QUEBEC – Alexandre Forgues, with the audio consulting firm 20k, was very familiar with Quebec's Salle Albert Rousseau, which has evolved from being primarily a venue for classical music to more of a contemporary multi-purpose performance space. When Forgues got the opportunity to totally replace the house sound system, he opted for d&b audiotechnik gear.
"I started my career as a system engineer and had visited the theatre many times; I know it well and have a great fondness for the room," Forgues said. "On several occasions I had taken in a d&b audiotechnik system from Axion (now part of Solotech), a rental company that used to be based in Quebec. The house had always liked the sound of d&b equipment, so when I established my consulting company 20k some years later and was asked to design a system installation, it was natural that I would look at the d&b range to replace their old PA."
Forgues' familiarity with the venue helped him overcome some of its acoustic challenges. "Having been originally designed for classical concerts, the room has many issues for sound reinforcement with much reflection and bounce. The new system has been in since last September, and we will be implementing in May 2011 the acoustic modifications I have recommended. The balcony lips will have absorbent acoustic panels added, and we will re-position the acoustic reflectors across the top of the stage. Removing these traditional orchestral reflectors would have been too expensive as aesthetically they conceal the ceiling void, but a change in angle makes all the difference to the listening environment."
20k designed a system that uses Qi-Series loudspeakers – Qi10, Qi1 and Q subwoofers flown left right, with E6 loudspeakers mounted to the proscenium walls as fills to the boxes at the sides, and again as front fills to the stalls.
"Unlike the old system, which was very large, black and visually intrusive, we have had d&b color match the fills to the walls, and further work has now been completed to the stage lip so the front fills are built in," Forgues said. "The main left right system is tiny compared to what was there before."
So far, the response has been very positive. "Since the theatre re-opened, visiting engineers have been really happy," Forgues said. "We asked if there was any tuning to the system EQ they would like modified and in eight months the only request has been to 'leave it exactly as it is.'"
Ray Furze, sound engineer for The Pixies, was a case in point. "We played there only last night, and when I saw the Q system in there, I decided immediately that we could leave our rented d&b J-Series on the truck," Furze said.
"I have a lot of experience with d&b and other makes and found this installation to be well chosen, properly implemented, and tuned just how I like it," Furze continued. "The horizontal array of B2-SUBs is especially nice, in conjunction with the flown Q-SUBs the two elements are set to negate any low end hotspots in the room, something I really appreciate with a high energy band like the Pixies."
Along with the new PA, 20k also provided a Yamaha M7CL desk, "a simple standard for many users," and d&b M4 wedges with a mobile rack of D12 amplifiers. Forgues called the latter "an incredible wedge for its size and such a sweet sound, vocal clarity has to be heard to be believed."
He added that, in addition to all that, "we have implemented a Crestron control system that, as well as controlling the house and stage lights, also has presets for controlling sound when the venue is used for such things as comedy nights and similar simple cabaret style presentations. The PA system is so predictable you could almost leave it unattended for such an entertainment."
For more information, please visit www.dbaudio.com.
