The School called on London-based sound and lighting installation company 10 Out Of 10 to recommend a sound reinforcement design for this high-ceilinged modern building with two glass walls. "Because the portable stage would always be used against one of the long walls, we could install lighting and sound positions in sensible locations without having to worry about creating a multi-format system," explains Paul Need of 10 Out of 10.
"This gave us the opportunity to fly Electro-Voice's ZX5 and ZX1i small-format high-output speakers from the truss, which provided a very natural sound in the hall. For their dramatic plays, the system is just used to reinforce sound effects, but we've added the ZX5s to provide more power for the musical productions. With their 500W 15" woofers, we didn't need to add additional subbass."
On the truss, three ZX5 15" two-way compact speakers are flown in a central cluster. Four smaller ZX1i 8" two-way enclosures are affixed one to each corner. The system is powered by Electro-Voice amplifiers, a CP1200 for the ZX5s and two PA2250Ts for the ZX1is. Users of the hall can employ part or all of the system; for a conference or meeting, just a pair of ZX1is can be turned on, or the ZX5 cluster alone. The system is managed by an EV DX-38 system controller, which provides functions such as EQ, routing and time delays. Front-of-house control is handled by a 32-channel analogue mixer.
"The room is shaped like a barn," says Paul Need. "There's the potential for all sorts of nasty inflections and acoustic problems, but, instead, we have a very simple crisp natural-sounding system, which is capable of handling any scale of production."
10 Out Of 10 also paid great attention to the user interface of the system. In many schools, audio equipment and PA systems are stored away and require the attentions of a technician to get it up and running. At Marlborough, the set-up has been kept as simple as possible, encouraging more use. "The system is always there, all ready to go, with just one control switch on the wall," says Need. "It's extremely easy to use, and a teacher, with no experience of live sound, can activate the system in seconds."
(Jim Evans)
