The Society recently decided to upgrade its 750 seat Ondaatje Theatre
UK - Founded in 1830 in London, the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) is the leading centre for geographers and geographical learning. With over 16,500 members, the venue is home to a collection of more than two million historical items including maps, photographs, books, documents, paintings and artefacts.
The Society recently decided to upgrade its 750-seat Ondaatje Theatre.
Luciano Figueira, business development manager at the RGS, comments: “When we voted to invest in the theatre revamp, the sound system became our first priority. Most of the events we host are conferences, speeches and lectures, so we needed a solution that would help the speakers deliver their insights and bring the best in audio clarity, regardless of where the audience is seated in the theatre.”
The RGS commissioned integrator Plus 4 Audio to tackle the brief and the two organisations re-thought the entire sound system for the theatre before selecting the audio equipment. Plus4Audio opted for APG’s new Uniline Compact range, which had been recently introduced by the French loudspeaker manufacturer.
Plus4Audio managing director Stewart Chaney, explains: “The sound system had to meet a number of requirements. The RGS theatre welcomes presenters that aren’t always professionally trained, and as a result their speech output can be quite low. The historical dimension of the theatre and its layout were also major considerations. So we needed a sound system that would not only be compact and powerful, but precise and flexible enough to perform flawlessly regardless of the circumstances. We needed speakers that could reach every single person in the room.”
In total, Plus4Audio specified 18 APG Uniline Compact loudspeakers equally split in an LR flown line array configuration. Each line array is made of eight UC206N for the medium/long throw requirements, coupled with one UC206W speaker (dedicated to the front rows) and two UC115B bass speakers. 14 x DX5 coaxial loudspeakers complete the installation.
The entire system is powered by two APG DA:50 and four DA:15 DSP amplifiers, allowing for various cabling configurations depending on speakers and impedance load. For the front of house, Plus4Audio specified one DiGiCo SD9 and two Digico 32:16 D Rack, along with a Tascam SS CDR 200 audio recorder. 10 x Sennheiser 2000 series radio mics are available for speakers and the audience alike.
(Jim Evans)

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