UK - Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has unveiled its new campus in Whitechapel, London, with the launch of NTU London. The venue, located in the heart of London's creative scene, features a 600-capacity performance space equipped with an L-Acoustics Kara II line array professional audio system, delivering the same technology used at the major music festivals while providing hands-on learning for aspiring live sound engineers.
The system was designed and installed by L-Acoustics certified provider Solotech, following a specific request from NTU staff members who are themselves Nottingham campus alumni and wanted to continue their success with L-Acoustics technology.
Building on the success of NTU’s Nottingham Metronome venue, where Solotech installed an L-Acoustics Kiva II system in 2018, the London campus required a sound solution that could scale up to meet the needs of its larger performance space, while maintaining the critical educational element of working with industry-standard audio equipment. The venue is designed to serve both as a commercial performance venue for touring acts and as a space where students gain practical experience using the same equipment they will encounter throughout their careers.
"We wanted to create an environment where students could transition seamlessly from classroom theory to real-world application," says Bryan Rankin, head of technical events at NTU. "The Kara II system mirrors the professional setups our graduates will use in the field. Having this technology available in-house gives our students a distinct advantage as they enter the industry."
Students will gain comprehensive experience with the entire L-Acoustics ecosystem, including hands-on opportunities to practice rigging the systems, work with the LA Network Manager drive system, and utilise the M1 measurement module for system optimisation. The programme also includes training with L-Acoustics Soundvision simulation software, allowing students to model audio coverage and make informed adjustments before physical setup - an increasingly essential skill in the professional audio world.
The installation process presented several challenges, particularly related to the venue's height restrictions and the need for acoustic isolation in a densely populated area. The design of the venue included a fully floated room-in-room construction to minimise sound transmission to neighbouring spaces.
"With residential buildings and music studios nearby, we needed to go beyond standard isolation techniques,” says Rankin. “The floating design and specialised mounting solutions allowed us to maintain high-performance levels while ensuring minimal disruption to our neighbours - an absolute necessity in this bustling area of London."
Acoustic architects Whitemark suggested the use of specialised solutions such as acoustic springs (from Christie and Grey) for the main speaker arrays and isolated plates for the subwoofers to mitigate the risk of transmitting vibrations through the concrete floor.
The L-Acoustics professional audio system includes two hangs of six Kara II with six flown SB18 subwoofers, three per side behind the main hangs. Two ground-stacked KS28 subwoofers are placed on isolated plates to prevent vibrations on the concrete floor. Eight X12 coaxial enclosures are on hand for monitors, and the whole system is powered by 11 LA2Xi and two LA12X amplified controllers with a P1 processor.
