Technical and operations manager Guy Dickens was attracted to the Verona for a number of reasons. "At the time I was looking for a new desk, the Verona was brought to my attention by Glen Smith, and as he rightly pointed out, it turned out to be the perfect choice for us," commented Dickens. "As a Theatre Arts Centre, we do not have a large budget to spend on our sound system upgrade, but I was keen to get the best I could afford and in particular wanted to fit out the venue with equipment that was easily recognizable; the distinctive Midas purple colour and the all-important logo do just that. Furthermore, the Verona fitted into my budget perfectly. I had previously looked into the Venice range, but it wasn't quite large enough to meet current demands at our venue. The Verona, however, offers a basic desk with enough outputs to meet all of our requirements."
He also pointed out that as a receiving venue, the Corn Exchange deals with a large number of music events throughout the year as well as all other theatre and associated events, and has noticed that the emphasis is increasingly on quality sound. As a result, audience expectations have risen accordingly, particularly as digital sound is now in everyone's home/car etc. "So it's really a matter of trying to keep up with people's demands for better sound," he concluded.
"I also find that more touring shows are relying on the in-house equipment than in previous years," continued Dickens. "What I wanted, therefore, was new equipment that would be recognizable to all visiting technicians, and would instantly put them at ease, and hopefully make them think about leaving their old touring boxes in the truck."
(Lee Baldock)
