Established in 1981 as a pilot college funded by two governmental and a private donor, Shantou University is today the first of its kind in China – a public university fully funded over the past two decades by more than US$400m in donations from the richest man in Asia, Li Ka Shing, who is retiring from his day-to-day duties at the school at the age of 89 and leaves behind a generous, educational legacy in Shantou University itself.
One of the highlights of this school is its sports stadium complex. Called the Shantou University Sports Park, this includes an international competition-standard gymnasium complete with basketball courts, multipurpose halls, swimming pools and VIP boxes. This year, the stadium played host to the university’s 2018 graduation commencement emboldened by the retirement farewell ceremony for Shing – complete with a substantial, and mobile, Clair Brothers C12 and C8 loudspeaker system.
The Shantou University Sports Park often plays host to international performers who require the best in high-end production, both indoors and outdoors. To accommodate such programmes for different locations, the university invested in a large-scale mobile performance system that could be set up for specific shows. After reviewing the available options systems, Digital Media Technology (DMT Pro – Clair Brothers distributor in China) presented the powers that be with a demo of components that blew them away.
‘It was obvious from the smiles and the feedback that the Clair Brothers gear was making a real impression compared to the other systems,’ explains DMT Technical Director, Chris Fish. ‘The final equipment list at the venue is something to for a mobile system – it consists of 32 Clair Brothers C12 full-frequency line arrays, 16 C8 full-frequency line arrays, 16 iS218 low-frequency line arrays and eight Clair Brothers 1AM stage monitors, accompanied by SSL L500 and L300 mixing consoles, Clair Brothers/Lab.gruppen PLM amplifiers, Sennheiser wireless systems and DPA microphones.
‘In order to meet the requirements of various stage settings in the sports park, the C12s can be used in numerous combinations including modes such as left and right expansion of the mains, plus side fill, or left and right expansion of the mains, plus a delay tower. It all depends on what is needed that day. Additionally, the C8s can be used as an independent system combined with the lows of the iS218s when less than half of the audience field is necessary for a performance. The entire system is flexible enough to handle just about any type or size production.
Additionally, following comments from a number of VIPs in previous years, a pair of 8CX coaxial speakers were installed in each of the eight VIP rooms around the auditorium ensuring that the best and most consistent sound is heard at all times in all areas of the venue.
‘In addition to the unbelievable sound they experienced during our demo, the university decision makers were excited by the Clair Brothers history, how founders Roy and Gene Clair worked with icons like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, and today how the American company has grown itself into a powerful global influence in the pro sound industry,’ continues Fish, ‘With the school’s high standards, it’s important to them to work with, and be associated with, the best in the world. That’s what Clair Brothers represents.’
