MOSCOW – Midas' Russian distributor, Theater Technics and Technology, has installed Midas XL8 and PRO6 systems into the 6,200-capacity Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which recently opened as the largest concert hall in Russia.
With the ability to host a wide variety of events, from concerts and festivals through to conferences and business forums, the two-level hall can switch between different modes, easily converting into a smaller, 2,200-seater venue, while the stalls can be modified to provide either a seating area for corporate events or a dance floor.
During construction, the client and the designer opted to position the XL8 in the center of the hall, where the most desirable seats are usually located.
"As a rule, clients usually try to ‘hide' the workplace of the soundman on a balcony, or allocate some space in the central aisle of the hall," said the hall's deputy technical director, Vladimir Antonov. "People now envy us for having our front of house console in the most logical position. Even though there's always a struggle to provide as many seats as possible, we have a large, six-meter-by-three-meter front of house area – practically the size of another VIP box.
"All engineers, those who have already worked at the Crocus City Hall and those who have just visited, are of the same opinion – at last there is a hall in Moscow where the main console is situated at the very place where it should be, according to acoustic laws."
The PRO6 monitor console, meanwhile, was installed in a wing of the stage. To avoid lengthy cable runs, four I/O boxes have been sunk into the stage floor to work exclusively with the monitor console.
The technical team at the Crocus City Hall based their decision on the number of Midas digital systems installed in major venues around the world. They also liked that the XL8 and PRO6 can be networked to complement each other if needed, and saw the need to go with the trend toward more digital consoles and audio networking.
"The first concerts held here have demonstrated that most engineers are eager to work on our new Midas consoles," said Antonov. "For example, for a concert by Turkish star Tarkan, we set up two ‘other brand' digital consoles that they brought in. When the technical team arrived, we suggested that they work on the Midas XL8. Tarkan's FOH engineer agreed. And as he studied the console, his eyes began to burn and he started to repeat, ‘I want one, I want one!'"
For more information, please visit www.midasconsoles.com.
