There were considerable installation challenges, starting with the restrictions on positioning the loudspeakers. Lighting engineers insisted that the new cabinets could not interfere with the existing light positions, and therefore must be installed in the limited space in front of the curtain. A new flying system had to be built to allow the main arrays to sit below the CD12 subs, and still achieve the required angles to the auditorium.
The extensive reconstruction of the PA system in the main auditorium began with the specification of a NEXO GEO S8 main PA. NEXO was an obvious choice, as the theatre has been using a PS10 monitoring system on stage for several years, and all the sound technicians are impressed by the quality and consistency of the cabinets.
The new house system consists of left/right arrays each with 7x S805 + 1x S830 modules. 3x CD12 cardioid subbass cabinets were also flown each side of the stage. For productions needing more SPL, the system has been enhanced with PS8 frontfills and additional RS15 subs. The system is powered by CAMCO Vortex 6 amplifiers, with the new D-POWER amps in a separate mobile rack serving the frontfill / sub bass.
The theatre’s technicians have been using an Innovason SY48 digital console with an EtherSound stagebox for three years. The advantages and quality of Ethersound are well-appreciated in Zlin, so they were keen to add the new PA system to the network. Auvitran’s AVM500-ES network matrix was specified, providing routing for 320×320 audio channels and enabling bidirectional star architecture in the system. The AVM500-ES also gives the theatre the option of extending the EtherSound network to achieve 64-track recording capability.
The whole PA system can be controlled from the sound engineer’s position. All PA system processing is handled by the NEXO NX242-ES4, which includes full network or local remote control management of channel assignment.
For more information:MUSIC DATA
