PHOENIXVILLE, PA-Valley Forge Christian College occupies the 84-acre site of the former Valley Forge General Hospital, an historic site whose buildings date back to the second World War. The school's theater recently underwent a major renovation, including installation of a state-of-the-art audio/video system based around loudspeakers from Community Professional in nearby Chester, PA.

The Valley Forge Christian College theater is a multi-purpose venue, accommodating everything from classes and lectures to movies and live performances, with a new AV system based around loudspeakers from Community.

Audiobahn, the Pottstown-based systems providers worked closely with the school and the architects in designing and installing the theater's audio, video, and lighting systems. "The architects wanted to keep a very open, somewhat industrial look, maintaining the original brick walls, as well as exposed ductwork along the hall's high ceilings. We added light bars and theatrical fixtures as down-firing lighting to wash the brick walls in primary colors, which really creates a great visual feel," said Audiobahn's president Tony Hersch.

The 300-seat theater is a multi-purpose venue, accommodating everything from classes and lectures to movies and live performances. The audio system employs three of Community's iBox iHP1299 two-way 12-inch systems flown in left-center-right configuration, augmented by a pair of TD218S dual 18-inch subwoofers. "We built concrete cavities under the stage to prevent excess resonance from the subs," Hersch explained. "Using the iBoxes for LCR was a great solution, since their 90 x 90 degree pattern provided complete vertical coverage from front row to back." A pair of Community's CPL27 dual eight-inch systems on the rear wall completes the hall's full 5.1 surround sound, fed by an Allen & Heath ML3000 32-channel mixing console. "The ML3000 is a true LCR mixer, and we're running the subs and surrounds on aux sends," Hersh added.

To accommodate the venue's multi-purpose use, Hersch specified a video component based around a Panasonic PTD5500U projector and 188-inch x 142-inch Da-Lite motorized video screen. A Panasonic DVDS77S DVD player feeds Dolby 5.1 surround sound to the audio system. The speakers are powered by QSC Audio's Powerlite amplification. Microphones are Shure SLX wireless systems.

Professor Leone Bilotta, the school's music director, has helped specify a number of the campus' audio and video systems, including a digital recording studio and editing suite.

Allen & Heath...www.allen-heath.com
Community Professional...www.loudspeakers.net
Da-Lite...www.da-lite.com
Panasonic...www.panasonic.com
QSC Audio...www.qscaudio.com
Shure Incorporated...www.shure.com