Tanglewood unveils d&b audiotechnik CCL loudspeaker installation, redefining the season’s symphonic sound.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), a long-time user of d&b audiotechnik loudspeakers, has again upgraded the audio experience at its summer home, Tanglewood, with a comprehensive d&b system. This landmark installation by Firehouse Productions includes the deployment of the new d&b audiotechnik CCL8 compact cardioid line arrays and CCL-SUB subwoofers. The installation, which also included SL-Series loudspeakers and SL-SUB subwoofers, significantly enhanced sound quality and coverage across the Koussevitzky Music Shed, Seiji Ozawa Hall, and the expansive Tanglewood Lawn.

With Tanglewood as its summer home since 1937, the BSO has a long history with d&b, a brand preferred for their sound reinforcement needs. For this ambitious upgrade, Tanglewood aimed to achieve unparalleled clarity and consistent sound distribution for its diverse performances, which range from acoustic-only, orchestral concerts inside the 5,000-seat Shed to amplified shows with touring acts for an audience of up to 13,000 on the lawn. A primary challenge was the highly reflective nature of the Koussevitzky Music Shed’s permanent stage shell, which demands precise sound control to minimize unwanted reflections and maintain transparent audio reinforcement for symphonic performances.

Firehouse Productions, the new production provider for Tanglewood, spearheaded the installation of a comprehensive d&b audiotechnik system. For the Koussevitzky Music Shed, eight KSL8 loudspeakers were installed per side for the main PA, complemented by eight SL-SUB ground subwoofers, a four box XSL8 hang for the center cluster, five sets of three CCL8 delays dead hung from the catwalk, and eight 44S as front fills. The lawn system now features forty XSL8 loudspeakers in five hangs of eight, alongside twenty-four CCL8 compact loudspeakers for side hangs and out fills. The 1,200-seat Seiji Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood’s other key performance venue, received a dedicated CCL rig consisting of sixteen CCL8 hung eight per side, complemented by four CCL-SUB, and four xS-Series 44S front fills. All components are powered by D80 amplifiers.

A pivotal element of this upgrade is the groundbreaking integration of the new CCL loudspeakers. These compact, lightweight loudspeakers deliver a similar sonic voicing and directivity behavior of the larger SL series thanks to a newly revised and patented cardioid principle and a unique transducer configuration. 

Vinny Siniscal, Account Manager at Firehouse Productions, noted that the decision to deploy CCL was largely based the BSO’s prior positive experiences with d&b, who they “trusted even, without having heard the CCLs in action.” The CCLs were chosen for Ozawa Hall and as outfills for the lawn due to their small size. Siniscal enthusiastically reported that “Despite their small size, the CCL loudspeakers exceeded our expectations in coverage and frequency response” delivering “more comprehensive coverage with fewer boxes than the BSO’s previously installed systems,” and he described the punch they pack as "almost magic.”

d&b’s cardioid broadband directivity technology was also cited as integral to this installation by Dave Harris, BSO’s main Front-of-House mixer and system designer for the Tanglewood installation. “d&b’s cardioid technology is unmatched in the industry and was crucial for our orchestral setting,” said Harris. “It both keeps frequencies from stacking and projecting in the Shed's highly reflective acoustic shell and prevents sound from the Lawn system from bleeding back into the Shed. Plus, the orchestra loves playing on a quiet stage.”

The installation process itself was remarkably efficient, completed in just seven days—three for the lawn, three for the Shed and Ozawa Hall, and just one for tuning—using only a lull ladder instead of heavy machinery, thanks to the compact and lightweight design of the d&b systems.

The BSO’s new d&b audiotechnik system has been viewed as a resounding success. Harris states that “Attendees are saying it’s the ‘best sounding season’ they've experienced at Tanglewood.” Cole Barbour, Tanglewood's Sound Engineer for the Lawn, adds that the sound “is the best it's ever been, because of its fullness, control over low-end frequencies, and even distribution despite obstacles like trees.” And Jake Moerschel, Vice President of Production for the BSO, concludes, “We have always tried to have the best sounding outdoor venue in the country, and I think the d&b SL-Series and new CCL loudspeakers have helped us achieve that.”