clarity, loudness, balance • Panning – Left, Center, Right • Submix – Front Fill, Delay Rings • Occasional direct feed of soloist to LARES System Operation – Acoustic Enhancement

CONTROLLING THE ROOM • Systems Tech & FOH Engineer • 8 Preset Microphones - (4) Orchestra, (4) Chorus • Preset Recall via Crestron (3) • Level Adjustments via Crestron (+/- 1.5 dB) Listening Challenges

Ambient Noise Levels • Roof Top Units • Traffic • Emergency Vehicles • Helicopters • Audience

flexibility tradition Alternate Uses

Adaptive Use of the Design • LARES as FX System • Surround Mixing • Sound Art

Jay Pritzker Pavilion Facts

° Digital from Mic Pres to Output Stage of the Amps ° 185 Speakers ° 143 Amps ° 96 Cobranet Channels ° 3 Amplifier Rack Rooms