Adlib won the competitive tender to supply the kit - which also includes other Harman brands including BSS, Crown and Soundcraft. The project was co-ordinated by Adlib's Andy Dockerty and Harman Pro UK's Max Lindsay-Johnson, and for the client by Steve Dawson, general manager of the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre Complex.
The brief was to specify the right production values to attract regular touring artists of all types. It also had to match the architectural integrity of the room and maintain clear sightlines from all around the auditorium. Harman did an initial site survey and constructed an acoustic model of the venue, along with a 3D wire frame model from the architect's drawings. The on-the-ground installation work was carried out by Adlibs's Marc Peers and Roger Kirby, assisted by local sound engineer Anglin Buttimore.
The main arrays are 12 VerTec 4888 elements - six per side - complete with two VT4887 under-hang boxes per side for front-fill. Under the balcony are 12 JBL Control 30s for delay, concealed behind architectural panels in the balcony roof. Front-of-stage are four JBL AM6212/64 enclosures for out-fills. Adlib Audio 281 enclosures are used onstage for front centre-fills. Adlib also designed and built special custom sub-bass units fitted under the stage. FOH console is a Soundcraft Series 5, complete with BSS Omnidrives for system control, BSS 960 EQs and a rack of familiar gates, compressors and effects including devices from TC, Lexicon, Yamaha, dbx and Drawmer.
Monitors feature the new Adlib AA1515W wedges, designed by Marc Peers and Adlib's Dave Fletcher, and containing a hybrid mix of special 15" and a 1.5" PD and Band C drivers. These very low profile enclosures will become the new Adlib standard wedges over the next few months. The top-end response runs flat up to 16kHz. Monitors offer a choice of BSS EQ or a dbx Drive Rack system with all the remote facilities.
The dbx Drive Rack 480R remote sits at the desk and allows access to all the processing and amps under-stage. The engineer can adjust the processing from the monitor position, and it's MIDI linked to the Soundcraft SM20 monitor desk. The remote can also be used FOH, also enabling the EQ'ing of the monitors and access to all the graphics from there. The air-conditioned amp room downstairs is full of Crown VZ 5002s, and the Crown XS series for the in-fills, delays, side fills and monitors.
Adlib also supplied Villa Marina with a selection of AKG microphones including the new 451 condenser mic. The company designed and built a fire alarm system to integrate with the main PA thus avoiding the rather brutal 'power cut' to all equipment when the alarm is triggered.
Adlib's sister company Adlite supplied a lighting system for the Gala opening featuring Elkie Brooks, comedian Tom O'Connor and the Manx Youth Orchestra. The cinema element of the Villa Marina Complex also features a JBL cinema audio system, that was designed and installed by Sound Associates, consisting of a JBL 3678 Screen system and 3635 subs.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
