Advertising itself as "the fastest musical in the universe" it fell to sound supervisor Riccardo van Krugten and system engineer/installation manager, Georg Hentschel to supercharge the next generation production while remaining faithful to Martin Levan's original sound design.
Hentschel was already familiar with Martin Audio's system, since his company (LiveAudio) has owned an MLA rig since May 2011. He later attended the world launch of the second-generation MLA Compact in London - and it is the smaller system that his company has now installed for this production.
Overseeing the sound in Bochum since early 2010, Riccardo van Krugten commemnts, "We wanted a stereo set-up for the orchestra, and a separate system for vocals, positioned above the main performance area. This required a PA solution that would reproduce music and vocals equally well." Another issue was the need to reduce spill and crosstalk from the PA speakers into the fast moving 25 Microport headsets.
Since the new production promised "to take audio engineering to the highest level", van Krugten knew that the audience expectation today is far greater than it was two decades ago. He was also mindful of past complaints concerning vocal intelligibility and clarity in parts of the auditorium. "And so we searched for a system that would provide even coverage for all seats in the house, maintaining frequency response and sound levels."
Followin g extensive comparison tests, 27 MLA Compacts have been divided into three flown L/C/R arrays of nine elements each - along with three DSX subs ground stacked left and right of the stage. This is designed to cover the entire auditorium including the balcony and the middle sub on each side is reversed to produce a cardioid pattern. The subs are set unconventionally just outside the left and right array - stacked on the middle track level a few metres above the ground - and are sunk into the proscenium wall, via a specially-designed setup.
A pair of Martin Audio W8VDQ hybrid boxes provide out-fill coverage extension of the centre array, while production rigged a so-called 'crossfire' system, so that those sitting at the sides of the auditorium would also receive a stereo orchestra image.
Georg Hentschel explained, "Starlight has a large cast equipped with omnidirectional lavalier mics who constantly move around the set on three levels behind the speakers and also in front of the PA - often directly facing the arrays. During one particular scene, six highly amplified singers are elevated directly behind the centre array which mainly handles vocals. The amazing reduction in backspill of the MLA Compact masters these challenges in a very impressive way.The other aspect, of course, is MLA's outstanding tonal quality."
(Jim Evans)
