Regularly hosting national and international artists, the 1,500-capacity theatre at l’Université de Sherbrooke recently underwent a complete aesthetic upgrade and technological overhaul, including the installation of a new sound system by Italian manufacturer Outline.
Located in the Canadian province of Quebec, the university is a French-speaking institution with more than 40,000 students. The upgrade to its Salle Maurice O’Bready (SMOB) was handled by Montreal’s GO Multimédia, and included digital elements. GO arranged to have a number of loudspeaker systems to be auditioned by SMOB staff and administrators, who were able to hear how the room responded.
On the merits of its performance, an Outline rig flown by Canadian distributor GerrAudio came out on top in the ‘shootout’ between the various systems, and the bid submitted on GO Multimédia’s initial design and RFP by Montreal’s XYZ Technologie Culturele for an all-Outline system was accepted.
The new rig features a pair of arrays, each comprising 12 Mantas boxes powered by eight Outline T Nine amplifiers, which ensure coverage of the large balcony and the seating below it, right to the back of the hall. LF is provided by four DBS 18-2 subs, two on the ground at the far wings of each side of the stage. Additional coverage for the front-row seats is courtesy of speakers installed at the wings: a pair of Outline DVS 12 P, one on each side and each powered by an Outline T Five amp.
On stage, in-house and touring productions’ performers have eight Outline DVS 10 P wedges and two DVS 115 SW subs at their disposal.
‘[Venue Director, Mario Trépanier] told me that when they’re doing soundchecks in the afternoon, the system will go very loud because the visiting engineers want to test it out and really push it to see what it can do,’ says Simon Lemieux, a consultant with Montreal’s GO Multimédia. ‘Apparently it’s pretty powerful, because people hear it around the campus.’
‘The vocals come through very clear and defined with this system, and all the small percussion instruments and smaller instruments are nice and detailed,' SMOB Technical Director Mario Haché elaborates. SMOB Technical Director Mario HachéLow-end reproduction also packs a great punch.’
‘Maurice O’Bready bought Outline based on the systems high performance when directly compared to more established Canadian brands,’ says GerrAudio President, Bob Snelgrove. ‘They took a risk as the product was new to Canada and the Outline brand was not immediately recognisable. The system has been in use for a while, and the incredible positive feedback from visiting artists and FOH Engineers continues to impress all of us. It has been very gratifying being involved in the implementation of this system and we appreciate the confidence that the management and staff of Maurice O’Bready, the install team at XYZ and the designers at GO placed in Outline and GerrAudio.’
More: www.gerr.com
More: www.outline.it
