Community Theatre Hits d&b Jackpot
28 August 2015
The headline ‘Community Theatre Hits d&b Jackpot’ reflects how many readers will feel: green with envy.
Laycock Street Community Theatre is based in Gosford, north of Sydney. It’s not high profile; it goes about its business like any other community theatre, staging a whole range of drama, music, corporate and school events… no doubt there’s a fair smattering of Gilbert & Sullivan. Not so long ago they got some dough (from the Arts NSW, State Government Regional Capital Program) and commissioned a new d&b PA. “The grant allowed us to choose a system that not only met but exceeded all of our selection criteria, as well as acquiring equipment that would provide numerous benefits to us in the longer term, in comparison with some other proposed options. Guiding our decision were the many positive recommendations from other venues who had recently installed d&b systems,” said Chris King, Arts and Culture Coordinator for Gosford City Council.
“d&b audiotechnik had the most flexible system with the best quality of sound and coverage for our venue,” acknowledges King. “Another important factor in our decision was that d&b audiotechnik is also one of the few manufacturers specified at the top of most technical riders we receive for touring shows. A d&b audiotechnik installation meant we had a system that would meet all expectations and requirements of touring shows and engineers.”
National Audio Systems: 1800 441 440 or www.nationalaudio.com.au
d&b audiotechnik: www.dbaudio.com
Cuepoint Productions: (02) 8006 1486 or www.cuepoint.com.au
The chosen system was based on the Q-Series. L/R arrays either side of the proscenium include a Qi-Sub, with the low end further supported by B2-Subs ground stacked under each array. Extra Qi10s are rigged to provide enhanced centre vocal localisation for drama, musicals and film presentations, while several 8S loudspeakers from the xS-Series cover front fill duties. M6 monitors were chosen for onstage foldback, driven by a D6 amplifier, with the specific intention to redeploy them to the Theatre’s smaller, multi-purpose, Don Craig Room, to create an additional sound reinforcement system in this very intimate space.
Australian Distributors for d&b, National Audio Systems, handled the design (Dave Jacques leading the charge) with Cuepoint Productions taking care of the install.
One of the main challenges faced by Cuepoint was locating a suitable rigging point for the main arrays. After consultation with Gosford City Council Engineers, a wall-mounted rigging frame was custom designed and manufactured by Cuepoint to be bolted onto the double brick wall either side of the proscenium arch. As King remarks, “Great thinking outside the square! Cuepoint went above and beyond to make sure we had a safe and secure rigging solution for the arrays. They had the system installed and NAS had it commissioned well ahead of schedule and under budget.”
“The main aim of this project was to improve our services to artists, performers and audiences,” concludes King. “Previous to this installation, most touring productions needed to sub hire extra audio equipment which added extra cost and subsequent accessibility issues for budget conscious productions. The first use of the new system was a touring dramatic production of Orwell’s ‘1984’ which involved a highly dynamic sound design which showcased the range of the system. Next up was a highly respected Led Zeppelin celebration concert performed by a group of top Australian musicians and singers that tested the system to its very limits. The system passed with flying colours on both occasions with many compliments received from touring technicians and engineers as well as audience members, a number of whom are regular patrons of our venue. Since then we have received many comments about the improvement in sound quality and enjoyment in the venue from both audiences and performers. There is a definite sense of ease displayed by performers when they walk on stage and see a d&b audiotechnik monitor speaker in front of them!”
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