ALLEN & HEATH DIGITAL PRODUCTS ARE KEY FOR THEATRE SOUND

An Allen & Heath iLive digital console system, iDR-8 digital zone mixer and 6 remote control PL Series wall plates were installed at the Children’s Theatre of Annapolis in Maryland as part of a full audio system recently completed by installer, Audio Plus. A brand new construction, the Children’s Theatre hosts local and regional theatre productions as well as other events. The iLive system, comprising an iDR10 Mix Rack and iLive-80 Control Surface, manages FOH as well as monitor mixing duties, and the iDR-8 manages audio distribution for the main loudspeaker system, monitors, and zone speaker management. There are a variety of Allen & Heath PL wall plates installed at key locations throughout the theatre, providing remote control access of the system. “The iLive/iDR integration is the perfect solution for theatre as it is infinitely flexible and has a ton of features that will allow the system to grow with the venue’s needs over time,” states Charles Cassell from sales rep firm, Audio Associates Inc. “The iLive system is configured for 48 inputs by 24 outputs, with 8 of the inputs and 8 of the outputs located at the FOH control surface, and the remaining 40 inputs and 16 outputs in the Mix Rack located near the stage. The outputs from the Mix Rack are bussed to the iDR-8, which takes care of all of the speaker management and remote controls installed in the venue.” Main outputs feed Left, Right, Centre, and Sub, with 4 monitor sends for wedges on the stage, and additional sends for monitors mounted overhead and side fills. Speaker zones are set up in the dressing rooms, the Green Room, lobby, general work area, and the Stage Manager’s position.

The PL-4 wall plates installed in the dressing rooms allow the actors to control volume and select between main mix and monitor mixes to listen for their cues, while the PL-4 located in the box office controls the volume of the main mix in the lobby area. The Green Room and general work areas also have PL-4’s for volume control. An eight channel PL-10 remote control rotary mixer is installed at the Stage Manager’s position to control 8 DCA’s pre-configured on the iLive system. “DCA control of the iLive system from the PL-10 is perfect as it allows non-technical folks to handle audio levels and mutes during rehearsals or simple events without requiring the theatre’s professional audio engineers to be present,“ explains Cassell. “This was a very important requirement for this system and one of the reasons the iLive/iDR system was chosen.” Other important requirements for this installation included scene recall and system admin permissions. “The iLive was an excellent choice here because it allows the theatre’s audio engineers to configure the system and set up various scenes to handle the different scene changes on the stage, and then lock down the system and assign privileges. At that point, non-technical folks can handle the scene recalls and run a given performance. Productions at this theatre typically involve 24 wireless mics and headsets, so a great strength of the iLive system is its ability to control volumes and mutes easily in a theatrical performance situation,” concludes Cassell.