Orbital Sound has supplied Stevenage’s 500-seat Gordon Craig Theatre with a new d&b audiotechnik auditorium system, based around T-Series loudspeakers, with B4 Subs and E6 front fill. The new system also features Yamaha CL5 and QL5 mixing consoles, with Rio stage racks, together with a Nemesis Audio UMT-2D USB Midi Trigger for show control.

The new system is configured with a hang of six d&b audiotechnik T-10s per side, a further four T-10s in a centre cluster, six E-6 speakers as front fill, plus four B4 Subs, with the system powered by d&b audiotechnik’s new 10D and 30D install amplifiers.

‘We needed to upgrade, as much of our previous system was more than ten years old, with many components around twice that age,’ says Dave Nott, Chief Technician at the Gordon Craig Theatre. ‘Over the past five years or so, we have been hiring in a system from Orbital Sound a few times per year – once for our ten-week 100-show panto season, and then at least twice throughout the rest of the year for our in-house productions. We concluded that it was more economically viable all round to replace our permanent system with equipment that would address all our long-term requirements – to ensure we had a system that would give us another 15-to 20 years’ service, while also saving the annual hire costs.

‘Orbital Sound fully understood our need to maximise the available budget and worked hard to provide us with an exceptionally competitive solution, which included supplying us from their ex-hire stock, saving us a considerable amount. We elected to go with d&b audiotechnik again, as the T-Series system has been proven excellent in our venue, but also because our previous d&b system had given us such good service. In fact, we have retained some of the older units to give us a portable foyer and small event system.

‘The configuration of the new kit, particularly for our in-house shows and the pantos, is giving us the complete Left-Right system that we haven’t had the benefit of before, with Left, Left-Centre, Centre, Right-Centre and Right, plus Left and Right subs. On the interfacing front, we love our CSC show control system and the Nemesis UMT-2D USB Midi Trigger is its perfect partner. It’s just so easy, and you don’t have to worry about dealing with setting up Midi Ins and Outs, as the unit takes care of it. You can plug the MD’s start/stop into it, and away it goes. It was developed specifically for this type of application, which really shows in its operation and complements the CSC software ideally.’

The Yamaha CL5 console is used for FOH, with the QL5 normally deployed for band monitoring, with two Yamaha Rio 32-24 stage racks, operating via a Dante network. One Rio unit is located stage left and one in the orchestra pit. With an emphasis on longevity and flexible connectivity, the venue installed comprehensive Cat5e infrastructure throughout, along with the Dante network capability, which will enable Dante inputs and amplifier outputs to be routed anywhere, and remote control of the d&b install amps via the Cat5e patching.

Back-up was also an important consideration: ‘You can even phone at 9pm on a Saturday night and you know someone will help you,’ Nott says. ‘They have a great team, from Bill Addison on tech support, and Richard Carter particularly with support on the Yamaha front. When it came to choosing the kit, Phil Dormer invited us down to see the equipment before we purchased it, and a week before delivery we went down to Orbital Sound again to finalise the kit list and check we had included everything we needed. Great service, and I can’t fault it.’

Supporting installations for entertainment establishments forms a major part of Orbital’s regular activity, with its expert sales and installation teams establishing a reputation for excellence across a wide cross-section of projects. The emphasis is on offering a scalable range of options, from design consultancy, application support, product sourcing, installation, training and ongoing technical support.

‘Our rental division has nearly 30 years of practical knowledge working in the UK’s entertainment venues and has unparalleled experience in their day-to-day requirements,’ says Orbital Sound Director of Sales, Andy Simmons. ‘When a venue takes the plunge to upgrade or invest for the first time, we fully appreciate that it’s a big deal for them - and a big deal for us. We have a responsibility to make sure they get the best use out of their hard-earned money - and all those years’ experience at the front-end really comes into play because we strive to give them what they need - what they will truly benefit from for many years to come. That obviously includes training and support - but just as importantly, it’s about investing in the right kit and ensuring they spend their budget to best advantage. This is our focus – making Orbital Sound a natural partner for entertainment venues.’

The Gordon Craig technical team handled the installation in-house. The first show to use the newly installed system was the theatre’s in-house production of Sister Act, which ran for ten days.

More: www.dbaudio.com
More: www.orbitalsound.com