UK - The 400 seat Corn Exchange in Newbury has recently upgraded its sound system. The Art Centre's technical manager Guy Dickens managed this project as part of a general refurbishment programme, which included new seating, and decoration. The overall aim of the refurbishment was to improve on the comfort and the "theatre experience" for the audience.
Guy Dickens explains: "The Corn Exchange is a busy multipurpose arts centre which has a fast turnaround of shows (mainly one night stands) often involving different formats and mix positions. There were several reasons why we needed to improve our existing 10-year-old sound system. The expectations from the public have risen, as most people now listen to digital sound in their homes and cars, and want the same quality when they see a live show. The same expectations are also coming from the performers. More and more visiting companies are relying upon the in house equipment, as touring productions costs continue to rise.
As part of the system upgrade, I was very keen to install a reliable and flexible system that was rider friendly and would perform well with most types of events. There are often situations where visiting companies have to decide whether to use their own equipment or the in-house system, and I wanted them to leave their gear in the van to save time!"
Dickens chose L-Acoustics because it fitted perfectly into the venue specification. With three flown 112XT as the main front of house system, a pair of MTD 108a as balcony fills all are powered with L-Acoustics LA amplifiers. The flown speakers arranged around the proscenium are unobtrusive and offer a very even dispersion. Dickens has gone for a L,C,R speaker layout, which gives the venue the flexibility it needs. The system also provides plenty of headroom allowing the venue to cope with a variety of music events even up to full rock SPL's.
The different control positions and speaker routing is handled by two Soundweb processors fed into the L,C,R system via either an eight channel Folio, or the new Midas Verona 40-channel console.
Dickens said: "I am very pleased that an arts centre such as ours, is now furnished with equipment that has long been regarded as the standard within the music industry, and that the many shows touring through our venue and our paying customers will all benefit as a result".
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
