Once considered a dying art, live performance theater today is a thriving and growing industry. And where once a simple sound system would suffice in a theatrical setting, venues have been upgrading, expanding and enhancing their audio capabilities. This stems not only from the high standards set by Broadway-caliber productions — both in established theater centers such as London, and New York, but also from myriad touring casts that bring recent hit shows and original casts to secondary markets.
At the same time, audiences everywhere have grown to demand increasingly higher standards with expectations of high-definition clarity, vocal intelligibility and punch from live music and theatrical presentations.
There’s been an upswing of interest in live theater and performing arts facilities, in terms of new construction, renovations of historical buildings and transformations of existing structures into new venues. Unfortunately, when it comes to determining what sound system is best in any particular performance space, the answers do not necessarily come easy and can be as varied as the architecture, seating and decor. Most of these were never intended for either high-SPL music programs or even for the needs of contemporary theater or performing arts.
Despite the aesthetic appeal of an existing structure — such as a vintage art deco movie palace — these facilities offer extraordinary challenges in terms of acoustics. Meanwhile, another issue that frequently arises is finding an audio solution that can blend with a building’s historical nature, yet provide the required reinforcement. Not that it’s easy, yet when modern technology is applied — in carefully examining the project needs, selecting the right components for the job and a professional installation — the goal can be achieved.
With that in mind, we looked into close to a dozen interesting new projects. Along the way, we encountered a range of successful approaches designed for both production flexibility and great sound — in venues of all sizes, with all reaching the goal of providing clarity and musicality to every patron in every seat.
Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, NY
When it opened Sept. 7, 1929, the Loew’s Kings Theatre was one of the most exquisite theaters in the nation. The grand opening featured a screening of the silent classic Evangeline (enhanced with sections of dialog, music and effects played via a Vitaphone disc sync system), along with dancers, a big band and live performers. Later, with the Depression and the decline of vaudeville in the 1930s, the theater turned solely to exhibiting feature films.
This massive, 3,800-seat art deco masterpiece — one of five original “Loew’s Wonder Theatres” — was an ornate spectacle for the masses. Yet, as with many large urban movie palaces, the Kings Theatre faced a decline from the 1950’s to the 1970’s and turned to mostly kung-fu and horror movies as it fell into disrepair. After failing to draw sustainable audiences, it finally closed in 1977 and remained closed to the public for more than 37 years.
In 2006, a number of community and civic groups began exploring the reformation of the Kings Theatre, and in 2010, Houston-based ACE Theatrical Group, was contracted to restore and operate the facility as a premier performing arts venue. Work on the $94-million project finally commenced in 2013 (these things always take longer than expected) and the Kings Theatre officially reopened in February 2015.
The restoration revived the historic details, although a few changes were made, including re-raking the auditorium floor and mezzanine to make the venue more suitable for live events rather than cinema. Seating capacity was reduced to approximately 3,200 (2,400 on the main floor and 800 on the mezzanine), with wider seats and increased row spacing for patron comfort. The backstage was modernized with a loading dock, a new fly gallery and a larger stage area.
In addition to new stage lighting, HVAC, dressing rooms and other amenities, particular attention was paid to the sound system — beginning with the mix position at the rear of the main floor. “We really have a much better mix position than most under-balcony locations in other theaters,” says Kings Theatre director of production Steven Ehrenberg. “The area under the mezzanine is not very deep. That means that our line arrays can reach right into that area, and we don’t need any secondary under-balcony speakers or delays.”
Anthony Nittoli from Akustiks of South Norwalk, CT did the acoustical and audio design work, with Acme Professional of New Market, MD handling the audio installation.
One of the most difficult decisions was the console selection. “We have the new Cadac digital consoles for front of house (Model CDC Eight-32) and monitors (CDC Eight-16),” Ehrenberg explains. “We did some testing and these new Cadac desks sound fantastic. The consoles have a great surface that’s very intuitive and Cadac has been very supportive.”
The speaker choice was d&b audiotechnik’s J series. “It’s a very wide theater,” Ehrenberg notes. “We have two main left/right hangs, each with Six J12’s and four J8 line array boxes, and a bit of sidefill over the mezzanine to pick up a bit of the highs that are just our of the field of the arrays.” The entire system is powered with d&b’s D-Series amplifiers.
Matched to the line arrays are four d&b J-SUBs and two J-INFRA cardioid subwoofers on either side. Ground-stacking the subs gives the venue the flexibility to easily tailor the amount of bass needed for any gig. “We’ve found that one of the J-INFRAs and two of the J-SUBs is sufficient for most of the things we are going to do. There’s a lot of low-end there.”
Inside the Kings Theatre
Capacity: 3,200
Key Components: Cadac CDC Eight-32 and CDC Eight-16 consoles; d&b audiotechnik J-Series line arrays and subwoofers.
Integrator: Acme Professional
System Design: Anthony Nittoli of Akustiks
Alberta Jubilee Auditoriums, Alberta, Canada
The first theaters in Canada to install Meyer Sound LYON linear sound reinforcement systems are two nearly identical venues: Edmonton’s Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (NAJA) and Calgary’s Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (SAJA).
Built in 1955, the auditoriums are owned/operated by the provincial government and host a wide range of performing arts, cultural, community, and corporate events. Both facilities selected LYON to upgrade their Meyer M2D line arrays, a decision made jointly by technical coordinators Mark Belkie of SAJA and Paul Schmitz of NAJA.
“In our extensive listening and assessment process, LYON set the benchmark that all other competing loudspeakers had to meet or exceed, and none could do so,” says Belkie. “LYON is a significant step forward in terms of clean and effortless SPL, giving us systems that can easily handle the requirements of anyone coming into our venue, including aggressive rock acts.”
Schmitz cites LYON’s balanced and linear response. “The high frequencies are smooth, and throw clearly to the back of the second balcony,” he says. “Also, the midrange response is outstanding. On first listen, we were immediately impressed with the quality of the vocal range, and the snares, toms and guitar tones sound fuller and more realistic.”
The upgrade for each auditorium included 22 LYON-M main line arrays (in L/R hangs of 11), six 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements and six MINA and M’elodie line arrays were in a center downfill cluster. Two Galileo Callisto 616 array processors were added to each theatre’s existing Galileo loudspeaker management systems. The systems were supplied by Allstar Show Industries of Calgary and Edmonton, with integration and installation by technical staff at the respective auditoriums.
“LYON has an exceptionally flat phase response and integrates beautifully with the existing Meyer Sound loudspeakers that remain in our systems,” notes Belkie.
Other Meyer Sound loudspeakers deployed at the auditoriums include UPQ-1P and M1D line array loudspeakers and 700-HP subs, in addition to MJF-210, MJF-212A, UM-100P, and UM-1P stage monitors. SAJA also uses CQ-1, UPJ-1P VariO, and UPM-1P loudspeakers, while NAJA uses M3D-Sub directional subwoofers.
Inside The Alberta Jubilee Auditoriums
Capacity: 2,538 (each)
Key Components: Meyer Sound LYON-M line arrays, 1100-LFC subwoofers. MINA and M’elodie center downfills, Galileo Callisto 616 processors.
Supplier: Allstar Show Industries
Design: Mark Belkie, Paul Schmitz (in-house)
The Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire, IL
Founded in 1975, The Marriott Theatre in the Chicago suburb of Lincolnshire has presented more than 165 productions to an estimated eight million people. In addition to the steady stream of musicals that run eight-to-ten weeks each, the company also produces children’s productions, special events and concerts. The stage setup is a theater in-the-round, which sometimes revolves, depending upon the production.
Robert Gilmartin, the Marriott Theatre’s resident sound designer, decided a DiGiCo SD7T would be best for the venue’s needs after consulting with other theatrical sound designers and engineers. “We needed something dependable, reliable and multifunctional,” explains Gilmartin, who recently made the transition from analog to digital mixing with a new DiGiCo SD7T supplied by TC Furlong Inc. of nearby Lake Forest, IL. The SD7T replaced the house’s large analog console and two sidecars.
“Marriott’s Lincolnshire theatre has always counted on superior audio quality, flexibility and ultra reliability for all equipment acquisitions,” says TC Furlong of his company’s long-time client. “DiGiCo punched all three tickets with the SD7T.”
Gilmartin notes that the console performed flawlessly throughout the entire run of On The Town, the opening production of the 2104/2015 season. “It’s been very smooth; all the preparation and testing really helped,” he explains, adding that Group One Limited’s Matt Larson and theatrical audio consultant Zac Jac Duax spent a productive training day to bring Gilmartin up to speed with the hardware and software.
The orchestra, with eight to ten musicians, is located in an enclosed room in back of one of the theater’s four sections. A glass wall gives the conductor a clear view of the stage.
In addition to requiring a console that could enable a complex theatrical show to be quickly programmed both online and offline, Gilmartin needed a highly capable cast management solution. With as many as 32 singers and actors on stage, having enough input channels was mission-critical, and with up to 253 input channels, the SD7T fit the bill. Gilmartin added that the SD7T makes it easy for the engineer “to be fast with his fingers” well in advance of each cue, and he’s also pleased with the SD7T’s abundant 128 buses plus 32 matrix buses.
Inside The Marriott Theatre
Capacity: 882
Key Components: DiGiCo SD7T
Integrator: TC Furlong Inc.
System Designer: Robert Gilmartin
MainStage Theatre, Western Connecticut State University
Several years in the making, the $97-million, 130,000-square-foot Visual and Performing Arts Center at Western Connecticut State University is considered a significant achievement in both architecture and technology. The center that took 12 years to conceive, finance, design and build has three wings housing a concert hall, studio theater, recording studio, rehearsal rooms, art gallery, painting/sculpture studios and other creative spaces.
Jaffe Holden Acoustics (Norwalk, CT) partnered with Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture and Amenta Emma Architects and, together, the companies embarked on a design process that took a total of three years. Masque Sound (East Rutherford, NJ) came onboard as the AV integrator, and worked directly with LiveWire Sound and Image (Shelton, CT) to implement the design.
The 350-seat, proscenium-style MainStage Theatre is fitted with all the amenities of a Broadway stage, including a DiGiCo SD10 console with both an SD rack and a mini-rack, which drive multiple Symetrix Edge units for processing. Lab.gruppen amplifiers drive the speakers.
The theater’s main system consists of left/right arrays, each with two Fulcrum Acoustic GX1295 and two GX1265 12-inch coaxial systems, along with a center array of two CX1265 cabinets. A pair of SUB215 subs add low-end punch. Front fill and under-balcony fill are handled by four RX599 boxes. All rooms connect via MADI over Opticore to the recording studio.
The 350-seat Veronica Hagman Concert Hall features unconventional architecture with tri-level, in-the-round seating, variable acoustics and an audio system with Fulcrum Acoustic TQ Series loudspeakers. “It’s a fairly well-behaved space, acoustically speaking,” notes Ben Bausher, senior consultant at Jaffe Holden. “But the unique seating pattern called for a considerable number of distributed fill speakers to provide uniform coverage across the entire space.”
Six Fulcrum CX1565 12-inch coaxial systems comprise the main arrays, with ten RX599 compact 5.25-inch cabinets providing front fill. A second fill ring of 14 RX599 boxes and a third fill ring of eight more RX599s completes coverage, with four SUB215 subwoofers stacked onstage in cardioid pattern to reduce low-frequency buildup. A DiGiCo SD9 console handles FOH duties.
Once the equipment was installed, a main challenge was tuning the concert hall. “The venue has two tiers of wraparound seats,” says Bausher. “Getting all of those delay times and EQ’s dialed in took a fair amount of work, and my colleague Phillip Peglow did an amazing job tuning all the systems.” Bausher also points to Fulcrum’s coaxial design as a critical factor in the system design. “To achieve the performance of Fulcrum’s 12-inch, two-way cabinets in a non-coaxial design would require a box around 30 inches tall,” he observes. “Plus, it runs on a single amplifier channel and only needs a single processing output. It’s smaller, needs less power and processing, and that ultimately means a lower budget. It was the perfect fit.”
“We were working within a short timeframe, with only about 11 weeks to get all of the equipment moved into the facility,” says WCSU director of facilities, engineering and planning Peter Visentin. “Matt Peskie and Arno Miller from Masque Sound both did a fabulous job in working with Ben Bausher to make sure everything was completed in time.”
Inside Western Connecticut State University‘s Visual and Performing Arts Center
Capacity: 350 theater / 350 concert hall
Key Components: Theater — Fulcrum Acoustic GX1295/GX1265 main arrays, CX1265 center, SUB215 subs; DiGiCo SD10-24. Concert Hall — Fulcrum CX1565 main arrays, RX599 fills, SUB215 subs; DiGiCo SD9.
Integrator: Masque Sound; LiveWire Sound and Image
System Design: Jaffe Holden Acoustics
European Solidarity Centre, Gdansk, Poland
Poland’s European Solidarity Centre was conceived as an homage to former president, Lech Walesa, representing a symbol of the peaceful victory of the Solidarity (NSZZ Solidarność) movement, of which he was leader. The permanent exhibition at the European Solidarity Centre occupies an area of almost 3,000 square meters of the five-story building’s first and second floors. Conventional exhibits merges with the latest multimedia solutions, in a series of presentations that includes photographs, film archives, documents and maps, as well as multimedia presentations.
Supplying the AV requirements, ESS Audio (essaudio.pl) provided a variety of solutions from Harman Professional. Founded in 1989, ESS is a leading integrator in Poland, handling broadcasters, theaters, the National Stadium, clubs, churches, festivals and local events.
Within the complex, a large multipurpose hall with theater seating is designed to handle conferences, seminars and presentations, as well as cinema playback. The main sound reinforcement system is comprised of two hangs of eight JBL VerTec VT4886 subcompact line array loudspeakers per side, with a 96-channel Soundcraft Vi6 digital console. Supporting cinema playback, ESS Audio specified a JBL surround sound system, with three JBL 3732 3-way loudspeakers, two JBL 4642A subwoofers and 19 JBL 8340A surround loudspeakers, all driven by Crown DSi 2000 amps. The main full-band loudspeakers and subwoofers are set on trolleys, so they can be moved away when not in use. AKG mics — wired and wireless — are used throughout.
For the multimedia exhibits, four BSS Soundweb London BLU-800 DSP’s populated with AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) cards manage 14 JBL CBT50LA column speakers (two for each LCD monitor)— all powered by four Crown ComTech DriveCore CT4150 amps and Crown CT16S 16-input amplifier switchers. AKG PZM10 measurement mics connected to the BSS processors adjust the sound volume in every multimedia set-up.
A distributed sound system in the exhibit rooms has 30 JBL Control 24CT Micro Plus-Black and four JBL Control 25T ceiling and wall loudspeakers. All are driven by Crown CDi1000 amps and controlled by two Soundweb London BLU-100 processors.
Finally, ESS Audio supplied a roving mobile sound reinforcement system, comprising a Soundcraft Si Expression 2 console, six JBL VRX932LAP powered Constant Curvature loudspeakers and six VRX918SP subs.
Inside the European Solidarity Centre
Key Components: JBL VERTEC VT4886 line arrays; 96-channel Soundcraft Vi6; Crown amplification
Integrator: ESS Audio
System Design: ESS Audio
Wisconsin Union Theater, Madison, WI
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Memorial Union building has served as the school’s hub for student government and other organizations, dining, entertainment and general social life since 1928. The facility houses the 1,165-seat Wisconsin Union Theater, which recently installed its first full-range line array system, an L-Acoustics Kara rig.
The auditorium hosts a variety of performing arts events, mostly live music and dance, but also theater and lectures. About 40 percent of its bookings are school-related; the rest is open for outside rentals.
The installation came as part of a two-year remodel of the building’s west wing. “We wanted to upgrade the sound system before the wing reopened,” notes Jeff Macheel, technical director of the Wisconsin Union Theater, who adds that the installation has already quickly realized a substantial ROI. “Our new system has already cut down the University’s rental costs; I would estimate around $12,000 in four months, which is significant.”
Coming into the project, Macheel sought a line array system that delivered even coverage throughout the venue and met the requirements of touring acts. According to Mike Jonas, of Milwaukee-based Clearwing Productions, which had previously supplied rental equipment for the theater, “one of the requirements of the Union’s proposal was that the system would need to be tried out in its entirety. We’re a production house as well, so we had all of that in our inventory. It wasn’t a problem to show up with exactly what they were going to get.”
The University had a scoring system for the shootout that took into account “how the system sounded, how easy it was to rig, and how many people it took to rig it, among other criteria,” recounts Jonas. Prior to the demonstration, Clearwing worked with L-Acoustics to model the room and L-Acoustics’ André Pichette, head of install applications, was on hand for the demo.
“The system performed exactly as modeled and expected; that was pretty awesome,” Jonas states. “The Union was on a tight timetable; there was a narrow window when they could get the system in between events. So we pulled the wiring, got the amps and speakers mounted, rigged it in a day and got them custom carts that allow them to wheel it all off when not in use.”
The system features two SB18 subs flown over eight Kara enclosures per side, a single SB28 sub positioned on the floor below each array and five coaxial 5XT front fills, all collectively powered by a total of five LA8 amplified controllers.
“The system is easy to set up and use, and sounds great,” Macheel adds. “We haven’t had to change anything from Clearwing’s install, and every touring group that has passed through has confirmed that we made the right choice.”
Inside the Wisconsin Union Theater
Capacity: 1,165
Key Components: L-Acoustics Kara Line arrays, SB18 and SB28 subs, 5XT front fills and LA8 amplified controllers.
Integrator: Clearwing Productions
System Design: Jeff Macheel (in-house)
Hanna Theatre, Cleveland, OH
Originally seating 1,397 for legitimate theater, Cleveland’s Hanna Theatre opened in 1921 and would host luminaries as Al Jolson, Katherine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Ethel Barrymore, Ginger Rogers and other stars. In 1999, PlayhouseSquare assumed management of the Hanna. In 2008, the Hanna underwent a renovation to add a thrust stage, re-work its seating to 550 and become the main performance base for PlayhouseSquare’s long-time constituent, Great Lakes Theater.
Today, the Hanna Theatre offers Shakespearean plays, big bands, musical theater and corporate events. Recently, the sound system was upgraded with the NEXO GEO M6-Series line array rig, installed by Cleveland’s NAC Technologies.
“The previous system was a design by committee — a nice system, but it left a lot of dead spots,” states NAC’s Rick Galbraith. “Size and cost always weigh in, and the client was very concerned both about the size of the array and on a tight budget.”
No stranger to NEXO GEO, with NAC-installed systems in three of the other PlayhouseSquare venues, Galbraith said they began by placing speakers in the NS1 prediction software, virtually arranging the array size, coverage, and SPL based on available rigging points. “Available rigging points was our biggest challenge, so after using the prediction software, we determined that three clusters of three M6 speakers would be ideal for the theater. Considering the size of the clusters, the NEXO GEO M6 system sounds amazing; with zero complaints from the theater or patrons.”
Robert Mingus, PlayhouseSquare’s director of production was instrumental in the decision to install the NEXO M6 in the Hanna Theatre. “Dave Cooper and Rick Galbraith of NAC have done an amazing job upgrading all of our sound systems here at PlayhouseSquare.
He added that the NEXO M6’s sound quality and compactness solved many challenges at The Hanna. “The M6 sounds fantastic! Our three-box center cluster weighs only 76 pounds, virtually disappears, and does not get in the way of lighting. NAC tuned the room to perfection, avoiding the many problems of getting the sound into the house and off of the thrust stage.”
Inside the Hanna Theatre
Capacity: 550
Key Components: Nexo GEO M6-Series line array
Integrator: NAC Technologies
System Designer: NAC Technologies
State Theatre, Falls Church, VA
The State Theatre in Falls Church, VA, opened its doors in 1936, operating for more than half a century showing movies, before closed down in 1988. Luckily, a decade later, it was saved from the wrecker’s ball and underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration and renovation that buffed up its art deco design elements.
Recently, the venue received a complete upgrade of its sound and lighting systems, with all components sourced through Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center.
The new audio includes an RCF HDL20-A active line array in L/R hangs of four each and two SUB8006-A double-18 active subs, mixed through an Avid SC48 VENUE digital FOH console. Installation was handled by Baltimore-based Koko Brothers Entertainment, a member of the GC Pro Affiliate Program.
“There were a couple of challenges,” says Koko Brothers co-owner Angelo Kokkinakos. “It’s an old, landmarked building, so there’s not much you can do from an acoustics point of view, because the historical nature of the interior must be maintained. The owner wanted better sound. What had been in there was a ground-stacked system, which was good, but the coverage was uneven. We determined that a flown line array would be the best choice. We are tremendously pleased with the even coverage the system provided,” Kokkinakos notes.
“When we explored the different options and prices [for the P.A. system], the RCF came up as the right solution for the job,” he adds. “And once we had it installed, it really exceeded our high expectations.”
On working with GC Pro, Kokkinakos says, “It’s a great partnership. Every project has turned out exactly the way it’s supposed to. Clients love that!”
Inside The State Theatre
Capacity: 900
Key Components: RCF HDL20-A line array, SUB8006-A subs; Avid SC48 VENUE console
Supplier: GC Pro
Integrator: Koko Brothers Entertainment
System Design: Koko Brothers Entertainment
District Six Fine Arts Center, Roebuck, SC
The new District Six Fine Arts Center in Roebuck, SC, is a multi-use auditorium that serves both area schools in the area, as well as the local community. Located on the Dorman High School campus, the Center’s 1,500 seat auditorium hosts a diverse roster of events, from theatrical productions and concerts, to movies, recitals, lectures and convocations.
In designing the sound system for the new facility, Raleigh, NC-based Theater Consultants Collaborative specified a left/right flown array of eight Renkus-Heinz VARIA VA101-7 7.5-degree cabinets and one VA101-15 15-degree cabinet. All are self-powered and networkable.
“VARIA was an ideal choice for this venue, because its variable coverage pattern enabled us to use fewer boxes to achieve the same coverage,” explains David Clyburn of Roebuck, SC-based Musicraft, the company handling the installation. “The result was a reduction in both cost and weight, as well as improved sightlines. And the directional capabilities of the VARIA arrays eliminated the need for separate under-balcony coverage.”
For low-frequency reinforcement, six DR18-2 Direct Radiating Subwoofers are ground stacked in concrete reinforced chambers to the left and right of the stage. “The subwoofers are installed three to each side in cardioid configuration, 16 feet above the stage floor,” adds Clyburn.
To address coverage in the balcony, four PN121 two-way Complex Conic systems were installed. Finally, 20 PNX81 two-way systems were installed around the auditorium for surround sound reinforcement, creating a true 7.1 surround sound environment in the auditorium.
Despite a tight timeline and other logistical challenges that accompanied the construction project, Clyburn reports the system has been well received. “The VARIA system is easy to configure, which helped us meet some very short deadlines. Ultimately, the system sounds great, and school and community officials are very pleased with the results.”
Inside the District Six Fine Arts Center
Capacity: 1,500
Key Components: Renkus-Heinz VARIA modular line array
Integrator: Musicraft
System Design: Theater Consultants Collaborative
Hexagon Theatre, Meylan France
Located near Grenoble in the town of Meylan, France’s national theater, the Hexagon (L’Hexagone Scène Nationale Arts Sciences), has long been a challenging acoustical space. Built in 1976. the 560-capacity hexagonal room hosts 35 shows and other events each season.
Olivier Delpeuch, the Hexagon’s sound engineer and audio department head at the Hexagon, recently selected an new audio rig, with a distributed system using Adamson Point Series speakers. The solution was jointly developed by Adamson Systems’ French distributor DV2 and sound company Music Plus. Antoine Maurel, project manager at Music Plus, headed up the installation.
Sound reinforcement is provided by ten Point 12 and six Point 8 loudspeakers powered by a Lab.gruppen PLM 10000Q and C48:8 amps with Lake LM44 processing. Designed for versatility, the system can adjust to the needs of the performances.
Equipped with the same large-diaphragm compression drivers found in Adamson’s touring range, the Point 12 is offered with 40° x 20° and 60° x 40° (H x V) rotatable waveguides for flexibility in constructing point-source arrays. The smaller Point 8 loudspeaker has a rotatable 90° x 60° (H x V) waveguide. All these two-way enclosures feature Adamson’s Side Lock Revolver (SLR™) rigging with built-in sockets for both vertical and horizontal arrays.
“The audio quality and flexibility of the system is what really sold me,” says Delpeuch. “Not only does it sound fantastic, but it is incredibly versatile. The loudspeakers are light enough that we can easily rearrange them to accommodate the needs of each show. It fits the requirements for this room perfectly.”
Inside the Hexagon Theatre
Capacity: 560
Key Components: Adamson Point 12 and Point 8 speakers; Lab.gruppen PLM 10000Q and C48:8 amps; Lake LM44 processing.
Integrator: Music Plus
System Design: Olivier Delpeuch (in-house), DV2 and Music Plus
Poly Theatre, Beijing, China
Hosting domestic and international artistic events since 1991, Beijing’s Poly Theatre is one of the main Chinese hubs for cultural arts exchange. During its most recent upgrade, Hong Kong-based Advanced Communications Equipment Co Ltd. (ACE) supplied a new front-end audio system for the auditorium with Soundcraft consoles, Crown amplifiers and BSS signal processors.
The auditorium seats 1,428 people and caters to the various needs of different international acts. ACE provided an audio system that is perfect for operas, symphonic concerts, ballets, musicals and other productions.
Soundcraft Vi6 and Vi4 digital mixing consoles were installed in the control room, where they share a Stagebox so the signals can be routed into both consoles. The Vi6 is the main console used for front of house. The Vi4 is used as a backup console, but can also be configured for monitors.
“The two Soundcraft consoles form a complete mixing system that is extremely versatile,” said ACE’s Lina Han. “They have added a huge amount of digital mixing capacity to the control room, and by just switching a few cables around, they can be configured for any purpose.”
The system is powered with Crown Macro-Tech i-Series amplifiers and supported with BSS BLU-160 signal processors, which offer configurable signal processing at a high bandwidth.
“By converting the existing analog infrastructure into newer digital systems, we have transformed the control room of the theater,” said Han. “The biggest challenge for this project is that we only had 15 business days until completion, which meant pre-configuring all the equipment in-house. The customer was very satisfied.”
Inside the Poly Theatre
Capacity: 1,428
Key Components: Soundcraft Vi6 and Vi4 consoles; Crown Macro-Tech i- Series amps; BSS BLU-160 processing
Integrator: Advanced Communications Equipment
System Designer: Advanced Communications Equipment
