Theatre Sound 2014

GUIDE TO

THE

A S p e c i a l P r o m o t i o n a l P u b l i c a t i o n F r o m I n t e n t M e d i a

BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDING

I N T E R N A T I O N A L E D I T I O N

In association with:Produced By:

TheatreSound 2014

www.audiomedia.com May 2014 03

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com CONTENTS

> Commercial Director

Darrell Carter [email protected]

> Editor Jory MacKay [email protected]

> Group Head of Design & Production Adam Butler [email protected]

> Production Executive Jason Dowie [email protected]

> Designer Jat Garcha [email protected]

>>> CONTENTS

>>> MEET THE TEAM

> 4

Theatre Control: Digital Consoles

> 6

Case Studies: National Theatre & Kammerspiele Vienna

> 8

Case Studies: Tonight’s The Night & I Can’t Sing

> 9

Sennheiser

> 10

PreSonus

> 14

Critical Characteristics for Theatre Microphones

> 16

Case Studies: The BodyGuard & The Commitments

> 18

Theatre Loudspeakers: Consistency and Flexibility

> 22

Manufacturer Directory

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© 2014 NewBay Media. All rights reserved.

Welcome to the first ever International Guide

to Theatre Sound. A new addition to our series

of informational and promotional Guides, this

publication will help you navigate through the

growing market for theatre-specific pro-audio kit.

Unlike their counterparts in other sectors of the live performance industry,

the motto of the theatre sound engineer is to ‘be heard and not seen’.

While productions traditionally relied on the vocal strength of the actors

and singers, the demand for bigger shows has led to advancements

across the entire theatre sound workflow from sound reinforcement to

microphones, to consoles.

The theatre community has embraced digital technologies

wholeheartedly, relying heavily on the advancements in digital consoles

to allow for quick recall of settings, playback of sound effects and music,

and control of the sound from any number of actors on stage. But what

do you need for your production? What about microphone choices,

wireless spectrum issues, or even the choice of loudspeaker to best suit

your production?

That’s where this guide comes in. Within the pages of the 2014

Theatre Sound Guide you’ll find informative and promotional articles

on the current offering of all of the components needed to pull off a

successful production, from consoles, to microphones, to loudspeakers.

Alongside promotional articles from the top brands in theatre sound,

we’ve put together a number of articles showing how kit is being used in

the real world at some of the world’s largest theatres, from The Theater

at Madison Square Garden to the National Theatre in London. Lastly,

we’ve also included a manufacturer index at the back for your reference.

Whether you’re a sound designer or operator, this guide will help you find

the kit that’s right for you.

This guide, along with the others in the series (DAWS & Plug-ins,

Microphones, Monitors & Headphones, Broadcast Audio, and Consoles)

are Audio Media projects and are designed to help you navigate your way

through the swaths of products currently available.

For more details visit www.audiomedia.com

Jory MacKay, Audio Media

AUDIO MEDIA (UK)

Audio Media is published by

Intent Media London,

1st Floor, Suncourt House,

18-26 Essex Road,

London N1 8LN, England.

www.audiomedia.com

Telephone: 020 7354 6001

www.nbmedia.com

>ADVERTISER INDEXAdvertiser Page

Allen & Heath 19

Cadac 7

DiGiCo 5, 12-13,23

DPA 2

Waves 15

PreSonus 24

Radial Engineering 17

May Issue 2014

THEATRE CONSOLES

Source Control Central

Digital audio consoles, with their near-

instant reset capabilities and powerful

DSP, are ideally suited to theatre

environments, where quick changes between

events or between scenes in a performance are

commonplace. Use a digital desk in such an

application and you will likely wonder how you

ever managed with an analogue board.

“I used to do the Grand Ole Opry with a

pair of Paragons!” laughs Kyle O’Connor, an

engineer at the Country Music Hall of Fame

and Museum. “We’re spoiled now.”

According to O’Connor, flexibility and the

ability to quickly reset the entire console were

important criteria for the selection of an Avid

Venue SC48 for the institution’s new 800-seat

CMA Theater. “Our theatre has been open

for six months now, and we’ve done everything

from R&B bands, orchestras, and corporate

shows to solo acoustic artists,” he says.

In fact, the venue acquired three SC48s plus

a Profile from Avid, allowing the audio crew

to provide whatever system is required at any

of the three performance spaces, which also

includes the 1,200-capacity Event Hall and the

compact Ford Theater.

“On shows where I’ve got a band

performance followed by video playback

followed by audio playback followed by an

orchestra, the faders can be where I want them

and everything can be on pages,” he elaborates.

“I do a lot of shows where record labels or

management groups will showcase six, seven,

eight acts. A band will play, then someone will

talk at the podium while the next band is setting

up. I can use recall saves and keep the channels

I need hot while editing other scenes for other

bands, bouncing back and forth, all without

losing time or having to stop the show.”

In late 2013, New Jersey-based pro-

audio sales, rental, and installation company

Boulevard Professional installed a pair of

compact Yamaha CL5 digital audio consoles

– one at FOH, the other at monitors – at the

Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)

in Englewood, NJ. “In a theatre like

bergenPAC, or any roadhouse where there

are multiple acts of every possible genre going

through on a regular basis, the thought was to

get the most flexible audio console possible to

be able to handle as many inputs as possible,”

says James Cioffi, co-owner, Boulevard Pro.

“Yamaha’s CL5 is scalable, meaning you

can always add-on inputs with stage boxes,”

he continues. The bergenPAC system is

configured with 64 inputs and 32 outputs, not

including AES outputs, he says. “It could be 48

out; that’s very powerful in that footprint.”

The ability to fire off scene changes was

also a major attraction for Marc Waithe, audio

supervisor at The Juilliard School at Lincoln

Center for the Performing Arts in New York.

Waithe oversaw the addition of a DiGiCo

SD10T and SD10-24T at the school’s Peter

Jay Sharp Theater. “With the changeover

between the different shows and sometimes

different days, I can have the set-up change

by the push of a button, rather than having

to physically move everything around on the

console. That’s huge,” he says.

“Being able to save cues in the board is the

best thing for live theatres. Then I don’t have to

mute and unmute everyone individually; I can

just hit one button,” says Paul Deutsch, house

sound technician at the Paramount Theater in

St Cloud, MN, which installed a Soundcraft Si3

as part of an all-Harman rig that includes VRX

line arrays and Soundweb system processing.

At bergenPAC, another point in favour of

Yamaha was its Audinate Dante networking

capabilities, according to Cioffi, noting that

bergenPAC controls its Lake processing from

the CL5. “In a theatre, there are multiple

zones, and it seemed to be an easy way to have

complete control at somebody’s fingertips. It’s

embedded in the console with a MY card.”

“We have a recording department that

records all of the performances in the school,”

says Waithe. “I run off Optocore for the racks,

but to send to recording, I’ll run off the MADI

split. The fact that the new V6 software allows

me to change the MADI stream, so I can send

any input to any MADI outputs, was huge, too.

We’ll send a feed of whatever mics we have with

the MADI split through an RME interface.”

Waithe also uses the Dante Virtual Sound

Card for playback, via two DiGiCo Dante

cards in the stage racks, but has another reason

for utilising the Audinate network: “I’m

interfacing with the console using MADI-to-

Dante and then coming off the computers back

into the console through a Focusrite RedNet 6

interface; that’s a futureproof thing. I have the

Lake LM44 processors, so I’m running AES

now, but might move to Dante in the future.”

O’Connor found the Pro Tools system

integrated into the SC48 to be of use when

initially setting up the theatre’s PA rig. “We

could listen to individual inputs and band

mixes in the room before the first show and see

how the room reacted, and get it dialed in as

we needed before even getting any musicians

involved,” he adds.

The Pro Tools system can also host plug-

ins, of course. “We use the standard plug-in

package. I also have the C6 from Waves.

I’ve had that for years; it’s my go-to, save-

everything plug-in,” says O’Connor.

Paramount Theater’s Si3 came standard with

four Lexicon effects engines, while bergenPAC’s

CL5 includes an Effect Rack with VCM

analogue circuitry modeling and a Premium

Rack that includes Rupert Neve Designs Portico

plug-ins; at The Julliard School, Waithe is

running a SoundGrid server with the SD10T

system to host Waves plug-ins.

4 May 2014 The International Guide To Theatre Sound 2014

Steve Harvey talks to four theatre sound engineers about the flexibility provided by digital consoles.

Keeping tabs on the Yamaha CL5 installed at bergenPAC are (l-r): Ralph Grasso, monitor tech;

James Cioffi, Boulevard Pro; Joe Feola, tech director; Paul Denise, audio department head

CASE STUDIES


Stagetec Polaris touch Moves Into Kammerspiele Vienna

As part of the refurbishments of the 471-seat

Kammerspiele Vienna theatre, Salzbrenner

Stagetec Mediagroup was commissioned to

install the audio technology and parts of the

video technology. The company chose to equip

the theatre with a portable Polaris touch audio

console, which is operating in combination with

a CAS Mix, the predecessor to the Polaris touch

(which has been in operation at the Viennese

theatre for the past 10 years and was recently

upgraded from four to six DSP boards).

The Polaris touch takes over as the main

console responsible for mixing the wireless

microphones and orchestra, while the CAS

Mix, permanently installed in the sound control

room, handles all playbacks. A unique factor

of the install is that the CAS Mix and Polaris

touch use the same DSP unit, which is possible

as the CAS Mix DSP unit can be accessed in

parallel by up to four control surfaces.

The theatre’s sound reinforcement system

was partly revised and complemented by new

components with the Nexus audio router now

distributing all signals to the power amplifiers

with connection to the DAWs, SFXs, wall

panels, as well as the entire sound control room.

New Alcons Audio QR36/QR18 line-source

systems have been installed along with Kling &

Freitag loudspeakers.

The first show to take advantage of the

set-up at Kammerspiele Vienna was the

European premiere of the Scott Wittman/Marc

Shaiman/Terrence McNally show Catch Me

If You Can. The show was directed by Werner

Sobotka and featured Martin Berger as FBI

agent Carl Hanrattat, and Rasmus Borkowski

as Frank Abagnale Jr.

www.stagetec.com

During the summer break of the touring season last year Kammerspiele Vienna underwent a full

refurbishment including additional loudspeakers and an updated audio control room.

Opening night of Catch Me If You Can

Credit: Rita Newman

London’s National Theatre Goes Digital with Sennheiser

“There’s a real energy in our department and

creating relationships with suppliers is part

of that,” says the National Theatre’s head of

sound and video Jonathan Suffolk, who has

been instrumental in continuing the facility’s

history of technical knowhow and foresight.

“The NT has a long-standing relationship

with Sennheiser, going back to the early 90s

when we migrated from Micron microphones

to Sennheiser,” he says. “The Olivier Theatre

is full of Sennheiser equipment and we use

them for many of the Olivier’s shows.”

“However, last year, when work started

on the production of The Light Princess in the

Lyttelton Theatre, we considered whether to

hire or buy additional radio mics,” he adds.

“We felt that working at the cutting edge

of technology was very much in the spirit

of what the NT is about – not always using

equipment we’d relied on previously.”

To that end, and with the encouragement

of theatre sound designer and NT sound

department member Mike Walker, Suffolk

and his team felt they should fully embrace

the digital audio domain.

“Having Mike on the team is really

important,” says Suffolk. “He’s a purist when

it comes to sound. When the 9000 Series was

produced, his report to us was glowing and he

brought it to the theatre for us to consider.

“There were concerns about potential

latency with a digital system, concerns which

were more instinctive than scientific. We

decided the best way to allay that fear was

to have a shoot out, which we did between

Sennheiser and another microphone brand.

Both systems were great, but the audio quality

of the Sennheiser 9000 was astonishing, it

was fully digital and compander-less.”

“Sennheiser is quite technical in

its approach to the development of its

equipment,” he continues. “But where they

focus their efforts is on the quality of the

audio and that is absolutely apparent in the

9000 Series. There were moments on The

Light Princess [the first production on which

it was used] where 18 mics were being used at

the same time. The quality of the sound was

extraordinary.” (Sound designer Simon Baker

has received an Olivier Award nomination for

his sound design.)

To date, Sennheiser’s 9000 Series has

been used on The Light Princess and From

Morning to Midnight, and is currently

being used simultaneously on Home in The

Shed (fittingly, a temporary venue slated as

‘celebrating new theatre that is adventurous,

ambitious, and unexpected’) and Silver Tassie

in the Lyttelton Theatre.

www.sennheiser.co.uk

Just over 50 years on from its first ever performance, the

National Theatre is still going strong helped in part by the recent

addition of Sennheiser’s Digital 9000 Series microphones.

The production of The Light Princess featured 18 of Sennheiser’s 9000 Series mics

CASE STUDIES


Tonight’s the Night for Yamaha

Originally staged in London a decade ago,

Tonight’s The Night is currently on its second

UK tour. After the success of the Yamaha

PM1D that was specified by sound designer

Rory Madden of RM Sound Design for the

2006 tour, the CL5 was the obvious choice for

this outing.

The CL5, a Rio3224-D, and two

Rio1608-D i/o units were supplied by Orbital

Sound, with associate sound designer Jon

Sealey operating the show.

“The advantages of both a console and

multicore which are much easier to handle

are obvious, especially on an intensive tour

where there is just six hours for the get in and

soundcheck,” he says. “The CL5 is just a two-

man lift, even in its flightcase, which means

less time lumping gear around and more time

doing sound.”

The R-series i/o units handle 24 inputs

from the six-piece live band, plus 28 from cast

wireless mics and a pair of acoustic guitars.

“The cast play the acoustic guitars themselves,”

says Sealey. “It’s a nice way of bringing the

music right into the narrative.”

An interface in one of the CL5’s MY

expansion card slots allows the band to use an

Aviom personal mixing system. “It didn’t take

the musicians long to be happy with it and it

saves us so much time. It’s an instant link - one

Cat5 cable and it’s done,” says Sealey.

One of the challenges of mixing the

show is that the audience largely comprises

Rod Stewart fans who are up for a raucous

singalong, but the production has a surprising

amount of light and shade.

“The audience come expecting it to be loud

and upfront, like a live gig, but at the same

time the director wants it to be quite natural,”

he continues. “It’s a very dynamic show and

we have to find the balance between making

the dialogue come across naturally, ensuring

that the audience can hear the words over

six excellent musicians, while delivering the

excitement of the songs.”

Sealey has been particularly impressed

with the dynamic EQ in the CL5’s Premium

Rack effects. “It’s been a lifesaver. We’re using

DPA 4066 headset microphones, which are

very close to the mouth, and the EQ is really

good for that,” he says. “The Premium Rack is

fantastic, it’s been a real help to keep outboard

to a minimum and cut down our footprint.”

www.yamahacommercialaudio.com

Ben Elton’s Tonight’s The Night – The Rod Stewart Musical is currently on a major UK tour

with a Yamaha CL5 at the helm.

Sound Innovation on I Can’t Sing

For the new musical I Can’t Sing, sound

designer Gareth Owen specified d&b

audiotechnik’s J-Series speakers for the first

time on a West End production, as well as

building a one-of-a-kind 256-channel mixer

and a proprietary surround sound system.

The FOH system is configured with seven

J8s with two J12s aside, complemented by

V-Series cabinets in the gallery and T-Series for

the centre cluster. Describing it as a ‘challenging

show’, Owen explains why he chose the J-Series:

“There is no other theatrical venue in London

quite like the Palladium, and we wanted a

system that would deliver the power we needed

without sounding loud. The major advantage

with a box the size of the J-Series is that it

lets you do this – it combines extremely high

output and headroom with d&b’s customary

transparent and detailed audio performance.”

The mixer is based on two Avid Profiles, a

MADI matrix system, and custom software,

as Owen explains: “There quite simply wasn’t

anything else available that would give us the

channel count, the native handling of plug-ins

and the programming flexibility. This show

features so many different styles of music with

very quick changes between numbers. Using the

plug-in racks, we can change mode really fast.”

Owen and his team are intent on pushing

the boundaries of what is considered to be

best theatrical sound practice. In the case of

I Can’t Sing, this involved coming up with

some unconventional new techniques. Another

unique feature involves the surround sound

system, with the objective of giving every seat

in the house the full surround mix. Using a

proprietary MaxDSP-based control system, it

involved a lot of cunning speaker placement,

and custom-designed software to get the result.

The show also included a technical first, in

connection with the communications specified

for The London Palladium – Orbital Sound

supplied a Clear-Com FreeSpeak digital radio

comms system, configured with 12 fully duplex

multichannel beltpacks and six antennas. The

system, which uses multiple linked reception

‘cells’, has enabled coverage around the theatre

– connecting the venue’s communications

comprehensively for the first time.

www.orbitalsound.com

The irreverent new musical based on the X Factor recently opened at The London Palladium,

featuring an innovative sound design by Gareth Owen, with kit supplied by Orbital Sound.


Sign up for the Audio Media service at www.audiomedia.com SENNHEISER

Sennheiser – A Passion for Sound

A passion for the job is the common

denominator in the entertainment business,

from the manufacturers of audio equipment

to sound designers, and from audio engineers

to actors and artists. This passion is almost

palpable at Sennheiser, and is reflected by

the products the company offers for stages big

and small.

THE THEATRE STAGEFrequency-agile, reliable wireless transmission,

high-quality audio, and inconspicuous mic’ing

are key for theatre microphone systems.

Sennheiser wireless systems have been

designed with these requirements in mind,

and have become synonymous with reliable

multi-channel transmission in complex RF

environments.

Destined to become a reference standard

throughout the theatre production industry,

Sennheiser’s Digital 9000 is the only digital

wireless system able to transmit uncompressed

audio in the UHF range, thus enabling

sound designers to set up professional multi-

channel systems in the digital realm. The

system consists of the EM 9046 eight-channel

receiver (328 MHz switching bandwidth) and

a choice of bodypack or handheld transmitter.

The compact bodypack can be combined with

Sennheiser’s well-established range of sub-

miniature microphones such as the MKE 1

or MKE 2.

Other firm favourites for theatre

productions include the 5000/3000 series with

the EM 3072-II dual-channel receiver and SK

5212 bodypack transmitter and the 2000 series

with its EM 2050 dual-channel receiver and

the SK 2000 bodypack.

THE MUSIC STAGEWhether wireless or wired: stage microphones

need to be rugged, reliable tools for the live

sound engineer. On the wired side of things,

Sennheiser’s evolution series has become a

standard on stages around the world, covering

the entire backline and offering a wide choice

of vocal microphones. The series comprises the

600 line instrument and 800 line vocal mics

as well as the e 900 series of both vocal and

instrument mics, with such acclaimed models

as the e 935 vocal microphone. The evolution

mics are joined on stage by such all-time

classics as the MD 421 – a firm favourite on

guitar amps, toms, and wind instruments – and

recent additions to the portfolio such as the

MK 4 large-diaphragm mic, which excels at

vocals, acoustic instruments, guitar amps,

and drums.

As regards wireless microphone systems,

large touring productions will rely on

Sennheiser’s 3000, 5000, and 9000 series

wireless systems, while the smaller live stage

usually works with 2000 series and evolution

wireless – which include the mic heads from

their famed wired counterparts. For wireless

monitoring, Sennheiser offers its industry

standard evolution wireless G3 IEM and 2000

series IEM systems.

From large theatre productions to cabaret, and from big live shows to intimate club gigs:

Sennheiser microphones ensure optimum live sound for any stage.

INFORMATION

[]Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG

t +49 (5130) 600 0

w www.sennheiser.com

Sennheiser UK Ltd

t +44 (0) 1628 402 200

w www.sennheiser.co.uk

WIRELESS SYSTEMS MANAGERTo monitor and remotely control wireless

microphone and monitoring systems,

Sennheiser offers its customers a free

software programme: the Wireless Systems

Manager. This allows the engineer to

import and export frequency plans, pre-

programme systems prior to an event, scan

the radio environment on site, get frequency

recommendations for mics, IEMs, and

spares, and much more.

The British National Theatre

is among the stages that have

opted for Digital 9000

PRESONUS AUDIO ELECTRONICS

PreSonus StudioLive AI-series Loudspeakers

PreSonus® StudioLive™ AI-series 3-way,

coaxial, active PA loudspeakers employ high-

end DSP technology to deliver studio-monitor

accuracy at high SPLs, with amazing imaging

and without distortion. There are three full-

range speakers in the series, distinguished by

woofer size, plus an 18-inch subwoofer.

These loudspeakers offer system-control

and performance-monitoring features that

give you unprecedented control, thanks to SL

Room Control, a free speaker-management and

remote-control/monitoring software for Mac®,

Windows®, and iPad®. The speakers are ready

to network out of the box; just add a laptop or

iPad, a wireless router, and user-friendly SL

Room Control.

STUDIOLIVE: STUDIO SOUND ON STAGEStudioLive™ AI-series loudspeakers are the

first affordable, active PA speakers that deliver

studio-monitor accuracy – exceptionally clear,

coherent sound – on stage, while supplying the

features and protection systems required to mix

a live show that sounds great in a wide variety of

venues and with virtually any musical genre.

This fantasy has become reality thanks to

a partnership between PreSonus and Fulcrum

Acoustic’s legendary engineer David Gunness

(formerly of EAW and Electro-Voice). Rather

than take the usual brute-force approach to

PA-speaker design, the team designed a coaxial

loudspeaker that employs Fulcrum’s specialised

TQ™ DSP algorithms, which correct acoustical

problems normally associated with coaxial

designs.

THE COACTUAL SOLUTIONAll full-range StudioLive AI systems employ

an 8in midrange driver and 1.75in titanium

compression driver configured in a proprietary

coaxial design called “CoActual™.” CoActual

speakers reproduce transients with very little

change in the shape of the waveform, and unlike

conventional designs, they have an inaudible

crossover transition, both off- and on-axis.

This produces superior intelligibility, so

the audience can hear the lyrics and feel the

percussion; less distortion at high sound-

pressure levels, resulting in more volume

without pain and a less fatiguing listening

experience.

THE FUTURE IS ACTIVE INTEGRATIONProducts that work together via wireless

and wired communication, are seamlessly

integrated with software, and run on CPUs far


PreSonus® StudioLive™ AI-series Active Integration™ coaxial

loudspeakers and subwoofers are the first affordable, active

PA speaker systems that deliver studio-monitor accuracy –

exceptionally clear, coherent sound – at high sound-pressure levels

and offer sophisticated networking and iPad control.

Meet the family! Clockwise from top left:

StudioLive 328AI (horizontal), StudioLive 312AI,

StudioLive 315AI, and StudioLive 18sAI subwoofer

The rear of the StudioLive 312AI reveals an

assortment of I/O jacks and controls for many

of the features. Many more features can be

accessed via free SL Room Control software


Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com PRESONUS AUDIO ELECTRONICS

more powerful than competitors’

current audio products – PreSonus

has realised this dream with its new

Active Integration™ technology.

Each StudioLive AI speaker

contains a computer with enough

processing power to handle the TQ

algorithms for tuning the coaxial

system while providing extensive

remote control over system

performance, EQ, and much more.

Since StudioLive AI speakers

have more DSP than a rack-

mounted speaker-management

system, you don’t need

external processing devices.

Furthermore, the networking

and communications features

make Active Integration products incredibly

convenient to use.

REMOTE-CONTROL EVERYTHINGEvery StudioLive AI-series speaker includes

wired and wireless communications. The

included USB Wi-Fi LAN adapter enables

wireless networking with a router. Wired

communications are provided via an installed

option card with an Ethercon port that connects

to your Ethernet-based LAN network.

The master control centre resides in SL

Room Control, a rich, easy-to-use, system-

configuration application for Mac®, Windows®,

and iPad that offers individual and group

control of all StudioLive AI-series speakers

on the network. A Network Setup Wizard

automatically detects each speaker and allows

you to quickly connect to your network. Once

connected, you can easily create, edit, save, and

recall speaker-setup parameters.

For each speaker, SL Room Control

accesses a 500 ms alignment delay with 0.1 ms

increments, 8-band parametric EQ, 8 notch

filters to eliminate feedback (full-range systems),

control of input level to set a hard limit on a

speaker’s output, a 100 Hz highpass filter (full-

range systems), polarity reverse (subwoofer),

and muting, solo, and output level. You also can

select DSP contours that change the character

of each speaker to customise for different

applications, such as FOH, floor monitor, and

compensating for artifacts when playing MP3s.

Every setting is immediately stored onboard

the loudspeaker in a User Layer. You can

configure your system and then disconnect SL

Room Control without changing the sound.

You can remotely monitor key performance

indicators in real time for each speaker on the

network: real-time temperature, driver over-

excursion, and signal levels that are too hot for

the converters.

SL Room Control lets you group speakers

in order to manage specific parts of the system,

then save all settings for the entire system in a

single preset. Create settings for each speaker,

for speaker groups, and for the entire system.

MEET THE FAMILYThe StudioLive AI series consists of three full-

range systems and a subwoofer. Each employs a

CoActual system with a woofer, driven by 2,000

watts of triamped, Class D amplification.

The StudioLive™ 312AI features a 12in

ferrite woofer. It’s perfect for mains when used

with a subwoofer, and it makes a great sidefill

or floor monitor. If you need more “woof,”

consider the StudioLive 315AI, which features

a 15in woofer.

If space and ease of transportation are issues,

consider the StudioLive 328AI; instead of a

single woofer, it pairs two 8in midrange drivers

to deliver surprising low end.

The rear of each full-range system sports

a combo XLR/TRS line input and an XLR

microphone input with an XMAX™ Class A

mic preamplifier and 12V phantom power, as

well as an XLR mix output to connect multiple

speakers. In addition, you get speaker level-

attenuation control and USB and Ethercon

connections.

Each full-range enclosure is pole-mountable

and has ergonomic side handles, interlocking

stacking, and M10 fly points. Dual-position

pole mounts for the 312AI and 328AI allow you

to mount the speaker atop a stand or StudioLive

18sAI subwoofer at 90 degrees or at a 10-degree

downward tilt.

GET DOWN WITH THE STUDIOLIVE 18SAIThe StudioLive™ 18sAI active, 18in ferrite

subwoofer gets down to 35 Hz (-6 dB) with

an accuracy usually found only in studio

subwoofers – but a lot louder, thanks to a

1,000 watt, Class D power amplifier. It adds

up to punchy, round-sounding lows that

make kick drums, basses, and other bottom-

dwelling sounds come alive.

Full-range StudioLive AI speakers are

phase- and time-aligned to create a true four-

way system when paired with a StudioLive

18sAI subwoofer, with or without the 100 Hz

highpass filter engaged. But the StudioLive

18sAI works well with other powered

loudspeakers, too. Connections include stereo

line inputs (XLR/0.25in combo) and full-

range, switchable stereo/summed-mono line

outputs (XLR).

COMING SOON: THE DIVINE INTERFACE

Active Integration doesn’t stop at remote

control. Swap out your StudioLive

loudspeaker’s Ethercon control card for the

StudioLive Dante upgrade, and you can ditch

those analogue cables. Audinate’s Dante is

a combination of software, hardware, and

network protocols designed to transfer many

channels of uncompressed, low-latency digital

audio over relatively long distances and to

multiple locations, using a standard

Ethernet network.

INFORMATION

[]

PreSonus Audio ElectronicsPreSonus Audio Electronics

18011 Grand Bay Court

Baton Rouge, LA 70809 USA

T: +1 225 216 7887

F: +1 225 926 8347

W: www.presonus.com/products/

live-sound-reinforcement

United Kingdom & Ireland

Source Distribution (UK distributor)

Unit 6, Pembroke Buildings

Cumberland House Business Park

London UK NW10 6RE

T: +44 020 8962 5080

F: +44 020 8968 3218

E: [email protected]

W: www.sourcedistribution.co.uk

Germany & Benelux

Hyperactive Audiotechnik GmbH

Neukirchner Str. 18

65510 Hünstetten, Germany

T: +49 (6126) 95 36 50

F: +49 (6126) 95 36 569

E: [email protected]

W: www.hyperactive.de

On SL Room Control’s Speaker Edit page, you can create

settings for each individual speaker. Other pages let you create

settings for groups of speakers and for the entire system.

Sir Winston Churchill’s famous comment

about blood, sweat, and tears not only

symbolises the effort that goes into

any theatrical production but also represents

a shortlist of just some of the challenges that

may be encountered by microphones used in

that environment. As if that weren’t enough,

microphones in theatrical applications must

often also be impervious to the vagaries of the

wireless frequency spectrum, endure hours of

constant use, and be nearly invisible. Oh, and

they had better sound great, too.

Speaking of blood, Carrie: The Musical,

based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel,

features a bucket of it. At the musical’s west

coast premiere at The Victoria Theatre in San

Francisco in late 2013, the actor playing Carrie

had four gallons of fake blood dumped on her

at every performance.

San Francisco-based Sound Productions

supplied 21 Countryman E6i omnidirectional

earset microphones as part of the sound design

and engineering services that the company

provided. Anton Hedman, general manager

of Sound Productions and owner of Hedman

Sound, reports that one E6i was hidden

in Carrie’s tiara for the prom scene. “We

positioned the mic face down and protected

it with a funnel-shaped wrap of medical tape

around the capsule and a solid wrap around the

ear connection to repel most of the liquid. We

were all amazed at how well it worked!”

He adds: “We typically use these mics with

Shure SLX, ULX, UR, and ULXD wireless

systems and, together, they make a great

combination.”

Carl Casella, sound designer at Sound

Associates, a sound equipment rental and sales

house with locations in the New York City

area, is also a fan of Shure’s ULX-D system.

Casella recently wrapped a production of A

Night with Janis Joplin at the Lyceum Theater

on Broadway.

“In the [radio spectrum] space of three

conventional microphones, you can fit 32 of

their digital ones,” says Casella of the ULX-D

digital wireless system. Having used it on the

show’s regional tour, he says, he was adamant

about retaining the system for its Broadway run.

“It was so reliable and so bulletproof. I

said, I just want to stay with the ULX. In

New York, we added all the guitars on it also,”

he says. “It’s served me well for 18 months

without a problem.”

Since its founding in 1947, La Jolla

Playhouse, a storied complex of theatres

located on the campus of the University of

California, San Diego, has produced 44 world

premieres, 24 west coast premieres, and seven

US premieres, reportedly sending more shows

to Broadway than all other theatres in the

country combined. Serving as both teaching

facilities for the school’s dramatic arts students

and as a venue for professional productions,

the Playhouse acquired a selection of DPA

microphones during 2013, including 2011C

twin diaphragm cardioids and 4061/4062

omni-directional miniature mics.

According to Joe Huppert, sound and video

supervisor for the UCSD department for theatre

and dance and the La Jolla Playhouse, the venue

often works with Broadway sound designers

on the premieres of new productions. “They

always expect us to have DPA microphones,”

he reports. “We look for a realistic, somewhat

intimate, sound reinforcement environment

where we need high-quality sound rather than

high levels of sound. All of the DPA mics that

I’ve encountered have filled these needs.”

The DPA mics are typically deployed as

foot mics and on instruments at the Playhouse.

“We’ve used some other brands as foot mics,

but we found them to be much more difficult

to EQ and get a good sound,” says Huppert.

“When we throw in a really good mic, like

DPA, it makes it easier for us to teach our

students how to get a good production.”

According to Eric Stahlhammer, the

theatre’s sound designer and owner of Greater

Sound Designs: “The DPA mics are just

way better in terms of flatter response, full

coverage, and off-axis response.”

When he elected to use the 2011C model

for the Second City Comedy Troupe, says

Stahlhammer: “We didn’t have an issue

with feedback and what was going into the

microphone was clean from the PA.”

Mindful of the impending FCC auction

that could soon see wireless mic users moved

out of the 600MHz frequency spectrum,

David Hallock, production manager at the

Park City School District’s Eccles Center

for the Performing Arts in Park City, UT,

recommended the purchase of a Lectrosonics

system in autumn 2013. The centre purchased

18 Lectrosonics LMa beltpack transmitters,

six HH handheld transmitters, three Venue

mainframe systems fully loaded with VRS

receiver modules, and a pair of ALP650 LPDA

antennas.

“The very narrow band transmission

capabilities of the transmitters, along with the

rock-solid stability of the company’s Digital

Hybrid Wireless system, made this equipment

the ideal choice for futureproofing ourselves

against the expected sale of the 600 band of

wireless spectrum,” says Hallock. “From an

audio quality perspective, Lectrosonics’ lack

of companding offers truly uncoloured audio

performance and excellent response.”

The system proved its value during a student

revival of the popular 1960 musical Bye Bye

Birdie, when it was used in combination with

the centre’s existing RF equipment. “We were

able to run 36 channels for two and a half weeks

with no dropouts. The LMa transmitters held

up to everything the students had to offer –

without so much as a scratch,” he reports.

THEATRE MICROPHONES


Critical Characteristics for Theatre MicrophonesThe right microphone choices can make or break a theatre

production, writes Steve Harvey.

The famed La Jolla Playhouse at the

University of California, San Diego

has been using a slew of 2011C twin

diaphragm cardioids as foot mics

CASE STUDIES


DiGiCo Proves Perfect Solution for The Commitments

The stage adaptation of The Commitments –

adapted by the novel’s author working with

director Jamie Lloyd – is playing at London’s

Palace Theatre, which has been home to some

of the most successful productions of all time.

Rory Madden, a 40-year veteran audio

engineer, is sound designer for the show. His

rental company Sonalyst provides all audio

equipment, including the DiGiCo SD7 at the

heart of the system.

“This show certainly has some challenges,”

says Madden. “One has been making it sound

less than perfect at the start, which goes

completely against the grain.”

The Commitments follows a group of

working class Dubliners who form a soul band.

At the beginning of the show, the band – who

can’t yet play particularly well – play in a

bedroom and a shop window.

“The biggest challenge is how fast the sets

move. It’s almost like a film, everything moves

from scene to scene very quickly.”

The frenetic pace of the show also means

that the SD7 is worked hard, with 150 inputs

in use and constant cue changes throughout

the show.

“We’ve used every single part of the desk,”

says Madden. “Sonically it’s great and with the

sheer amount of things we have to change on

so many cues, it’s probably the only desk in

the world that could have done this show. It’s

a very high channel count because there are

effectively two bands. The Commitments – the

actors – play their instruments live all the way

through, but there is a second, seven-piece

band for underscores, accents, and other bits

and pieces of musical emphasis.”

The SD7’s ease of programming aided the

team’s ability to give focus to different parts of

the production using 18 effects speakers which

are fixed in the set.

www.digico.biz

A quarter of a century after the film of Roddy Doyle’s best-selling novel became a resounding

hit, the stage show is proving equally successful.

DPA Stays Invisible for The Bodyguard

When it comes to mic’ing musicals and theatre

productions DPA microphones have been

heard (but rarely seen) on numerous shows

from Broadway to London’s West End.

One of the latest productions to join this

club is The Bodyguard, the hit stage musical

written by Alexander Dinelaris and based on

the 1992 film, which is currently playing at the

Adelphi Theatre in London. The Bodyguard

uses DPA’s d:screet 4060 omnidirectional

miniature microphones on all members of the

cast who have spoken lines.

Ania Klimowicz, deputy head of sound for

the show, says the d:screet 4060s were chosen

because sound designer Richard Brooker

and director Thea Sharrock didn’t want any

microphones to be visible to the audience.

“We use paint, tape and make-up on the

mics to make them look as invisible in the

actors’ hair or wig as possible,” Klimowicz

explains. “We mainly use mic clips and

occasionally elastic to fix the mics to the

performer’s head. Male actors with shaved

heads are probably our biggest challenge – in

those cases we abandon the usual centre top of

forehead fitting and fit the mic over the ear.”

There are 32 actors involved in this

current production of The Bodyguard, with 22

performing in each show. There is also a 10-

piece band, a three-person sound crew, and a

backstage cast of 45. When it comes to sound,

the show is operated by one person who live

mixes the band and vocals, as well as firing the

sound effects.

“Three members of the cast are ‘double

mic’ed’ meaning they wear a main and backup

DPA d:screet 4060 head microphone,”

Klimowicz says. “Some of the girls wear a

headset, a head-mic, and use a handheld

microphone a various points during the show.

Generally the sound for the spoken parts of

the show is reinforced but remains naturalistic.

This contrasts with numbers such as Queen of

the Night or So Emotional, which are set during

concerts and therefore need to feel big and

more rock ’n’ roll.”

“The DPA d:screet 4060 microphones

sound great and are also very reliable. We

rarely have an issue with them,” she says.

“Occasionally they get damaged and need

replacing, but given the amount of wear

and tear they face on a daily basis, they are

incredibly rugged.”

www.dpamicrophones.com

Based on the 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the hit stage musical

features DPA miniature mics on all cast members.

Beverly Knight as Rachel Marron

Credit: Paul Coltas

Richard Scott with the DiGiCo SD7

Credit: James Cumpsty

THEATRE LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS

In comparison to outdoor performance areas,

sheds, and large arenas, modern theatres tend

to be very reflective audio environments,

imposing significant character to any audio

programme that grace their stages. And by

‘character’, we usually refer to frequency-

altering issues that sound system designers must

acknowledge. In multipurpose theatres, install

engineers face an added, greater challenge:

there’s always a new production, each with

widely different needs and overall SPL levels,

among other varying day-to-day issues.

For these reasons, building out a flexible

theatre sound rig begs for careful choices,

most commonly employing line array systems.

Manufacturers including d&b audiotechnik,

JBL Professional, L-Acoustics, Martin

Audio, and Renkus-Heinz have researched

the market’s needs and developed system

configurations to systematically correct

for zone-based frequency variations, thus

providing equitable coverage throughout a

theatre, sometimes within a 2dB SPL variance

from any one seat to another, anywhere in the

house. As a result, each staff or visiting mixer

is allowed the comfort of knowing their mix is

everyone else’s, too.

With a history of work in theatres, the

engineering team at Clair Brothers Audio

Systems is well versed in applying line array

technology to complex, large, and overall

acoustically challenging rooms. By installing a

well-designed line array, “we’re giving mixers

a solid foundation to build on”, explains Jim

Devenney, Clair senior engineer. Clair’s work

on The Theater at Madison Square Garden,

one of MSG Entertainment’s key venues, is

an ideal example of this: Devenney and his

team had an early opportunity to utilise the

new JBL VTX line array system. As it is the

biggest theatre in Manhattan – hosting a broad

range of acts in its 6,000-seat, balcony-less,

low-ceiling environment – the necessary wide

main PA placement required careful selection

of a strong centre cluster, two rings of delays,

and sideboxes.

“The very nature of the line array – not

having to set up a bunch of point-and-shoot

boxes – reduces comb-filtering across the

listening area,” explains Devenney. “There’s

no setting up longer-throw boxes across the

top, and – because the theatre is so wide –

you’d have to have an array of a couple of

boxes wide, so there would be comb-filtering

between them, too. The line array just makes

the coverage area smoother. Being prepared for

anything from The Muppets to The Who, we

also had to make sure the system was powerful

enough to handle anything,” recalls Devenney.

“With the new Crown Audio I-Tech HD 4 X

3500 amplifiers and VTX sub-lows (hanging

four per side), we were ensured that we had

it covered. It’s easier to scale back than to

scale up.”

Specing a system that will assure visiting

engineers is always a good move, but

sometimes being one of those visiting engineers

can provide some insight as well. After

serving audio needs at George Washington

University’s 1,500-seat Lisner Auditorium

for 20 years, Maryland-based MHA Audio

owner Mike Scarfe recommended configuring

a Martin Audio MLA Compact line

array system for the venue’s unique sonic

characteristics and needs. “Having a history

there, and by knowing the cross-section of

entertainment they host, choosing the system

was straightforward,” he said. “I’ve personally

been using Martin Audio MLA for a little over

two years now, so it was a no-brainer for me

to suggest they step up their game and go with

this ground-breaking technology.”

FEWER BOXES, MORE COVERAGEBelgium’s Oostende Post Office – a modernist,

former public building considered one of

that country’s finest post-war architectural

endeavours – now hosts De Grote Post, a

multipurpose performing arts centre with

slightly over 400 seats, redesigned for music,


Flexibility is key when it comes to audio systems in theatres, writes Strother Bullins.

Consistency and Flexibility

George Washington University’s 1,500-seat

Lisner Auditorium recently updated its audio

system with a Martin Audio MLA Compact

line array system installed by MHA Audio


THEATRE LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS

dance, and traditional theatre. It also marks the

first European installation of Renkus-Heinz’s

VARIA modular point source line array, with

four VARIA VA101 cabinets per side, a two

22.5º cabinet centre cluster, and a third cabinet

ground stacked atop two VA15S subwoofers.

Four TRX61 loudspeakers provide front fill for

the first few rows.

Steven Kemland of Foundation for

Audiovisual Commerce and Engineering

(FACE) – De Grote Post’s systems provider –

explains: “Most of the systems we looked into

would have required many more cabinets to

provide even coverage across the entire seating

area. The VARIA’s variable coverage patterns

enabled us to configure a system with fewer

boxes than a traditional line array. It’s very

compact and yet it sounds like a much larger

system.”

MULTI-BRAND SYSTEM SELECTIONMasque Sound – the New Jersey-based

theatrical sound reinforcement, installation,

and design company – tackles a variety of

summer theatre festivals around the country,

ranging from the Williamstown Theatre

Festival in Massachusettes, which it has

handled for over a decade, to the high-profile

Shakespeare in the Park festivities at the

Delacorte Theater in New York, to The Muny

in St Louis. For the Williamstown Festivals,

sound supervisor Alex Neumann confirms that

a carefully chosen amalgamation of Meyer

Sound, d&b audiotechnik, and L-Acoustics

speakers – including Meyer M’elodie line

arrays, UPQ-1Ps and UPQ-2Ps, d&b

audiotechnik E0s, E4s, and E9s, L-Acoustics

108Ps and DV subs – covers its 511-seat main

theatre, proving line array selection can be

customisable.

“On the two main stages, we turn over

shows in 24 hours, so we need to make sure the

sound equipment we are using can hold up to

the rigours of our crazy schedule,” Neumann

explains. “Equipment selection is essential

and knowing that Masque Sound consistently

provides reliable and well-built gear allows me

to focus my attention elsewhere. That is a

huge help.”

“Although we provide unique audio

equipment setups, our goal is to supply the

sound designers with the flexible, customised

equipment packages they need to create an

environment in which every audience member

feels a connection to the show,” confirms

Dennis Short of Masque Sound.

KEEPING OUT OF SIGHT IN MINDSomewhat like house of worship environments,

where aesthetics and sightlines are almost

literally and figuratively sacred, theatre

loudspeaker installs are often presented with

some unalterable acoustic tendencies to work

around – yet another good reason for going

line array, as Clair’s Devenney notes about

The Theater at Madison Square Garden

installation.

“One thing that [MSG Entertainment’s]

Tom Arrigoni and I wanted to make sure

of was that the centre cluster could keep up

with the main PA. [Because the ceiling is so

low], we couldn’t put up large delay speakers.

Sixteen high powered JBL AM7112 with a

narrower pattern, 60º wide, served-us well;

we could put more of them in with less

overlap. It allowed us to get more power to

the delays in the first delay ring. In the second

delay ring, in the raised ceiling area with low

ceilings and restricted sight lines, we had the

same number. One of the main challenges is

to get power to the back in low ceiling, deep

room situations.”

NEW TECHNOLOGY IN SET SPACESAt Lisner Auditorium, Scarfe deployed

cutting-edge line array technology in a

traditional theatre environment: “Lisner

Auditorium was certainly designed to project

unamplified content from the stage; it’s a very

live room. Using Martin Audio’s proprietary

Display2 optimisation process, I was able to

designate the back wall of the auditorium as

a ‘hard avoid’ area and the ceiling as a ‘non-

audience area, minimising reflections from

those two surfaces.”

“Other than a little bit of acoustic treatment

on the back wall, there was none, and it

wasn’t in the scope of this project,” continues

Devenney on the sheer size of MSG’s Theater.

“The acoustics are what the acoustics are. It’s

a city block wide with low ceilings for a venue

with that many seats. Usually theatres are

stacked up with balconies, and there are none

here. You take all those seats that balconies

add and bring people closer, and it makes the

room fan-shaped, deep and wide. We covered

it well with delays, making sure that it is even

in all places.”

BENEFITTING FROM BALANCEA more even coverage throughout a theatre

allows visiting engineers to mix with

confidence. At MSG’s Theater, “the mix

position is kind of close to the stage, compared

to most theatres where you are close to the

back, even under the balcony”, says Devenney.

“You’re close to the stage, at the edge of the

coverage of the main PA, but the centre field

helps. It’s a great place to mix.”

Scarfe touted MLA’s ability to provide

consistent sound throughout the venue, and

the fact that the farthest seat from the stage

receives the same sound quality as the front

row serves the historic Lisner Auditorium

well; he recently engineered an outdoor MLA-

based spoken word event where, at 350ft from

the stage, SPL was only 2dB down from the

podium, with no delays. “In these cases, gain

before feedback is always an issue,” he notes,

adding: “MLA is really the only option to

get this kind of controllable decibel balance

throughout such venues.”

De Grote Post, a performing arts centre in Belgium with 400-plus seats, has the first European

installation of Renkus-Heinz’s VARIA modular point source line array

DIRECTORY


Alcons Audiowww.alconsaudio.com

Allen & Heathwww.allen-heath.com

AKGwww.akg.com

Audixwww.audixusa.com

Audio-Technicawww.audio-technica.com

Avidwww.avid.com

Bosewww.bose.co.uk

BSSwww.bssaudio.com

Cadacwww.cadac-sound.com

Clair Broswww.clairsystems.com

Clear-Comwww.clearcom.com

Countrymanwww.countryman.com

Crown Audiowww.crownaudio.com

CSC ShowControlwww.ctrelectronics.co.uk

d&b audiotechnikwww.dbaudio.com

dbxwww.dbxpro.com

DiGiCowww.digico.biz

DiGiGridwww.digigrid.net

Dolbywww.dolby.com

DPA Microphoneswww.dpamicrophones.com

Duran Audiowww.duran-audio.com

Earthworkswww.earthworksaudio.com

EAWeaw.com

Electro-Voicewww.electrovoice.com

Eventidewww.eventide.com

Flare Audiowww.flareaudio.com

Focusritewww.focusrite.com

Fohnn Audiowww.fohhn.com

Funktion-Onewww.funktion-one.com

Genelecwww.genelec.com

Innovasonwww.innovason.com

JBLwww.jblpro.com

Klark Teknikwww.klarkteknik.com

KV2www.kv2audio.com

L-Acousticswww.l-acoustics.com

Lab.gruppenlabgruppen.com

Lawowww.lawo.com

Lectrosonicswww.lectrosonics.com

Lynx Pro Audiowww.lynxproaudio.com

Mackiewww.mackie.com

Martin Audiowww.martin-audio.com

Masque Soundwww.masquesound.com

Meyer Soundwww.meyersound.com

Midaswww.midasconsoles.com

Neumannwww.neumann.com

Nexowww.nexo-sa.com

Ohmwww.ohm.co.uk

Opus Audiowww.opusaudio.com

Orbital Soundwww.orbitalsound.com

Point Sourcewww.point-sourceaudio.com

QLabfigure53.com

Que Audioqueaudiousa.com

Radialwww.radialeng.com

Ranewww.rane.com

Raycomwww.raycom.co.uk

Renkus Heinzwww.renkus-heinz.com

Riedelwww.riedel.net

Royerwww.royerlabs.com

RTSwww.rtsintercoms.com

Sennheiserwww.sennheiser.com

Shurewww.shure.com

Sonifex

www.sonifex.com

Sony Pro Audiopro.sony.com

Soundcraftwww.soundcraft.com

Stagetecwww.stagetec.com

Studerwww.studer.ch

Tannoywww.tannoy.com

TC Electronicwww.tcelectronic.com

Vue Audiotechnikwww.vueaudio.com

Waveswww.waves.com

XTA Audiowww.audiocore.co.uk

Yamaha Commercial Audiowww.yamahacommercialaudiosystems.com

Theatre Sound 2014

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