STAPLES CENTER: HIGH-TECH PRODUCTION : SOUNDING OFF; LOS ANGELES HAS NEVER SEEN OR HEARD SYSTEMS SO ADVANCED.

Byline: Fred Shuster

Staples Center is dead - and that's a good thing.

The new 21,000-capacity, $375 million state-of-the-art entertainment complex is completely lifeless acoustically. That means there's no natural echo or reverb in the room to distort the pure sound coming from the facility's sound system.

``We listened to it the other night and it's a smoker,'' said Tom Clelland, senior project manager for Bose Corp., which manufactured the system. ``It's always a big day when you fire up a system like that and we were delighted. It speaks with authority and it's clear and intelligible from every seat in the house. It rocked.''

Staples' unconventional $1.5 million Bose system features four raised speaker clusters. A more traditional design revolving around a single central mounted speaker cluster was out of the question because it failed to address the safety glass that rings the ice during hockey games.

That safety glass obstructs flying pucks - and the sound coming from flying fingers on flying fretboards.

``So, we used tiers of loudspeakers, each flown parallel with the safety partition,'' explained Staples Center spokesman Michael Roth. ``By placing one array on each side and at each end of the game boards, the sound is angled directly into the seats behind the glass. The system is designed to deliver sound to every person in the arena.''

The venue - home to the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Avengers - will be christened Oct. 17 with the start of four sold-out Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band dates. The arena will host more than 200 events a year, including games and concerts.

``The major function of the sound system is for sporting events - performance audio as a complement to the big screen,'' Clelland said. ``It will also be possible for touring acts to use portions of the system to augment their own because sometimes a touring rig may not hit seats in the back without vaporizing people up front.''

Along with revolutionary sound design, ticketholders will experience a $1.3 million computer-programmed lighting scheme that brings theatrical elements to sporting events.

In other words, a Kings goal could have the same dramatic effect as hearing ``Music of the Night'' crooned by the Phantom of the Opera.

``The main event lights have shutters that can be blacked out instantly, along with specialty theatrical lights that have patterns and colors, and strobe and colored lights that rim the floor,'' explains K.C. Illes, Staples' lighting director. ``When something dramatic happens during a game, you kill the event lights, bring the moving lights up, and then immediately return to the main event lights.''

Touring acts like Springsteen or Ricky Martin normally bring their own sound and lighting systems. Still, the Staples Center system will always play a role.

``In those cases, we have theatrical lights precisely cut for the aisles only,'' Illes said. ``So, instead of the general funky ambience of, say, the Forum, you have only the aisles illuminated for safety. And the rest is dark.''

Los Angeles has never seen or heard systems so advanced. In fact, when Staples Center opens, it will be the only major venue in the city to have dimmable house lights. Previously, there were only two options: on and off.

The object is to give almost unlimited control to the designers.

``It's one of the most advanced sound and lighting systems in the country,'' Illes said. ``This is the level everyone else is striving for - to have this much functionality that you can bring theater to sporting events.''

Illes, who has programmed lights at both the Shrine Auditorium and Shubert Theatre, smiled when revealing that Staples' primary lighting board was designed by a British company with an unusual name: Whole Hog.

``It can do moving lights, convention lights, anything you want,'' he said. ``It really does go the whole hog.''

WHAT'S AHEAD

Here are forthcoming music and entertainment events scheduled at the Staples Center. Tickets for public events are available at the box office or through Ticketmaster.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

Oct. 17, 18, 21 and 23.

All shows are at 7:30 p.m.

Sold out.

Eurythmics 

Nov. 4 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $35, $50, $75

On sale now.

Ricky Martin/Jessica Simpson

Nov. 13 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $35, $50, $75, $95

On sale now.

WWF: RAW is WAR

Nov. 29 at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets: $17, $25, $30, $35

On sale now.

TLC/Destiny's Child

Dec. 9 at 8 p.m.

Ticket info to be announced.

Bette Midler 

Dec. 16 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $54.50, $89.50, $154.50, $254.50

The Eagles with special guests Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt

Dec. 31 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $50, $75, $125, $150, $200, $350, $500, $750, $1,000

42nd annual Grammy Awards

Feb. 23, 2000

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are the opening act on Oct. 17.

Daniel Mears/The Detroit News

(2) Staples Center boasts a state-of-the-art Bose sound system.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

Box: WHAT'S AHEAD (See text)