1 SOUND at Boston's Old South Meeting House Inside Boston's historic Old South Meeting House, visitors can step directly into the debates, defiance, and upheaval that helped ignite the American Revolution through Ruckus!, an experiential exhibit from Revolutionary Spaces, a nonprofit organization that tells the interwoven stories of the Old State House and Old South Meeting House. Combining dynamic multichannel experiential sound, lighting, and projected animations throughout the historic space, the experience places visitors at the center of the story. From the floorboards to the balconies, Ruckus! uses the architecture of Old South Meeting House as part of the storytelling. Projected animations bring revolutionaries, determined citizens, and unlikely troublemakers into the story, while recorded voices, sound effects, and music bring the narrative to life. With so many visual and storytelling elements working simultaneously, the audio system needed to provide clear, consistent coverage throughout the historic building without competing with the architecture. Electrosonic worked with 1 SOUND to develop a system that could deliver presence and intimacy throughout the audience seating while remaining visually discreet. Working within a historic building presented unique considerations for loudspeaker placement and mounting. The system needed to provide wide coverage and sufficient throw while preserving the visual character of Old South Meeting House. Electrosonic utilized 1 SOUND Tower cardioid line array columns to address these requirements. The Tower system provides the necessary throw and wide dispersion for the space while maintaining a discreet footprint. A combination of mains, delays, and fills helps create consistent coverage and a sense of presence throughout the seating areas. The main system uses Tower LCC84 loudspeakers, with Tower LCC44 loudspeakers providing side fills. Flush-mounted Level L35 loudspeakers are deployed as surround fills throughout the room and toward the back, while C4 loudspeakers provide additional coverage for the balcony. For low-frequency reinforcement, SUB28 subwoofers are positioned at the front left and right of the space, adding depth to the music and sound effects that accompany the projections and storytelling. The distributed multichannel design approach maintains consistency from the main floor through the surrounding seating areas and balconies, supporting the experience wherever visitors are positioned. "Solving sound for a space like ours -- a space that needs to maintain its architectural and historical integrity, and that is not designed for modern sound -- is a tall order," says Matthew Wilding, senior director of interpretation and future projects. Revolutionary Spaces. "1 SOUND worked with us to craft a state-of-the-art, multi-channel system that sounds absolutely incredible and is practically invisible. With our old system, there were parts of the building where you'd struggle to hear someone speaking clearly because of the reverberation. Now, every seat is a good seat, whether it's for our new immersive show, a forum, a theatre production, or a concert. 1 SOUND completely transformed the audio experience in our historic site." Through the 1 SOUND Custom Shop, 1 SOUND worked with Electrosonic and the client to identify an exact color match for the space. The custom finish allows the loudspeakers to blend more naturally into the environment while maintaining the performance required for the exhibit. 
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