The show was mixed by Harry McLean from BBC Northern Ireland, who was as impressed by the dV-DOSC rig as its new owner, John Willis of Production House. "The coverage was even, and the output and sound quality was impressive for such a physically small box. Once Harry had done a walk round the venue, he was completely confident that everybody in the arena would be hearing the same thing and that let him concentrate on mixing the show which, in true Children in Need style, was hectic from start to finish.
"The system worked very well and we were able to get a high SPL at the back seats without killing the front row as well as an even spread across the room. The ARRAY2000 software made this an easy task as it seems to be very accurate in its predictions . . . once you put the correct information in!!! The dV-DOSC has negated the need for delays which is such a bonus from an equipment and time point of view."
John Willis began his search for a new system about 18 months ago, narrowing the field down to a few different manufacturers although not necessarily a line array system. "Glen Smith at Marquee did a great job of listening to, and advising me while we talked through, listened to and demo'd various systems," recalls Willis. "In 1998, before Glen joined Marquee, he sold me a L-Acoustics ARCS system; we've done well with that in our market so it made sense to stay with the L-Acoustics brand. With the dV-DOSC, the size of the box, the quality of sound suited us, the ease of rigging suited us, and, although it might have been more expensive than some other options, the price suited us.
"We have a long-standing relationship with the guys at Marquee, and we know that they'll give us good service and pricing as well as superb after sales support. Our dV-DOSC boxes have come straight out of the Odyssey Arena and shipped to Britannia Row, to be used on the premiere of the new Bond film in the Royal Albert Hall. With the success of the Children in Need event I have already placed an order with Marquee for another eight dV-DOSC boxes."
(Lee Baldock)
