A recent ‘infrastructural renovation’ of the Barcelona’s Teatre Akadèmia fringe theatre, in the city’s fashionable Eixample district, included a ‘multimedia upgrade’, in order to ‘revolutionise’ the venue’s technical production capabilities.
Together with new video and lighting systems, a comprehensive Amate Audio sound installation – comprising loudspeakers, power amplifiers and digital audio processors from the company – has provided the venue with both a new front-of-house (FoH) PA and surround sound EFX capabilities.
Award winning theatre sound designer Roc Mateu and Amate Audio’s Industrial Designer Guiu Llusá worked together to address the theatre’s specific sound design challenges; in particular with respect to the design of the venue, incorporating a ‘thrust stage‘ with raked seating on three sides. “The sound design objectives were those required to provide a room with the distinct layout of the Teatre Akadèmia,” says Llusá, “With sound equipment of an appropriate scale, with comparable performance capabilities to that used in large scale auditoria.”
“A system that could accommodate any creative proposal. Totally configurable to the many and varied forms of scenography that might be required. So that directors or sound designers should not encounter any creative limitations. And it had to be a system comprising cabinets that could be hung and oriented to provide even coverage at every point throughout the auditorium.”
The resultant sound design is effectively two discrete systems, operating together within a matrix sound design; one the FoH dialogue PA, comprising larger full-range cabinets, and the other a wider ‘boundary’ installation, sited around the perimeter of and firing into the room, comprising smaller cabinets providing a dynamic surround sound EFX capability.
To ensure sonic continuity across the FoH and EFX elements, the N12P and S6P models from Amate Audio’s Nítid series of compact, high-performance, dedicated venue installation loudspeaker systems were selected; two-way designs of relative scale, engineered to provide a common high-intelligibility output. Six of the larger N12P provide the FoH dialogue system, hung in front of and on either side of the stage. Flown high enough to achieve the even coverage throughout the auditorium, they are almost invisible from an audience perspective.
The surround sound EFX component comprises 12 of the smaller S6Ps, configured in three groups: one of four S6Ps covering the front seating rows, and two groups of two S6Ps each for each of the side tiers. Three N18WP subs are assigned to these; one to the front seating group and one each to the two groups on either side. The subs can also be assigned to the FoH system, via the matrix, if required. An additional four ‘mobile’ S6Ps are available to further expand the EFX configuration whenever and however necessary.
“The surround system allows you to modify the sense of position and proximity of sound effects,” says Llusá. “If you want to simulate a large space in a theatre of such small dimensions the audience must be surrounded by loudspeakers with separate sends, and discrete delays and power levels. The sends being separately controlled to determine where a sound effect is located and plays out within the simulated ambience.”
A further design requirement was the centralization of all amplification and processing. A remotely located machine room was created housing a total of 11 Amate Audio HD 3200 and HD 1200 power amplifiers. These provide a total system power in excess of 25 kW constant program power; ensuring the installation never runs out of headroom. Three Amate Audio LMS 206 and one LMS 608 loudspeaker management DSP processors provide discrete system configuration of the loudspeakers in both FoH and EFX elements. Signal feeds to the processors are from a Midas DL32 stage-box at the control position in the auditorium where an M32 console is connected via Dante, to QLab’s show control automation. This runs the audio matrix and automation, along with the video and lighting control. The entire AVL is thus operable by a single technician, able to design and run a complete production from the control position.
Roc Mateu is a theatre sound designer with an international career encompassing all manner of performance venues, theatrical and musical productions
“The renovation was envisaged as transforming the venue’s technical production capabilities via multi-media technologies, as a means of expanding artistic possibilities,” he explains. “The objective role of sound design in this scheme= is to evolve beyond mere amplification to being a dynamic, illusionary creative tool. The means of achieving this were required to be as seamless and unobtrusive as possible. With loudspeaker systems of this level of performance and compact form-factor, it is possible within a small studio theatre, to provide the type of sound design capabilities expected of a major commercial production.”
With over 40 years experience, the company’s history is marked by innovations and industry firsts including some of the earliest implementation of signal processing in active loudspeaker systems and power amplifiers, and the first implementation of computer control and monitoring, introduced some ten years ago within the company’s first line array design. More recently, the company was the first pro audio manufacturer to implement remote speaker system control via an iPad app.
Amate Audio’s product portfolio is led by Xcellence series, offering premium performance and design optimization in point source and line array systems. Incorporating state-of-the-art power and DSP system control, with Ethernet and Wi-Fi remote control, Xcellence systems are fully specified for the most demanding professional sound applications. The new ultra-compact NÍTID series offers dedicated, versatile, self-powered speaker systems, with onboard DSP control, for high performance rental and fixed installation applications. These deploy the latest integrated digital power and control technologies, custom engineered to deliver performance capability and sound quality far in excess of the price tag.
