d&b drives audio renaissance at Caen theatre
- Details
While d&b systems can be found among the world’s most prestigious venues, it is the teams behind lesser known local applications that are making quality listening truly accessible to all. To that end regional projects like La Renaissance receive every bit as much attention, time and effort as the globally renowned stadiums and concert halls.
Laurent Coulombier is the theatre’s technical manager. “We needed to replace our old sound system that was completely obsolete, and it ultimately came down to three brands. We decided on d&b because, from a technical point of view, they were able to offer certain solutions, such as the flown sub array and ArrayProcessing, that the competition couldn’t. Given the constraints of the space we needed to cover, this gave us much more flexibility to develop the right system and save money in operational costs.”
One such restriction was due to the theatre’s expandable stage. Extending from the front made it impossible to incorporate ground stacked elements, such as subwoofers, “unless you’re prepared to go through the hassle and expense of moving and recabling six subs every time you have a configuration change,” says Coulombier.
To solve the problem, the team chose to fly the subs in a horizontal array from a dedicated proscenium truss. Six 27S compact, high performance, cardioid subwoofers were specified, enable up to 20dB of rear cancellation, thereby avoiding any unpleasant resonance on stage. The sub array format combined with the use of delays on the various sound sources resulted in accurate horizontal directivity control for smooth, homogeneous coverage throughout. For the performers and audience this also has the benefit of maintaining a clean, uncluttered stage.
L/R hangs comprising six d&b T10 compact line array elements were specified per side utilizing the optional ArrayProcessing function to realize the flexibility needed at the touch of a button.
“I also appreciate the amps,” continues Coulombier, referring to the installation targeted 30D and 10D used on the project. “With integrated processing that work with any d&b loudspeaker they allow us to optimize our loudspeaker combinations, stay within budget and still deliver superb results.”
Throughout the project d&b worked closely with the contractors, Triptyk, who handled the installation and local client relations. Triptyk is a multi-faceted event production company and systems integrator already very familiar with both the venue and with Laurent Coulombier.
(Jim Evans)
