To supply and implement the audio infrastructure, MKG's managing director, John Northcote, has again enlisted Shepperton Studios-based Marquee Audio, who first worked with the company on the conversion of Birmingham's Hummingbird to the Academy in Britain's second city two and a half years ago. The 2,500-capacity venue in Glasgow - purchased from Edinburgh-based development company EDI - will operate in three formats: as a full concert venue, a short hall arrangement and a full-on night club.
Marquee project managers, Spencer Brooks and Scott Wakelin, thus designed a reconfigurable system that would service all the venue's requirements, with a flexible cabling infrastrucure and facility panels, as well as industry-reference audio equipment that would immediately be familiar to touring bands and sound engineers. According to Spencer Brooks, the company has been able to spread the budget judiciously to allow them to pioneer new state-of-the-art equipment alongside industry-standard kit. They had already designed a cutting-edge monitor system for Carling Academy Bristol the month before - including Soundcraft's new MH3 multi-mode mixing desk, Yamaha PC amplifier series and DME-32 digital matrix processor, with the latest series of input cards. In addition to this same monitor set-up in Glasgow, they will also be supplying a full front-of-house rig based around EAW's reference KF850 system.
The Carling Academy Glasgow will see one of the first 40-channel Soundcraft MH3 mixing boards in the front-of-house position and a 32-input version on the stage. All the monitor reference will be provided by Martin Audio components, with eight of their classic LE400C floor monitors, complemented by four Martin Blackline H3s for stage fills.
Like the stage system the front-of-house speaker system will be powered entirely by Yamaha PC amplifiers. The house system comprises 14 KF850EF mid/high enclosures underpinned by 12 SB850 twin 18in subs, stacked conventionally left and right of the stage. Four EAW MK2164s will provide the under-balcony delay sound and four further KF850EFs will provide the rear dancefloor fills. The loudspeaker management will be provided by XTA's DP-224 and DP-226, which will hold the delay settings - and the overall system control will be provided by a BSS 9088ii Soundweb (configured Line/Line).
The FOH processing rack will likewise be plugged with engineer-familiar modules such as Yamaha's SPX-1000 and SPX-990 digital effects units, BSS Audio's FCS-966 Opal Constant Q graphic and Behringer MDX4400P Multicom Pro compressor/limiter and XR4400P Multigate Pro expander/gate. Upstairs, Marquee Audio have also provided an independent system for the Mezzanine Room, based around a pair each of Martin Blackline F15 and F10 enclosures and S218 (twin 18in) subs, with control access via Soundweb 9088ii/LL and Jellyfish local remote.
They have also supplied DJ playback, with a DJ 'coffin case' containing Technics decks, and a Denon DN2600F twin CD player and Pioneer PD-M603 providing auxiliary playback devices, mixed through an Allen & Heath Xone:62 mixer. Yamaha PC amplifiers power the system in this room as they do the Martin Blackline F10s in the final room - the VIP room - where source and volume access are provided by a BSS 9012 'Shrimp' remote wall panel.
Set to open at the end of March, Deacon Blue, Bryan Ferry, Massive Attack, Sugababes, Melanie C and the White Stripes are among the bands slated for early appearances.
(Ruth Rossington)
