The Students Union's new sound and AV technician, Barclay Dakers, designed the systems for each of the performance areas - which have a combined capacity of 2,300 - in conjunction with Mick Butler of Fuzion plc, Nexo's UK distributor. Also involved in specifying the respective systems was Ralph Teviotdale, assistant manager of Sound Control, Dundee, who supplied all the equipment. Dakers said that Nexo had been recommended by local companies who had been regularly hiring PA to the university. "The previous manager here picked up on Nexo and everyone agreed it was the best brand for us. When we need to boost the sound in any of the areas it will be easy to hire in."
The decision to use Alpha E in MONO became axiomatic, as Barclay explained, "I have used it many times when I have been crewing and always been comfortable with both the size and the sound of Alpha E. Being horn-loaded it is a directional system, and clearly the best choice for us."Each of the stacks comprises four AL.B1 subs, sandwiching a pair of AL.M3 mid-highs - mounted just above the concrete base on either side of the stage, and acting as a point source. It operates under the control of an NX242 dedicated processor.
"The beauty of this - and the reason for favouring the Alpha E system in this instance - is that we needed downward dispersion, with the sound focused onto the dance floor. This allows anyone who wants to sit and talk in the peripheral areas to do so," says Dakers.
(Lee Baldock)
