France - Having featured Sarah Bernhardt on its stages for almost two decades, and staging the very first play by Sartre, Théâtre de la Ville has an impressive pedigree. Throughout its 150-year history, the venue has staged all manner of productions and today is known for its offering of modern dance, theatre and world music.
Following a major seven-year refurbishment designed to equip the 19th century building with 21st century innovation, Théâtre de la Ville has again placed itself on the edge of technology, able to offer L-ISA immersive experiences to audiences via its BLive-installed sound system.
For almost a decade, Théâtre de la Ville had been in search of the perfect system to realise its immersive audio ambitions. As part of a wider refurbishment, the venue, in collaboration with L-Acoustics certified partner BLive – a long-time technology partner and friend of the venue - embarked on a number of visits to immersive system demos. With optimal audio capabilities being the primary goal, other crucial considerations were weight restrictions and placement limitations due to the historical architecture and a need for versatility to address the hugely eclectic range of productions.
After careful deliberation, Théâtre de la Ville concluded that L-Acoustics L-ISA technology was the right fit, landing on a 20.1. Scene System of five hangs of two SB15m over eight Kiva II with a centre-flown cluster of six KS21 subwoofers.
Thirteen X8 hung around the sides of the venue, balcony edge and ceiling provide surround sound to the parterre while 17 further 5XT speakers nestled in the walls provide surround sound to the under-balcony seats. “The full surround configuration provides exceptional sound quality without compromising any of the space’s aesthetic splendor,” commented Alexandre Tramontin of BLive, who led a team of engineers and experts throughout the specification and installation process.
Five LA7.16i amplified controllers were specified for their low energy consumption and high channel count, which allowed for fewer rack space and less cabling. The LA7.16i was found to provide exceptional power output when required, but consume minimal power when not, leading to 30% less power consumption as compared to other similar systems.
A vital element of the success of the project was the close collaboration between Théâtre de la Ville and BLive, which took an especially proactive role in helping the theatre to achieve their desired results. BLive and L-Acoustics also provided all Théâtre de la Ville staff with comprehensive training on the new system and helped them to adapt their process from stereo to fully immersive surround sound.
Benoit Goupillon, sound manager, Théâtre de la Ville concludes: “We are very happy with the support from L-Acoustics on this project. They proposed a relevant and elegant solution, in the face of significant technical and artistic constraints, and considered our concern for the current environmental context. After several months of intensive use, we are proud to have this system, which in our opinion presents a major evolution in the quality of sound reinforcement for shows, with subtlety and efficiency.”
