At the end of 2016, Autograph Sales & Installations
completed an extensive installation at the New Adelphi Building at The
University of Salford, providing an audio system that accommodates the needs of
a multipurpose, flexible venue. A DiGiCo SD9 digital mixing console adds extra
versatility to the 350-seat main theatre.
The theatre has been designed to be re-configurable to allow it
to host a wide variety of performances. This includes seating and stage
placements that can operate in five main modes: end firing; long traverse;
short traverse; thrust; and in the round; as well as a dedicated cinema set up.
The SD9 and a DiGiCo Orange Box are key to the system – which
includes an extensive EM Acoustics loudspeaker system, QSC digital signal
processing and Sennheiser microphones – with system inputs being fed through it
as required. It is programmed as an LCR and Sub system via the matrix outputs,
with the provision for more inputs if needed.
“The SD9 was specifically chosen for its versatility and the
potential to upgrade to the Theatre specific software at a later date,”
explains Autograph’s Euan Mackenzie. “Since it was originally specified, DiGiCo
released its Stealth Core 2 software (which was supplied pre-installed) making
the console even more flexible.”
Although the University’s technical staff had a basic
understanding of the console, Autograph’s Peppe Mallozzi covered training with
them from the ground up.
“Peppe spent a day with the tech team, covering all that the
console can do, and worked with them to settle on a session template to work
from,” Euan adds. “Peppe will provide more training in the future, once the
team has gained a little more show experience with the console.”
“What
we have ended up with is a powerful, flexible audio system that sits discreetly
within the space and can be reconfigured at the push of a button,” concludes
Laurence Boot, technical manager at the School of Arts & Media. “The EM
Acoustics speakers and amps sound fantastic, the DiGiCo’s possibilities are
endless, the Q-Sys makes everything so easy, and the patch that Euan created is
logical and complements the existing infrastructure. The great thing about Autograph
is that we know, should we ever need any support, they are only a phone call
away.”
