As technical manager Dennis Paddison explained, both venues are administered by Leisure Connection Ltd on behalf of St Albans District Council. "Nevertheless Marquee still had to win a tender," reports Dennis. The old system in the 400-capacity halls, which were built in 1938, was well past its sell-by date. A trust was established when the major auditorium in the complex was renamed the Eric Morecambe Hall, following the death of its famous resident in 1984. "The Trust was coming to an end and there was a need to invest the money," said Dennis. "Although we also needed new lighting, replacing the sound system became the main priority."
The column speakers were replaced with a conventional Tannoy V15 full-range proscenium arch system, with a pair of V12s set midway down the hall for delays. Marquee also managed to stretch the budget to a pair of V8s for stage foldback, with four further Tannoy 15AW (compact 5") enclosures covering the front rows - essential when there is a public speaker. All the gain settings are held in the new cost-effective dbx Driverack 260 (2-in/6-out) DSP device.
Marquee tried to redeploy existing kit where possible, but clearly there was insufficient firepower upstairs to drive the new rig, and thus a Yamaha H7000 now runs the main PA and an H3000 the delays, while the original Harrison amps are reassigned to foldback and infill duties. Marquee have also installed a new patchbay, converting all their connectors to XLR, and with a new compact Spirit FX16, with its onboard Lexicon effects, in the front-of-house position, the full-channel capacity was immediately put to good use with a rousing performance of Annie, which featured a liberal use of radio mics.
(Ruth Rossington)
