The Badminton is now a 2,500-capacity theatre, but a clue to the venue's original function is in the name: it was created from a badminton arena built for the 2004 Olympic Games. After the games, the building was used to stage a four-month run of Cats, proving it could function as a successful theatre. It has been rented by the Athens-based A.B.C.D company for a 20-year term, and a major six-month renovation project took place which included digging down 7.5m to create an amphitheatre-style auditorium.
A.B.C.D. opted for the Midas XL8 when it came to choosing a mixing system. "We wanted to create a high quality theatre experience for our audiences by providing the best-possible sound, lighting, visuals, seating etc," says Renos Papapaschos, technical director of A.B.C.D. "Because we felt the XL8 was the best possible live console we could buy, we were happy to be one of the first customers to have this system installed into our venue."
Papapaschos, a long-time Midas user, reports that it took just five minutes for him to feel comfortable in front of the XL8 control surface. "The operation is so similar to that of Midas analogue consoles that engineers who haven't trained on digital can learn it quickly," he says. "A lot of different shows come through here, so it has to be easy to use. Many engineers also pass by to find out how it works.
Papapaschos has opted to use a Klark Teknik Helix digital EQ with the XL8. "This is a great add-on to the console," he says. "It allows very fast access to the auxiliaries through the Solo Tracking System function, which shows the solo'd outputs on the Helix master unit or a wireless tablet PC. I often use this for EQing the surround speakers; it's very fast and accurate to press solo and do the EQ."
(Jim Evans)
